Date: Jan 15, 2008 Source: ARMY SBIR Success Stories (
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Increasing the effectiveness, lethality, and affordability of future munitions is a top priority of the Army armament community. Orbital Research Inc. (ORI), in close collaboration with U. S. Army Armaments Research, Development, and Engineering Center (ARDEC) engineers and the University of Toledo, developed an innovative, hinge-less Miniature Control Actuation System (MCAS) for continuous course correction of gun-fired munitions.
The MCAS employs Active Flow Control-based mechanical microactuators instead of conventional servo-based hinged surfaces to steer the munition. The miniature control devices in MCAS are placed in optimal locations on the projectile's body to generate on-demand control forces for steering. When not in use, these devices are stowed inside the weapon and consume no power. Advantages of MCAS over traditional systems include increased maneuverability, payload capacity (hence lethality), and range.
ORI's MCAS addresses a critical and strategic military need for low-cost intelligent munitions with high precision capability under the Future Combat System (FCS) requirements. The main feature of ORI's MCAS that sets it apart from other systems is its continuous in-flight course correction capability. This provides a significant improvement in the weapons' precision strike capability and lethality.
The success of ORI's MCAS SBIR effort is attributed to the expertise and teamwork between the ORI and ARDEC teams in all phases of the technical work. The Army expects the MCAS technology to significantly reduce production costs of guided munitions and to be utilized in various next generation munition concepts.
Phase III Impacts:
Orbital Research Inc. received $1.17M in investments for further development of MCAS from the Department of Defense and a prime contractor. In 2007, Orbital was the proud recipient of a Tibbetts Award, which annually recognizes the very best in SBIR achievement.
