An upgrade program to produce a variant of a widely used and well-established missile was undertaken to enhance the missile’s capabilities and compatibility with modern aircraft.
One such challenge was extending the missile’s range. This meant battery power needed to be conserved which required onboard electronics to be more power-efficient. Every time a missile is integrated into a different platform, it is necessary to perform some kind of qualification as each platform has its own unique environment (e.g. shock and vibration), and it’s important to validate the missile’s performance. This presented another challenge in addition to range extension. The third challenge the program faced was due to interference. Missiles are using more modern digital transmitters that can, under some circumstances, generate interference of sufficient power to, in effect, jam other systems.
This case study describes how an organization overcame these challenges to successfully meet the upgrade’s objectives, including increasing the missile’s range, ensuring low-risk transmitter qualification programs, and ensuring there is no transmitter interference with other onboard electronics.
