1. A missile fusing system of the quasi-stationary field type, said system comprising in combination: an explosive missile having a case; two electrodes each extending through and insulated from the case of said missile and located at diametrically opposed positions around the periphery of said case; neutralizing means for reducing the free space transfer capacitance between said electrodes in order to make the increase in transfer capacitance between said electrodes, as said missile approaches a target, a readily detectable portion of the total transfer capacitance; said neutralizing means including external electrostatic shielding means consisting of the case of said missile and internal electrostatic shielding means consisting of an internal projection of said case; balancing means for balancing out the remainder of said free space transfer capacitance not eliminated by said neutralizing means; and means responsive to a predetermined increase in the transfer capacitance between said electrodes caused by target proximity to detonate said missile.
An impact fuze arrangement for a missile in which an electromagnetic field is set up within a compartment in the body of the missile and a warhead detonating signal is generated if the field intensity varies by more than a predetermined amount, as will happen due to distortion of the compartment on impact of the missile on a target. Fields may be set up within a plurality of compartments and warhead detonation may be made conditional on distortion of more than one of these compartments.
The transmitter for an A.C. capacitance proximity fuze consists of an A.C. enerator whose output is directly connected to the transmitter probes of an A.C. capacitance fuze. The A.C. generator may be either a wind driven alternator or a fluid oscillator power supply driven by the ram pressure of the air. This arrangement eliminates the need for a separate oscillator as the power supply is now also the transmitter.
