Automatic RF countermeasures dispensing module controller

• US 5,574,458 A
• Filed: 06/30/1994
• Issued: 11/12/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honeywell Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Tran, My
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B.
• Application Number:
  US08/308,161
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 342/13, 342/14, 342/15, 342/12
• US Class Current: 342/13
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/021 Auxiliary means for detecting or identifying radar signals or the like, e.g. radar jamming signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/38 Jamming means, e.g. producing false echoes

Abstract

Automatic countermeasures dispensing module controller for radio frequency countermeasures processes information generated by a missile approach detector and radio frequency receivers which is correlated to generate a radio frequency countermeasures dispensing command. A countermeasures module is connected to provide effective countermeasures against radio frequency guided missiles. Voice warning messages are generated and a threat display symbol is generated on a cockpit display system that provides an audio and visual monitor of the threat. The number of countermeasures employed is counted. If a radar warning receiver or pulsed radar jammer is in operation and a missile approaching event is detected, the region of missile approach is read from a missile approach detector. The missile threat is displayed and correlated with the radar warning receiver or pulsed radar jammer for the indicated region with a missile approach detector. If the correlation is positive then a RF dispensing command is generated to dispense an RF countermeasures module.

Claims

1. An automatic RF countermeasures dispensing module comprising:

(a) automatic countermeasures control means having an aircraft survivability system state input, a missile approach event input, an RF countermeasures command output, a control signal output, a cross-sensor data correlation input and a countermeasures count monitor input;

(b) radar warning receiver pre-data correlation means having a control signal input operatively connected to the control signal output of said automatic countermeasures control means and a radar warning receiver track file input, said radar warning receiver pre-data correlation means providing an active RF region output;

(c) pulsed radar jammer pre-data correlation means having a pulsed radar jammer control input operatively connected to the control signal output of said automatic countermeasures control means and a pulsed radar jammer track file input, said pulsed radar jammer pre-data correlation means having active RF region output;

(d) RF countermeasures count monitor means having an RF count monitor control signal input operatively connected to the control signal output of said automatic countermeasures control means and a manual RF countermeasures command count input, said RF countermeasures count monitor means providing an RF countermeasures count output;

(e) cross sensor data correlation means having an active RF region input operatively connected to the active RF region output of said radar warning receiver pre-data correlation means, an active RF region input connected to said output of said pulsed radar jammer pre-data correlation means, a missile approach detector track file input, and a cross sensor data correlation control input operatively connected to the control signal output of said automatic countermeasures control means, said cross sensor data correlation means providing cross sensor data correlation with said RF active region output of said radar warning receiver pre-data correlation means and said active RF region output of said pulsed radar jammer pre-data correlation means and with said missile approach detector track file input means, said cross sensor data correlation means outputting to said correlated data input of said automatic countermeasures control means;

(f) symbol and message generator means having a control signal input operatively connected to the control signal output of said automatic countermeasures control means and operatively connected to said cross sensor data correlation means, said symbol and message generator means providing a threat display data output and a voice message output; and

(g) voice processor means operatively connected to said voice message output and display processor means for displaying threat data operatively connected to said threat display data output and said RF countermeasures count output.

2. An automatic countermeasures control method comprising the steps of:

(a) determining if a system state indicates either a radar warning receiver or pulsed radar jammer is in operation, exiting the process if neither is in operation;

(b) determining whether a missile is approaching, exiting the process of no missile is approaching;

(c) reading a missile approach detector region from a missile approach detector data track file;

(d) displaying a missile threat;

(e) correlating data from a radar warning receiver or a pulsed radar jammer for an indicated region with the missile approach detector data track file;

(f) determining if there is a match, exiting the process if there is no match; and

(g) generating an RF dispensing command indicative of the missile approach.

