Flight path control system allowing for wind speed and direction for object in free-fall, e.g. bomb dropped from an aircraft, evaluates air flow with two forwards-directed laser beams to provide input to autonomous controller

摘要

The system uses a pair of laser beams (16, 17) spaced by 90 deg projected forwards from the bomb at an angle of 45 deg to its longitudinal axis, to determine the speed of the air in a plane practically parallel to the ground. From the light reflected by particles of air signals representing wind speed and direction are fed to a control system modifying the aerodynamic properties of the bomb and thus its trajectory.