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Guided artillery projectiles turn the corner
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| 13 January 2006 |
Guided artillery projectiles turn the corner
By Rupert Pengelley, IDR Group Technical Editor
Guided artillery ammunition is a technology area that has promised much but so far delivered comparatively little. Nonetheless, possession of a precision engagement capability is seen, now more than ever, to be key to maintaining tube artillery's relevance to the modern battlefield.
Over recent years, the focus has been on the development of a new generation of longer-ranging 'fire and forget' precision-guided artillery projectiles that do not rely solely on third-party guidance. In France the initial concept studies undertaken by Giat Industries into such long-range (LR - 60 km-plus) and very-long-range (85 km-plus) guided artillery projectiles under the Pelican programme have been folded into a multinational effort. Set up in 2004, the new European Impaqt consortium comprises BAE Systems Bofors, Giat, MBDA France, MBDA UK and QinetiQ. The latter's Low-Cost Guided Munition (LCGM) demonstration programme has also been subsumed by Impaqt, which currently holds two contracts.
Impaqt Mk 1 and Mk 2 are both expected to use a common combined inertial navigation system/Global Positioning System (INS/GPS) receiver system, giving an accuracy of 10 m or less at all ranges.
Another such development is the Italian Vulcano programme. The anticipated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Italian and Spanish governments on joint development and production of the Vulcano 155 mm artillery projectile, in both its ER and guided LR versions, was still awaiting signature at the end of 2005.
Excalibur
The first of the GPS-guided artillery projectiles to enter operational service will be the XM982 Excalibur, due to take to the field with US artillery units in March 2006 under a schedule that has been accelerated to meet urgent operational requirements.
Spiral 1a-1 rounds are first due to be fielded operationally with Paladin batteries serving in Iraq, but Excalibur will in addition be compatible with the BAE Systems Land Systems Joint Lightweight 155 mm howitzer, which the USMC began fielding in 2005 in its baseline M777 version.
The US Army's other intended firing platform for Excalibur is the Future Combat System NLOS-C. This has a lightweight 38-calibre tube with a reduced chamber volume, which restricts firings to MACS Zone 4. Its higher chamber pressure is nonetheless expected to yield a range of better than 36 km with Excalibur.
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