Warheads, munitions and methods for operating same

Abstract

A modular warhead includes an outer warhead subassembly and a core subassembly. The outer warhead subassembly defines a core slot. The outer warhead subassembly includes a warhead body, and a warhead high explosive operative, when detonated, to drive fragments from the warhead body. The core subassembly is mounted in the core slot. The core subassembly includes: a core tube formed of a non-explosive material; a forward effector in or on the core tube; and a core high explosive disposed in the core tube and operative, when detonated, to drive the forward effector.

1 .- 17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . A modular warhead comprising:
 an outer warhead subassembly defining a core slot, the outer warhead subassembly including:
 a warhead body; and 
 a warhead high explosive operative, when detonated, to drive fragments from the warhead body; and 
   a core subassembly mounted in the core slot and including:
 a core tube formed of a non-explosive material; 
 a forward effector in or on the core tube; and 
 a core high explosive disposed in the core tube and operative, when detonated, to drive the forward effector. 
   
     
     
         19 . The modular warhead of claim  19  wherein the warhead high explosive is tubular and radially surrounds the core slot. 
     
     
         20 . The modular warhead of claim  20  including an array of fragments or at least one preferentially fragmenting member radially surrounding the warhead high explosive. 
     
     
         21 . The modular warhead of  claim 19  wherein the outer warhead subassembly includes a tubular core slot wall defining the core slot and formed of a non-explosive material. 
     
     
         22 . The modular warhead of  claim 19  including a detonator configured to detonate the core high explosive, wherein the modular warhead is configured such that a detonation shock wave from the detonated core high explosive will detonate the warhead high explosive. 
     
     
         23 . The modular warhead of  claim 19  including a detonator configured to detonate the warhead high explosive, wherein the modular warhead is configured such that a detonation shock wave from the detonated warhead high explosive detonates the core high explosive. 
     
     
         24 . The modular warhead of  claim 19  wherein:
 the warhead is configured to detonate the core high explosive; 
 the detonated core high explosive generates a detonation shock wave in the core tube to drive the forward effector; and 
 the core tube shapes the detonation shock wave. 
 
     
     
         25 . The modular warhead of  claim 19  wherein the forward effector includes at least one of an explosively formed projectile, an anti-armor flyer, and a shaped charge jet. 
     
     
         26 . The modular warhead of  claim 19  including:
 a detonation channel including a channel tube and a detonation channel explosive in the channel tube; and 
 a detonator configured to detonate the detonation channel explosive; 
 wherein the modular warhead is configured such that a detonation wave from the detonated detonation channel explosive propagates through the channel tube to the core high explosive and detonates the core high explosive to drive the forward effector. 
 
     
     
         27 . The modular warhead of claim  27  wherein the modular warhead is configured such that the detonation wave from the detonated detonation channel explosive also detonates the warhead high explosive after the detonation wave from the detonated detonation channel explosive detonates the core high explosive to drive the forward effector. 
     
     
         28 . The modular warhead of  claim 27  including a plurality of air gaps between the detonation channel and the warhead high explosive, wherein the air gaps cause a detonation wave from the detonated detonation channel explosive traveling in the detonation channel to form earlier in time than a detonation wave from the detonated warhead high explosive traveling through the warhead high explosive. 
     
     
         29 . The modular warhead of  claim 18  wherein:
 the warhead has a warhead longitudinal axis; 
 the core subassembly has a core longitudinal axis; and 
 the core longitudinal axis is coaxial with the warhead longitudinal axis. 
 
     
     
         30 . The modular warhead of  claim 18  wherein:
 the warhead has a warhead longitudinal axis; 
 the core subassembly has a core longitudinal axis; and 
 the core longitudinal axis is not axially aligned with the warhead longitudinal axis. 
 
     
     
         31 . The modular warhead of  claim 30  wherein the core longitudinal axis is parallel with and radially offset from the warhead longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         32 . The modular warhead of  claim 30  wherein the core longitudinal axis is disposed at an angle relative to the warhead longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         33 . A munition comprising:
 a munition platform; and   a modular warhead on the munition platform for flight therewith, the modular warhead including:
 an outer warhead subassembly defining a core slot, the outer warhead subassembly including:
 a warhead body; and 
 a warhead high explosive operative, when detonated, to drive fragments from the warhead body; and 
 
 a core subassembly mounted in the core slot and including:
 a core tube formed of a non-explosive material; 
 a forward effector in or on the core tube; and 
 a core high explosive disposed in the core tube and operative, when detonated, to drive the forward effector. 
 
