Abstract:
New missile systems are provided, implementing reduced pre-deployment weight, higher impact and greater deployment flexibility, among other advantages. In some embodiments, mid-flight oxygen filtration from atmospheric air, followed by concentration, compression and/or storage in ideal oxidizer deployment locations, leads to enriched, greatly increased oxidizer load and/or far greater missile weight just prior to impact. Among additional benefits, missiles implementing the system may be far less volatile, and therefore safer, prior to deployment and the concentration of oxidizer may be more concentrated than with ambient oxygen, overcoming the limitations of current fuel/air and other thermobaric explosives.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to the fields of exothermic weapons and aeronautics. More specifically, the invention relates to missiles, bombs and deployment systems. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    In modern warfare, missiles and bombs often implement explosive payloads detonated upon impact at a target, or at a related time and/or place. These payloads often involve combustion, and, therefore, the use of an oxidizer. 
         [0003]    Certain missile and bomb systems, such as “fuel-air” and other thermobaric systems, spread explosive material into the atmosphere surrounding or within a target, to strengthen and/or extend an explosive impact. Typically, these systems use primary and secondary charges, where the primary charge serves to inject and/or spread explosive material into ambient air at the target, after which the secondary charge ignites the resulting mixture. Thermobaric bombs may amplify and extend the impact of an explosive payload generally, and may aid in overcoming obstacles, such as bunkers or other enemy cover. 
         [0004]    Some missiles, such as ramjet missiles, involve air intake to aid in powering flight. Such missiles may operate at high speeds, including supersonic speeds, and may implement variable-inlet chins. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,249. In these applications, the size of an air inlets may be varied to optimize air shock, efficiency and flight power. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    New missile systems are provided, implementing reduced pre-deployment weight, higher impact and greater deployment flexibility, among other advantages. In some embodiments, mid-flight oxygen filtration from atmospheric air, followed by concentration, compression and/or storage in ideal oxidizer deployment locations, leads to enriched, greatly increased oxidizer load and/or greatly increased missile weight just prior to impact. Among many other benefits, missiles implementing aspects of the invention: 
         [0000]    1.) Are far less volatile, and therefore safer, prior to deployment;
 
2.) May be flexibly-deployed as a (a) conventional explosive warhead, (b) a thermobaric warhead, (c) a mixture of the two, (d) an increased-weight kinetic weapon or (c) one of several yield sizes, coverages or burn rates, among other options, and such deployment options may be selected in-flight, for example, by tactical command;
 
3.) May be far lighter during transportation and platform maneuvers than conventional missiles with comparable warhead fuel; and
 
4.) The concentration of oxidizer may be more concentrated than with ambient oxygen, overcoming those limitations of current fuel/air and other thermobaric explosives.
 
         [0006]    These and other advantages of the present invention may be better understood by reviewing the more detailed aspect disclosures set forth below. It should be noted that the particular embodiments and terms set forth below are exemplary only, and that the scope of the invention includes any of virtually limitless other alternatives that may be substituted to carry out any aspect set forth below. As a rule of construction: where this application recites a number, gender or other specific qualifiers in the form of articles and pronouns, it should be understood that, where logically possible, any other number, gender or qualifier should also be separately read in as another alternative meaning or expression of the application. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of outer surfaces of an exemplary missile system that may be used to carry out aspects of the present invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a partial view, in perspective and partly in section and schematic, showing some interior aspects an exemplary missile system that may be used to carry out aspects of the present invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a larger, more detailed perspective view of exemplary oxidizer concentration elements discussed previously in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  depicts some alternative exemplary gas compression aspects, using structural potential energy, that may be used in conjunction with aspects of the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a schematic block diagram of some elements of an exemplary control system that may be used in accordance with aspects of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a process flow diagram of exemplary steps that may be taken by a system, such as a hardware and software system, implementing aspects of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of outer surfaces of an exemplary missile system  101 , which may be used to carry out aspects of the present invention. System  101  includes a missile housing  103 , preferably with variable geometry and variable airflow aspects. For example, a variable-size air inlet  105  is partially variably-defined by an actuable nose piece  107 . If selected by a user and/or control system, such as the system set forth in  FIG. 5 , nose piece  107  may retract inward and toward the tail end and thruster  109  of the missile, and thereby increase the size of the gap of the air inlet  105 . When open, and in flight, the air inlet  105  may allow ambient air to flow inside the housing  103  and, as will be discussed in greater detail below, into various additional interior aspects for processing and storage functions. Such interior aspects may include intake(s) for jet propulsion (though they also may not, for example, if solid fuel rocket power is used) and power conversion but will, preferably at the user and/or system&#39;s election, include intakes for gas filtration and/or compression and/or storage. An airflow outlet may also be required to communicate with and/or service such interior aspects, and an exemplary pressure-reducing outlet panel louver  111  is pictured, which may draft for and reduce the outside air pressure onto, such an outlet—in part, to aid filtration aspects, as will be discussed in greater detail below. In addition, by varying airflow through such outlets at locations beneath and above wing and other aeronautically significant elements, and depending on the outlet airflow angles chosen (which may be variable by the system and/or user) the missile system may also aid in controlling lift, yaw, pitch, roll and other flight dynamics, as a side-benefit. 
