Rest-of-World Land Combat Systems


ADVANCED ARTILLERY MUNITION STATUS

 

The purpose of this document is to provide an update on both the development and proliferation of advanced artillery munitions. Many countries continue to pursue programs to field a variety of advanced munitions for field artillery cannon, mortars, and rockets. The principle battlefield advantage offered by advanced munitions is the significant increase in lethality to a wide variety of targets, usually at much greater ranges than with conventional munitions. Thus, the potential proliferation of these rounds provides potential U.S. adversaries a capability to successfully attack and destroy targets ranging from thinly protected C4I systems to armored vehicles at a critical place and time on the battlefield.

The doctrinal employment of these munitions is addressed in FM 100-62, Armor- and Mechanized-Based Opposing Force: Tactics (due to be released in 3D Quarter FY 99). Later updates of this document will include the status of other advanced artillery munitions (i.e. course-corrected munitions, artillery delivered scatterable mines, etc.) as well as parametric data on selected munitions. Questions and comments on this information should be addressed to:

 

Mr. Walter L. Williams

DSN: 552-7923 Commercial (913) 684-7923

e-mail address: williamw@leav-emh1.army.mil

 

 

DUAL-PURPOSE IMPROVED CONVENTIONAL MUNITION (DPICM)

NAME

TYPE OF MUNITION

STATUS

REMARKS

DPICM

122-,130-,152-, and 155-mm

Produced and widely distributed

(38 users and 20 (+) producers)

Foreign designs include self-destruct and improved performance.

 

 

LASER-GUIDED PROJECTILES (LGP)

NAME

TYPE OF MUNITION

STATUS

REMARKS

KONKURENT (BULGARIA)

120-mm Mortar

Ready for production

Ukrainian Design

BUSSARD (GERMANY)

120-mm Mortar

Ready for production and advertised

 

SMEL’CHAK (RUSSIA)

240-mm Mortar

Produced, limited fielding

 

KITOLOV (RUSSIA)

122-mm Cannon

Produced, limited fielding

 

KRASNOPOL (RUSSIA)

152-mm Cannon

Produced, widely fielded

 

KRASNOPOL-M (RUSSIA)

155-mm Cannon

Produced, limited fielding

Co-marketed by French Firm

AVRORA (RUSSIA)

152-mm Cannon

Looking for export

A 155-mm version is being developed for sale.

SANTIMETR (RUSSIA)

152-mm Cannon/160-mm Mortar

Fielded, but out of production

5000 rounds were produced for Russia

COPPERHEAD (US)

155-mm Cannon

Produced, widely fielded

 

LASER-GUIDED ROCKET SUBMUNITIONS (IRAN)

122-mm MRL

Reported, limited fielding

 

POLISH/UKRAINE LASER-GUIDED PROJECTILE

120-mm Mortar

Late Stage Development, EIOC 2001-2002

Design is basically the same as the Bulgarian KONKURENT 120-mm Mortar Projectile. 155-mm Cannon & 98-mm Mortar under development

 

TERMINALLY-HOMING PROJECTILE (THP)

NAME

TYPE OF MUNITION

STATUS

REMARKS

MERLIN (UK)

81/82-mm Mortar

Advertised, not fielded

MMW Projectile

GRIFFIN (INTERNATIONAL)

120-mm Mortar

Program Discontinued

MMW Projectile

AQUILA (FRANCE)

120-mm Mortar

Advertised, not fielded

MMW Projectile, EIOC 2005-6

STRIX (SWEDEN)

120-mm Mortar

Produced, fielding in 3 countries

IR Projectile, Sales pending to the Middle East.

SOKOL-2 (RUSSIAN)

152-mm Cannon

Developmental Mid Term

Commercial Offering, IR & Laser

OBOSNOVANIA (RUSSIAN)

152-mm/155-mm Cannon

Developmental, Far Term

Commercial Offering, MMW

 

SENSOR-FUZED SUBMUNITIONS (SFSM)

NAME

TYPE OF MUNITION

STATUS

REMARKS

MOTIV-3M (RUSSIA)

300-mm MRL

Produced, limited fielding. Sales pending to 4 countries (India, Bulgaria, Others)

IR

MCS-E1 (RUSSIA)

152-mm Cannon

Production due in 2002-2003

IR & MMW

UNIVERSAL SUBMUNITION (RUSSIA)

122-mm MRL

Fielding due in 1999, foreign sales to Middle East likely by 2002.

IR & MMW

SMArt 155 (GERMANY)

155-mm Cannon

In production, fielding to the German Army late 1998 – early 1999.

IR & MMW. Sales pending to Switzerland and Denmark. Total German Army buy of 9,200 rounds

BONUS (SWEDEN and FRANCE)

155-mm Cannon

Production due in 1999

2 color IR, total production is 15,000 rounds each.

SADARM (US)

155-mm Cannon

Production to begin in 1999

IR & MMW

METEOR (POLAND)

122-mm Rocket

Production due in 2000-2001

Indigenous design. 2 color IR

INDIAN SFM

120-mm Mortar, 155-mm Cannon, 214-mm Rocket

Developmental (testing successful), Production is due in 2002-2003

IR & MMW

 

TERMINALLY-HOMING SUBMUNITIONS (THSM)

NAME

TYPE OF MUNITION

STATUS

REMARKS

MCS-122A (RUSSIA)

122-mm Cannon

Developmental, Far-Term

MMW

MCS-152A (RUSSIA)

152-mm Cannon

Developmental, Far-Term

MMW

ZARNISTA (RUSSIA)

122-mm MRL

Developmental, Far-Term

IR

POLISH IR THSM

120-mm Mortar, 98-mm Mortar, 122-mm Rocket

Late stage of development and testing. EIOC 2003

IR

EIOC --- Estimated Initial Operational Capability

IR ------- Infrared

MMW – Millimeter Wave