Innovative Techniques for Missile Defense - Proportional Hot Gas Actuator for DACS

A key system in the development of effective KEI vehicles is the divert and attitude control system (DACS). The DACS are responsible for maneuvering the interceptor vehicle to its target. A vital component to the DACS is the thruster, which provides effective control of vehicle divert. Solid propellant DACS thrusters employ a adjustable pintle for controlling the thrust level. Movement of the pintle for smooth operation is currently accomplished with hydraulic or electro-mechanical (EM) actuators that require a significant portion of the total vehicle power. As the DAC thrust and duration requirements increase, the power requirements increase dramatically, where EM actuation results in significantly increased weight and packaging challenges. The focus of this effort is to minimize the electrical power requirements and size of the DACS. The proposed innovative technique utilizes hot gases from the gas generator to drive the pintle actuation in a proportional mode. Accomplishing this task will drastically reduce the electrical power requirements for DACS on-board interceptor vehicles. Hence, the weight, size, and cost of the interceptor vehicles are significantly reduce, and provide a more reliable and effective ballistic missile defense system.