         [0014]    In addition to the variable-intake geometry discussed above, which may be variably actuated by, for example, servo motors controlled by the control system, the missile may include any conventional or known missile aspects, such as variable geometry wings  113 , radial guidance and stabilization fins  115 , and any other known missile embodiments and alternatives in the art. As explained elsewhere in this application, the exact designs depicted in this and other figures are exemplary only. 
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is a partial view, in perspective and partly in section and schematic, showing some interior aspects an exemplary missile system  201  that may be used to carry out aspects of the present invention. A missile housing  203  with a variable-size air inlet  205  leads in-flowing ambient air from the front of the missile due to flight (as shown by airflow representing arrow  207 ) to an inlet port  209  for an interior filter  211 . Interior air filter  211  includes at least a portion of a filtration medium or element  213 , for example a zeolite cylindrical matrix that preferentially absorbs nitrogen, as pictured, suitable for selectively absorbing and/or filtering ambient gases from the airflow  207  that then flows against and through it. Preferably, filtration element  213  may rotate or be actuated to rotate on an axis  215 , such that a variable part of it may be exposed to airflow  207 . As air flows over the exposed portion of element  213 , nitrogen and other gases may be absorbed, and filtered out of the airflow, while oxygen-enriched air continues to flow toward the tail end of the filter  211 , through a port  217  to an interior enriched gas intermediate storage chamber  219 . Preferably, port  217  includes a one-way valve, permitting compresses and enriched airflow  207  (after it passes through filter element  213 ) into intermediate chamber  219 , but not back into filter  211  from intermediate chamber  219 . 
         [0016]    Inlet  205  preferably comprises a relatively broad leading surface area engaging airflow  207  upon entry, and serves to funnel that airflow to a narrower surface area at the point of entry at the inlet port  209  of filter  211 . As a result, upon entering filter  211 , airflow  207  becomes more highly pressurized than it was prior to entering the missile housing  203 . As filtration element  213  experiences pressurized airflow and selectively absorbs non-oxidizing gasses (including, but not limited to, nitrogen) in its portion exposed to that airflow, it may automatically, or by actuation by the system, rotate and thereby move a more saturated portion away from airflow  207 , until that more saturated portion no longer is exposed to airflow  207  and instead faces and is housed within a pressure-reducing waste gas outlet volume  221 , defined by a pressure-reducing exterior louver  223  (which may be similar to the louver  111  pictured from an exterior viewing angle in  FIG. 1 ). Because the volume then housing the saturated portion of the filter element has greatly reduced gas pressure, gasses saturating that section, including nitrogen, then escape the filter element  213 , rendering it desaturated again and ready for return to the pressurized (left-hand) section of the filter with the capacity to absorb more of such gasses from airflow  207 . By virtue of the same rotation, a more desaturated portion of element  213  therefore becomes exposed to airflow  207 , and more effectively selectively filters gases from it, further enriching airflow  207  with oxygen, which is selectively less absorbed. This rotation can be gradual, continuous or by degrees, even if driven or partially driven by the airflow itself—for example, due to spin-inducing surfaces on element  213  or an attached object—to optimize the effectiveness and efficiency of the filter. For example, sensors may indicate the concentration of oxygen and other atmospheric gases in the airflow upon exiting the filter in comparison to the concentration upon entrance to enable a control system to determine that effectiveness and efficiency, and, thereby, whether to rotate filter element  213 . Alternatively, sensors may drive circulation or rotation of filtration element(s) in reaction to their saturation with filtered gases or in reaction to the concentration of waste gasses in volume  221 . While this method of filtration and oxygen enrichment of airflow is preferred, it should be noted that any known method for filtering, concentrating and retaining oxidizing gasses, such as oxygen, from a gas mixture, such as atmospheric air, may, alternatively, be used and are within the scope of the invention. Some aspects of the invention (not pictured) may include auxiliary pressurizing devices for increasing the efficiency of filtration, as well as multiple filter tiers for removing additional non-oxidizing gasses. 
