Commercial airliner missile protection using formation drone aircraft

• US 7,478,578 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2005
• Issued: 01/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Kirkpatrick, Philip L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eldred; John W
• Application Number:
  US11/165,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20080190274A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• Field of Search: 89/11.1, 89/11, 244/1.R, 244/190, 342/13, 342/14
• US Class Current: 89/1.11
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 11/02 Anti-aircraft or anti-guided missile or anti-torpedo defence installations or systems cartridges or missiles for producing smoke or for dispensing radar chaff or infrared material F42B5/15, F42B12/48, F42B12/70; informative reference: details of radar or sonar systems G01S7/00; jamming or electronic countermeasures G01S7/38, G01S7/495, H04K3/00
• CPC Class Codes: F41J 2/02 Active targets transmitting infrared radiation
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/70 for dispensing radar chaff or infrared material radar-reflector targets, active targets transmitting infrared radiation F41J2/00; radar-reflecting surfaces H01Q15/14

Abstract

A commercial airliner (100) controls and is flown in formation with a drone aircraft (200) that includes missile detection and diversion equipment (215) capable of protecting the airliner from a man portable missile (130).

Claims

1. A system for protecting an airliner (100) from a missile (130) comprising:

(a) a first flight control system onboard said airliner;

(b) a drone aircraft (200) including a missile sensor (281) adapted to detect the presence of said missile and countermeasures equipment (251) adapted to react to said detected missile;

(c) a second flight control system (72) onboard said drone aircraft;

(d) a wireless link (60) between said first and second flight control systems;

(e) an operational mode under which said first flight control system controls said second flight control system via said wireless link, wherein said wireless link is secure and hardened; and

(f) multiple drone aircraft in formation with, and controlled by said airliner.

2. A method for protecting an airliner (100) from a missile (130) by flying a drone aircraft (200) containing countermeasures equipment (251), in formation with said airliner, said method comprising:

(a) computing (step 710) a formation centroid (5) of said formation based on the locations of three GPS antennas (11, 12, and 13), located on said airliner, and the locations of three GPS antennas (21, 22, and 23), located on said drone aircraft;

(b) computing (step 710) a formation geometric reference plane (50) of said formation based on the location of said formation centroid, the location of one GPS antenna located on said airliner, and the location of one GPS antenna located on said drone aircraft;

(c) executing (step 730) a first set of control laws to stabilize said formation geometric reference plane;

(d) computing (step 740) an airliner geometric reference plane (10) based on the locations of said three GPS antennas located on said airliner;

(e) executing (step 750) a second set of control laws to stabilize said airliner reference plane to said formation reference plane;

(f) computing (step 745) a drone aircraft geometric reference plane (20) based on the locations of said three GPS antennas located on said drone aircraft;

(g) executing (step 755) a third set of control laws to stabilize said drone aircraft reference plane to said formation reference plane; and

(h) continuing (step 760) formation flight by repeating said steps of computing the formation centroid, computing the formation geometric reference plane, executing the first set of control laws, computing the airliner geometric reference plane, executing the second set of control laws, computing the drone aircraft geometric reference plane, and executing the third set of control laws.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said step of executing a second set of control laws to stabilize said airliner reference plane uses locally mounted angular position and rate sensors.

4. A method for protecting an airliner (100) from a missile (130) by flying a drone aircraft (200) containing countermeasures equipment (251), in formation with said airliner, said method comprising:

(a) moving (step 810) said airliner to a first launch position;

(b) moving (step 820) said drone aircraft to a second launch position;

(c) taking (step 830) control of a drone aircraft flight control system (72) by an airliner flight control system (71) and forming an airliner-drone aircraft combined flight control system (70);

(d) flying (step 840) said airliner and said drone aircraft on a takeoff trajectory and in formation, under the control of said airliner-drone aircraft combined flight control system;

(e) detecting (step 850) a missile launch using a missile sensor (281) onboard said drone aircraft;

(f) activating (step 860) missile countermeasures equipment, onboard said drone aircraft, when said missile is detected;

(g) exiting (step 870) said aircraft from an airport protected zone; and

(h) taking (step 880) control of the drone aircraft by airport air traffic control.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said step of detecting a missile launch is performed by motion detection software.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein said step of activating missile countermeasures equipment further comprises illuminating an IR jammer.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein said step of activating missile countermeasures equipment further comprises dispensing flares.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein said airport protected zone extends from 100 feet altitude to 18,000 feet altitude.

9. A system for protecting an airliner from a missile comprising:

an aircraft comprising;

a first plurality of control surfaces adapted to be disposed in a range of positions;

a first plurality of GPS antennas, at least two of the GPS antennas each coupled to one of the first plurality of control surfaces;

a first flight control system coupled to the first plurality of GPS antennas and adapted to determine the position of each of the first plurality of GPS antennas and transmit a first signal, the signal containing information related to the position of each of the first plurality of GPS antennas; and

a first wireless transceiver coupled to the first flight control system, adapted to transmit and receive data; and

a drone aircraft comprising;

a second plurality of control surfaces adapted to be disposed in a range of positions;

a second plurality of GPS antennas, at least two of the GPS antennas each coupled to one of the second plurality of control surfaces;

a second flight control system coupled to at least one of the second plurality of GPS antennas and adapted to position at least two of the second plurality of control surfaces in response to the first signal;

a second wireless transceiver coupled to the second flight control system and adapted to transmit and receive data, the second wireless transceiver linked to the first wireless transceiver;

a missile sensor coupled to the second flight control system and adapted to detect an incoming missile and transmit a second signal; and

a countermeasure adapted to be deployed in response to the second signal.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first signal is transmitted by the first wireless transceiver and received by the second wireless transceiver.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the link between the first and second wireless transceivers is secure and hardened.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the first plurality of GPS antennas are disposed in positions which forms a plane.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein each of the disposed GPS antennas is more than 5 meters from any other disposed GPS antenna.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the first flight control system is adapted to determine a plane from the positions of the first plurality of GPS antennas.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first flight control system is further adapted to include information describing the plane in the first signal.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the second plurality of GPS antennas are disposed in positions which forms a plane.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the second flight control system is adapted to adjust the second plurality of flight control surfaces in response to the first signal.

18. The system of claim 9, wherein the countermeasure comprises a flare dispenser.

19. The system of claim 9, wherein the countermeasure comprises a radar emitter adapted to transmit false returns signals.

20. The system of claim 9, wherein the missile sensor comprises a sensor adapted to detect at least one of spectral emissions, radar reflections, laser reflections, and radio frequency emanations.