High cost creates high-capacity aerial "change lanes" to help guide the accuracy of projectiles and then upgrade
"Sword" guided shells
"Sword" guided shells use GPS for guidance.
The "Sword" guided shells expanded the artillery's combat effectiveness on the battlefield.
The "Sword of Sword" guided shells directly hit a car 19.7 kilometers away and blasted it to pieces.
The emergence of the "Advanced Adjustable Trajectory" technology concept will make it possible for the "Sword" guided projectile to have a longer range, higher accuracy, longer guidance and control distance, and more flexible ballistic adjustment capabilities. At present, the cost of guided shells is about 100 times that of ordinary shells-
Reporter Zhang Qiang Correspondent Lian Xin
Foreign media recently reported that the US Army and Raytheon are developing a new "Sword" guided projectile that follows the "Advanced Adjustable Trajectory". This new projectile can change the trajectory in flight, hitting hidden or otherwise impossible. Close to the target.
The Science and Technology Daily reporter learned that artillery has historically been regarded as a “suppressive weapon” and assisted our troops to move forward by covering the enemy’s position with firepower. Guided projectiles make indirect aiming weapons such as artillery have the ability to accurately strike a certain target at a long distance, helping the artillery enter the modern war era.
In this regard, military expert Zhao Guojun said: "The emergence of the "advanced adjustable ballistic" technical concept will make it possible for the "Sword" to have a longer range, higher accuracy, longer guidance and control distance and more flexible ballistic adjustment. The ability to adjust the flight direction at a large angle to achieve precise strike targets. This will greatly enhance the strike ability of the "Sword" guided projectile and improve its battlefield adaptability."
Acupuncture point precise strike
Guided projectiles are precision guided munitions that use artillery as a launching platform, and are used to precisely strike important or threatened targets in artillery combat missions, including fixed targets and moving targets. "Countries have different definitions of "precision guided missiles". For example, the US military describes ammunition with a hit probability of not less than 50%, or accuracy within 10 meters; the Russian military describes using conventional charges, installing guidance systems, Under various combat conditions, the probability of hitting the target is close to 100% of the ammunition." Zhao Guojun said that traditional ordinary shells can achieve ground suppression, but the damage effect is low, the ammunition consumption is large, and the ammunition support is more difficult; while guided shells The application can achieve precise acupuncture attack on the target, good damage effect, small ammunition consumption, and low difficulty of ammunition support.
On May 5, 2007, the U.S. Army launched two XM982 155-mm "Sword" guided artillery shells using the M109A6 "Palladin" 155-mm self-propelled howitzer during military operations in Iraq. Both shells directly hit the target.
News commentary at the time stated that this was the first time that the "Sword" series of guided projectiles were used in actual combat, meaning that the Army’s precision-guided projectiles, which had been developed for many years, had matured and possessed the level of actual combat. The real arrival of the era of combat. At the same time, this advanced weapon will give the commander new tactical advantages and facilitate the elimination of targets in complex environments.
At present, in the field of the development of guided shells, the United States began to develop the earliest. Not only is the technology mature, but also there are many related products. Representative products are the M712 "copper snake" laser terminal-guided shells and the latest "Sword" precision-guided shells. .
"Sword" precision far exceeds traditional artillery
"'Copper snake' is the world's earliest guided artillery projectile, and its development concept originated from the Nordic battlefield requirements envisioned by NATO during the Cold War." Zhao Guojun introduced.
Public information shows that the original intention of the first batch of precision-made missiles was to destroy the expected large-scale armor cluster. The original intention of the development of the "Copper Snake" was to enable the artillery to have the ability to destroy assault Soviet tanks in the anticipated European war. Therefore, the "copper snake" guided projectile was initially an anti-armor weapon. In 1991, during the "Desert Storm" operation led by the United States, the "copper snake" guided shells were put into actual combat.
"With the installation of the "Copper Snake", the military of other countries has also been equipped with different types of guided artillery shells, such as the Russian Red Land series of guided artillery shells, the French Pelican guided artillery shells, and the Italian army’s "Volcano" guided projectiles, etc." Zhao Guojun said, we can simply make a comparison. The current US military XM982 "Sword" guided projectiles have a maximum range of 50 kilometers, the guidance method uses GPS/INS composite guidance, and the guidance accuracy is 10 meters. The maximum range of the Russian Red Land-M2 guided projectile is 26 kilometers, the guidance method uses laser semi-active guidance, and the guidance accuracy is 1 meter. It can be said that both have their own advantages.
Most early guided shells used laser semi-active guidance. With the continuous development of modern technologies such as guidance technology and control technology, guidance shells in active service or under development are characterized by diversified guidance methods, range extension technology, and load capacity. "Sword" uses "GPS/INS" or "Global Positioning/Inertial Navigation System" composite guidance technology, which greatly improves its hit accuracy.
The reporter learned that this guidance method combines the advantages of global positioning and inertial navigation, so that the error of the "sword" in the maximum range is less than 10 meters. This accuracy cannot be achieved by any other existing artillery shells, and provides more offensive options for US ground attack commanders.
Main tactical combat mission
As the saying goes, "the road is one foot tall and the magic is one foot tall". Allegedly, after years of combat, the US military’s enemies have developed new tactics that can frustrate, prevent, or avoid precise artillery bombardment, and choose to deploy weapons and potential targets in areas that are not easily destroyed by guided artillery shells, such as the mountain’s. On the back or under the bridge.
This action made the "sword" no longer able to exert its maximum combat effectiveness. This has become an important reason for the US military's further upgrade of the "Sword" precision-guided projectile, and "adjustable trajectory" is the biggest upgrade this time.
Zhao Guojun pointed out: "From the analysis of information disclosed by the US media,'Advanced Adjustable Trajectory' may increase the distance of projectile guidance control, improve the flight trajectory adjustment capability of the guidance section, and achieve a large angle to change the flight direction of the projectile, thus reflecting the attack target at any angle. The advantages."
Many people feel that with the addition of the guidance system to the shells, people will feel more and more like missiles, especially the new "sword" with this "advanced trajectory".
So, what is the difference between guided shells and missiles?
Guided projectiles and missiles are both precision guided munitions. Guided projectiles have the characteristics of high hit accuracy, simple guidance system, and relatively short strike distance. They are mainly used to complete tactical combat missions. The missile has the characteristics of high hit accuracy, complicated guidance system, and long strike distance. It is mainly used to complete battle or strategic-level combat missions. This is the fundamental difference.
In addition, compared to missiles, guided missiles generally do not have a power system, but rely on the initial velocity, stabilizer and control rudder of the artillery to stabilize the projectile. The guidance device automatically guides the target, and the guidance system is not so complicated. And complete, its cost is well controlled, and it is much more cost-effective when completing tactical-level combat missions.
However, with the continuous development of precision-guided artillery shells, its cost is also increasing.
Zhao Guojun said that at present, the cost of guided shells is about 100 times that of ordinary shells. The US military has disclosed that the "Sword" 155mm guided projectiles that it put into the Iraqi battlefield cost about 80,000 US dollars per round. High investment has become a factor restricting its large number of applications. How to find a compromise between improving performance and reducing costs should be an important consideration for the development of guided missiles in the future.
(Source of this article: US Department of Defense official website)