         [0017]    After the airflow process described above, intermediate storage chamber  219  then contains oxygen-enriched air, which may be compressed by piston-compressor wall  220 , and selectively passed to warhead/end storage unit volume  222 . Compressor wall  220  may be driven by a piston-driving rod  224  within a rod guide  225 . Rod guide  225  may also serve as a platform for shaped fuel and/or explosive charges and/or sections, such as that shown as  227 , which include concavities  228  that encourage the mixture and dispersion of fuel with the concentrated oxidizing agents in unit  222  upon deployment of the warhead (which may be thought of as, at least, including unit  222 ) by detonator(s) (not pictured). Any known techniques for explosive ordinance and warhead deployment and detonation may be used in conjunction with the aspects of the invention herein discussed, and such techniques should be understood to be included in the scope of the invention as if set forth in detail here. 
         [0018]    Control valves, such as those pictured as  229 , which may be controlled by the control system or locally controlled by pressure, concentration, volatility and/or other sensors, may permit compressed and enriched oxidizing gas to pass from intermediate chamber  219  into warhead/end storage unit volume  222  when sufficient (and/or not too great) compression, oxygen enrichment and other factors indicating desirable gas conditions for storage are sensed. Such sensors may be on or about wall  220  and/or intermediate chamber  219  and warhead/end storage unit volume  222 , and the standards for assessing adequate conditions may be altered according to mission parameters, desired detonation strength or detonation nature (or lack thereof, if a purely kinetic weapon is selected) and such parameters may be variably set, even mid-mission, by the control system—which may be in communication with and include distant, real-time tactical command elements. Assuming that a large-yield oxidizing agent-enriched detonation(s) is/are required at or about a target, however, and further assuming that the concentration of enriched oxygen within intermediate chamber  219  is determined to be insufficient by the control system, the control system may not yet actuate compression and transfer to warhead/end storage unit  222  by compression wall  221  and its control valves  229 . Instead, the system may drive or permit further enrichment of the same gas by the same or (as pictured) additional filtration elements. Those additional filtration elements may include a circulation pump and recirculation channeling, which may be external to intermediate chamber  219  to enable full use of  219 &#39;s volume by compression elements, such as wall  220 . More specifically, a recirculation outlet tube  231  may conduct gas from intermediate chamber  219  into the front of a turbine-driven filtration element  233 , which may further enrich the gas and pass it once again to intermediate chamber  219 . Such a refiltration circuit comprising  231  and  233  may be selectively driven by the control system in such amounts and for such time as may be required for the mission. These refiltration elements will be discussed in greater detail in reference to  FIG. 3 . 
         [0019]    As discussed elsewhere in this application, various warhead mode selections may be made by a Command and Control for execution by the system, including modes that change the deployment, concentration and compression of fuel and oxidizer. In addition, the timing of detonation aspects may be dictated by such modes, including dictating primary (scattering) and secondary or tertiary (post obstacle ignition) charges for maximizing impact within closed or guarded targets, such as bunkers. In addition to other such modes, pressure sensors may be used (which may include some sensors discussed above, that survive an initital housing breach or are otherwise exposed to a penetrated target environment) that sense the pressure differential upon penetrating a more confined space from a more open atmosphere, and trigger detonation after such time to penetrate protective walls and other obstacles prior to deployment of ordinance. A split-function deployment may also be used, for example, in which gun firing elements to clear outer-bunker regions, or sound or electromagnetic-disruption elements targeting enemy personnel and materiel, to prevent reaction to the missile, may also be directed in a mode and implemented, if available within the missile system. Any other known warhead or missile ordinance deployment methods or modes may also, or alternatively, be used. 
