Below a 100,000 foot altitude, ballistic missile decoys do not pose an intercept problem, but high maneuver acceleration does. Low cost light weight interceptors require optical target tracking sensors and need to achieve accelerations twice as high as those of the ballistic missile. This requires a very high interceptor velocity which in turn results in unacceptable optical sensor window heating and design complexity. Phase I effort will establish feasibility for unique "RING WING INTERCEPTOR" (RWI) which is simple, light, uses an optical sensor, obviates the problem of window heating and achieves the required maneuver acceleration. The RWI has a tube shape, uses a side looking sensor window and maneuvers by means of both lateral and axial velocity controls. RWI's high lifting surfaces allow it to achieve twice the maneuver acceleration of a conical reentry vehicle which has twice the velocity. The effort will also identify and prioritize high risk technologies.
