Raytheon Completes Artillery Firing Test of Precision Guidance Kit Solution
 


TUCSON, Ariz., March 30, 2006 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company
successfully completed a gun firing test of its low-cost, XM1156 Precision
Guidance Kit (PGK) solution at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., March 16. The test
firing, shot from the Picatinny Ballistic Rail Gun System, met all test
objectives.

   PGK is a competitive U.S. Army program designed to demonstrate the ability
to significantly improve the accuracy of existing ballistic and cargo 155 and
105 mm artillery rounds through the addition of a low-cost, GPS guided fuze
kit, which integrates into the round's shallow fuze well without modification.
The Raytheon PGK was also designed to meet Army program requirements through a
low-cost airbrake solution having minimal impact on round stability.
Raytheon's solution focuses on meeting the PGK requirements at the lowest cost
with the capability for incremental growth.

   "The Spearhead 1D course correcting fuze (CCF) demonstration was a
significant milestone for the team," said Ken Pedersen, Raytheon Missile
Systems' Advanced Programs vice president. "A low-cost, networked, 1D CCF
solution would provide the Army with improved 155/105 mm round accuracy,
reduced collateral damage, and lower ammunition sustainment and replenishment
costs."

   Raytheon's Missile Systems business in Tucson, Ariz., will serve as prime
systems integrator, airframe designer, and guidance and control authority,
utilizing L3 KDI Precision Products, Inc., to produce the all-up "smart fuze"
kit at its automated fuze factory in Cincinnati, Ohio. KDI's proven experience
with manufacturing more than 215,000 MOFA (Multi-Option Fuze for Artillery)
fuzes for the U.S. Army will help ensure a low production cost for PGK. The
Spearhead flight tests will culminate in closed loop, GPS-guided, fully
integrated round testing through April 2006 at "tactically significant"
ranges.

   Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), with 2005 sales of $21.9 billion, is an
industry leader in defense and government electronics, space, information
technology, technical services, and business and special mission aircraft.
With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 80,000 people worldwide.

   Note to Editors
   Raytheon's PGK design leverages production and flight proven subassemblies
and an all-up kit that borrows heavily from M782 Multi-Option Fuze for
Artillery (MOFA) and the Navy Guidance Integrated Fuze program. Hardware tests
and six degrees of freedom simulation analysis indicate the Raytheon solution
will meet the Army's PGK circular error probable requirement for both 155 mm
and 105 mm artillery rounds.

   The PGK successfully survived approximately 8,000 Gs (x gravity), the
equivalent of a Modular Artillery Charge System 4 firing and the safety
maximum given the mass of the test round. The PGK guidance electronics unit
(GEU) successfully deployed the airbrake assembly immediately after muzzle
exit. This live fire test culminates hardware-in-the-loop testing, 270 Hz
laboratory deployment spin tests, 300 Hz live gun fire structural tests and
integrated GEU rail-gun testing to 11,000 Gs.

I am glad I own their stock.  

Can you imagine a point and shoot 155mm? Hell you could program and fire three shoots and move long before counter-battery could return the favor.

Quoted: Raytheon Completes Artillery Firing Test of Precision Guidance Kit Solution   www.spacewar.com/images/gps-missile-guided-150mm-bg.jpg KDI's proven experience with manufacturing more than 215,000 MOFA (Multi-Option Fuze for Artillery) fuzes for the U.S. Army will help ensure a low production cost for PGK.

Why isn't the acronym MOFO for Multi-Option Fuze for Ordance?  I know which one I'd rather send down range

tag

I'm interested in the mantion of "cargo" when they are talking about 105/155 arty rounds.  Whats up with that?



-K

Quoted: How does it work? with no fins, does it speed up or slow down the round in flight to change impact?

The Raytheon PGK was also designed to meet Army program requirements through a low-cost airbrake solution having minimal impact on round stability.

I guess it has several air brake "tabs" on the nose of the round.  I'd like to see details about how it works too, interesting stuff!  

Quoted: I'm interested in the mantion of "cargo" when they are talking about 105/155 arty rounds.  Whats up with that? -K

Good question, I guess that's a loadmaster dropping them out of a C-130/C-17.  

Quoted: I'm interested in the mantion of "cargo" when they are talking about 105/155 arty rounds.  Whats up with that? -K

They could be talking about mine and submunition dispersal rounds.
The round isn't ordinance, the "payload" or "cargo" is.

Didn't there used to be a laser-guided round called the copperhead or something similar?
I guess this is better because you don't have to have someone guiding the round in, just punch in the coordinates and FIRE!

I hope they have more success with 15mm than the Navy had with 127mm.

That kicks butt! That means that the artillery guys can shoot with/against the prevailing wind and bend the shot like a curveball and still hit the target area. Mu ha ha ha ha ha!

Quoted: Didn't there used to be a laser-guided round called the copperhead or something similar? I guess this is better because you don't have to have someone guiding the round in, just punch in the coordinates and FIRE!

well, you'd still need a FO to lase and give a 10-digit grid.  the real value of this is that, unlike the copperhead, which was a dedicated (and expensive) round, this simply screws into normal arty rounds a la JDAM kit.

(wait--someone help me out.  9-digit is 10m or 100m?)

Quoted: Quoted: How does it work? with no fins, does it speed up or slow down the round in flight to change impact? The Raytheon PGK was also designed to meet Army program requirements through a low-cost airbrake solution having minimal impact on round stability. I guess it has several air brake "tabs" on the nose of the round.  I'd like to see details about how it works too, interesting stuff!

BAE/United Defense has a pretty cool version of this as well. It's called Course Correcting Fuse.CCF.


Pretty sweet link

Quoted: Quoted: I'm interested in the mantion of "cargo" when they are talking about 105/155 arty rounds.  Whats up with that? -K They could be talking about mine and submunition dispersal rounds. The round isn't ordinance, the "payload" or "cargo" is.

Gotcha.  I had images of ammo bandoliers being dropped on our troops when they're running low.  That didn't seem right.


-K