         [0020]      FIG. 3  is a larger, more detailed perspective view of the exemplary oxidizing agent concentration elements  301 , discussed immediately above, in reference to  FIG. 2 . More specifically, a recirculation tube  331  (previously,  231 ) and a turbine-driven filtration element  333  (previously  233 ) are shown separated from one another and the remainder of the exemplary system set forth in  FIG. 2 . Filtration element  333  includes a central turbo/turbine  335  that may drive recirculation airflow (shown by airflow indicating arrow  336 ) into a central tube  337 , which also at least partially contains the airflow-driving and driven turbine  335 . To maximize efficiency, turbine  335  may be driven, at least in part, by an external airflow (depicted by airflow-indicating arrows  336 ) entering turbocharging tube inlets  339 , and exiting both element  333  and the entire missile system through its side housing via outlets  340 . Preferably, the turbine  335  is at least partially driven by that external airflow, but that external airflow does not mix with the internal gas airflow, shown by airflow arrow  341  (which is oxidizing agent-enriched) due to gas separation walls between the turbine and turbocharging airflow drivers (not pictured). Although shown separated to reveal detail, in operation, end  343  of tube  331  connects with and forms a complementary, airtight seal with port  338  of central tube  337  and, at its other end, is in communication with a gas storage chamber (for example, intermediate chamber  219  of  FIG. 2 ). 
         [0021]      FIG. 4  is a cross-section view depicting alternative exemplary compression aspects  401 , implementing structural potential energy, that may be used in conjunction with aspects of the present invention. In  FIGS. 2 and 3 , an exemplary reciprocating piston-type compression system was described to carry out certain aspects of the invention. It should be understood that a wide variety of other techniques for gas compression, some of which are known in the art, may also be used, alternatively or in conjunction with piston compression. For example, axial flow or centrifugal compression techniques may be used.  FIG. 4  depicts a new form of compressor driven by mechanically-stored energy, to minimize weight costs, that may be more great in other energy storage and/or translation techniques used to drive or assist gas compression. 
         [0022]    In general, the compression aspects shown in  FIG. 4  may use a series of tensioned dynamic storage volume walls to both define and compress a series of variable compression sub-chambers. Prior to deployment, at least one outer layer  403  may, at least in part, define a compressed gas storage volume (which may be part of a warhead, as with unit/volume  222  from  FIG. 2 , and mounted within a larger missile or bomb structure and system). Unlike other, tensioned layers, which will be described below, outer layer  403  maintains a substantially fixed shape and is not tensioned or bistable, except that it may be to the degree necessary to maintain a pre-deployment vacuum. That shape is approximately cylindrical, and shown in central section along its vertical axis. However, a series of variably-positioned inner compartment-defining walls, such as those partially shown as  405  and  407 , are variably tensioned and bistable. In their initial, pre-deployment configuration, any such layers may be in a structural position and configuration shown approximately by  407 . Specifically, the walls  407  of a chamber are compacted to the right-hand-side of the storage volume (from the perspective of the viewer of the figure). In this compacted state, several of the vertical sections or members comprised in wall  407  are force loaded against the strength of the outer layer  403  or other structures, and have a high potential energy compared to an uncompacted state, approximately shown by the configuration of wall  405 . Such an uncompacted state is the second bistable configuration of inner chamber defining walls, such as  405  and  407 , and, thus, transition from the state shown as  407  to that shown as  405  involves a great release of structurally stored energy, which is used to compress gas within such inner chambers. A variable valve (or valves) such as that pictured as  409  permit the mid-missile-deployment-flight filling of the volume defined by outer layer  403 , and/or sub-volumes defined by inner chamber walls such as  405  and  407 . As such filling takes place (which may be aided by an initial vacuum in the volume defined by these walls), valve(s)  409  may close, or simply be one-way valves prohibiting gas emission from the chamber and sub-chambers, and trigger transition of inner layers (one-per complete volumetric filling) from the high energy bistable state (shown by  407 ) to the low-energy bistable state (shown by  405 ). In so transitioning, an inner-chamber defining layer (such as  405  or  407 ) greatly compresses gasses held in the volume and within those layers, creating a sub-chamber that is a fraction of the overall storage volume. These transitions and compressions may be accomplished or aided by internal air compression gates or valves, on inner chamber walls, such as  405  and  407 . Such valves or gates, or valve(s)  409  then may seal such compressed inner layers and the outer layer, but  409  may reopen to permit gasses to fill the next inner layer, such as  407 , then next available for filling, bistable transition, and further compression of the next filled remaining volume held within a bistable, sealable subchamber (preferably, sealed just prior to filling and bistable transition). Further structural energy loading may be included, for example, with a series of tensioned cables such as those partially depicted by  411  and/or external reel  413 , to assist layers such as  405  and  407  in transitioning from one to the other bistable state, and for assisting in compression of confined air within each sub-chamber at the appropriate time(s) (as may be automatically triggered by partial transition, pressure changes and/or sensors, sensor/motors and a control system, such as, but not limited to, the control system discussed in reference to  FIG. 5 ). If a great excess of wall length results, which cannot be fully held within the outer volume defined by  403 , from transition to an uncompacted state, a relief section within outer layer  403 , such as  415 , for holding excess length of wall or other tensioning members, may also be used. 
