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Redstone Arsenal, Ala.-The Army's mandate is to become more responsive, lethal, agile, versatile, survivable and sustainable to meet the needs of national defense. The Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center is providing a solution to support this mandate-the Compact Kinetic Energy Missile. This system is currently transitioning to the Advanced Technology Demonstration phase to support a system development and demonstration effort scheduled to begin in fiscal year 2006.
According to George Snyder, program manager, the Compact Kinetic Energy Missile weapon system is lighter, smaller, faster, smarter and more lethal. The Compact Kinetic Energy Missile ATD will develop and demonstrate an advanced anti-armor weapon system comprised of two primary components. These components include (1) a compact kinetic energy missile, based heavily on missile technologies the center currently is developing and demonstrating and (2) a fire control system (based primarily on Future Combat System-compatible components), which will be integrated into a combat vehicle and tested in a series of flight tests, including engagements against threat-representative armor and other hardened targets at ranges to 5 km or greater.
The challenge is to demonstrate that a dramatically smaller missile (half the size of the current kinetic energy missile) can provide overmatch lethality against current tanks and future threat armor. Tracking threat-representative targets and engaging three targets within 10 seconds are among other capabilities that will be demonstrated. Separate lethality tests and simulations will be conducted to confirm overmatch lethality against the projected threat, including Explosive Reactive Armor.
"The (Compact Kinetic Energy Missile) weapon system is being developed to provide the Future Combat Systems, the Objective Force and the current Light Force with a lightweight, kinetic energy weapon that will deliver overwhelming lethality against present and future threats," said Snyder. "(It) will demonstrate an anti-weapon system that is half the size and weight of the current generation Kinetic Energy Missile, while maintaining lethality overmatch. This objective requires major advances in the development of critical technologies."
The project began as a science and technology objective in 1999. According to Snyder, the transition to ATD was made possible through technology maturation, successfully demonstrated through a partnership effort with the Army Research Laboratory, the Program Executive Office for Tactical Missiles, industry, and most importantly, the "user" over the past 30 months.
"The program's success to date has depended on close collaboration with industry and all disciplines and directorates across the center," Snyder explained. "It has also required major technical development-propulsion, electronics, simulations, guidance, lethality -involving multiple directorates and labs within the AMRDEC."
Snyder said that the missile will be more lethal than currently fielded anti-armor system, because it will provide overmatch against advanced armor and will be capable of defeating Energetic Reactive Armor 1-3 and threat Active Protection Systems. Also, it will be more versatile, as it will be compatible with a variety of weapon platforms, including the Future Combat System, as well as other ground combat vehicles that will give the Army the ability to achieve a versatile,
LAUNCH
IMPACT
Redstone Arsenal, Ala.-The Army's mandate is to become more responsive, lethal, agile, versatile, survivable and sustainable to meet the needs of national defense. The Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center is providing a solution to support this mandate-the Compact Kinetic Energy Missile. This system is currently transitioning to the Advanced Technology Demonstration phase to support a system development and demonstration effort scheduled to begin in fiscal year 2006.
According to George Snyder, program manager, the Compact Kinetic Energy Missile weapon system is lighter, smaller, faster, smarter and more lethal. The Compact Kinetic Energy Missile ATD will develop and demonstrate an advanced anti-armor weapon system comprised of two primary components. These components include (1) a compact kinetic energy missile, based heavily on missile technologies the center currently is developing and demonstrating and (2) a fire control system (based primarily on Future Combat System-compatible components), which will be integrated into a combat vehicle and tested in a series of flight tests, including engagements against threat-representative armor and other hardened targets at ranges to 5 km or greater.
The challenge is to demonstrate that a dramatically smaller missile (half the size of the current kinetic energy missile) can provide overmatch lethality against current tanks and future threat armor. Tracking threat-representative targets and engaging three targets within 10 seconds are among other capabilities that will be demonstrated. Separate lethality tests and simulations will be conducted to confirm overmatch lethality against the projected threat, including Explosive Reactive Armor.
"The (Compact Kinetic Energy Missile) weapon system is being developed to provide the Future Combat Systems, the Objective Force and the current Light Force with a lightweight, kinetic energy weapon that will deliver overwhelming lethality against present and future threats," said Snyder. "(It) will demonstrate an anti-weapon system that is half the size and weight of the current generation Kinetic Energy Missile, while maintaining lethality overmatch. This objective requires major advances in the development of critical technologies."
The project began as a science and technology objective in 1999. According to Snyder, the transition to ATD was made possible through technology maturation, successfully demonstrated through a partnership effort with the Army Research Laboratory, the Program Executive Office for Tactical Missiles, industry, and most importantly, the "user" over the past 30 months.
"The program's success to date has depended on close collaboration with industry and all disciplines and directorates across the center," Snyder explained. "It has also required major technical development-propulsion, electronics, simulations, guidance, lethality -involving multiple directorates and labs within the AMRDEC."
Snyder said that the missile will be more lethal than currently fielded anti-armor system, because it will provide overmatch against advanced armor and will be capable of defeating Energetic Reactive Armor 1-3 and threat Active Protection Systems. Also, it will be more versatile, as it will be compatible with a variety of weapon platforms, including the Future Combat System, as well as other ground combat vehicles that will give the Army the ability to achieve a versatile,
LAUNCH
IMPACT
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