Initiators, Fuzes, and Sensors
Abstract
The goals of this technical focus area are to develop new materials, components, diagnostic techniques, and modeling and simulation tools for fuzing systems. Initiators, fuzes, and sensors must work reliably together to prevent unintended detonation, to correctly detect intended targets, and to initiate detonation when required. Projects in this focus area support the Department’s needs to miniaturize fuzing systems. Smaller systems are required for several reasons including: compatibility with smaller and lighter weapons systems; trading volume in munitions for other components such as additional explosive, larger power sources, or guidance systems; increasing reliability through redundancy (use two or more smaller initiating systems); and upgrading existing sub-munitions with smarter and more reliable fuzing systems. The miniaturization of fuzing systems requires new material and components, new power systems, new diagnostic techniques, and improved modeling tools for microdetonics. The Department also needs weapons systems with selectable effects and these effects can be achieved with multi-point initiation systems. Such systems are inherently more complex and require improved characterization of initiator materials and components as well as more sophisticated modeling and simulation tools. To attain greater precision and to avoid unintended collateral effects when weapons are used in the complex environment of counter-insurgency or counter-terrorist operations, target sensors must be reliable and provide high-fidelity discrimination. Two projects in this focus area are developing technologies to achieve this level of performance in compact packages. The specific projects in the initiators, fuzes, and sensors technical focus area are: – Firing systems technology: FireMod firing set code model development and validation, 1.6 hazard classification detonator development, and initiation and detonation physics on the millimeter scale. – Safe, Arm, Fuze and Fire Technology: Initiation & Detonation; Advanced Firing System Components. – Advanced initiation systems: diagnostics development, microdetonics, miniature initiation systems, and detonators for enhanced safety. – Thermal Battery Performance Modeling. – MESASAR synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors. – Vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) sensors for proximity fuzing.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2014
- Source ID
- 7f1eb9c06e0dcd82c4ef06223226fa85