Page 11 - Aerotech News and Review 7-17-15
P. 11
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CZ&E-PQF[ PRUHHI¿FLHQWWKHJXQV\VWHPVEHFRPHFRPSDUHG and command warhead detonation at Yuma Prov- The interceptor takes the commands and com-
Picatinny Arsenal, N.J. to missiles,” said Manfredi Luciano, the project ing Ground, Ariz. Funding for development and putes the roll orientation and time to execute
RI¿FHUIRUWKH($36V\VWHP³<RXGRQ¶WQHHGDV testing was provided by the U.S. Army Armament thruster and warhead detonation. The warhead has
As drone technology gains greater public at- many, and the gun system has certain logistics ad- Research, Development and Engineering Center, a tantalum-tungsten alloy liner to form forward
tention, along with its potential for hostile action vantages.” RU$5'(&7HFKQRORJ\2I¿FH propelled penetrators for defeat of C-RAM targets,
against American targets, Army engineers adapt and steel body fragments to counter unmanned
ongoing research to counter aerial systems that As news reports about potential airborne threats The EAPS ARDEC gun alternative envisions a aerial systems.
could threaten soldiers. to the White House have stirred public awareness 50mm cannon to launch command guided intercep-
of such threat to U.S. interests, ongoing technology tors. The system uses a precision tracking radar The April 22, 2015, test was performed with a
At Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., the Extended Area aimed at countering rockets, artillery and mortars LQWHUIHURPHWHUDVDVHQVRUD¿UHFRQWUROFRPSXWHU VLQJOHVKRW0DQQEDUUHO7KH8$6ZDVÀ\LQJD
Protection and Survivability Integrated Demonstra- could be used to defend against unmanned aerial and a radio frequency transmitter and receiver to surveillance-type track and was engaged on the
systems, or UAS, Luciano said. launch the projectile into an engagement “basket.” approach path leg. The airplane fell precipitously
“The smaller and smaller the IURPLWVÀLJKW
SURWHFWLYHDUHDWKHPRUHHI¿- “It’s unbelievable how much it’s exploded,” Lu- “In order to minimize the electronics on board
cient the gun systems become ciano said about the use of drones. “Every country the interceptor and to make it cheaper, all the The integrated test demonstrated a proof-of-
has them now, whether they are armed or not or ‘smarts’ are basically done on the ground station,” principle that direct fire, command guided am-
compared to missiles. You what level of performance. This is a huge threat Luciano said. “The computations are done on the munition can intercept and negate aerial threats,
don’t need as many, and the has been coming up on everybody. It has kind of ground, and the radio frequency sends the informa- Luciano said.
gun system has certain logis- almost sneaked up on people, and it’s almost more tion up to the round.”
important than the counter-RAM threat.” Technologies from the EAPS gun alternative
tics advantages.” The Picatinny area-protection systems track both Army Technology Objective may potentially be
The UAS challenge has grown exponentially the incoming threat and interceptor, then compute used for both Army and Navy air defense systems,
tion, or EAPS ID, began as an Army Technology in the last decade as the world’s inventory of Un- an ideal trajectory correction for the interceptor he added.
Objective program. The goal was to develop and manned Aircraft Systems has grown from approxi- to maximize probability of mission success. A
demonstrate technology, which could support a mately 20 system types and 800 aircraft in 1999, thruster on the interceptor/projectile is used for Luciano said that during another upcoming test,
gun-based solution to counter rockets, artillery and to more than 200 system types and approximately course correction. The ground station uplinks the the engineers would try to intercept and destroy
mortars, or C-RAM. 10,000 unmanned aircraft in 2010, said Nancy El- maneuver and detonation commands while receiv- DQXQPDQQHGDHULDOV\VWHPXQGHUDPRUHGLI¿FXOW
liott, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Army’s Fires ing downlinked assessment data. engagement scenario.
Research into enhanced C-RAM technology had Center of Excellence on Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
the goal of extending the range and probability of The EAPS ARDEC gun alternative envisions a 50mm cannon
success against the incoming threat. Although a missile-based C-RAM defense sys- to launch command guided interceptors. The system uses a
tem has been selected as the technical approach for
“The smaller and smaller the protective area, the the Indirect Fire Protection Capability Increment 2 SUHFLVLRQWUDFNLQJUDGDULQWHUIHURPHWHUDVDVHQVRUD¿UHFRQ-
Intercept Program of Record, the gun alternative trol computer, and a radio frequency transmitter and receiver
continued to mature as force-protection technolo-
gies for other potential applications. In response to launch the projectile into an engagement “basket.”
to proliferation, UAS threats recently were added
to the project scope of gun-based force protection.
Luciano and his team, working on enhanced area
protection and survivability, tested an integrated
system, April 22, by shooting down a class 2 un-
manned aerial system using command guidance
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July 17, 2015 Aerotech News and Review 11
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