Diehl positions SMArt 155 for Land 17
With Defence now looking to acquire new field artillery, the search has also begun for a new family of smart munitions to exploit the connectivity and 'sensor to shooter' capabilities of the emerging networked Army.
With Project Land 17 now moving steadily ahead, attention is being beginning to focus on the future ammunition needs for the Royal Australian Artillery. These will be largely satisfied through Joint Project 2085 - Explosive Ordnance Warstock, which among other things is expected to acquire new conventional and Artillery Delivered High Precision Munitions (ADHPM)/Precision Guided Munitions (PGM) for the Army's new indirect fire weapons families.
One contender for JP2085 is the Gesellschaft für Intelligente Wirrksysteme mbH (GIWS) SMArt155 modular based Family of Munitions, a technology-driven tactical indirect fire solution which can be applied throughout the battlefield. The SMArt155 Family of Munitions provides for precise fire power solutions in a robust and modular system used as a technology alternative for a variety of conventional weapon systems and environmental scenarios. Latest trial results from severe desert to urban environments have proven the reliability and effectiveness of the SMArt 155 munition.
In June of this year, delegates from the UAE, Germany, Switzerland, Peru, India and Australia were invited to witness a SMArt munitions surveillance trial by the German Bundesamt für Wehrtechnik and Beschaffung (BWB) (Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement). The objective of the ammunition surveillance firing was to demonstrate the unchanged performance (reliability and function) of the SMArt rounds after 5 years storage in depot after delivery in 2001. The trial was a complete success (100 per cent technical functionality, 24 SMArt rounds fired for 29 target hits) and follows on from years of additional trials in the US, Germany, Switzerland and UAE against a variety of targets, in various environmental, operational, complex tactical targets and engagement scenarios demonstrated sustained performance and warhead effectiveness expected by today's defence forces.
GIWS continues investing in the future of SMArt 155 with new warhead developments to enable engagement of hard, semi-hard and materiel targets and enhanced sensor suite performance for all kinds of environmental challenges. Whether aimed at combat scenarios or aimed at asset protection for homeland defense, the SMArt munitions modular format allows a modern force to utilize a variety of carrier systems or become part of new system integration concepts such as area denial weapons and force protection systems. Sustainability in the battlefield is also enhanced by short end effective strikes, reduced counter fire and reduced logistics required to meet mission profiles.
SMArt 155 munitions provides for fast, precise and effective strikes with only a small number of rounds required to complete missions when compared to conventional ammunition.
Accurate rounds also reduce the risk of collateral damage and with effective self destruct capability, the risk of duds is overcome and the logistic burden is reduced to a fraction of previous operations.
Whether aimed at combat scenarios or aimed at asset protection for homeland defense, the SMArt munitions modular format allows a modern force to utilize a variety of carrier systems or become part of new system integration concept.
Tube Artillery: SMArt 155 for ranges from 4-27 km; SMArt 155 extended range from 5 up to 40 km; a (GPS) guided long range 155 mm Artillery shell may be a future solution.
Rocket Artillery: Germany placed an order last year for a G-MLRS warhead with SMArt submunitions for ranges up to 70 km. This adaptation development of the SMArt submunition to the G-MLRS clearly demonstrates the high value, confidence and importance of SMArt at least for the German Armed Forces.
Aircraft dispenser: The adaptation development for the rocket artillery already is a big step forward towards an air delivered version. Delivery may be by aircraft dispensers and UAVs extending the range of the ammunition out to hundreds of kms.
Finally, the submunition also may be used for ground based area denial. In this application the submunition is integrated into a kind of very short mortar tube, equipped with sensors to detect approaching targets. The sensors autonomously calculate direction and range to the target and fire the submunition over the target. Rest of the function is similar to all other carrier systems.
The modularity of the SMArt submunition also for continuous improvements with a number of product improvements currently under investigation and development supported by SMArt clients. These include:
* new multi-mode warheads
* incorporation of insensitive munitions (IM)
* enhancement of target measurements
* continued refinements and clutter investigations
* continuous upgrades to algorithms to meet future threats scenarios.
Flexibility and operational efficiencies are obtained by using the technology's core modular capability to provide for growth in applications against a variety of complex targets.