Abstract:
A manned aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) fly on a mission as a team. The UAVs carry additional weapons and/or munitions that can be controlled by the manned aircraft. The pilot of the manned aircraft selects weapons or munitions carried by either the manned aircraft or one of the UAVs. A display in the manned aircraft illustrates weapons available on both the manned aircraft and UAVs. The pilot of the manned aircraft picks a weapon from the display and then targets and fires the weapon. The targeting and guidance of the weapon can be carried out using computers on the manned aircraft and/or computers on the UAV.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    An embodiment of the present invention relates to aircraft, more particularly, to the field of aircraft weapon control. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Currently, missions carried out by aircraft such as military aircraft are often limited by the amount of weapons or munitions that the aircraft can carry. This has been addressed by decreasing the amount of fuel carried by the aircraft. The decrease in weight resulting from carrying less fuel enables the aircraft to carry additional weapons or munitions. Unfortunately, this approach results in limiting the range of the aircraft or requiring aerial refueling. Aerial refueling can extend the range of the aircraft; however, this requires additional logistical support and planning. This additional logistical planning reduces the overall mission reaction time. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    An embodiment of the current invention addresses the above-described limitations by using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to carry additional weapons and/or munitions that can be controlled by a manned aircraft. By using the UAVs to carry additional weapons, the manned aircraft does not have to sacrifice fuel for weapons carrying capability while providing the pilot with a large payload of weapons to deploy. 
         [0004]    The manned aircraft and the UAVs fly on a mission as a team. The pilot or pilots of the manned aircraft select weapons or munitions carried by either the manned aircraft or one of the UAVs. A display in the manned aircraft illustrates weapons available on both the manned and UAVs. The pilot of the manned aircraft picks a weapon from the display and then targets and fires the weapon as if it were onboard his aircraft. The targeting and guidance of the weapon can be carried out using weapon control computers on the manned aircraft and/or computers on the UAVs. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  illustrates a team comprising a manned aircraft and several UAVs; 
           [0006]      FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C  illustrate the process for deploying weapons from a manned aircraft or one of several UAVs; and 
           [0007]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate block diagrams of the manned aircraft and UAVs weapons control. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0008]      FIG. 1  illustrates manned aircraft  110  and UAVs  112 ,  114 ,  116 ,  118  and  120 . The manned aircraft as well as the UAVs may carry weapons or munitions. Each of the aircraft may carry a similar complement of weapons or munitions or they may carry differing types of weapons. For example, manned aircraft  110  may carry primarily air-to-air missiles while UAVs may carry laser or GPS guided bombs. 
         [0009]    Manned aircraft  110  is in communication with the UAVs using secure communication data link such as link  122 . Secure communication link  122  may be implemented using a link such as LINK-16, which is a well-known encrypted data link. Link  122  may also be implemented using a Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL), which is a fast switching narrow directional communications data link between stealth aircraft. MADL began as a method to coordinate between F-35 aircraft (the Joint Strike Fighter), and it provides secure transmission throughput, low latency, frequency-hopping and anti-jamming capability using phased Array Antenna Assemblies (AAAs) that send and receive tightly directed radio signals. MADL uses the Ku band. 
         [0010]    Secure communication link  122  is used to exchange information between the aircraft. For example, the UAVs provide information on available weapons to manned aircraft  110 . Additionally, information is provided from manned aircraft  110  to UAVs regarding information such as weapon targeting information, fire commands and weapon guidance information. It should be noted that communication link  122  may also provide information such as targeting information and weapon guidance information to manned aircraft  110 . 
         [0011]      FIG. 2A  illustrates weapon deployment using a targeting computer and weapon guidance computer located in the manned aircraft. In step  210  manned aircraft  110  receives weapon status information from one or more UAVs. In step  220 , the received weapon status information is illustrated on the display for the pilot&#39;s use. The illustrated weapon status information may include the status of weapons carried by the manned aircraft. The illustration of weapon status indicates the type of weapons, their availability and which aircraft is carrying the weapon. This information may be enhanced by showing different types of weapons using different symbols or colors, and by illustrating which aircraft is carrying a weapon using different symbols or colors. For example, there may be a different color used for weapons carried by different aircraft; the color red may be used for weapons carried by manned aircraft  110  and the color green may be used for weapons carried by aircraft  114  while yet another color may be used for weapons carried by aircraft  116 . Symbols such as squares or triangles may be used to indicate types of weapons and a strikethrough may be used to indicate a weapon is not available. In step  230 , the pilot may select a weapon for deployment using a pilot interface such as a joystick or touch screen. In step  240 , the pilot may use a pilot interface such as a joystick to communicate with a targeting computer located in the manned aircraft to lock a weapon onto a target. The weapon achieves the necessary lock onto its target through the manned aircraft&#39;s target tracking and guidance computers, which pass the target information to the weapon&#39;s integrated guidance sensors such that the weapon can compute a terminal guidance solution to its intended target. In step  260 , the pilot provides a fire command using input such as a trigger and the target information is passed to a guidance computer located in the manned aircraft that guides the weapon to the target. It should be noted that the targeting computer as well as the guidance computer provides target information to the weapon to be deployed. Post deployment, the guidance computer may continue to communicate with the deployed weapon to assist in guiding the weapon to the target. If the weapon is not located on the manned aircraft, the targeting information as well as the guidance information is passed to the weapon using a secure link such a secure link  122 . 
