GETS STRONGER
KING of BATTLE
The
PEO Ammunition adapts new technology to produce improved, more lethal ammunition for 155 mm artillery.
by Mr. Peter Burke and Ms. Tara Sarruda S
ince the 1970s, ammunition improvements for 155 mm artillery systems have resulted in U.S. domi- nance of long-range artillery weapon systems. But with continuous change in threats worldwide, the
rapid introduction of new technology and our adversaries’ adaptations, the U.S. faces new challenges. Defeating large formations of enemy armored vehicles will require new ammunition with improved lethality for 155 mm artillery while minimizing its negative effects on friendly troops and noncombatants.
To ensure that 155 mm field artillery keeps pace, the Pro- gram Executive Office (PEO) for Ammunition is executing the 155 mm Cannon-Delivered Area Effects Munition (C-DAEM) program, drawing on lessons learned from past efforts and harnessing the best of today’s technology to enable defeat of personnel or vehicles spread over a large area. Such targets, given their ability to move and the large distances between them and U.S. artillery, are defined as “poorly located area targets,” where “poorly” reflects a high uncertainty as to their exact location.
An analysis of alternatives (AOA) is underway to model and identify the best solution set of new munitions and, in turn, to inform the requirements of the program’s capability development document. Plans call for engineering and man- ufacturing development (EMD) to begin in the first quarter of FY21. In the interim, the science and technology com- munity will be testing prototype munitions suitable for firing from 155 mm platforms to demonstrate technology readiness level 6—a significant achievement in the material develop- ment process, signifying that a system-level prototype has been successfully demonstrated in a relevant environment and is ready to start EMD. Te Army is also executing a bridging strategy to quickly qualify highly mature and off- the-shelf munitions to begin fielding in FY19.
AMMUNITION EVOLUTION From the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s, the Army produced large quantities of Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munition (DPICM) grenade carriers. Te M483A1 and M864 DPICM carriers would be fired in volleys, and their time fuze would expel the grenades (88 from the M483A1, 72 from the M864) over personnel or vehicle formations to
ASC.ARMY.MIL 79
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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