New serial production of SMArt 155 slated for 2024

Photo - US Army

Christopher F Foss, Vienna, Austria - Jane's International Defence Review 

02 January 2019

Germany’s GIWS, a joint venture company between Diehl Defence and Rheinmetall Weapons and Munitions, has confirmed that qualification of its relaunched SMArt 155 artillery projectile will be undertaken between 2022 and 2024.

Qualification is to be followed by a Phase 4 production programme between 2024 and 2027 for the German Army, under which a significant number are to be procured to replenish stockpiles.

According to GIWS, extensive trials by the German Army have confirmed that SMArt 155 has a dud rate of less than 1%, which was proved during the original qualification programme as well as continuous ammunition surveillance firing.

The current SMArt 155 has two top attack munitions that each have a heavy metal explosively formed penetrator (EFP) warhead, but it is understood an alternative warhead or potentially a mix of two different warheads is being considered.

When fired from a 155 mm/39-calibre system, the SMArt 155 can reach a maximum range of 22.5 km, and this is increased to 27.5 km when fired from a 155 mm/52-calibre system such as the Krauss-Maffei Wegmann PzH 2000 self-propelled artillery system, which is the German Army’s only conventional tube artillery system. The SMArt 155 range could be increased by using a base bleed (BB) unit.

Aside from Germany, the SMArt 155 is also deployed by Australia, Greece, and Switzerland, with more than 12,000 produced during the original production run. According to Klas Moerner von Morlanda, a senior vice-president for Rheinmetall Defence’s weapon and ammunition business unit, “There is already high interest for future sales of the SMArt 155 to many NATO and EU Nations.”

SMArt 155 is one of only two 155 mm top attack munitions currently in production in the West, the other being the BAE Systems/Nexter Munitions Bonus Mk 2. The Bonus was developed to meet French and Swedish requirements, with two production lines established: one in France and the other in Sweden.

Source:  www.janes.com

155mm SMArt

155mm Sensor Fuzed Munition (SFM) for the Artillery

SMArt 155, a Sensor Fuzed Munition (SFM) for 155mm Cannon Artillery, is a fire and forget artillery round that is very effective in GPS denied environments and against targets with large target location errors (TLE).

SMArt 155 uses high performance explosively formed penetrator (EFP) technology and a multi-mode sensor suite to provide predictable and precise lethal areas of effects in all weather and environments. SMArt 155 is compliant to the DOD Unexploded Ordnance requirements. The SMArt 155 will bring a proven, cost effective, and low-risk solution to the US Army and the Marine Corps providing a robust solution to defeat medium and heavy armored targets.

The SMArt 155 projectile consists of a thin-walled shell body, a base plate, an ejection unit, time fuse, and two functionally identical submunitions.

Features

• ·       NATO Type-Classified
• ·       Demonstrated for use in US 155mm Artillery Systems through a Foreign Comparative Test (FCT) program
• ·       Over 12,000 rounds produced
• ·       Two redundant self-destruction mechanisms in order to avoid unexploded ordnance on the battlefield
• ·       Meets US DOD Cluster Munition Policy and UXO requirements
• ·       Technology was developed, qualified and is currently in service at various armies (GE, GR, CH, AUS)
• ·       Maximum Range: 22 km

Fire missions can be completed with just a few projectiles in very short order. This enables shoot-and-scoot tactics, significantly reducing the effectiveness of enemy counter-battery fire, a critical factor for force protection.

Redundant self-destruction is a key feature of SMArt, whose designers took special care to avoid the risk of unexploded ordnance. If no target is detected within a submunition’s footprint, two independent and redundant mechanisms – consisting of robust, simple components – ensure that the round reliably self-destructs, enabling friendly troops to move into the zone with a high degree of confidence.

Target or no target, the warhead is designed to fire as soon as the parachute-suspended submunition descends to within less than 20 metres of the ground. If this function fails and the submunition lands intact, the warhead automatically detonates as soon as the battery voltage falls below a certain level. This mode also covers possible malfunctions of the sensors or electronics.

Source: www.gd-ots.com / www.rheinmetall-defence.com