Method and apparatus for remotely deriving the velocity vector of an in-flight ballistic projectile

摘要

A system and method for rapidly determining the source of an incoming projectile applies controlled, active RF energy source(s) to illuminate a target area/projectile, and exploits Doppler induced frequency shifts from multiple receivers to develop a vector solution. The preferred solution applies continuous wave (CW) RF illuminators to flood a local region with a controlled source of radio frequency energy and one or more displaced receiver elements. The system operates multi-statically and as an incoming projectile enters the illuminated region, reflected energy from one or more illuminators is detected by one or more displaced RF receivers. Doppler shifts imparted on the reflected signals are detected by the receivers as the projectile moves through the region. Appropriate processing of the receiver outputs generates Doppler time-frequency profiles that are used to derive an estimate of the projectile flight vector in 3-space (x,y,z). The vector parameters can, among other things, feed a laser designator that projects a beam along the derived flight path to support identification of the source, or be relayed to remote personnel by a data link where the projectile vector can be displayed on a map.