Preliminary free-flight investigation of the zero-lift drag penalties of several missile nose shapes for infrared seeking devices

摘要

The results of a preliminary investigation to develop a nose shape suitable for housing an infrared seeker are presented. The zero-lift drag characteristics of a missile-like body with various unconventional nose shapes were obtained through a range of Mach numbers from 0.8 to 1.8 and Reynolds numbers, based on body length, from 20 x10 to the 6th power to 70 x 10 to the 6th power, respectively, by using rocket-propelled free-flight models. Results of the test indicate that at supersonic speeds about 70 percent of the drag penalty incurred by using spherical-tip nose shapes may be eliminated by using nose shapes which will still allow the seeker to function.