         [0023]      FIG. 5  is a schematic block diagram of some elements of an exemplary system  500  that may be used in accordance with aspects of the present invention, such as, but not limited to, sensing gas and physical member compression and gas concentrations and actuating servo/motors and control valves, and receiving control commands and managing input interfaces from a Control and Command, as defined and discussed elsewhere in this application. The generic and other components and aspects described herein are not exhaustive of the many different systems and variations, including a number of possible hardware aspects and machine-readable media that might be used, in accordance with the present invention. Rather, the system  500  is described to make clear how aspects may be implemented. Among other components, the system  500  includes an input/output device  501 , a memory device  503 , storage media and/or hard disk recorder and/or cloud storage port or connection device  505 , and a processor or processors  507 . The processor(s)  507  is (are) capable of receiving, interpreting, processing and manipulating signals and executing instructions for further processing and for output, pre-output or storage in and outside of the system. The processor(s)  507  may be general or multipurpose, single- or multi-threaded, and may have a single core or several processor cores, including microprocessors. Among other things, the processor(s)  507  is/are capable of processing signals and instructions for the input/output device  501 , analog receiver/storage/converter device  519 , and/or analog in/out device  521 , to cause a display, light-affecting apparatus and/or other user interface with active physical controls to be provided for use by a user on hardware, such as a personal computer monitor (including, but not limited to, monitors or touch-actuable displays) or terminal monitor with a mouse and keyboard or other input hardware and presentation and input software (as in a GUI), and/or other physical controls. 
         [0024]    For example, and with particular emphasis on the aspects discussed below, in connection with  FIG. 6 , the system may carry out any aspects of the present invention as necessary with associated hardware and using specialized software, including, but not limited to, window presentation user interface aspects that may present a user with a representation of a missile target(s) and present command and control options to, for example, select and move missile control commands (e.g., mouse with cursor or keyboard arrows or joystick or, for example, with dropdown menus, select among various warhead deployment orders) with different settings for each such command. As another example, with reference to  FIGS. 1-4 , such software may, with or without the presentation of options to a user for selection on a conventional display, carry out any control aspect of the invention as necessary, such as, but not limited to, sensing and implementing compression pressures and gas concentrations, controlling control valves depending on sensor measurements and timing, targeting, warhead conditioning and deployment, identifying a reference point for an observation point, determining a range of possible or likely observation points, and implementing other user interface and processing aspects that may be used in the art, such as physics engines, physical modeling, detection, image-creation and remote control (and related software). 
         [0025]    The processor  507  is capable of processing instructions stored in memory devices  505  and/or  503  (or ROM or RAM), and may communicate via system buses  575 . Input/output device  501  is capable of input/output operations for the system, and may include any number of input and/or output hardware, such as a computer mouse, keyboard, networked or connected second computer, camera(s) or scanner(s), sensor(s), sensor/motor(s), range-finders, GPS systems, other Command and Control centers, electromagnetic actuator(s), mixing board, reel-to-reel tape recorder, external hard disk recorder, additional hardware controls and actuators, directional shading matrices, directionally-actuable light sources with variable collimation and shiftable bases, additional movie and/or sound editing system or gear, speakers, external filter, amp, preamp, equalizer, computer display screen or touch screen. It is to be understood that the input and output of the system may be in any useable form, including, but not limited to, signals, data, and commands/instructions. Such a display device or unit and other input/output devices could implement a user interface created by machine-readable means, such as software, permitting the user to carry out the user settings, commands and input discussed in this application. 
