The current mantra for any gunner is to reduce indirect losses. This is especially true for ground artillery, but with the rapid return of fire support for ground forces by naval artillery, these sacred words are increasingly heard in the naval forces of different countries
Despite the fact that the methods and cycles of targeting artillery guns are becoming more and more perfect, ultimately, after accurate identification of the target and approval by higher echelons, only the accuracy of the projectile allows you to avoid hitting objects in the immediate vicinity. Some guided projectiles can also increase the effectiveness of artillery on moving targets, either through their own autonomous system, or using air and (usually) ground-based target designation devices.
One of the main concerns is cost, since guided projectiles are significantly more expensive than standard projectiles. However, in addition to the previously mentioned advantages, the smaller number of shells required to neutralize the target also becomes a plus, especially when, due to the distance and the increased risk, the artillery must be delivered to the deployment area by air rather than by land. Reduced ammunition consumption is also a plus for naval artillery, since the ship's ammunition can be spent on more targets.
Artillery at sea: when precision is paramount
Lockheed Martin did not stay away from the maritime theme and developed the LRLAP (Long Range Land Attack Projectile) projectile, which is designed for the 155-mm advanced artillery mount Mk 51 Advanced Gun System (ADG), the lead contractor of which is the BAE Systems company and which is installed on the American class destroyers Zumwalt (DDG 1000). A 155-mm projectile with a length of 2.2 meters and a mass of 104 kg sets in motion a rocket engine, which allows it to fly 63 nautical miles (105 km); it is equipped with a heavy-duty guidance system, which includes a global positioning system (GPS) and an inertial navigation system (INS). Considering the mass and size of the projectile, an automated processing and storage of ammunition was adopted for the ADG installation, which holds a total of 600 projectiles in two magazines. Installation AGS has a rate of fire up to 10 rounds per minute. The gun can fire in MRSI mode (Multiple Round Simultaneous Impact - "Flurry of fire" - firing mode, when several shells fired from one gun at different angles reach the target simultaneously), in this mode six shells can hit one target within two seconds.
The first destroyer DDG 1000 entered the fleet in May 2016, and in the same month, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control received a contract worth $ 7.7 million for engineering and design services under the LRLAP program required to complete the re-qualification of components, conduct tests on safety and initial operational testing, as well as related calculations and telemetry. These works are scheduled for completion in May 2017.
The LRLAP is not the only guided missile the US Navy wants to have. In May 2014, he published a request for information on a guided projectile compatible with the 127 mm Mk45 cannon, to which at least three companies responded.
BAE System offered its single standard guided projectile MS-SGP (Multi Service-Standard Guided Projectile), which, however, was developed in the framework of uniform requirements, since the same projectile, when equipped with a pallet, can be fired from 155-mm systems. The potential buyers of the new projectile are no doubt the US Army and the Marine Corps. The GPS / INS guidance system for the MS-SGP projectile is taken from the aforementioned LRLAP program. The MS-SGP reactive ammunition is also equipped with a rocket engine that has passed complex tests: when fired from a Mk 45 cannon, it allowed hitting a target at a distance of 36 km, while at an angle of encounter with a target of 86 degrees, the deviation was only 1.5 meters. Such characteristics guarantee increased capabilities for destroying targets hidden in city gorges, compared to traditional artillery shells, whose maximum angle of incidence is slightly more than 60 degrees; until now, such targets had to be fired upon by the bolt with expensive weapon systems. The MS-SGP projectile is equipped with a data link that allows the projectile to be re-targeted in flight. The flight time at a distance of 70 km is about 3 minutes 15 seconds, which is quite enough for transferring from one target to another, the circular probable deviation (CEP) is estimated at 10 meters, although tests have shown that the average CEP is significantly less. The maximum ranges are estimated at 80 km when firing from the 127 mm Mk45 Mod 2 gun with a 54 caliber barrel and 100 km when firing from the Mod 4 installation with a 62 caliber barrel. As for ground systems, the range when firing from a 155-mm installation of 39 calibers is estimated at 85 km when using the Modular Artillery Charge System 4 (MACS - modular artillery charge system) and 100 km with the MACS 5 charge, but theoretically the range can be achieved 120 km when fired from a 52 caliber barrel. According to BAE Systems and the US military, the effectiveness of the new projectile is quite high, since a surface target measuring 400x600 meters is neutralized by 20 MS-SGP projectiles, compared to 300 conventional 155-mm projectiles. With a length of the MS-SGP projectile of 1.5 meters and a total mass of 50 kg, its warhead weighs 16.3 kg. BAE Systems is also considering adding an inexpensive optical-thermal imaging homing head (GOS) so that the projectile can hit moving targets illuminated by a laser designator. According to the company, the MS-SGP projectile is at the stage of subsystem development and needs two years to enter the market.
