Feb 24, 2026

US12560413 - Device, system, and method of aircraft protection and countermeasures against missiles

A device ( 800 ) for protecting an aircraft against missiles, includes a Short-Wave InfraRed based (SWIR-based) Missile Tracking Unit, having a SWIR-based optical imager that associated with an optical SWIR band filter. The device ( 800 ) further includes a SWIR signals processor; it analyzes the captured SWIR optical signals; and it performs a SWIR-based missile acquisition process, which is also based on raw angular position data of a missile as received from a Missile Approach Warning System (MAWS); and it performs a SWIR-based missile tracking process, which continuously and dynamically determines a precise angular position of the missile based on the captured SWIR optical signals. The device ( 800 ) includes a laser-based missile-jamming unit, having an internal laser emitter; and optionally also being operably associated with an external high-power laser emitter; to disrupt the missile, or to disrupt a guiding station of the missile.

Assignee: BIRD AEROSYSTEMS LTD.
Inventors: Ronen Factor, David Dragucki, Ariye Yehuda Caplan, Semion Zelikman, Shay Beer, Asael Adler, Tomer Yoselevich
Filing date: 2022-03-27

The patent describes a device designed to protect aircraft from missiles using a Short-Wave InfraRed (SWIR) missile tracking unit that captures and analyzes optical signals to determine missile positions. It includes a laser-based missile-jamming unit that disrupts the missile’s guidance by emitting a laser beam based on the precise angular position determined by the SWIR signals processor.

Claim 1

1 . A device for protecting an aircraft against missiles, the device comprising: (a) a Short-Wave InfraRed based (SWIR-based) Missile Tracking Unit which comprises: a SWIR-based optical imager associated with an optical SWIR band filter wherein the optical SWIR band filter is configured to filter-in only optical signals having wavelengths in a range of 1,400 to 3,000 nanometers; wherein the SWIR-based optical imager is configured to capture only SWIR optical signals from an area surrounding the aircraft; (b) a SWIR signals processor configured: to perform an analysis of the SWIR optical signals captured by the SWIR-based optical imager and to perform, based on said analysis, (b1) a SWIR-based missile acquisition process, which is also based on raw angular position data of a missile as received from a Missile Approach Warning System (MAWS) of the aircraft, wherein the SWIR-based missile acquisition process generates an initial missile tracking data that is based on said raw angular position data of the missile; and then, (b2) a SWIR-based missile tracking process, which continuously and dynamically determines a precise angular position of the missile based on the SWIR optical signals captured by the SWIR-based optical imager; (c) a laser-based missile-jamming unit which comprises at least one of: (c1) an internal laser emitter that is located integrally within said device and is co-located with said SWIR-based Missile Tracking Unit and/or (c2) an external laser emitter that is located externally to said device yet in proximity to said device and is operably communicating with said device over a fiber optic communication link; wherein the laser-based missile-jamming unit is configured to emit a missile-jamming laser beam, towards said missile, based on a signal received from the SWIR signals processor, wherein said signal indicates the precise angular position of said missile; wherein at least a portion of an optical path in the device utilized by the SWIR-based optical imager for reception of SWIR optical signals, is also concurrently utilized by the laser-based missile-jamming unit for transmission of the missile-jamming laser beam. (a) a Short-Wave InfraRed based (SWIR-based) Missile Tracking Unit which comprises: a SWIR-based optical imager associated with an optical SWIR band filter wherein the optical SWIR band filter is configured to filter-in only optical signals having wavelengths in a range of 1,400 to 3,000 nanometers; wherein the SWIR-based optical imager is configured to capture only SWIR optical signals from an area surrounding the aircraft; (b) a SWIR signals processor configured: to perform an analysis of the SWIR optical signals captured by the SWIR-based optical imager and to perform, based on said analysis, (b1) a SWIR-based missile acquisition process, which is also based on raw angular position data of a missile as received from a Missile Approach Warning System (MAWS) of the aircraft, wherein the SWIR-based missile acquisition process generates an initial missile tracking data that is based on said raw angular position data of the missile; and then, (b2) a SWIR-based missile tracking process, which continuously and dynamically determines a precise angular position of the missile based on the SWIR optical signals captured by the SWIR-based optical imager; (c) a laser-based missile-jamming unit which comprises at least one of: (c1) an internal laser emitter that is located integrally within said device and is co-located with said SWIR-based Missile Tracking Unit and/or (c2) an external laser emitter that is located externally to said device yet in proximity to said device and is operably communicating with said device over a fiber optic communication link; wherein the laser-based missile-jamming unit is configured to emit a missile-jamming laser beam, towards said missile, based on a signal received from the SWIR signals processor, wherein said signal indicates the precise angular position of said missile; wherein at least a portion of an optical path in the device utilized by the SWIR-based optical imager for reception of SWIR optical signals, is also concurrently utilized by the laser-based missile-jamming unit for transmission of the missile-jamming laser beam.

Google Patents

https://patents.google.com/patent/US12560413

USPTO PDF

https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/12560413