NEED FOR SPEED


TEST MATCH


Soldiers test the 30 mm anti-drone XM914 chain gun on an M-LIDS in July 2023 at Udairi Range, Kuwait. (Photo by Capt. Austin May, Area Support Group – Kuwait)


Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth stated in a February 2024 Defense Writers Group that “we in the Army have got to do more and more and more on UAS, C-UAS in terms of investing in those systems. We as a service are investing more than any other service in those areas already, but I think when you look at the threats to our Soldiers in CENTCOM [U.S. Central Command], for example, we have got to do more.” Tis is particularly evident when we consider that the Army is currently relying on preci- sion missiles that can cost up to $350,000. While these missiles have a role, they should be reserved for larger targets at greater distances. Heavier emphasis is needed to invest in strengthen- ing the inner-most layer of short-range air defense with low-cost kinetic solutions.


NEXT WAVE OF C-UAS AMMUNITION In 2017 and 2018, the Army issued directed requirements for the Mobile-Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft Integrated Defeat


50 Army AL&T Magazine Summer 2024


System (M-LIDS) and the Mobile Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) platforms and mandated fielding by fiscal year 2021. Tese platforms come equipped with a 30 mm XM914 chain gun that integrates into the layers of short-range air defense. At the time, the Army had no existing 30 mm ammunition that was compatible with a ground-based weapon system that fires a percussion-primed cartridge. Te only existing tactical 30 mm cartridge was the Apache helicopter’s electrically primed M789, which contains a shaped charge liner for light armor penetra- tion. To provide M-LIDS and M-SHORAD with an immediate ammunition solution, the engineers at DEVCOM AC modified the M789 by swapping the electric primer for a percussion primer and added a self-destruct feature to minimize collateral damage in ground-to-air engagements. Tat round is the XM1198 High Explosive Dual Purpose Self-Destruct (HEDP-SD). While the XM1198 HEDP-SD can have effects against small UAS targets, it is better suited for ground-to-ground engagements because it


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