A high speed projectile can come out of the muzzle of a gun moving at a speed of more than 3000 feet per second (three times faster than the speed of sound). As it flies, it may merely spin in a stabilized orientation or it may execute a number of critically timed functions such as deploying stabilizer fins, discarding a nose cone, lighting a rocket motor, distributing chaff or exploding a warhead. If it is ill-designed, it may fail to perform up to par or even tumble out of control.
New sophisticated projectiles range in size from 16 inches in diameter down to small caliber arms. Over the years specialized techniques allowed high speed movies or closeup still photographs of the projectile to be taken near the muzzle with stationary cameras. However, until recently, the need to photograph and track the position of projectiles throughout the trajectory had not been satisfied.
Tracking cameras need to be located at various range stations and at the gun site to photograph and track the projectile from good vantage points as it moves down the firing range. Some tracking cameras may not be able to view the gun from down range, and, for even those that can, the projectile quickly passes through their field of view before the tracking mount can reach slewing speed. Without outside assistance, projectile acquisition is improbable. Projectiles have been manually acquired and tracked by a telephoto lens mounted on a tracking mount located directly behind the gun and pointed to intercept the trajectory of the projectile at a grazing angle. But, often, the projectile is lost in haze or clouds with no hope for reacquisition on the down hill side of the trajectory.