         [0026]      501 ,  503 ,  505 ,  507 ,  519 ,  521  and  523  are connected and able to communicate communications, transmissions and instructions via system busses  575 . Storage media and/or hard disk recorder and/or cloud storage port or connection device  505  is capable of providing mass storage for the system, and may be a computer-readable medium, may be a connected mass storage device (e.g., flash drive or other drive connected to a U.S.B. port or Wi-Fi) may use back-end (with or without middle-ware) or cloud storage over a network (e.g., the internet) as either a memory backup for an internal mass storage device or as a primary memory storage means, or may simply be an internal mass storage device, such as a computer hard drive or optical drive. 
         [0027]    Generally speaking, the system may be implemented as a client/server arrangement, where features of the invention are performed on a remote server, networked to the client and made a client and server by software on both the client computer and server computer. Input and output devices may deliver their input and receive output by any known means of communicating and/or transmitting communications, signals, commands and/or data input/output, including, but not limited to, the examples shown as  517 , such as  509 ,  511 ,  513  and  515  and any other devices, hardware or other input/output generating and receiving aspects. Any phenomenon that may be sensed may be managed, manipulated and distributed and may be taken or converted as input or output through any sensor or carrier known in the art. In addition, directly carried elements (for example a light stream taken by fiber optics from a view of a scene) may be directly managed, manipulated and distributed in whole or in part to enhance output, and whole ambient light information for an environmental region may be taken by a series of sensors dedicated to angles of detection, or an omnidirectional sensor or series of sensors which record direction as well as the presence of photons recorded, and may exclude the need for lenses or point sensors (or ignore or re-purpose sensors “out of focal plane” for detecting bokeh information or enhancing resolution as focal lengths and apertures are selected), only later to be analyzed and rendered into focal planes or fields of a user&#39;s choice through the system. While this example is illustrative, it is understood that any form of electromagnetism, compression wave or other sensory phenomenon may include such sensory directional and 3D locational information, which may also be made possible by multiple locations of sensing, preferably, in a similar, if not identical, time frame. The system may condition, select all or part of, alter and/or generate composites from all or part of such direct or analog image transmissions, and may combine them with other forms of image data, such as digital image files, if such direct or data encoded sources are used. 
         [0028]    While the illustrated system example  500  may be helpful to understand the implementation of aspects of the invention, it is understood that any form of computer system may be used to implement many aspects of the invention—for example, a simpler computer system containing just a processor (datapath and control) for executing instructions from a memory or transmission source. The aspects or features set forth may be implemented with, and in any combination of, digital electronic circuitry, hardware, software, firmware, or in analog or direct (such as light-based or analog electronic or magnetic or direct transmission, without translation and the attendant degradation, of the image medium) circuitry or associational storage and transmission, any of which may be aided with external detail or aspect enhancing media from external hardware and software, optionally, by networked connection, such as by LAN, WAN or the many connections forming the internet. The system can be embodied in a tangibly-stored computer program, as by a machine-readable medium and propagated signal, for execution by a programmable processor. The method steps of the embodiments of the present invention may be performed by such a programmable processor, executing a program of instructions, operating on input and output, and generating output. A computer program includes instructions for a computer to carry out a particular activity to bring about a particular result, and may be written in any programming language, including compiled and uncompiled, interpreted languages, assembly languages and machine language, and can be deployed in any form, including a complete program, module, component, subroutine, or other suitable routine for a computer program. 
         [0029]      FIG. 6  is a process flow diagram of exemplary steps  600  that may be taken by a system, for example, a hardware and software control system, such as the system discussed above with reference to  FIG. 5 , implementing certain user interface and missile control aspects of the present invention. Although the process described with reference to  FIG. 6  is preferred, and serves to illustrate aspects of the invention, it should be understood that a wide variety of alternative processes may implement aspects of the present invention, and are within its scope. In step  601 , the process begins and proceeds to step  603 , in which the system determines if an outbound missile subject to control by the system is in flight. Although not shown in  FIG. 6 , it should be understood that such determinations ordinarily will be made by a remote, secure communication system and transmitted between an on-board missile receiving system and a remote command and control center (“Command and Control” or “C.C.”) which originates and implements commands, orders, instructions, selections and decisions from a user and/or systematic decisionmaker(s). If such a missile subject to the system&#39;s control is detected to be in flight, for example, by flight-indicating tracking systems and/or sensors, the system proceeds to step  605 . If not, however, the system proceeds to step  625 , and various pre-launch system steps, which will be discussed in more detail below. 
