SUBMUNITION DESIGN FOR A LOW-COST SMALL UAS COUNTER-SWARM MISSILE

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18Dec_Lobo_Keith.pdf (5.58 MB)
Authors
Lobo, Keith
Subjects
counter-swarm
UAV
UAS
low-cost
weapon
payload
submunition
design
Advisors
Brophy, Christopher M.
Wright, Robert G.
Date of Issue
2018-12
Date
Publisher
Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School
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Abstract
The emergence of high-performance, consumer-grade, and low-cost drones (under $1000), combined with artificial intelligence and low-cost computer processing power, has provided the tools and platforms on which to build drone swarms. In the context of recent weaponization of commercially available unmanned aerial systems such as quadcopters, these trends present two major challenges: the possibility of defenses getting overwhelmed and the large cost asymmetry between currently available defenses and the cost of these threats. Survivability methodology was used to study the susceptibility and vulnerability of threat vehicles. This analysis was then used to design and develop a submunition possessing a low-cost kill mechanism, such that multiple units could be delivered by a low-cost delivery vehicle. Vulnerability analysis revealed that a fouling mechanism would be highly effective and was therefore chosen as the kill mechanism. The submunition’s aerodynamics were modeled and used to develop a concept of operations involving the deployment of multiple submunitions from a single delivery vehicle. The kill mechanism, submunition, and delivery vehicle were manufactured using commercially available components and additive manufacturing. Experimental testing has demonstrated the viability of these designs and the ability to provide a defense against small UAS swarms with low-cost technologies.
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Thesis
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https://hdl.handle.net/10945/61217
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Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE)
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Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
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