Compact Actuation Technology for Spin Stabilized Munitions (CATS)

NextGen Aeronautics (NextGen) is proposing an innovative actuation concept that minimizes SWaP impact on munitions. The proposed actuation system will be designed to survive ultra-high gun-fired munitions inertial loads, insensitive requirements, long storage, and transportation conditions. Explosive micro-charge arrays addressed by flexible electronics are proposed to create precisely timed and located micro-impulses to correct or modify flight trajectories of gun-fired munitions stabilized by high spin rates. The thin film electronic switching technology developed by NextGen for distributed strain sensing will be modified to trigger an explosive impulse. Our solution will minimize the use of internal space and save weight compared to SOA actuation alternatives for small munitions. NextGen will develop printed diode based switching to resistively heat a thin film heating element with multilayer detonation initiator layers on it igniting the explosive charge for impulsive force creation. In Phase I, NextGen will concentrate on analytical modeling to prove feasibility of the proposed concept in meeting the quantitative requirements. NextGen will also perform critical micro-thruster timing and impulse measurement experiments in Phase I. A prototype of the flight trajectory correction actuation system will be developed and tested in Phase II.