Design and testing of a caseless solid-fuel integral-rocket ramjet engine for use in small tactical missiles.

Abstract

An investigation was conducted to determine the feasibility of a low-cost, caseless, solid-fuel integral-rocket ramjet (IRSFRJ) that has no ejecta. Analytical design of a ramjet powered air-to-ground missile capable of being fired from a remotely piloted vehicle or helicopter was accomplished using current JANNAF and Air Force computer codes. The results showed that an IRSFRJ powered missile can exceed the velocity and range of current systems by more than a two to one ratio, without an increase in missile length and weight. A caseless IRSFRJ with a non-ejecting port cover was designed and tested. The experimental results of the static tests showed that a low-cost, caseless IRSFRJ with a nonejecting port cover is a viable design. Rocket-ramjet transition was demonstrated and ramjet ignition was found to be insensitive to the booster tail-off to air-injection timing sequence.