A navigation system for a swarm of guided projectiles, such as cruise missiles, having three or more projectiles launched at a target is provided. The projectiles can be in secure communication with one another and can operate as a single swarm using a fusion of angle of arrival and time difference of arrival of a detected signal to direct the projectiles to a point of impact on a target that is offset from an emitter generating the detected signal. The projectiles can further use knowledge of their relative position to maintain and/or adjust their flight path and/or speed to maintain their course to the point of impact in areas of GPS denial or unavailability.

An MKV interceptor includes a carrier vehicle (CV) that supports the deployment of M kill vehicles (KVs) and provides centralized acquisition and discrimination pre-ejection. Pre-ejection each KV acquires and transmits IR imagery, and possibly visible imagery, via an internal communication bus to a central processor on the CV. The central processor spatially registers the IR images from the different KVs, either directly from the IR images themselves or using the visible imagery, and sums the IR (and visible) images to form a registered spatially averaged IR image. This image has the same resolution but higher SNR than any one of the KV IR images. The central processor uses this registered spatially averaged image during pre-ejection acquisition and discrimination modes. The key benefit is the elimination of independent CV sense capability, which is large, heavy and expensive, and was required by either the command guided or sharing concepts.

A target assignment system includes a sensor system which detects a position of a moving vehicle, an assigning section which determines the launcher system assigned with the moving vehicle in response to the position of the moving vehicle and generates a first display signal which shows the moving vehicle and a first launcher system, a display section which displays the moving vehicle and the assigned launcher system in real time in response to the display signal, and an input section which instructs a change of the assigned launcher system. The assigning section generates a second display signal in which the first launcher system is changed to a second launcher system, in response to an instruction of assignment change.

A threat degree of each of targets is numerized based on data obtained by observing the targets after launching of the flying objects. Also, the firepower of flying object is numerized based on the state of flying object after the launching. The optimal assignment of firepower is calculated based on the numerized threat degrees and firepower, and is shared by the flying objects. Each flying object intercepts the target specified based on the optimal assignment.

Apparatus and associated methods relate to coordinating guided-missile targeting among multiple guided missiles using inter-missile optical communications. An inter-missile communications channel is optically established with a first guided missile illuminating a first target within a scene aligned along a first missile axis, and a second guided missile receiving the illumination reflected by the first target. By illuminating the first target within the scene, the first guided missile designates the first target. The second guided missile can be configured to navigate to the designated first target or to select a second target not designated by the first guided missile. In some embodiments, the second guided missile can be configured to illuminate its selected second target so as to designate the selected second target and to communicate the designation to other guided missiles. By facilitating communications among a plurality of guided missiles, missile targeting can be coordinated during a flight portion of a guided-missile operation.

Systems and methods for deploying smart munitions may provide targeting metadata generated by surveillance networks to munitions deployment and guidance systems for smart munitions. Targeting metadata may be received by a conduit system and automatically processed to generate guidance and deployment data actionable by a munitions deployment platform.

Systems and methods for deploying smart munitions may provide targeting metadata generated by surveillance networks to munitions deployment and guidance systems for smart munitions. Targeting metadata may be received by a conduit system and automatically processed to generate guidance and deployment data actionable by a munitions deployment platform.

An ultra-wide band (UWB) radio frequency (RF)/optical aperture includes a substrate having a plurality of regions. The plurality of regions may have varying characteristics and properties. In some embodiments, the plurality of regions includes a first region having a first relative dielectric constant and being transparent to signals having a frequency in a first frequency range, a second region contained in the first region and having a second relative dielectric constant and being transparent to signals having a frequency in a second frequency range, and a third region contained within the second region and having a third relative dielectric constant and being transparent to signals having a frequency in a third frequency range.

A method for collaboration of a plurality of nodes includes determining at each node SLAM data for the node, the SLAM data including estimated position of features and/or targets observed and processed by the node using SLAM algorithms and covariance associated with the estimated positions, communicating at each node the node's SLAM data to the other nodes via each nodes' datalink communication system, receiving at each node SLAM data communicated from the other nodes via each node's datalink communication system, combining at each node the node's SLAM data and the SLAM data received from the other nodes based on features or targets included in SLAM data from the other nodes, refining at each node estimated positions of features and/or targets based on results of the combining, and navigating each node to a target at the target destination as a function of at least one of the refined estimated positions.

A method and system for constraining navigational drift in a munition caused by Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) bias error during flight of the munition in a constellation of a plurality of munitions in a Global Positioning System (GPS) denied attack. Each munition is provided with a datalink communication system to communicate with other munitions in the constellation and a navigation system having an IMU for guiding the munition in flight. An estimated position and covariance of the estimated position is determined for each munition via each munitions' navigation system. A range of each munition relative to at least one other munition in the munition constellation is determined via each munitions' datalink communication system. The estimated position and range to at least one other munition in the munition constellation is shared by each munition via each munitions' datalink communication system. Navigational drift for each munition is determined utilizing the estimated position of at least one other munition and the range to that at least one other munition in the munition constellation. And navigational drift in each munition is constrained by compensating for IMU bias error in each munition utilizing the determined navigational drift for each respective munition in the munition constellation.