Raytheon's response to the demands of the fleet is in a completely different approach. Its proposal is based on a modification of the 155-mm Excalibur guided projectile, which is in service with the army and the marines, which fired about 800 such projectiles during the fighting. The Raytheon projectile has achieved success in the export market, its first foreign customers were Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Sweden. Currently, the Excalibur IB version is serially produced, compared to its first versions, this modified version costs significantly less. The guidance unit is based on a GPS receiver and an IMU, the electronics located in the bow can withstand an overload of up to 15,000 g at the time of a shot. The electronic unit controls the movements of the rudder block, which consists of four forward steering surfaces. An export version is also being developed under the designation Excalibur S, it is equipped with a semi-active laser seeker, which allows you to use a projectile against moving targets illuminated by a laser beam. The Excalibur IB projectile is equipped with a bottom gas generator and rotating stabilizers. Fuse installation and target data entry is performed using a hand-held device EPIAFS (Enhanced Portable Inductive Artillery Fuse-Setter - improved portable induction artillery fuse installer), connected to a computer. The fuse can be programmed in three different modes: remote, shock and delayed shock. In the initial section of the trajectory in the tail of the projectile, only eight rotating stabilizing planes are revealed; when the top point is reached, the GPS is activated and four bow rudders are deployed, creating lift and providing course correction. Aerodynamic lift increases the flight range, so the Excalibur IB projectile is capable of flying 35-40 km when fired from a 39 caliber cannon and 50-60 km when firing from a 52 caliber system. The KVO is declared 10 meters, in fact, the average value of the miss value is significantly less.
To be able to fire its guided projectile from the Mk45 naval cannon, known as the N5 (Naval 5 ), Raytheon took most of the high-tech components from the 155mm projectile and adapted them to fit the 127mm hull. The goal was to more than triple the maximum effective range of the ship's gun and increase the accuracy to two meters. With the exception of minimal modifications, the block of the nose control surfaces is the same as that of the 155-mm projectile. In the tail section of the 127 mm variant, the stabilizers are now stationary and do not rotate. The Excalibur N5 variant uses about 70% of the components of the Excalibur IB projectile. The first tests were carried out in September 2015, when one projectile without a warhead hit the target at a distance of 20.5 nautical miles (38 km) at an almost vertical meeting angle and a miss value of 0.81 meters. The second projectile, already with a warhead, hit the boat with zero miss, while its fuse was set to remote mode, which is very suitable for dealing with small patrol boats. With these threats in mind, Raytheon is developing a bow-mounted microwave seeker that provides autonomous fire-and-forget guidance. These capabilities are indispensable when attacking multiple speedboats - one of the most common threats to naval vessels today.
European response and beyond
Oto Melara (currently Leonardo Defense Systems Division) developed the Vulcano ammunition family in parallel, which includes 127-mm and 155-mm projectiles in two different versions: BER (Ballistic Extended Range) and GLR (Guided Long Range - long-range controlled). The latter is equipped with a GPS / IMU-based guidance system located in the bow just behind the fuse, followed by four bow rudders. In order to increase the range due to the sub-caliber scheme, the aerodynamic resistance was reduced, the pallet is used to obturate the projectile in the barrel. In the 127-mm version of the projectile, the fuse is programmed in four different modes: shock (instant / delayed), air detonation and remote. Programming is carried out by means of electrical contacts built into the gun or a hand-held device (only for 155 mm). If the selected mode fails, when the projectile hits the target, the shock mode is always activated in order to avoid unexploded ordnance. Since Diehl Defense, in accordance with the agreement, supplies a laser seeker, a semi-active laser-guided projectile is also offered. These projectiles can only work in shock mode. The warhead of the insensitive Vulcano has a pre-fragmented hull with tungsten shards of a certain size. According to the company, the destructive effect of this projectile, even in the case of the sub-caliber variant, is twice as high as the destructive effect of a standard grenade thanks to the fuse and the warhead. The 155-mm Vulcano projectiles have a range of 70 km when fired from a 52-caliber barrel and 55 km when fired from a 39-caliber barrel. For laser-guided projectiles, the range is slightly reduced due to slightly higher air resistance due to the size of the laser seeker. The standard range for 127 mm projectiles is over 80 km. A version with an infrared seeker is also being developed, which will be used for naval targets. The sensor developed by Diehl Defense can capture a heated target against a fairly uniform background. But even in this case, the increased aerodynamic resistance of the sensor leads to a decrease in the projectile's flight range.
