Ship self-defense missile weapon system

DETAILED DESCRIPTION A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a ship self-defense missile (SSDM) weapon system for launching a plurality of light weight missiles from an existing vertical tube launch infrastructure.
The system for vertically launching missiles from a ship comprises a plurality of tiers having a top tier and a bottom tier in which tier supports a plurality of missiles.
The tiers are set into a launch canister having an interior wall to form a vertical stack in the launch canister.
A launch means is used for selectively launching at least one of the plurality of missiles from the top tier.
A means for ejecting the top tier is activated after each missile contained within the top tier is launched.
A vertical movement means raises and lowers the tiers within the launch canister and the vertical movement means raises the next tier in the vertical stack into a position to launch.
Preferably, the vertical movement means is a jack screw threaded though each tier in the vertical stack and the means for ejecting involves screwing a depleted tier off the jack screw and initiating explosives at the base of the depleted tier to allow the next tier access to a ready to fire position.
The present invention includes a method of firing a light weight missile system comprising a vertical tube launching system comprised of multiple tiers per launch canister each tier containing multiple light weight missiles, housed in individual missile tubes, where each missile is composed of a guidance system having both aero-control section capable of altering the flight path of the missile to a target once the rocket motor has extinguished, a thrust vector control/thrust divert control for attitude control during initial ascent phase, a computer hardware package and algorithm capable of controlling the attitude during the launch phase and adjusting the aero-control section in relation to measured values, a data link receiver used to receive target location updates from the ship's fire control systems, a strap-down Infrared acquisition and tracking sensor electrically connected to the computer hardware package and algorithm, the sensor capable of providing a measured value to the computer hardware package and algorithm; a contact actuated ordinance section; and, a solid-propellant rocket motor of sufficient power to project the missile through a vertical ascent and to a speed and over a distance to enable the guidance system