{"id":2744,"date":"2018-03-07T09:21:26","date_gmt":"2018-03-07T12:21:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nachodelatorre.com.ar\/mosconi\/?p=2744"},"modified":"2018-03-07T09:21:26","modified_gmt":"2018-03-07T12:21:26","slug":"programa-de-modernizacion-de-cohetes-aire-tierra-hydra-70","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/?p=2744","title":{"rendered":"Programa de modernizaci\u00f3n de cohetes aire – tierra Hydra 70"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/u>El programa Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) es una muestra de un \u00f3ptimo aprovechamiento de los stocks de munici\u00f3n disponible, mediante\u00a0\u00a0la incorporaci\u00f3n de modernas tecnolog\u00edas a sistemas de armas con varias d\u00e9cadas en servicio. El citado programa\u00a0de US Marines consiste en la modernizaci\u00f3n de los cohetes de uso a\u00e9reo HYDRA 70mm, en servicio desde la Guerra de Corea (1950), mediante la incorporaci\u00f3n de sistemas de guiado laser de bajo costo\u00a0(DASALS).\u00a0Una nueva oportunidad para estas confiables y probadas armas, que trae aparejado un incremento del poder de combate de las plataformas a\u00e9reas y una recuperaci\u00f3n racional de los inventarios de material de guerra.<\/p>\n

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The versatile\u00a0Hydra 70mm rocket family\u00a0is primed for a new lease on life, thanks to widespread programs aimed at converting these ubiquitous rockets into cheap laser-guided precision weapons. Conversion benefits include cost, use on both helicopters and fighters, more precision weapons per platform, low collateral damage, and the activation of large weapon stockpiles that couldn\u2019t be used under strict rules of engagement.<\/p>\n

Firms all over the world have grasped this opportunity, which explains why strong\u00a0competition has emerged\u00a0from all points of the compass. America\u2019s \u201cAdvanced Precision-Kill Weapon System (APKWS)\u201d is one of those efforts, but the road from obvious premise to working weapon has been slow. After numerous delays and false starts since its inception in 1996, an \u201cAPKWS-II\u201d program finally entered System Design and Development (SDD) in 2006. In 2010, it entered low-rate production, and it was fielded to the front lines in 2012. That date will still put APKWS on the cutting edge of battlefield technology, as a leading player in a larger trend toward guided air-to-ground rockets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The USA\u2019s APKWS Programs<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and BAE Systems were all battling for the APKWS program, which could pick up large US and international orders, and remain in production for a long time. BAE Systems\u2019 team won in April 2006, but Lockheed Martin and Raytheon both proceeded with independent efforts to develop their own products. Meanwhile, the Army\u2019s APKWS budget request was \u201czeroed\u201d out in FY 2008.<\/p>\n

Fortunately for BAE and General Dynamics, the US Navy kept them in the game. In November 2008, they formally picked up the APKWS-II System Design & Development (SDD) contract, and kept it going. SDD finished in November 2009, and evaluations wrapped up in January 2010. APKWS-II was approved through Milestone C in April 2010, and initial production orders followed in July 2010. A February 2011 JCTD contract will add APKWS to fixed-wing fighters: the USMC\u2019s AV-8B Harriers, and the USAF\u2019s A-10C Thunderbolt close air support planes. By January 2012, the 1st fixed-wing test firing had added the AT-6C turboprop light attack plane to this list, and showed clear potential for broader fielding. The US military fielded APKWS in March 2012, beginning with US Marine Corps UH-1 utility and AH-1 attack helicopters. The 1st Full Rate Production order was placed at the end of July 2012.<\/p>\n

APKWS: Concept and Weapon<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The BAE and General Dynamics team offered an unusual approach to APKWS-II, in order to solve the problems inherent in launching several guided rockets at once. Instead of adding a guidance unit to the rocket\u2019s nose, where it could be damaged or confused by the flames, corrosive soot, overpressure etc. created by nearby rocket firings, they opted for a mid-body guidance approach. BAE\u2019s Distributed Aperture Semi-Active Laser Seeker (DASALS) uses fiber-optic connections to a set of optical sensors, distributed within the rocket\u2019s pop-out fins.<\/p>\n

Since the fins are folded and sealed during firing, their seekers are protected. The technical challenge after that, is making sure that the pop-out fins don\u2019t flex or vibrate a lot in flight. The use of distributed sensors can compensate for some movement, but too much movement would create accuracy problems for the DASALS optical bench.<\/p>\n

The entire guidance section screws in between the warhead section and the rocket motor section, and can be added in the field. Since the seeker is a semi-active laser, rather than a beam-rider, APKWS can be directed by laser sources beyond its launcher, so long as they have the correct laser modulation code. This is a standard approach for laser guided missiles, but some competitors still use beam-riding guidance. Thales\u2019 low-end\u00a0LMM missile, for instance, will begin as a beam rider. Most other competitors, however, will use semi-active laser or imaging infrared seekers.<\/p>\n

