I understand that we are using “smart” 155mm projectiles currently. The are not that expensive, I understand. I know that the project to develop fuses to make “dumb” projectiles “smart” was well along when I was supporting those tests.
We have had “base bleed” projectiles for many years.
This wikipedia article says that the Excaliber round (I put in a lot of hours on that project) is currently in use and the cost per round for production is $68,000, and the range is 25 miles.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M982_Excalibur
Here is a video of the Precision Guidance Kit (PGK) to make smart shells out of “dumb” standard rounds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebzh12PR0-U
I worked on this project as well. A tremendous amount of testing at Yuma Proving Ground. It is *the* place for artillery testing in the DOD.
Yes! Here is the contract for production of the PGK!
The fuses run under 10K each. It has already been used in Afghanistan.
Thanks C19fan, for posting this. It is a great feeling to see that some of the many, many hours I put in on RDT&E is paying off.
Consider how few rounds you need, in comparison with the massive arty barrages in WWII, when you have this sort of accuracy at your fingertips.
“During this demonstration, PGK delivered 90 percent of rounds fired within five meters accuracy of the target positioned 27 kilometers from the gun position.”
It probably costs 10K just to get a plane off the ground, not to include the risk to pilot and the plane.
A simple “dumb” round costs about $500. So you can have 21 “dumb” rounds for 1 PGK. But that does not consider the costs of shipping those rounds, transporting them in a combat situation, and storing and guarding them.
Nor are you assured that 21 “dumb” rounds will achieve what you are likely to get with 1 PGK. You have to fire to see where the dumb rounds hit, then adjust them into the target, which gives the target time to react, disperse, get under cover, start counter battery fire...
The over all cost and effectiveness figures are all on the side of the PGK.
While I agree with you that precision is where we need to be, there are instances where mass is critical too: area fires (such as prep fires), fires where you don’t know exactly where the enemy if concealed, final protective fires, etc.
I think that you are being a bit more optomistic about PGM prices; Excalibur had a price closer to $250K each last I heard.
Lastly, improvements in on-carriage fire control, aiming using Ring Laser Gyros, improved MET, etc., has given ordinary tube artillery much greater first- round precision. We got first-round CEPs around 15m with our XM-326 system at Yuma a few years ago.
By the way - while you were at YPG, did you see the HARP gun out there? I was amazed to see that monster sitting by its lonesome no that far from the range gate.
These were slightly different than the Navy ERGM configuration, but what we had learned about making the damn things survive the G loads worked there as well.