ADAPTING EXPERIMENTATION AND TESTING


WE HAVE IGNITION


A team of engineers and statisticians take a systems approach to developing cannon artillery.


by Peter Harvey lar topic. What may be missing from these reports is the “system interface” approach. A


In this context, a “system” is defined as a group of subsystems or components that are assembled to create a functioning artillery howitzer. In terms of interfaces (i.e., how one subsystem works with another) that make up a complete artillery system, the cannon- ammunition interface can arguably be the most important. Trough the progression of artillery design spanning decades, cannon technologies as well as propulsion tech- nologies have been upgraded and developed, mostly on separate development paths leveraging prior legacy designs.


Tis lack of a systems approach is a likely contributor to issues of poor reliability, lack of interoperability, unoptimized performance and safety concerns. By taking advantage of advancements in modeling and simulation in both cannon and propulsion design, as well as adding a heavier presence of statistical modeling and analysis, we have an oppor- tunity to provide a fresh look at developing a robust cannon-ammunition interface.


IT’S ALL ABOUT THE TEAM In 2022, the Project Director for Tactical Artillery Systems (PD TAS) initiated a project to develop a new cannon system that can support future capability upgrades, such as increas- ing the systems rate of fire while improving reliability and safety. Eager to begin, PD TAS


https://asc.ar my.mil 81


search in the Defense Technical Information Center database for tech- nical terms like ignition, artillery, propulsion design or cannon design will result in reports from the 1950s through the 1970s written by very knowledgeable people providing a wealth of information on a particu-


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