Missile for detecting and combatting enemy helicopters

摘要

A missile for detecting and combatting enemy helicopters has an infrared homing head with an infrared lens and infrared sensor that will emit electrical signals, depending on incident infrared radiation, and the sensor is designed as a two-dimensional detector matrix consisting of a number of punctiform detector cells arranged essentially in the focal plane of the infrared lens. The homing head includes an arrangement for acquiring a target and determining the type of target from the target information by individually scanning each of the detector cells quickly one after another by evaluating the amplitude and frequency of the electrical signals. The determination includes determining the relative position of the target to the optical axis of the homing head and the homing head will then steer the missile to hit the target. To improve the target acquisition and recognition phase, the matrix detector can be periodically swung around the axis of the flight path of the missile and, after target pick-up, is stabilized to lock on any helicopter to initiate and carry out the target-type recognition.