Radio Proximity Fuze

a fuze in which radio waves radiated or reflected from the target are used to trigger the explosion of a projectile. In foreign armed forces such fuses are used in artillery shells, missiles, and aerial bombs.

A radio proximity fuze is a unit combining a miniature radio transmitter and a receiver. For example, when a projectile is fired from an antiaircraft gun, an ampul containing an electrolyte is broken inside the projectile, thus activating the power-supply battery; the transmitter begins emitting radio waves, which are reflected by the target and are picked up by the receiver in the fuze. The reflected signals differ from those radiated in frequency and amplitude, and, as a result, an error signal is produced. When the distance between projectile and target becomes sufficiently short, the error signal exceeds the triggering threshold of the detonator mechanism; a current is generated through the electric detonator, and the projectile explodes.

To eliminate danger in handling, radio proximity fuzes are equipped with safety devices. If the projectile misses the target, self-destruct devices are actuated.