The Vulcano, in both land and sea versions, was selected by the Italian and German armed forces for a joint qualification program. Both countries are armed with a self-propelled howitzer (SG) PzH 2000, as well as offshore platforms armed with 127/64 LW cannons. Initially, the 155-mm Vulcano ammunition for the PzH 2000 SG will be programmed using a special additional software module. At the same time, the company is developing a kit that will be integrated into the PzH 2000 SG later and will allow full use of the capabilities of its semi-automatic loading system. Tests of prototypes were carried out in the spring of 2016 in South Africa, where both versions of the projectile demonstrated their range and the capabilities of the fuses - the height of detonation and the delay time. Laser-guided shells in different configurations hit targets with the required accuracy. The 127mm projectile was also tested with an infrared GSP, which aimed it at a hot target without missing. The development of ammunition is being completed and the company begins qualification tests, which are being carried out jointly with Germany and Italy at the shooting ranges of these countries, as well as in South Africa. The qualification should be completed in late 2017-early 2018. Leonardo Defend Systems Division and Diehl Defense are awaiting contracts for the production of guided and unguided sea and ground ammunition from both countries, but the timing and priorities remain vague. Others, countries have also shown interest in Vulcano ammunition, including the United States.
Nexter is proactively developing the Menhir guided projectile, focusing on simplicity of design and low cost while maintaining the accuracy that the combined inertial / satellite system provides. The accuracy of 10 meters is declared, and when using semi-active laser homing with a person in the control loop, it is about meter accuracy. Nexter, together with BAE Systems, also developed the Bonus cluster projectile, although, strictly speaking, not quite controllable. The Bonus projectile is equipped with two self-aiming submunitions weighing 6.5 kg each, ejected over the target, with sensor fuses. Each combat element is equipped with a dual-mode sensor, laser locator and infrared seeker, which searches for armored vehicles in an area with a diameter of 200 meters. When a target is detected inside this circle, a projectile-forming charge of the “shock core” type is generated, which strikes the target by striking the roof of the vehicle. To date, about a thousand Bonus shells have been manufactured; it is in service with four European armies, among them France, Sweden and Finland, as well as one Middle Eastern country. Export production continues, with the next batch scheduled to be assembled in 2017.
A similar solution was developed in Germany by GIWS (Gesellschaft fur Intelligente Wirksysteme mbH), a joint venture between Rheinmetall and Diehl Defense. The ammunition is known under the designation SMArt 155 or DM702, it is also equipped with two combat elements with sensor (non-contact) sensor fuses and a multi-mode including a radar-infrared seeker, a microwave radiometer and a reprogrammable signal processing unit. All systems are activated when the warheads are ejected, which begin a smooth descent by parachute. When a target is identified, the projectile is initiated, generating a "shock core". The Smart 155 cluster munition is currently in service with Germany, Switzerland, Greece and Australia.
Russia and China have also developed guided artillery ammunition. In Soviet times, the Tula KBP manufactured a 152 mm Krasnopol projectile for the Soviet army and its allies. The projectile has an inertial guidance system in the middle section of the trajectory, which directs it to the target area, after which the seeker with a semi-active laser is activated, capturing the beam reflected from the target. A projectile weighing 50 kg and a charge weighing 6.4 kg has a range of 20 km, it can hit a target moving at a speed of 35 km / h with a probability of 80%. This variant, designated 2K25, was replaced by the very similar KM-1 system. After the end of the Cold War, Russian industry developed the 155 mm KM-1M projectile. The heavier and shorter projectile is loaded with explosives weighing 11 kg and can reach a range of 25 km. The automatic fire control unit "Malachite" allows you to direct the projectile to the target with a hit probability of almost 90%.
The Chinese company Norinco is offering its GP155A guided projectile based in the Russian Krasnopol, while ALMT recently showed its WS-35 projectile, claiming a range of 100 km. Projectile guidance is based on the GPS / INS system, it has the usual four nose rudders and four tail surfaces for stabilization; the achieved KVO 40 meters is declared.
