Army Indirect Fire Protection System and New Guided Missile Program

[bobbymike]

https://www.raytheon.com/news/feature/long-range_precision_fires?WT.mc_id=breakingdefensenativerms_ausa_gf&utm_source=breakingdefense&utm_medium=native&utm_content=rms_deepstrike&utm_campaign=rms_ausa_gf&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--YHdp4B5qv-ll4XKNTKMjEHBw74JIf_50TmhvoCs5E4_v_TQ-1qrWoIpREr08l0oO7IFgKrwEJeR8Be9tziXHO-hCLpA&_hsmi=61693996

What do you do with an old missile? Replace it with one that's faster, stronger, cheaper to deploy and much more accurate.

Better yet: Replace it with two.

Raytheon is developing a long-range missile for the Army’s Precision Strike Missile requirement that will allow the Army to field twice as many missiles on its existing launch vehicles. Thin and sleek, it will fire two missiles from a single weapons pod, slashing the cost. The new missile also flies farther, packs more punch and has a better guidance system than the current weapon.

“We're looking to replace a design originally from the 1980s," said Greg Haynes, a Raytheon manager leading the company’s campaign for a new precision strike weapon. “Missile technology has come a long way.”

The ability to fit two DeepStrike missiles in an existing launcher is a significant leap over existing tactical missiles.

“Since most of these were produced in the late '90s, you run into what we call ‘end of shelf life,’ where the motors and such are no longer reliable,” said former Army colonel John Weinzettle, now a program manager in Raytheon’s Advanced Missile Systems business.

[bring_it_on]

[bobbymike]

https://breakingdefense.com/2018/03/army-accelerates-air-missile-defense-five-years-mshorad-mml-lasers/

AUSA GLOBAL FORCE SYMPOSIUM: To counter MiGs, Sukhois, Hinds, and missiles, the US Army is rushing anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems into service up to five years ahead of its original schedule. The head of the Army’s Air & Missile Defense Cross Functional Team, Brig. Gen. Randall McIntire, told me here the goal is to build on today’s uneven defenses — a lot of Patriot and a little THAAD to kill ballistic and cruise missiles, a few Stingers to down aircraft — and create multiple overlapping layers of protection.

The next five years will see a steady drumbeat of new systems:

2020: The first battery of MSHORAD, highly mobile, lightly armored Stryker vehicles with anti-aircraft guns and missiles to protect mobile frontline forces from enemy helicopters and drones. That’s five years ahead of the original fielding date, 2025.
    Late 2020 or early ’21: A new network link between Patriot and THAAD missile defense batteries, so Patriot can both protect THAAD from air attack and use THAAD’s longer range radar to find targets. This link was originally going to wait until the IBCS network was fielded in 2022 (below).

2021: The IPFC Multi-Mission Launcher (MML), a truck-mounted system bigger and less mobile than MSHORAD. MML’s larger magazine of larger missiles can reach targets at higher altitudes and longer ranges, especially cruise missiles and fixed-wing aircraft, as well as helicopters.

2022: The IBCS network, which will share targeting data among all air and missile defense systems, allowing any launcher to fire at targets spotted by any radar. (IBCS will incorporate the THAAD-Patriot link). This is the one system that’s been delayed, although the decision to do so predates the creation of the CFTs: IBCS was originally going to be fielded this year, but software development proved daunting.

2023: The first prototype platoon of 50 kilowatt lasers mounted on Stryker vehicles, which will join MSHORAD missile launchers in frontline forces to defend against small drones. That 2023 date isn’t final, McIntire told the AUSA conference here: “We’re looking at, can we move that to the left a little bit?”

The Army is also working on a larger truck-mounted laser — less mobile but more powerful — in the 100 kW range. McIntire and his fellow officers didn’t offer a fielding date for that one. The Army has previously said it will be test-fired in 2022, but don’t be surprised if it’s accelerated.

Services accelerating weapons technology I guess with the inflow of funds we are seeing "More 'bucks' more Buck Rogers.

[bring_it_on]

Right now the "accelerating" bit is only buying back capability which the Army had for years with the Avenger SHORAD. I guess the picture that they painted for themselves that SHORAD would no longer be necessary in the active service didn't really pan out. Hopefully, the mindset or even the leaders responsible for such shortsighted decisions wouldn't be allowed anywhere near any force structure decision of any consequence (if they are still around). I liked the fact that Tom Karako on the Air-Defense panel brought up the fact that the Army had been looking for a 360-degree sensor on the patriot for more than a quarter-century. Hopefully, those currently in charge of the Directed Energy portfolio will be slightly more competent and actually fielding systems of significance (50kW or more) in the next few years.

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[bobbymike]

You have this full report?

[DrRansom]

Strategic fire cannon artillery? That sounds weird - unless they want to use a really exotic round / railgun.

[bring_it_on]

You have this full report?

Sorry..was too large to upload along with the images.

https://www.scribd.com/document/375245365/Ausa-Global-Lrpf?secret_password=jEqHdgSMRXlczebd5ivF

[bobbymike]

No worries thanks for the link.

[bring_it_on]

[bobbymike]

https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/04/12/heres-how-the-army-is-trying-to-catch-up-to-russia-and-china-on-missiles-artillery/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Socialflow

[bring_it_on]

Marines will host counter-UAS demo using non-developmental equipment

The Marine Corps plans to host a demonstration of a non-developmental, counter-unmanned aerial system missile in fiscal year 2019 or 2020 while working with the Army on a long term solution for both services, according to an official.

Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh, deputy commandant for combat development and integration, told Inside the Navy April 18 following a House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee hearing the service set aside $4.5 million in FY-18 research and development funding for the demonstration.

The plan is to integrate the non-developmental solution into the Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar and Common Aviation Command and Control System, he said.

"What we've got right now is a . . . very high end capability with G/ATOR and CAC2S, [but] we don't have shooters to go with it," Walsh said.

The National Defense Strategy directs the Marine Corps to focus on the higher-end threat. Walsh said the service views both G/ATOR and CAC2S as a huge benefit in integrating the air and ground domains.

"What we need is something larger than the path that we were going down, [which was] integrating Stinger onto a vehicle," he said. "What we can do now is get something commercial-off-the-shelf [and] see what it is."

Walsh said the demonstration will help the Marine Corps achieve an "early capability" while it continues working with the Army on the second block of the Indirect Fire Protection Capability program. IFPC Block II will have a counter-rocket, artillery and mortar capability, while the first block is designed to defeat unmanned aircraft systems and cruise missiles.

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[bobbymike]

https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/04/23/this-army-unit-tested-the-newest-paladin-howitzer-by-firing-hundreds-of-rounds-a-day-for-weeks/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Socialflow

Cannon-cockers with the 1st Infantry Division’s “Bonecrusher” Battery fired hundreds of artillery rounds a day for two weeks straight as they tested the Army’s newest upgrades to the Paladin howitzer.

And some of the soldiers in the battery who participated called it the most “intense and exhilarating” training they’ve experienced.

Capt. Joseph Brown, battery commander with B Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team said the training was conducted much like what the soldiers would see at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California — even though they were at Fort Riley, Kansas, the unit’s home station.

The soldiers started the testing with a muster and move to the field, and then they started firing for almost 20 hours a day in “near continuous operations over the course of the next two weeks.”

[jsport]

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Paladin's developments are great for rapid sustained fire technology that Crusader started realizing  but a Strategic Strike Artillery appears needs Light Gas and tanks need an ETC as railguns are still very risky and were judged back in the 80s as impractical for tanks.

https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2017/03/plans-for-new-us-super-tank-with.html