3. An integrated aircraft survivability equipment apparatus comprising:

(a) data bus means having a data bus control input;

(b) means for aircraft survivability integration comprising an automatic countermeasures dispensing control output, a multifunction display output, a data bus control output connected to said data bus control input, a radar warning receiver control output, a pulsed radar jammer control output, a continuous wave radar jammer control output, and a missile approach detector control output;

(c) radar warning receiver means operatively connected to said data bus means and having a radar warning receiver control input operatively connected to said radar warning receiver control output of said aircraft survivability integration means;

(d) pulsed radar jammer means operatively connected to said data bus means and having a pulsed radar jammer control input operatively connected to the pulsed radar jammer control output of said aircraft survivability integration means;

(e) continuous wave radar jammer means operatively connected to said data bus means and having a continuous wave radar jammer control input operatively connected to said continuous wave radar jammer control output of said aircraft survivability integration means;

(f) missile approach detector means operatively connected to said data bus means and having a missile approach detector control input operatively connected to said missile approach detector control output of said aircraft survivability integration means;

(g) multifunction display means having a multifunction display input operatively connected to said multifunction display output of said aircraft survivability integration means, said multifunction display means being operatively connected to a keyboard control unit; and

(h) automatic countermeasures dispensing means having an automatic countermeasures dispensing input operatively connected to said automatic countermeasures dispensing control output of said aircraft survivability integration means.

4. The integrated aircraft survivability equipment apparatus of claim 3 wherein said means for aircraft survivability integration further comprises

an automatic RF countermeasures dispensing module apparatus for dispensing countermeasures having an automatic RF countermeasures dispensing module apparatus input operatively connected to at least one of said radar warning receiver means, said pulsed radar jammer means, said continuous wave radar jammer means, or said missile approach detector means.

5. The integrated aircraft survivability equipment apparatus of claim 4 wherein said automatic RF countermeasures dispensing module apparatus further comprises an input for detecting aircraft survivability equipment system state.

6. The integrated aircraft survivability equipment apparatus of claim 5 wherein said automatic RF countermeasures dispensing module apparatus comprises means for dispensing an RF countermeasures command.

7. The integrated aircraft survivability equipment apparatus of claim 4 wherein said automatic RF countermeasures dispensing module apparatus comprises means for counting the countermeasures dispensed.

8. The integrated aircraft survivability equipment apparatus of claim 7 wherein said means for counting countermeasures dispensed comprises means for counting both the number of manually dispensed countermeasures and the number of automatically dispensed countermeasures.

9. The integrated aircraft survivability equipment apparatus of claim 4 wherein said automatic RF countermeasures dispensing module apparatus outputs to a voice processor means for generating voice messages concerning threat data.

10. The integrated aircraft survivability equipment apparatus of claim 8 wherein said automatic RF countermeasures dispensing module apparatus outputs to a voice processor means for generating voice messages concerning the count of countermeasures dispensed.

11. The integrated aircraft survivability equipment apparatus of claim 4 wherein said automatic RF countermeasures dispensing module apparatus outputs to a display processor for generating threat display.

12. The integrated aircraft survivability equipment apparatus of claim 8 wherein said automatic RF countermeasures dispensing module apparatus outputs to a display processor for displaying the count of countermeasures dispensed.

13. An apparatus for automatically dispensing countermeasures comprising:

a missile approach detector and at least one other aircraft survivability sensor;

means to correlate the missile approach detector output with the output of the at least one other aircraft survivability sensor to confirm a missile launch; and

automatic countermeasures control means connected to the correlation means which upon detection of a missile approach, determines the status of the missile approach detector and the at least one aircraft survivability sensor, receives from the correlation means an indication of whether the missile has been correlated, and sends a signal to a countermeasures dispenser to dispense at least one type of countermeasure according to signals received from the correlation means.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising means for maintaining a count of countermeasures dispensed which operatively connected to said automatic countermeasures control means.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said means for maintaining a count of countermeasures dispensed maintains a count of the number of manually dispensed countermeasures and maintains a count of the number of automatically dispensed countermeasures dispensed by the automatic countermeasures control means.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising symbol and message generator means which provides threat information for a missile detection.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein a voice processor for providing acoustic warnings for the threat information is connected to the symbol and message generator means.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein a display processor for displaying the threat information is connected to the symbol and message generator means.

19. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the at least one other aircraft survivability sensor is radar warning receiver.

20. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the at least one other aircraft survivability sensor is a radar jammer.