   
     
     
         34 . A modular warhead comprising:
 a warhead body;   a warhead high explosive in the warhead body and operative, when detonated, to drive fragments from the warhead body;   a core slot in the warhead high explosive; and   a forward effector system including:
 a core high explosive in the core slot; 
 a tubular detonation wave shaping wall radially surrounding the core high explosive and interposed between the core high explosive and the warhead high explosive, wherein the detonation wave shaping wall is formed of a nonexplosive material; and 
 a forward effector located at or proximate a front end of the detonation wave shaping wall; 
 wherein the core high explosive is operative, when detonated, to generate a detonation shock wave that drives the forward effector; and 
 wherein the detonation wave shaping wall is operative to shape the detonation shock wave. 
   
     
     
         35 . The modular warhead of  claim 34  wherein:
 the warhead body includes a tubular slot wall defining the core slot; 
 the tubular slot wall is formed of a non-explosive material; and 
 the detonation wave shaping wall is radially surrounded by the tubular slot wall. 
 
     
     
         36 . The modular warhead of  claim 35  wherein the detonation wave shaping wall is an integral part of the warhead body. 
     
     
         37 . The modular warhead of  claim 34  including an array of fragments or at least one preferentially fragmenting member radially surrounding the warhead high explosive. 
     
     
         38 . The modular warhead of  claim 34  including a detonator configured to detonate the core high explosive, wherein the modular warhead is configured such that a detonation shock wave from the detonated core high explosive will detonate the warhead high explosive. 
     
     
         39 . The modular warhead of  claim 34  including a detonator configured to detonate the warhead high explosive, wherein the modular warhead is configured such that a detonation shock wave from the detonated warhead high explosive detonates the core high explosive. 
     
     
         40 . The modular warhead of  claim 34  wherein the forward effector includes at least one of an explosively formed projectile, an anti-armor flyer, and a shaped charge jet. 
     
     
         41 . The modular warhead of  claim 34  including:
 a detonation channel including a channel tube and a detonation channel explosive in the channel tube; and 
 a detonator configured to detonate the detonation channel explosive; 
 wherein the modular warhead is configured such that a detonation wave from the detonated detonation channel explosive propagates through the channel tube to the core high explosive and detonates the core high explosive to drive the forward effector. 
 
     
     
         42 . The modular warhead of  claim 41  wherein the modular warhead is configured such that the detonation wave from the detonated detonation channel explosive also detonates the warhead high explosive after the detonation wave from the detonated detonation channel explosive detonates the core high explosive to drive the forward effector. 
     
     
         43 . The modular warhead of  claim 42  including a plurality of air gaps between the detonation channel and the warhead high explosive, wherein the air gaps cause a detonation wave from the detonated detonation channel explosive traveling in the detonation channel to form earlier in time than a detonation wave from the detonated warhead high explosive traveling through the warhead high explosive. 
     
     
         44 . The modular warhead of  claim 34  wherein:
 the warhead has a warhead longitudinal axis; 
 the detonation wave shaping wall defines a core longitudinal axis; and 
 the core longitudinal axis is coaxial with the warhead longitudinal axis. 
 
     
     
         45 . The modular warhead of  claim 34  wherein:
 the warhead has a warhead longitudinal axis; 
 the detonation wave shaping wall defines a core longitudinal axis; and 
 the core longitudinal axis is not axially aligned with the warhead longitudinal axis. 
 
     
     
         46 . The modular warhead of  claim 45  wherein the core longitudinal axis is parallel with and radially offset from the warhead longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         47 . The modular warhead of  claim 45  wherein the core longitudinal axis is disposed at an angle relative to the warhead longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         48 . A munition comprising:
 a munition platform; and   a modular warhead on the munition platform for flight therewith, the modular warhead including:
 a warhead body; 
 a warhead high explosive in the warhead body and operative, when detonated, to drive fragments from the warhead body; 
 a core slot in the warhead high explosive; and 
 a forward effector system including:
 a core high explosive in the core slot; 
 a tubular detonation wave shaping wall radially surrounding the core high explosive and interposed between the core high explosive and the warhead high explosive, wherein the detonation wave shaping wall is formed of a nonexplosive material; and 
 a forward effector located at or proximate a front end of the detonation wave shaping wall; 
 wherein the core high explosive is operative, when detonated, to generate a detonation shock wave that drives the forward effector; and 
 wherein the detonation wave shaping wall is operative to shape the detonation shock wave.