Active millimeter wave simulator for missile seeker evaluations

DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to enable the simulation of both an active and a passive missile seeker within the same simulation facility.
Another object of this invention is to provide a missile seeker simulation facility whereby target range, target position, and target movement can be simulated.
Still another object of this invention is to generate signals simulating reflections of radiometric energy off of a target to enable the testing of an active missile seeker.
Another object of this invention is to eliminate increases in the ambient radiometric temperature of a simulation chamber when anechoic material is placed therein.
These and other objects are accomplished by a simulator adapted for active mode missile seeker target tracking evaluations wherein a missile seeker generates seeker signals having characteristic frequencies and a seeker timer signal associated with a seeker signal, the simulator comprising means for selectively delaying the seeker timer signals to simulate a range between the missile and the target; means for generating target response signals having characteristic frequencies simulating reflections of the seeker signals from the target; means for determining the difference between the characteristic frequencies of the seeker signals and the target response signals and for generating an output signal associated with the determined differences; control means responsive to the delayed seeker timer signals and the output signal from the generating means to generate the target response signals having frequencies corresponding to the frequencies of the seeker signals and amplitudes corresponding to the simulated range from the missile to the target; and means for supporting the missile seeker in the path of the target response signals and for reflecting from the simulator any target response signals not received by the missile seeker.