Temporal characterization of small arms muzzle flash in the broadband visible

Abstract

Various systems are under consideration to track point-of-origin of incoming small arms fire. The tendency of these systems is to use either acoustic (report or projectile fly-by) or optical (muzzle flash or tracer tracking) methods to allow signal processing to determine point of origin. The authors have developed a simple system for characterizing the muzzle flash duration of common military small-arms ammunition as a feeder for system design considerations. This reports on the results of that characterization.