<title>Side-mounted IR window aero-optic and aerothermal analysis</title>

Abstract

Addition of a side mounted IR seeker, to an existing missile design, introduces new issues involving the aerodynamic flow over the optical window and its near field effect on the ability of the seeker to view the target. Image aberration, distortion and boresight shift vary according to flow conditions and the thermal state of the window system. A detailed analysis of the aerodynamic flow and its aero-optic effect for a side mounted IR window was performed to quantify target image degradation, window heating and bending, and window structural failure probability due to aerothermal and aero-optical effects.