By 2019, APKWS will be able to use the new 13.7 pound M822 tri-mode penetrating\/ blast\/ incendiary warhead, which can punch through 40\u2033 of reinforced concrete or 1\u2033 of steel, while creating over 1,500 fragments and a 2,000F degree zirconium burn. Instead of just 1 AGM-65 Maverick per hardpoint, or 3 MBDA Brimstone missiles, certified aircraft would have 7 anti-armor weapons that can defeat many armored personnel carriers, and all lesser vehicles.<\/p>\n

Compatible Platforms<\/strong><\/p>\n

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APKWS has been qualified for use aboard USMC UH-1Y Venom utility and AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters, and from Bell\u2019s militarized 407GT scout helicopter. The next targets are the US Navy\u2019s MH-60S utility helicopter (2014) and MH-60R anti-submarine & strike helicopter (2015), and the USMC\u2019s AH-1Z attack helicopter (2015), using a digital LAU-61G\/A 19-rocket pod.<\/p>\n

Successful tests have been conducted from an AH-64D Apache attack helicopter, and Australia has tested APKWS from its EC665 Tiger ARH scout\/attack helicopter, while using Forges de Zeebrugge\u2019s FZ90 rocket instead. No modifications were required, and that combination could also be in service by 2015.<\/p>\n

APKWS Fixed-Wing is actually a different rocket, because it has to survive and perform through the freezing temperatures of high-altitude flight, as well as the high turbulence produced by high speed aircraft. That means a cartridge activated device to force open the control canards during high speed launches, and a modified guidance control system for the rocket.<\/p>\n

On the fixed-wing front, successful APKWS-FW tests have been conducted from AT-6 turboprops, and from A-10C Thunderbolt II, AV-8B Harrier II, and F-16 jets. The US Navy plans to certify it aboard USMC F\/A-18C\/D Hornet fighters in 2017-2018.<\/p>\n

Why APKWS? Combat Advantages<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A 70mm rocket\u2019s size and warhead are good enough for most military targets, offering both reduced collateral damage compared to larger missiles, and greater warhead flexibility. Precision rockets can carry infantry-killing flechettes, dispersed bomblets, small unitary warheads, and more. Adding thermobaric warheads creates a system that can kill personnel, destroy most armored personnel carriers and lighter vehicles; and even collapse buildings, if\u00a0the Marines\u2019 SMAW experiences in Fallujah\u00a0\"external\u00a0are any indication. All without incurring the high-end price of full anti-armor missiles like the TOW RF, Hellfire, etc.<\/p>\n

Using 70mm rockets also benefits the platforms carrying them to the battlefield. Laser-guided rockets would expand the range of aircraft, helicopters, and UAVs carrying precision weapons, as well as increasing the number of precision weapons each platform carries. The future of warfare may even see small rocket pods mounted on some ground vehicles, if recent experiments with Boeing\u2019s Humvee-mounted Avenger system are any indication. That would conserve valuable missile rounds by eliminating easy targets like UAVs, provide a second type of guidance threat against incoming helicopters and aircraft, and create the option of using the system in ground combat against infantry positions or vehicles.<\/p>\n

Each of those changes, individually, is a significant increase in combat power. All of those changes together would make US Army precision fires nearly ubiquitous on the battlefield, alongside weapons fired from UAVs, and guided ground-launched rockets, mortars, and artillery shells. When coupled with persistent surveillance concepts like\u00a0Task Force ODIN, it nudges the Army and USAF toward a more equal footing of \u201cfederated airpower\u201d in counterinsurgency fights. In full-scale battles like the 1991 Desert Storm, it can turn NATO\u2019s long-standing \u201cassault breaker\u201d doctrine of tactical decapitation into routine procedure, as enemies showing leadership behaviors are quickly targeted from the air or ground, and eliminated.<\/p>\n

Beyond the USA, laser guided 70mm rockets open up a large market for counterinsurgency weapons. Many countries operate older fixed wing planes as their primary strike force, but haven\u2019t been able to afford the expensive conversions and weapons that precision attack requires. With guided rockets, that goal is suddenly within reach. Rocket pods are a universal weapon option, almost all countries have existing stocks of unguided rockets, and targeting can even be done by troops on the ground. This setup can work with very basic aircraft integration, so the technical and cost requirements aren\u2019t difficult. What\u2019s difficult, is the training and coordination required to make close air support effective. Which may not stop eager customers.<\/p>\n

Contracts and Key Developments<\/strong><\/p>\n

APKWS is designed as a screw-in insert to existing 70mm rockets, so it\u2019s bought as mid-body \u201cguidance sections.\u201d BAE Systems Information and Electronics in Nashua, NH is the official prime contractor, though they\u2019re partnered with General Dynamics. US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) in Patuxent River, MD manages the contracts.<\/p>\n

Fuente:<\/strong>\u00a0https:\/\/www.defenseindustrydaily.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

El programa Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) es una muestra de un \u00f3ptimo aprovechamiento de los stocks de munici\u00f3n disponible, mediante\u00a0\u00a0la incorporaci\u00f3n de modernas… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,29],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2744"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2744"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2744\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}