Instrumentation

Flight Follower

Testing ammunition using velocity measurement systems and automatic targets does not always give you the full detail you need. For a more detailed analysis of the flight of a projectile MS Instruments have developed a Flight Follower System. This system can follow a supersonic projectile in flight and is so detailed that you can actually see the shockwaves being created by the projectile. This system allows you to see any flaws within the ammunition quickly without the need for timely and costly trials. It can not only film the projectile but be used to measure velocity, drag correction, trigger delay among other things that are all recorded by specialised software.

Projectile Velocity Measurement System

Projectile Velocity Measurement System is a highly accurate system to measure the velocity of a projectile. It is a simple set up of two optical detectors which detects when a projectile passes immediately overhead and blocks the light being fed from the solid state light source. This system can record velocities to 0.1% accuracy, from as low as 10metres per second to 5000metres per second. Under normal conditions the projectile would be detected at a height of up to 500 times the projectile calibre. This rugged system can be used in nearly all outdoor lighting conditions and will operate where background illumination conditions are as low as 50-foot lamberts therefore enabling it to be used in both natural and artificially lit areas. The system comes with analysis software that also enables it to be easily stored and then analysed at a later date.

Automatic Targets

Automatic Targets are the most effective and accurate way of measuring ammunition and weapon accuracy. There are two types of targets, optical and acoustic. The Optical Target can be used to measure both super and sub sonic projectiles. They replace the traditional paper or canvas targets and so removes the lengthy and repeated process of replacing targets. They can also be controlled wirelessly and from a central computer. All shots are registered and it removes the issue of measuring overlapping shots and it increases range safety. The shots fired are instantaneously displayed on a graphical representation of the target area together with coordinate data and a running total of shots fired. A permanent record can be stored on disk or printed for subsequent analysis. A wide range of calibres can be detected and the detectable velocity range is similarly wide. The Acoustic Target is another automatic system that provides displays of shots fired through an invisible target area. It consists of a pair of sensor arrays which can detect all projectiles travelling in excess of Mach 1.3 at the target plane at rates of fire of up to 9000 rounds a minute. However, unlike the optical targets it cannot measure subsonic projectiles as it measures the shockwave created by the projectile, but can be used in any light conditions. The advantage of this target over hit-and-fall targets it no rogue stones or debris affect the scoring as they cannot be registered, also they measure all shots in the firing area, not just those on a physical target making it very suitable for not only ballistic testing but also live-fire training.

Environmental

When testing ammunition and weapons there needs to be a controlled environment. The Meteorological Station can measure wind speed, wind direction, ground temperature, air temperature, light level and barometric air pressure. It can measure both at ground level and at 2m above ground level as well as the system is fitted with a GPS which outputs positional and precision time data. All the data collected by the station is fed back to a central range computer for each shot during a trial allowing a detailed record to be created. The station can be set up anywhere within 10km on the range and is often set up with one next to the firing point and one at the target area to provide a full data coverage.

Triggering Systems

Sometimes all that is needed to measure ammunition or weapons is a simple triggering system. Triggering systems are either acoustic or flash detectors. Both detect a change in surroundings. They are used as simple measuring devices of the output created by a projectile firing whether it `is the light pulse or acoustic disturbance. They function is slightly different way but both can be used to detect muzzle blast, trigger other events, measure rate of fire and velocity. They can be used to trigger other events such as a camera or x-ray equipment. This system comprises of a detector mounted on a photographic tripod that is connected to a remote control unit. Signals can be transmitted via cable up to 200m and the output pulse from the remote control unit it then used for triggering. Slow events, such as flicker from fluorescent lighting, are ignored by the system. A built in test facility in the system allows system function to be checked prior to operation.