miles@ms.uky.edu (Stephen D. Grant) (10/11/89)
From: "Stephen D. Grant" <miles@ms.uky.edu>
I don't know if anyone out there caught this show on the Discovery Channel
recently. It was called "Living Dangerously" and this episode highlighted
so called 'Smart Weapons'. This was truly a neat show. The stuff that the
military-industrial comlpex is creating these days is trully clever. Here
is an example of one system they showed which was quite interesting.
1). A projectile (Missile, Shell) would be fired at the target to be killed
presumably a tank.
2). Upon reaching it's altitude above the target, the shell cracks open
and releases a spinning 'dispenser'. The dispenser spins to build up
enough force to throw 4 bomblets outward at great distances.
3). The bomblets disengage and fly away from the 'stalk'. Each bomblet has
micronized infra-red cicuitry and a small laser/infrared detector.
As the bomblets fly through the air, the detectors make a circular
sweep, as does the whole unit.
4). If the bomblet's detectors sense a source of heat or high infrared
radiation such as a tank's engine, the device detonates the high
explosive which is contained within it.
5). The bottom of the bomblet, some form of alloy, forms the 'bullet' if
you will, that the explosive forces down onto the tank. It is all a
split second occurence. After detonation, the charge hurls the ordnance
down on top of the tank, taking into account it's relative lack of
to armor.
[mod.note: What you've just described is called "Sadarm". The "bullet"
is more correctly called the "penetrator", and as you say, is explosively
formed from the bomblet. - Bill ]
Pretty neat. A Smart bomblet, which looks for heat, and when it finds it,
it detonates, shooting a charge directly down onto the tank. The explanation
i just gave isnt the best, but i think you really need to see the program
to fully grasp the cleverness of this and the other new tank killing
weapons which are being made today. Check out 'Living Dangerously' on
the Discovery Channel.
Mileshoward@cos.com (Howard C. Berkowitz) (10/14/89)
From: howard@cos.com (Howard C. Berkowitz) In article <10110@cbnews.ATT.COM>, miles@ms.uky.edu (Stephen D. Grant) writes: > > 1). A projectile (Missile, Shell) would be fired at the target to be killed > presumably a tank. > > 2). Upon reaching it's altitude above the target, the shell cracks open > and releases a spinning 'dispenser'. The dispenser spins to build up > enough force to throw 4 bomblets outward at great distances. > > 3). The bomblets disengage and fly away from the 'stalk'. Each bomblet has > micronized infra-red cicuitry and a small laser/infrared detector. > As the bomblets fly through the air, the detectors make a circular > sweep, as does the whole unit. > to armor. [...] > [mod.note: What you've just described is called "Sadarm". The "bullet" > is more correctly called the "penetrator", and as you say, is explosively > formed from the bomblet. - Bill ] I remember an Aviation Week piece several years ago about an intelligent weapon, then under development under the Assault Breaker program, called "skeet." Skeet sounded rather similar to the Sadarm, with two exceptions: 1, The target location and classification sensor used submillimeter wave radar, not infrared. 2. The explosive forming (called "self-forging" in the article) was selective: if the sensors classified the target as armored, one of two explosive charges fired to forge the penetrator (which still contained an explosive charge, but which was now part of a shaped charge [i.e., Munro effect or HEAT munition]). If the target was classified as unarmored, both explosive charges fired together, so as to cause maximum fragmentation/blast damage to the target. Assault Breaker, as people may or may not remember, is the overall program for developing weapons to blunt a massive Warsaw Pact tank assault on NATO. The Copperhead laser-guided artillery round also was developed here. Question: are sadarm and skeet the same munition? Is sadarm the operational version, with different guidance and lacking the selective explosive use? Another program of the same vintage, of which I have not heard anything, was called Axe. This also was intended to interfere with an initial Warsaw Pact invasion, but was an anti-air rather than anti-armor weapon. Axe involved placing a large number of missiles xDin hardened silos, the location and contents of which would be public, throughout Western Europe. On detecting a major Warsaw Pact strike in progress, the missiles would be fired. Their warheads contained runway-cratering submunitions. The idea was to put temporarily out of service most or all runways on which Warsaw Pact tactical aircraft could recover -- after these same aircraft had sortied and were still in the air. The runways need be kept out of service only for the projected sortie time, when the aircraft would have to return. Anyone know if this project went anywhere? -- howard@cos.com OR {uunet, decuac, sun!sundc, hadron, hqda-ai}!cos!howard (703) 883-2812 [W] (703) 998-5017 [H] DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Corporation for Open Systems, its members, or any standards body.
ferguson@maitai.src.honeywell.com (Dennis Ferguson) (10/24/89)
From: ferguson@maitai.src.honeywell.com (Dennis Ferguson) In article <10110@cbnews.ATT.COM> miles@ms.uky.edu (Stephen D. Grant) writes: > >From: "Stephen D. Grant" <miles@ms.uky.edu> > >I don't know if anyone out there caught this show on the Discovery Channel >recently. It was called "Living Dangerously" and this episode highlighted >so called 'Smart Weapons'. > >[mod.note: What you've just described is called "Sadarm". The "bullet" >is more correctly called the "penetrator", and as you say, is explosively >formed from the bomblet. - Bill ] The weapon you are describing is called "Sensor Fuzed Weapon". The Skeet is the IR bomblet you described. SFW is under development by Textron for Eglin AFB. SADARM (Sense and Destroy Armor) is under competitive development by Aerojet and Honeywell for ARDEC. The Skeet flies like a frisbee and wobbles due to the placement of its CG. The wobble defines the scan pattern on the ground. SADARM uses a parachute that causes it to spin. The spin and decline in altitude define a decreasing spiral on the ground. SADARM uses two sensors, IR and MMW. Due to the synergism between the two sensors, it is very difficult to "spoof" SADARM with just corner reflectors or flares. Dennis s [mod.note: Thanks for clearing that up ! - Bill ]