Pintle Nozzle With Integral Thrust Vector Control
Wickman Spacecraft & Propulsion Company
- PSAN-I Ammonium Nitrate & Propellants
- SHARP Spaceplane
- Small Launch Vehicle
- Sounding Rockets
- Liquid Oxygen Monopropellants
- Lunar Soil Propellant (LSP)
- Lunar Bases & Lunar Concrete
- Small Launch Vehicle
- Pintle Nozzle With Thrust Vector Control
Tactical missiles need to control their speed and be able to steer to a wide variety of targets. They usually control their speed with thrust management via pintle nozzles and steer with movable fins. Additional steering is often provided with jet vanes that provide thrust vector control (TVC). 
Moveable fins and TVC systems add weight, require additional power to operate, reduce missile velocity and decrease delivered specific impulse. Wickman Spacecraft & Propulsion Company (WSPC) has demonstrated the feasibility of an innovative pintle nozzle with integral TVC for lighter weight, lower power requirements, higher missile speeds and higher delivered specific impulse. In addition, WSPC's pintle nozzle provides altitude compensation for the exit cone and optimum expansion at all boost and sustain thrust modes.
If WSPC's innovative nozzle was incorporated in the PAM missile (NLOS) system, the missile's range would be increased by at least 12 %, its delivered specific impulse would be increased by 2% and its velocity would be increased by 10%, while maintaining or improving the PAM's maneuverability.
This new pintle nozzle with integral TVC could be used on almost every tactical missile in the U.S. inventory. Its ability to increase range and speed along with maneuverability would find application in ground to air, air to air, air to ground and ground to ground missiles. It could also be used with a solid rocket motor as the fourth stage in ICBMs or in Small Launch Vehicles rather than liquid systems. The switch to a solid system would lower maintenance cost and reduce response time.
WSPC will demonstrate the new pintle nozzle through cold flow testing, solid rocket motor tests and a tactical missile sized motor firing in 2008 at Army facilities with a typical TVC duty cycle. The final static firing will be verification that WSPC's innovative pintle nozzle is ready to enhance America's tactical missile capability.
WSPC Pintle Nozzle With Thrust Vector Control Features
- Eliminates Jet Vanes For Higher Specific Impulse
- Lighter Weight Than Conventional TVC Systems
- Low Power Requirements
- High Boost Thrusts With Low Sustain Thrust Levels
- Optimum Expansion At All Flight Altitudes
- No Over Or Under Expansion During Boost Or Sustain Modes