The invention relates to A nose cone assembly for a munition, comprising a transducer array operably linked to a transmission assembly, wherein the transducer array is operably connected to a transducer housing, said transducer housing comprising a first and second surface, wherein said transmission assembly is reversibly operably connected to the second surface of said transducer housing, said transmission assembly comprising a control board and a plurality of electronic circuit boards, wherein at least one electronic circuit board is a transceiver circuit board, said electronic circuit boards being reversibly connected to the control board and being arranged along their longest dimension, at an axis substantially perpendicular to the control board and further arranged such that the electronic circuit boards extend radially inwardly to a substantially rotational centre of the control board.

The invention relates to A nose cone assembly for a munition, comprising a transducer array operably linked to a transmission assembly, wherein the transducer array is operably connected to a transducer housing, said transducer housing comprising a first and second surface, wherein said transmission assembly is reversibly operably connected to the second surface of said transducer housing, said transmission assembly comprising a control board and a plurality of electronic circuit boards, wherein at least one electronic circuit board is a transceiver circuit board, said electronic circuit boards being reversibly connected to the control board and being arranged along their longest dimension, at an axis substantially perpendicular to the control board and further arranged such that the electronic circuit boards extend radially inwardly to a substantially rotational centre of the control board.

An aerodynamic nose cone capable of imaging through the nose cone is accomplished by forming the nose cone as an Afocal Axicon lens. Under a condition of RI≈cos(X)/cos(3X) where RI is an effective refractive index and X is a cone half angle of the solid right-circular cone. EMR incident on a front portion of the cone undergoes a total internal reflection (TIR) and exits a trailing surface of the cone with approximately the same parallelism with which it entered the cone. EMR incident behind the front portion of the cone that exits the trailing surface with different parallelism than it entered may be directed to a light dump or through a frustum of a cone to re-establish the correct parallelism. The entire optical system may be monolithically integrated into the nose cone to eliminate alignment issues and moving parts.

An aerodynamic nose cone capable of imaging through the nose cone is accomplished by forming the nose cone as an Afocal Axicon lens. Under a condition of RI≈cos(X)/cos(3X) where RI is an effective refractive index and X is a cone half angle of the solid right-circular cone. EMR incident on a front portion of the cone undergoes a total internal reflection (TIR) and exits a trailing surface of the cone with approximately the same parallelism with which it entered the cone. EMR incident behind the front portion of the cone that exits the trailing surface with different parallelism than it entered may be directed to a light dump or through a frustum of a cone to re-establish the correct parallelism. The entire optical system may be monolithically integrated into the nose cone to eliminate alignment issues and moving parts.

A control surface restraining system for variably restraining a control surface on a flight vehicle includes a passively triggered and manually movable control surface restraint for keeping the control surface aligned along a longitudinal axis of the flight vehicle, while allowing for temporary control surface rotation during handling and loading. The control surface restraining system allows the control surfaces to be manually rotated out of and back to the “zero position” (i.e., aligned along the longitudinal axis) for loading the flight vehicle with a common load strap, and thereafter maintained in the “zero position” until launch for proper control actuation system initialization. Upon launch, the control surface restraining system is passively actuated for releasing the control surface, requiring no active stimulus from the guidance section, power, or associated wiring, therefore saving critical space and volume within the tactical flight vehicle.

A control surface restraining system for variably restraining a control surface on a flight vehicle includes a passively triggered and manually movable control surface restraint for keeping the control surface aligned along a longitudinal axis of the flight vehicle, while allowing for temporary control surface rotation during handling and loading. The control surface restraining system allows the control surfaces to be manually rotated out of and back to the “zero position” (i.e., aligned along the longitudinal axis) for loading the flight vehicle with a common load strap, and thereafter maintained in the “zero position” until launch for proper control actuation system initialization. Upon launch, the control surface restraining system is passively actuated for releasing the control surface, requiring no active stimulus from the guidance section, power, or associated wiring, therefore saving critical space and volume within the tactical flight vehicle.

Disclosed is an unmanned Aerial Vehicle, UAV, comprising a plurality of rotors, a camera and an explosive payload, wherein the UAV comprises a generally elongate body, and the camera and the payload are arranged substantially in-line within the body.

A non-uniformity correction (NUC) calibration method comprises obtaining image data for a plurality of images with an image sensor, wherein each image in the plurality of images is obtained at a different respective global pixel gain setting and global expose in the image sensor; and using the image data for non-uniformity correction calibration to compute pixel NUC values for the pixels in the image sensor. The method can further include storing the pixel NUC values and obtaining further image data corrected by the stored pixel NUC values. In embodiments, the method can include moving a platform based on the further image data. In certain embodiments, the platform can be a guided munition.

A non-uniformity correction (NUC) calibration method comprises obtaining image data for a plurality of images with an image sensor, wherein each image in the plurality of images is obtained at a different respective global pixel gain setting and global expose in the image sensor; and using the image data for non-uniformity correction calibration to compute pixel NUC values for the pixels in the image sensor. The method can further include storing the pixel NUC values and obtaining further image data corrected by the stored pixel NUC values. In embodiments, the method can include moving a platform based on the further image data. In certain embodiments, the platform can be a guided munition.

A heat dissipation structure is disclosed that is especially well-suited for use on aerodynamic systems. The heat dissipation structure is formed within a metallic body that surrounds the heat-generating electronics. The heat dissipation structure is designed to both dissipate the generated heat and also to isolate RF cross-talk between the one or more transmitters and receivers. The heat dissipation structure includes a plurality of ring structures that extend around at least a portion of a body that houses the one or more heat-generating electrical components. The plurality of ring structures may be recessed into the body, and a first spacing between a first adjacent pair of ring structures of the plurality of ring structures is different from a second spacing between a second adjacent pair of ring structures of the plurality of ring structures.