JCM seeker on SDB?

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displacedjim RE:JCM seeker on SDB? 7/10/2005 9:37:38 PM

First, I admit that if JCM is a specific seeker then I don't know anything about it. Second, I'm assuming use in an environment not able to provide AMSTE-like updates to the bomb, since that effectively provides it with the anti-shipping capability I think you're looking for, although admittedly not autonomous (by which I'm assuming you mean "launch-and-leave"). It's a very small bomb so the seeker couldn't be too big. Also, do you have any particular seeker in mind (again, assuming "JCM" isn't already a specific seeker design)? If it needed to lock on before launch, that usually means a relatively shorter range that I'd guess would be much less than the bomb is kinematically capable of--not a crime, just less than optimal. If it could lock on after launch, to be autonomous would require a fair amount of intelligence in the seeker design but I'd certainly assume it is do-able with today's technology. Displacedjim

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gf0012-aust RE:JCM seeker on SDB? 7/10/2005 9:52:18 PM

Australia more or less did this concept 12 years ago with Kerkanya.

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EW3 RE:JCM seeker on SDB? 7/10/2005 9:57:08 PM

Just guessing Jim, but I think bb is talking about a passive IR terminal guidance system like the JASSM has to direct it's final 30 seconds of flight to a particular target. There seems to be a trend towards the dual mode weapon. GPS (with updates) and some kind of IR tracker for terminal guidance. The missile decides which system to use.

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Bigbro RE:JCM seeker on SDB? 7/11/2005 7:59:33 AM

from what I have read the joint common missile is a tri-mode seaker, mm wave radar, IR and a laser homing. from what I can gather in the Ir and radar modes it has a patteren recongnition capability with an internal library of targets. it is designed around an hellfire sized body diameter. I could be wrong about some of this. With the GPS system already in the SDB it looks like to me that a machinest could modifiy the frount end of the SDB body and a comumications cable could be ran from the frount of the bomb to the GPS unit at the rear. CG issues could be corrected by the addition of ballest with the seaker so flight control would be the same. Degraded performance would occur agenst hard targets do to machining the front of the bomb body. Bb

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B.Smitty RE:JCM seeker on SDB? 7/13/2005 10:27:42 PM

IIRC, there is already work on adding an uncooled IIR seeker to the SDB under the DAMASK program. The tri-mode JCM seeker is certainly possible, but it's VERY expensive. There's been talk of dropping it down from a tri-mode to a dual-mode. And the whole JCM program is having funding problems.

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EW3 RE:JCM seeker on SDB? Bb/B.Smitty 7/13/2005 10:53:27 PM

The other drawback is that an active seeker requires significant electrical power, and the whole idea of the SDB is low weight with killer capabilities. I can see multiple passive systems in the nose, but an active radar would probably destroy it's value. Better to put that on the 500 and above JDAM, as the change in weight would be a small percentage.

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B.Smitty RE:JCM seeker on SDB? 7/13/2005 10:53:47 PM

Even more exciting is the potential of the Precision Seekerless Guideance (PNAV) program. It uses low-cost, two-way datalink to send GPS corrections to the bomb resulting in near zero-CEP capability without a seeker.

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westwords2020 RE:JCM seeker on SDB? 8/1/2005 7:17:47 PM

JCM employs a trimode seeker employing semiactive laser, or active millimetric radar or imaging infrared. Should be difficult to counter though laser mode would require getting in say ten to twenty miles of target vice the 50nmi range of SBD. Could be useful for attacking moving ground targets too.

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