Experimental Flight Characterization of Asymmetric and Maneuvering Projectiles from Elevated Gun Firings

摘要

Instrumented flight experiments were conducted to quantify flight behavior for two precision munitions programs. These projectiles were of different shapes and calibers but each featured roll-inducing tailflns and canards as their maneuver mechanisms. In this effort, aerodynamic terms for asymmetries, side moments, and control mechanisms were estimated from onboard sensor data acquired during elevated gun firings. Additionally, these experiments uncovered an in-flight reversal in coning direction of the projectile and the reasons for this behavior are described in a flight stability analysis.