LUNA INNOVATIONS INCORPORATED — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: N171-006

Description

The capabilities of the HYDRA-70 rockets in use with the US military have quickly outgrown those of the current generation of rocket launchers. These capabilities require that launchers provide pre-launch electrical power to wake-up guidance electronics, send data to the rocket including laser code settings for the laser seeker, initial conditions such as range to target and transfer alignment, fixed target image templates and mobile target parameters for the imaging seeker, and receive data from the rocket for command confirmation and guidance built-in test status checking. Launchers must also be capable of accepting signals from a MIL-STD-1760 interface, allow for arbitrary firing order, cockpit-selectable ripple or single fire, rocket inventory data, rocket presence detection, launcher service-life recording, and launcher built-in test. To meet the current and future launcher requirements of the US Navy, Luna proposes the development of a guided rocket inductive link system - Luna WInd (Wireless Inductive) Link. This wireless inductive link will accept signals from a MIL-STD-1760 interface and then wirelessly send commands to and from the rocket. The Phase I design will focus on creating a functioning prototype inductive link, and will conclude with the development of a Phase II transition plan and a laboratory demonstration.