Javelin missile guidance computer teardown - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: PartialDischarge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2023, 05:41:51 pm
content: I’ve seen a board of the tomahawk missile and although simpler, it’s pretty similar, uses an Intel processor.If these gadgets were redesigned with today’s components the boards would be the size of a card, but probably no one cares and also who’s going to find the people to do it.

author: freda
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2023, 09:44:28 pm
content: to think all that beautiful sophisticated electronics get to "live" for a few minutes.....bit disheartening.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2023, 09:55:27 pm
content: Quote from: PartialDischarge on December 01, 2023, 05:41:51 pmidk it has the military munitions certification probobly that might not miniaturize well

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2023, 09:58:33 pm
content: The Javelin must be a very low G missile. I'm used to missile electronics being built to tolerate pretty high G forces during launch.

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2023, 10:04:08 pm
content: Quote from: freda on December 01, 2023, 09:44:28 pmI had a good friend who had worked on one of the predecessors to the Tomahawk. He was an ME and was involved in the lubrication system. I remember him tilling me how long it took from designing a new set of blades to having a set made. It seems like it was about a half year back then. They had the prototype suspended above a large water tank and would bring them up to temperature, then put them into the water. Sometimes this would damage the new blades. The Navy would fire these at drones and recover them. They would be refueled and used again.I am sure my memory is not what it was so I may not have the facts. I met with the developers of the Jarvik heart. They were working on a turbine generator for a missile using the exhaust to power the electronics. I remember them saying how long the generator was designed to work and it wasn't hours.

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2023, 10:09:10 pm
content: Quote from: joeqsmith on December 01, 2023, 10:04:08 pmA lot of the electronics in missiles, torpedoes and other munitions is very poorly cooled, because its useful life will be over before it gets hot enough to matter. That saves weight and space when the thing is used in anger, but it makes development work a PITA. You need to provide special cooling so you can exercise the stuff for a whole working day.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2023, 10:13:23 pm
content: also in general you can do more productive things for humanity then miniaturizing and simplifying bombs IMOif demand for such things is low that is a good sign for humanity. politicians and generals of the world have munitions scarcity to limit actions. because someone making more means others will make more and then eventually there will be a low cost to enter a big war. The way things are right now someone might sign a peace treaty because ammunition stockpiles are running low and its expensive to replenish so they scrutinize all actions for absolute necessity, or at least try to. if its dirt cheap and easy then no one feels a consequence and there is no incentive for peace (other then moral). You have alot more people that want peace when they have to foot the bill. things get toned down.

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2023, 10:17:59 pm
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on December 01, 2023, 10:13:23 pmSmaller electronics leaves more space for explosives. That's a really good sign for ensuring your part of humanity lives to pine over the destruction you've wrought. That Javelin looks so spacious inside. They usually fill missiles with propellant and explosives, and the electronics people get the tiny space left over.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2023, 10:20:51 pm
content: it does not look like that particular missile is having too much a problem dealing with what it was meant to deal with right now. it also looks like it wont be facing much of a problem in the future (its still king). I am sure if some eastern super armor gets developed on the cheap then the javlin will get a critical update....cuz the record right now is showing that the javelin is something that does not need to be fixed. seriously, it has phenomenal performance.But i am not going to argue against updates in the future if its required because IMO the javelin missile and its friends got rid of tactical nuclear bombs like the davy crocket. all efforts should be taken to prevent those types of weapons from becoming desirable ever again. it is a very reasonable solution compared to the proposed alternatives (1950's). i think europe would be clicking right now if it was not for the performance of those missiles.

author: chickenHeadKnob
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2023, 01:15:16 pm
content: Quote from: coppice on December 01, 2023, 09:58:33 pmIndeed. It has a soft launch feature. An initial charge pops it out of the tube then the main motor ignites and it flies a high arc with intense de-acceleration only happening when the tank top armor is struck. The smart munitions that are fired out of 155mm howitzers like excalibur shells face much higher positive and negative G's

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2023, 02:06:00 pm
content: Quote from: chickenHeadKnob on December 03, 2023, 01:15:16 pmThat's an interesting design. If you just poop out the missile you have a very small window to get that engine up to power before it hits the ground. That's the reason most missiles launch with sheer bolts, so the motor must be up to power to cause the missile to release. Shoulder launched missiles have to back that off as much as possible, to reduce the shock to the operator, but the need to have enough momentum to stay airborne means you still have to use some aggressive drive in the early part of the flight.

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2023, 02:29:15 pm
content: Quote from: coppice on December 01, 2023, 10:17:59 pmIt doesn't need more, because it can take out everything it faces. A little bit of extra range would be nice, but then you would need to have the capability to attack things over the horizon.Also, price is not really a concern, simply because we can build one for every soviet era tank the z army has, and the military budget would have leftover money for a new aircraft carrier every year. We only need to make sure that the army of Ukraine get enough of these. And they get the GLSDB sooner rather than later.

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2023, 02:55:04 pm
content: Quote from: tszaboo on December 03, 2023, 02:29:15 pmAll that space means its bigger and clumsier for the user. That's a big deal for manually handled weapons. The original Javelin goes back a long way. I expect the original electronics partition was packed full, and over the years it has become more spacious as the electronics shrunk, without a full rework of the system. People don't like full reworks, as any change of form factor for the missile requires all the support stuff (launchers, testers, etc) to also change in a compatible manner. Its quite common to find lots of vacant space in recent production of old military systems. When things like telecoms system had a really long production life it was quite common to see early production have full PCBs, and late production to be down to one or two ICs on the same sized PCBs.

author: BrokenYugo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2023, 04:30:48 pm
content: Quote from: tszaboo on December 03, 2023, 02:29:15 pmYeah, its already rated to put a hole in 30+ inches (true spec is classified) of armor plate about as far out as you and the launcher can see. Lockheed Martin claims "Javelin defeats all known and projected armor on the battlefield, to include main battle tanks and softer targets," and I'm pretty sure they'll get around to upgrading it if that stops being true. Perfect is the enemy of good enough.

author: iMo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 08, 2023, 05:49:17 pm
content: Yep, he got 248x more views than his average..