MTAG Development

Replacing a mechanical seeker gyro with a MEMS replacment

We need to take one gyro out and replace it with a new MEMS design with zero changes. Systems need to be identical in performance but in cost, half the price.
Missile project head

Replacing a legacy mechanical seeker gyro with a MEMS solution

A decision was made by the customer to replace a legacy seeker gyro (designed and manufactured by Condor as well) with a MEMS replacement. The challenge was implementing a full new design with MEMS gyroscopes without changing anything in the system. The performance should be identical.  A date for live fire test was scheduled.

A full team of engineers was dedicated solely to this project. A new system incorporating 3 MEMS gyroscopes with a full acoustic isolation, mimicking the output of the mechanical gyro, was designed. An embedded software for calibrating the system was written, with a special test equipment for supporting the process.

6 months from initial specification, more than 7 missiles were fired in different scenarios with full success.

Application
Seeker stabilization.
Challenge
A MEMS Seeker gyro was needed for cost reduction, replacing a legacy mechanical seeker gyro with no changes to missile. With a scheduled live test, time was a critical.
Solution
Designing a full MEMS replacement in a very short time had to be done in parallel. A full team at Condor was dedicated solely to the task.
Duration
6 months from initial specifications to live missile tests.

CASE STUDY

Facing more than 100 g RMS vibration...
Case study

CASE STUDY

Adding our calibration layer to an already implemented MEMS IMU...
Case study