         [0012]      FIG. 2B  illustrates weapon deployment using a targeting computer located in the manned aircraft and a weapon guidance computer located in the unmanned aircraft. In this embodiment, steps  210  to  240  are followed; however, after step  240 , step  280  is executed. In step  280  the pilot provides a fire command and targeting information is passed to a guidance computer located on the unmanned aircraft. This information is passed over a secure link such as secure link  122 . Post deployment, the guidance computer may continue to communicate with the deployed weapon to assist in guiding the weapon to the target. 
         [0013]      FIG. 2C  illustrates weapon deployment using a targeting computer and a guidance computer located on the unmanned aircraft. In this embodiment, steps  210  through  230  are followed; however, step  290  is then executed where a pilot uses a pilot interface to communicate over secure communication link  122  with a targeting computer located on the unmanned aircraft to lock a weapon onto a target. In step  292  the pilot provides a fire command and targeting information is passed to the guidance computer located on the unmanned aircraft. The fire command is communicated over secure communication  122 . Post deployment, the guidance computer may continue to communicate with the deployed weapon to assist in guiding the weapon to the target. 
         [0014]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate weapon control systems for manned and unmanned aircraft, respectively. Communications between the manned and unmanned aircraft weapon control systems are carried out over secure communication link  122 . 
         [0015]      FIG. 3A  illustrates a weapons control system on a manned aircraft. Pilot interface  300  may be implemented using devices such as joysticks, triggers, buttons, switches and touchscreens. Display or displays  302  are used to illustrate weapon information and status as well as potential targets and aircraft information to the pilot. These displays may be implemented using devices such as LCDs, LED displays, other types of displays including color displays, gauges or lights. Target tracking computer  304  and weapon guidance computer  306  may be implemented using microcomputer chips or microprocessor chips, read-only memories, random-access memories, solid-state drives, magnetic drives, optical drives and programmable logic modules. It is also possible to implement target tracking computer  304  and guidance computer  306  as a single mission computer. Secure communication module  308  may be implemented using for example, a radio frequency transceiver or an optical transceiver, an encryption decryption module, a microcomputer or microprocessor, and memories such as read-only memories and random-access memories. Weapons  310  may be weapons such as air-to-air missiles, GPS guided bombs or laser-guided bombs. 
         [0016]    Pilot interface  300 , tracking computer  304 , guidance computer  306 , weapons  310  and secure communication module  308  include an interface to communicate over communication bus  312 . Communication bus  312  may be implemented using well-known standard protocols such as USB or Ethernet. Bus  312  is used to communicate pilot inputs such as weapon selection, target lock information and fire commands to tracking computer  304  and guidance computer  306  as well as weapons  310 . This information is also provided to secure communication module  308  for transmission over secure communication link  122  when needed for deploying weapons on unmanned aircraft. 
         [0017]    Displays  302 , tracking computer  304 , weapons  310  and secure communication module  308  include an interface to communicate over communication bus or link  314 . Communication bus  314  may be implemented using well-known standard protocols such as USB or Ethernet. Communication bus  314  is used to provide tracking computer information to the pilot using display  302  and to provide weapons information from the manned aircraft as well as weapons information from the unmanned aircraft via secure communications module  308  to the pilot using display  302 . 
         [0018]    Tracking computer  304 , guidance computer  306 , secure communications module  308  and weapons  310  include interface to communicate over communication bus or link  316 . Communication bus  316  may be implemented using well-known standard protocols such as USB or Ethernet. Communication bus  316  is used to provide information from tracking computer  304  to guidance computer  306  and weapons  310 . This target information is used by the guidance computer and weapon after the weapon is fired to guide the weapon to the target. This information is also provided to secure communications module  308  for deploying weapons from unmanned aircraft using secure communication link  122 . 
         [0019]      FIG. 3B  illustrates weapons control system on an unmanned aircraft. Target tracking computer  320  and weapon guidance computer  324  may be implemented using microcomputer chips or microprocessor chips, read-only memories, random-access memories, solid-state drives, magnetic drives, optical drives and programmable logic modules. It is also possible to implement target tracking computer  320  and guidance computer  324  as a single mission computer. Secure communication module  326  may be implemented using for example, a radio frequency transceiver or an optical transceiver, an encryption decryption module, a microcomputer or microprocessor, and memories such as read-only memories and random-access memories. Weapons  328  may be weapons such as air-to-air missiles, GPS guided bombs or laser-guided bombs. 
         [0020]    Tracking computer  320 , guidance computer  324 , weapons  328  and secure communication module  326  include an interface to communicate over communication bus or link  330 . Communication bus  330  may be implemented using well-known standard protocols such as USB or Ethernet. Bus  330  is used to communicate pilot inputs received via secure communications link  122 . These pilot inputs include information such as weapon selection, target lock information and fire commands to tracking computer  320  and guidance computer  324  as well as weapons  328 . 
         [0021]    Tracking computer  320 , weapons  328  and secure communication module  326  include an interface to communicate over communication bus or link  332 . Communication bus  332  may be implemented using well-known standard protocols such as USB or Ethernet. Communication bus  332  is used to provide information to the pilot via secure communication module  326 , secure communications link  122  and display  302 . Bus  332  provides tracking computer information from tracking computer  320  and weapons information from weapons  328  to secure communication module  326 . 
         [0022]    Tracking computer  320 , guidance computer  324  and weapons  310  include interface to communicate over communication bus or link  334 . Communication bus  334  may be implemented using well-known standard protocols such as USB or Ethernet. Communication bus  334  is used to provide information from tracking computer  320  to guidance computer  324  and weapons  328 . This target information is used by the guidance computer and weapon after the weapon is fired to guide the weapon to the target.