System, device, and method of protecting aircrafts against incoming threats
System, device and method for protecting aircrafts against incoming threats. The system includes: (a) a dual-band Radio Frequency (RF) track-and-confirm module comprising: a dual-band RF receiver to receive high-band RF signals and low-band RF signals; a threat confirmation module to confirm a possible incoming threat based on processing of RF signals received at the dual-band RF receiver; a threat parameters calculator to calculate a fine angular position and a precise angular position of a confirmed incoming threat, based on processing of RF signals received at low-band RF for fine angular position and at high-band RF for precise angular position; (b) a countermeasure directed Laser module to activate a directed Laser countermeasure towards said precise angular position of said confirmed incoming threat.
1. A system for protecting an aircraft against incoming threats, the system comprising:
(a) a dual-band Radio Frequency (RF) track-and-confirm module comprising:
a dual-band RF receiver to receive high-band RF signals and low-band RF signals;
a threat confirmation module to confirm a possible incoming threat based on processing of RF signals received at the dual-band RF receiver;
a threat parameters calculator to calculate a fine angular position and a precise angular position of a confirmed incoming threat, based on processing of RF signals received at low-band RF for fine angular position and at high-band RF for precise angular position;
(b) a countermeasure directed laser module to activate a directed laser countermeasure towards said precise angular position of said confirmed incoming threat,
wherein the system comprises a central processor to select a countermeasure technique, out of a plurality of countermeasures techniques available on said aircraft, based on a data fusion algorithm that fuses data from the dual-band RF track-and-confirm module and one or more of:
altitude of the aircraft,
attitude of the aircraft,
height of the aircraft,
number of concurrently incoming threats,
directions of concurrently incoming threats,
number of protection systems installed on the aircraft,
angular coverage of protection systems installed on the aircraft, and
calculated threat parameters.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the dual-band RF receiver comprises:
a passive low-band receiver sub-unit able to receive incoming low-band RF signals without transmitting any RF waveforms by said dual-band RF track-and-confirm module.
3. The system of claim 2 , further comprising:
a pulse Doppler radar Missile Warning System (MWS) comprising a waveform transmitter;
wherein the dual-band RF track-and-confirm module is a passive receiving module that avoids transmitting of waveforms, and that receives a return of the waveform transmitted by said waveform transmitter of said pulse Doppler radar MWS.
4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the dual-band RF receiver comprises:
a high-band RF receiver sub-unit to receive high-band RF signals;
a low-band RF receiver sub-unit to receive low-band RF signals; and
a dual-band receive antenna connected to both said high-band RF receiver sub-unit and said low-band RF receiver sub-unit.
5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the dual-band RF receiver comprises:
a high-band RF receiver sub-unit to receive high-band RF signals;
a low-band RF receiver sub-unit to receive low-band RF signals;
wherein both the high-band RF receiver sub-unit and the low-band RF receiver sub-unit are implemented within a same RF module.
6. The system according to claim 3 , wherein the dual-band RF track-and-confirm module comprises:
a spectrum range selector to select a spectrum range in which the dual-band RF track-and-confirm module is to operate, based on (a) one or more threat parameters generated by the threat parameters calculator, and (b) one or more threat parameters generated by the active pulse Doppler MWS.
7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the threat parameters calculator comprises:
a fine angular position calculator to calculate a fine angular position with an error of up to 1 degree, of said confirmed incoming threat, based exclusively on (a) processing of low-band RF signals received at low-band RF, and (b) aircraft real-time navigation data; wherein the fine angular position calculator operates without taking into account RF signals received at high-band RF.
8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the threat parameters calculator comprises:
a precise angular position calculator to calculate a precise angular position of said confirmed incoming threat, based on (a) processing of high-band RF signals received at high-band RF, and (b) aircraft real-time navigation data, and (c) the fine angular position of said confirmed incoming threat as calculated from passive received low-band RF signals.
9. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the dual-band RF track-and-confirm module comprises:
a passive low-band RF receiver sub-unit to receive low-band RF signals without transmitting low-band RF signals;
a high-band RF transmitter to transmit high-band RF signals;
a high-band RF receiver sub-unit to receive high-band RF signals.
10. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the dual-band RF track-and-confirm module comprises:
a transmitter/receiver selector (a) to selectively activate and deactivate the passive low-band RF receiver sub-unit, and (b) to selectively activate and deactivate the high-band RF receiver sub-unit, and (c) to selectively activate and deactivate the high-band RF transmitter sub-unit.
11. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the transmitter/receiver selector is to selectively activate the high-band RF transmitter and the high-band RF receiver, based on processing of low-band RF signals received at previously-activated said passive low-band RF receiver sub-unit.
12. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a countermeasure selector to select a countermeasure for activation against the confirmed incoming threat, out of a plurality of countermeasures available on said aircraft, based on RF signals received at the high-band RF.
13. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a gimbal mechanism comprising a dual-axis steering gimbal, to slew towards the confirmed incoming threat (a) the dual-band RF track-and-confirm module, (b) the countermeasure directed laser module, and (c) a dual-band antenna associated with the dual-band RF track-and-confirm module.
14. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the countermeasure directed laser module comprises a multi-spectral laser transmitter to transmit multi-spectral laser transmission towards the confirmed incoming threat.
15. The system according to claim 1 , wherein both the countermeasure directed laser module and the dual-band RF track-and-confirm module are mounted on, and slewed by, a same gimbal mechanism.
16. The system according to claim 3 , wherein the threat parameters calculator of the dual-band RF track-and-confirm module takes into account, and optimizes signal processing by using, real-time radar information obtained from the pulse Doppler radar MWS.
17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the dual-band RF track-and-confirm module performs threat tracking and threat confirmation on both low-band RF and high-band RF by utilizing a pulse Doppler radar technique.
18. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a countermeasure waveform constructor to construct a waveform of a countermeasure based on threat parameters calculated by taking into account both incoming low-band RF signals and incoming high-band RF signals.
19. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a radome to encapsulate the dual-band RF track-and-confirm module and the countermeasure directed laser module;
wherein the radome enables transmission through the radome of (a) electromagnetic signals on low-band RF, and (b) electromagnetic signals on high-band RF, and (c) optical signals.
20. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a radome to encapsulate the dual-band RF track-and-confirm module and the countermeasure directed laser module;
wherein the radome enables transmission through the radome of (a) electromagnetic signals on low-band RF, and (b) electromagnetic signals on high-band RF, and (c) laser signals.
21. The system of claim 1 , wherein the dual-band RF receiver comprises a plurality of antenna elements to receive low-band RF signals and high-band RF signals;
wherein at least some of the plurality of antenna elements form a circle around said countermeasure directed laser module.
22. The system of claim 1 , wherein the dual-band RF receiver comprises a plurality of radiating elements to receive low-band RF signals and high-band RF signals;
wherein all of the plurality of antenna elements surround said countermeasure directed laser module.
23. The system of claim 1 , wherein the dual-band RF receiver comprises a plurality of antenna elements to receive low-band RF signals and high-band RF signals;
wherein the plurality of antenna elements are divided into four regions.
24. The system of claim 1 , wherein the dual-band RF receiver comprises a plurality of antenna elements to receive low-band RF signals and high-band RF signals;
wherein the plurality of antenna elements are divided into four regions;
wherein RF signals received by the plurality of antenna elements are processed using Sigma/Delta mono-pulse tracking.
25. The system of claim 1 , wherein the dual-band RF receiver comprises a plurality of antenna elements to receive low-band RF signals and high-band RF signals;
wherein the plurality of antenna elements are divided into four regions;
wherein RF signals received by the plurality of antenna elements are processed using phase tracking.
26. The system of claim 1 , wherein the dual-band RF receiver comprises a plurality of antenna elements to receive low-band RF signals and high-band RF signals;
wherein the plurality of antenna elements are divided into four regions;
wherein each region of said four regions comprises a single low-frequency radiating element inter-connected with a plurality of high-frequency radiating elements.