         [0030]    In step  605 , the system may determine whether the missile is currently located at a minimum safe distance for warhead armament and mode initiation, which minimum safe distance may be variably set based on the type of missile, missile altitude, speed, other environmental factors, the warhead, and possible warhead modes, and based upon other user and/or system settings, which may be variable. The minimum safe distance may be measured from the launch site and/or other areas to be protected from accidental weapon detonation. If the missile has not reached at least a minimum safe distance with respect to at least one such protected area, the system may implement or retain safety controls in the missile to maintain disarmament of the warhead and prevent the initiation of other warhead modes, and the system returns to the starting position. 
         [0031]    If the missile has reached at least a minimum safe distance with respect to each such protected area, however, the system proceeds to step  607 , in which it determines whether Command and Control has issued post-launch orders relevant to the missile&#39;s deployment. If not, the system next determines whether previously-stored orders (for example, from commands given prior to missile flight) have been recorded and, if so, implements them in step  608 , and, in any event, the system then returns to the starting position. If the system instead determines at step  607  that post-launch orders have been issued, the system instead proceeds to step  609 , in which it determines whether such current, post-launch orders modify or otherwise conflict with any prior stored orders. If so, the system proceeds to step  611 , in which it resolves any such conflict in favor of the more current orders by updating, modifying and/or removing the conflicting prior stored orders, such that they no longer conflict. If no such conflict is found, however, the system instead proceeds to step  613  and implements the prior orders. In either event, the system next proceeds to step  615 , in which it determines whether, among the post-launch commands, Command and Control has ordered selection of a Warhead Mode. As mentioned above, a warhead according to aspects of the present invention may be user variable, and “dialed in” for particular tactical objectives, even post-launch and in mid-flight, for example, if the missile is ordered to loiter while Command and Control determines what action to take with respect to a target. For example, as discussed above, in one setting, the warhead may begin to be charged with a maximum concentration and compression of mid-flight loaded oxidizer, and charges may be optimally engaged and/or positioned by servo/motors, thereby implementing a maximum yield warhead. As another warhead setting alternative, near the other side of the yield spectrum, a low concentration of oxidizer or non-oxidizer may be loaded to maximize momentum for a kinetic deployment only, and no explosion. In addition, infinite settings between or about these extremes may be selected. Whatever the selected setting, the system implements such Warhead Mode settings in step  617 , and then proceeds to steps  619  and  621 , in which it implements or stores additional orders, as necessary, from Command and Control, if any. If, in step  615 , no Warhead Mode settings have been entered by Command and Control, the system proceeds directly to steps  619  and  621 , skipping step  617 . In either case, after step  621 , the system proceeds to step  623 , in which it may receive important mission-relevant information from any source, such as from on-board tracking and sensors aboard the missile, or other sources, and relays representations of such information to Command and Control. After step  623 , the system returns to the starting position. 
         [0032]    Returning to the starting position, and first step  603 , if the system determines that the missile is not yet in flight, Command and Control may nonetheless proceed to several useful pre-launch system steps, beginning with step  625 . In step  625 , the system determines whether Command and Control has issued any orders related to missile deployment. If not, the system returns to the starting position. If so, however, the system next proceeds to step  627 , in which it may determine whether Command and Control has selected a Warhead Mode, such as those discussed above with respect to step  615 . If so, the system stores that selection in step  629  as an order for implementation after launch (after minimum safe distance, and if not overridden by conflicting in-flight orders, as discussed above). After step  629 , or directly after step  627  if no Warhead Mode selection was made, the system next proceeds to step  631 , in which it determines whether Command and Control has issued any other relevant orders for the system and, if so, proceeds to implement or store such orders in step  633 . In any event, before returning to the starting position, the system may again relay any mission critical information to command and control, in step  623 .