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A swarm of experts from across the nation assembled for a
two-week experiment at Fort Sill trying out systems with the
potential to provide service members with unlimited weapons
capabilities. The event, called Maneuver Fires Integrated Experiment
(April 11-22, 2016) demonstrated two types of weaponry ... one using
lasers and the other using electricity-propelled projectiles to
acquire and destroy targets.
According to John Haithcock, director of the Fires Battle
Lab on Fort Sill, counter unmanned aerial vehicle missions
are the current capability gap and the focus of the weapons
experiment. By conducting the experiments early in the
development process, Haithcock said developers could
incorporate the insights of service members who would use
the equipment and report on how to improve the interfaces.
Also, the event brought out not only future technologies but
current technologies that may be integrated together. The
result is an integrated weapon system with command and
control sensors that can do multiple missions, he said.
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April 19, 2016 - A railgun sits on a Fort Sill training area,
part of the Maneuver Fires Integration Experiment (MFIX) 2016 which
includes targeting software and laser systems. (U.S. Army photo by Monica K. Guthrie, Fort Sill PA)
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"As opposed to having three pieces of equipment, we can
use some of this new technology and integrate it into a
single vehicle," said Haithcock.
UNLIMITED LASER WEAPONS
Unmanned aerial vehicles,
commonly called drones, provide reconnaissance and weapon
capabilities. The relatively low cost makes them a prevalent
force multiplier for military units. According to Lt. Col.
Jeff Erts, experiment and war-games chief for the Fires
Battle Lab on Fort Sill, drones have become an increasing
threat around the world where friendly forces are
encountering drones. The operators of those drones are able
to report locations of friendly troops and call in large
barrages of enemy fire as a result.
"We don't
currently have anything to take those down," said Erts. "So
we're really working to put something in the field that can
destroy these before they have a chance to report on our
Soldiers' locations."
The first weapon demonstrated
was a compact laser weapons system able to either be
transported on its own vehicle or as an augmentation of
currently used equipment. For the demonstration, a
2-kilowatt laser was mounted on a Stryker armored vehicle.
The system's beam controller was mounted to the top of the
vehicle while the laser itself, the power and coolant, were
integrated into the interior of the Stryker. Nearby was a
10-kilowatt laser, on an independent vehicle.
The
lasers have the ability to melt away plastic and burn
through metal, damaging drones to the point that they can no
longer remain airborne or their reconnaissance abilities are
damaged. The lasers are able to perform regardless of
weather, however poor weather can degrade the performance.
Still, the carcasses of multiple destroyed drones, some shot
by the laser through rain, are testaments to the power and
ability of the lasers," said Adam Aberle, High Energy Laser
Mobile Demonstrator program manager, U.S. Army's Space and
Missile Defense Command and Army Forces Strategic Command
Technical Center.
Operators pick a point on the
target and sensors in the beam are able to "see" and lock on
to the target, through auto tracking. The laser produces
little noise and is invisible to the eye.
"You can have
an effect and nobody knows what happened," said Aberle.
Perhaps the biggest feature is the weapon's ability to
save military money in terms of ammunition currently needed
to provide security against unmanned aerial vehicles.
According to Erts the current method to combat aerial
targets is to use expensive equipment. For the military to
engage in counter drone missions with current technology
would be financially inefficient. Instead the lasers will be
able to fulfill the role.
"If an intercontinental
ballistic missile is coming, if any ballistic missile is
coming, to a very high priority target then absolutely,
shoot a million dollar missile at it," said Erts. "However,
when you have conceivably hundreds of small inexpensive
targets coming at you, we don't have enough of those missile
to engage them. With as low cost as (drones) are, the enemy
can keep throwing those at us. So we need a system,
something that doesn't cost a lot to shoot. Literally a
laser is just the cost of the gas it takes to run the
generator, to generate the power to shoot again, and again,
and again."
A common theme throughout the experiment
was the ability of the laser to operate an effective counter
mission on as little as a few gallons of fuel. Dexter
Henson, communications manager for Boeing, explained that so
long as the lasers have enough coolant and fuel, they are
able to participate in continual enemy engagement.
"The compact laser system provides, what we like to describe
as, an infinite magazine," said Henson. "What it allows us
to do is to assist the Soldiers who are dealing with these
types of threats," said Dexter Henson. "Basically all it
takes is the amount of fuel that you can fill in a coffee
can."
Eliminating Accelerants
A few yards
south of the laser experimentation, members of General
Atomics ready their own prototype for a demonstration. Their
weapon, a railgun, uses electricity to generate the
propelling force for a round, and also uses a round without
accelerants, eliminating any potential source for an
explosion either prior to, or after, firing the weapon.
"Without a propellant the logistic questions are
simplified," said Robert Taylor, who was involved with the
payload and design. "You can't make an (improvised explosive
device) out of any part of the projectile."
Instead
the weapon uses speed as its method to deliver damage. The
railgun has the ability to travel six times the speed of
sound Taylor says there is potential for tremendous
lethality at range.
The railgun operates using bus
bars where electricity flows up one bar, across and arm and
back down the other bar, returning to the power supply. The
electricity is up to 1.7 million amps and the curvature of
the path creates the electromagnetic source to accelerate
the projectile, said Taylor.
"It does not need (an
accelerant)," said Taylor. "It's moving six times the speed
of sound. If you had an explosive charge, the fragments off
of that would be moving slower (than the propellant)."
An interesting difference between the railgun and a
traditional weapon is the shape of the barrel. Because the
weapon does not use any accelerants, there is no need for
the weapon to be round (and seal the propellant gas), so the
barrel of the railgun is square. In addition a separate
capacitor stores the energy in a system whose technology is
more than a decade old, said Taylor. It is four times more
energy dense meaning operators now can get the same power
from a box a quarter of the size. In addition, the power
system is set up in a modular format, meaning if one is
lost, the others can be manipulated to pick up the slack.
The result is a piece of equipment that is more tolerant of
battlefield damage. Its modular style makes it flexible for
work and replacement, said Taylor.
As the projectile
leaves the weapon, a lower portion separates from the body
as the projectile continues. One will be destroyed
immediately, said Taylor, and the other will go to the side.
Because of the speed, the projectile itself requires a heat
resistant nose, typically made of tungsten. The weapon's
speed and lack of explosive allows the user to reduce the
amount of collateral damage. Its precision makes it
multifunctional for aerial targets as well as ground targets
such as buildings or antennas. Its speed gives it the
potential ability to intercept long range targets.
"You'll have to watch the muzzle flash and then quickly
shift your gaze to the target," said Taylor. "If you wait to
hear the gun, it's over. You will not see the effects on the
target. And don't blink."
NOTE: This information is being provided
for informational purposes only, and neither does nor intends to
imply an endorsement an does not necessarily represent the views of
the DOD, the Army, or any other government components.
By U.S. Army Monica K. Guthrie, Fort Sill PA
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
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