RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national phase application filed under 35 USC § 371 of PCT Application No. PCT/GB2020/051471 with an international filing date of Jun. 18, 2020, which claims priority of GB Patent Application 1910279.7 filed Jul. 18, 2019 and European application 19195214.2 filed Sep. 3, 2019. All of these applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The following invention relates to a line apparatus for inhibiting an airborne target, and a method of using such.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known to intercept an airborne target, for example a light unmanned rotorcraft, by firing a net towards the target. The target rotorcraft may then tend to become at least partially disabled either by interference of the net lines with the rotors, or by the attachment of the net and the associated extra mass affecting flight. However, the disabled target rotorcraft may still pose a threat due to the difficulty in controlling its landing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a line apparatus for inhibiting an airborne target comprising: at least one line comprising: a flexible tubular member, having a wall and defining a bore; and a fluid adhesive housed within the flexible tubular member, wherein the flexible tubular member is configured to express the fluid adhesive through the wall.

Thus there is provided a line which can tend to attach to the target by way of bonding, and thereby may attach to non-moving parts of the target, such as the housing or nacelle.

The flexible tubular member may comprise: a plurality of slits through the wall, which slits are configured to remain generally closed, but on deformation of the flexible tubular member can open to permit the expression of the adhesive.

The slits may follow a portion of the circumference of the tubular member.

The wall of the tubular member may be in the form of a porous matrix such that the fluid adhesive may be urged to the outer diameter of the tubular member.

The at least one line may be a plurality of lines.

The line apparatus may further comprise an aircraft, from which is suspended the at least one line.

The aircraft may comprise a frame, from which is suspended the at least one line.

The line apparatus may comprise at least one further type of line, being of a different type to the at least one line.

By providing different types of lines, more possibilities of attaching the aircraft to the target can be provided, increasing the chance of the aircraft connecting to the target. In particular, the attachment may come about from a line tangling with a rotor or propeller or other moving part of the target.

The at least one further type of line may be thinner than the at least one line.

The at least one further type of line may be a plurality of the further type of line.

For a line apparatus having a frame and two types of line, the frame may comprise: an inner member; and an outer member, wherein the at least one line is attached to the inner member, and the at least one further type of line is attached to the outer member.

Such frame features contribute to the overall provision of a consistently arranged set of lines, which can tend to provide reliability.

The aircraft may be a rotorcraft, and may have a mass of 25 kg or less, and may be remotely or autonomously piloted.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of intercepting a target comprising:—providing at least one line comprising: a flexible tubular member, having a wall and defining a bore; and a fluid adhesive housed within the flexible tubular member, wherein the flexible tubular member is configured to express the fluid adhesive through the wall, and—applying the at least one line to the target, such that the line may bond to the target.

Thus the target may be not only inhibited but also brought under the control of whatever the flexible tubular member is mounted to. Where the flexible tubular member is mounted on an aircraft, that aircraft can transport the target away to a safer area.

