Design and Testing of a Long Range Tele - Operated

The Missile, Research, Development and Engineering Center, MRDEC, of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, AMCOM is developing and demonstrating tele-operated missile systems that provide many of the capabilities that the Army has stated it needs. These capabilities include flexible mission planning, improved Identification Friend or Foe, minimum collateral damage, and precision hit. The Multimode Airframe Technology, MAT, program will be completed in December 1999 and will demonstrate in flight testing a 40-km, man-in-the-loop missile system. The demonstration will include a soft launch using an Allison Inc. turbojet as booster that effectively minimizes the launch blast signature and is inherently an insensitive munition. The flight test will demonstrate a variable geometry airframe and the capability to fly out at high speed, rapidly slow down to a much slower search velocity, and then re-boost in the end game. To reduce risk in the flight test and to test the installed turbojet engine under aerodynamic conditions, a sled will be conducted at Holloman AFB, NM in November 1998. This paper provides details of the demonstration, missile design, sled test and flight test plan . The military usefulness of the missile system is also discussed.