SMALL UAVS WITH RADAR RECEIVERS TO BE USED AS BISTATIC RADAR LAUNCHED FROM TACTICAL FIGHTER JETS

• US 20170297712A1
• Filed: 10/27/2014
• Published: 10/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Kim, Inyoung Daniel, Rose, Thomas M., Waldo, Dale
• Application Number:
  US14/524,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20170297712A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 5/00 Aircraft transported by aircraft, e.g. for release or reberthing during flight flying units formed by separate aircraft B64C37/02
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/15 for conventional or electronic warfare
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/20 for use as communications relays, e.g. high-altitude platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/12 Variable or detachable wings, e.g. wings with adjustable sweep
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/20 for releasing or capturing UAVs in flight by another aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/82 Airborne vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 15/08 for carrying measuring instruments; Arrangements for mounting sensitive cargo within a projectileadaptations for meteorology G01W1/08; Arrangements for acoustic sensitive cargo within a projectile
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 30/006 Mounting of sensors, antennas or target trackers on projectiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/003 Bistatic radar systems; Multistatic radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations

Abstract

A system for bistatic radar target detection employs an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having a radar antenna for bistatic reception of reflected radar pulses. The UAV operates with a flight profile in contested airspace. A tactical fighter aircraft having a radar transmitter for transmitting radar pulses operates with a flight profile in uncontested airspace. A communications data link operably interconnects the UAV and the tactical fighter aircraft, the communications data link transmitting data produced by the bistatic reception of reflected radar pulses in the UAV radar antenna to the fighter aircraft.

Claims

1. A system for bistatic radar target detection comprising:

an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having a radar antenna for bistatic reception of reflected radar pulses, said UAV operating with a UAV flight profile in contested airspace;

a tactical fighter aircraft having a radar transmitter for transmitting radar pulses, said tactical fighter aircraft operating with an aircraft flight profile in uncontested airspace; and

,

a communications data link operably interconnecting the UAV and the tactical fighter aircraft , said communications data link transmitting data produced by the bistatic reception of reflected radar pulses in the UAV radar antenna to the fighter aircraft.

2. The system for bistatic radar target detection as defined in claim 1 further comprising a UAV controller in the fighter aircraft, said UAV controller operably connected to the communications data link and transmitting flight control information to a UAV flight control system to control the UAV flight profile.

3. The system for bistatic radar target detection as defined in claim 1 wherein the UAV is mountable to the fighter aircraft and deployed from the fighter aircraft for the UAV flight profile.

4. The system for bistatic radar target detection as defined in claim 3 wherein the UAV has wings stowable in a first position prior to being deployed and extendible to an operating position after being deployed.

5. The system for bistatic radar target detection as defined in claim 3 wherein the UAV has control surfaces stowable in a first position prior to being deployed and extendible to an operating position after being deployed.

6. The system for bistatic radar target detection as defined in claim 5 wherein the UAV is mountable to a standard pylon on the fighter aircraft.

7. The system for bistatic radar target detection as defined in claim 2 further comprising a self-destruct system in the UAV.

8. The system for bistatic radar target detection as defined in claim 7 wherein the self-destruct system is operable by the UAV flight control system or the UAV controller.

9. A system for bistatic radar target detection comprising:

an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having a radar antenna for bistatic reception of reflected radar pulses, said UAV operating with a UAV flight profile in contested airspace;

a tactical fighter aircraft having a radar transmitter for transmitting radar pulses, said tactical fighter aircraft operating with an aircraft flight profile in uncontested airspace;

a communications data link operably interconnecting the UAV and the tactical fighter aircraft, said communications data link transmitting data produced by the bistatic reception of reflected radar pulses in the UAV radar antenna to the fighter aircraft; and

,

a self-destruct system in the UAV wherein the self-destruct system is operable by the UAV controller and wherein the UAV is releasably coupled to a standard pylon on the fighter aircraft in a manner such that the UAV may be deployed from and guided by the UAV controller in the fighter aircraft towards a target in a contested airspace, to thereby increase the target detection range beyond the fighter aircraft, whereby the fighter aircraft can stay out of contested airspace while collecting radar data on a target within the contested airspace.

10. A method for bistatic radar target detection comprising:

launching a UAV and navigating the UAV into contested airspace;

maintaining a fighter aircraft on a flight profile in uncontested airspace;

employing a high power radar system on the fighter aircraft to emit radar pulses;

employing a radar antenna on the UAV as a bistatic receiver to receive reflected radar pulses from targets; and

,

transmitting target data from the UAV via a communications data link to the fighter aircraft.

11. The method as defined in claim 10 further comprising:

mounting the UAV to a pylon on the fighter aircraft; and

,

the step of launching the UAV comprises launching the UAV from the fighter aircraft.

12. The method as defined in claim 11 further comprising:

downloading mission information from the fighter aircraft to the UAV.

13. The method as defined in claim 12 wherein the mission information includes a flight profile for the UAV.

14. The method as defined in claim 11 further comprising:

receiving flight control information to the UAV from the fighter aircraft over the communications data link.

15. The method as defined in claim 11 further comprising:

reporting location and current status by the UAV over the communications data link.

16. The method as defined in claim 10 further comprising:

flying the UAV to uncontested airspace upon completion of the mission profile; and

,

recovering the UAV through conventional landing or other known recovery techniques.

17. The method as defined in claim 10 further comprising:

causing the UAV to self-destruct after completion of a mission profile.

18. The method as defined in claim 17 wherein the step of causing the UAV to self-destruct is autonomous through commands from the UAV control system.

19. The method as defined in claim 17 wherein the step of causing the UAV to self-destruct occurs upon direction from the UAV controller on the fighter aircraft.