Electro-dynamic analysis of 60mm mortars modified with guidance, navigation, and control components

This paper summarizes the results from numerical analyses of 60 mm mortar projectile bodies that are modified with guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) hardware. The major findings from the study include: 1) the far field radiation patterns predicted for the projectile considered in this analysis are sensitive to the overall size and shape of the projectile flight body, specifically shorter projectile structures tend to radiate more energy in the transverse flight direction, and 2) some electrical characteristics such as the voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR), characteristic impedance (Zo), and the return loss, as seen from the embedded GNC antenna are sensitive to the projectile body size and shape, also shorter projectile structures appear to have lower resonant frequency given the same GNC antenna configuration. The numerical simulations are validated with experimental measurement data obtained from the anechoic chamber. This was true for VSWR, S11 and characteristic impedance data, as well as the far field radiation pattern characteristics.