30-05-2012, 12:24 PM
GPS and Weapons Technology
GPS and Weapons Technology.ppt (Size: 682.5 KB / Downloads: 172)
Bombs
Explosive material packed into a sturdy case with a triggering device
“Dumb bombs:” falls straight to ground when dropped
Problem: very hard to drop a bomb accurately from any high altitude
Solution: precision weapons.
Precision Weapons
Self-guiding explosives or munitions – use built-in control system and adjustable flight fins
Force multipliers that maximize efficient use of resources
Reduce unintended “collateral damage” to non-military targets
3 types: radio-controlled, laser-guided, satellite guided.
Remote-Controlled Weapons
Video or infrared camera relays information to plane, where remote operator steers bomb towards target
Camera keeps target in center of display – automatically directs bomb through air
Developed by U.S. and Germans in WWII, used primarily in Korea and Vietnam
Laser-Guided Weapons
Bomb equipped with a “laser seeker” sensitive to laser beam at a certain frequency
Laser “planted” on target by human operator in air or on ground
Used first in the late Vietnam War, then extensively in Desert Storm and Kosovo
Cost: approximately $60,000
Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW)
Long-range satellite-guided missile designed to hit targets from a range far beyond that of anti-aircraft weaponry
Part of a Larger Movement
GPS technology is in part so effective because of other advances in military technology, including:
Unmanned flying drones
Bombs equipped with infrared and laser sensors
Automatic target-recognition algorithms (“brilliant” bombs)