bobdina
09-23-2009, 11:49 AM
The U.S. Army and General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD) are test-firing a new GPS-guided 120mm mortar designed to bring precision accuracy to conventional rounds by adding a small receiver and micro-controller to existing mortars, service and company officials said.
"We've been developing this technology over the last five years. We work a GPS-guidance kit. The key is a roll control fixed canard, which allows for precision performance with very few moving parts and very little complexity," said Joe Buzzett, who directs technology programs for GD.
The guidance kit screws onto the Army's existing M934A1 high-explosive mortar round. The new GPS round will fire from the same mortar tubes as existing rounds.
"We take the existing mortar and make it a precision munition by replacing the existing fuse with a multi-option fuse and we screw in a guidance kit with a control module," Buzzett said. "We also added folding fins to give us extra stability. The existing fins are fixed.
"A micro-controller takes the input from a GPS receiver, which gives automatic input on where the round is in flight. Then the control module will make a decision on when to employ the control system to steer toward the target. The fuse is set before the round is fired, which gives the round coordinates."
"We've been developing this technology over the last five years. We work a GPS-guidance kit. The key is a roll control fixed canard, which allows for precision performance with very few moving parts and very little complexity," said Joe Buzzett, who directs technology programs for GD.
The guidance kit screws onto the Army's existing M934A1 high-explosive mortar round. The new GPS round will fire from the same mortar tubes as existing rounds.
"We take the existing mortar and make it a precision munition by replacing the existing fuse with a multi-option fuse and we screw in a guidance kit with a control module," Buzzett said. "We also added folding fins to give us extra stability. The existing fins are fixed.
"A micro-controller takes the input from a GPS receiver, which gives automatic input on where the round is in flight. Then the control module will make a decision on when to employ the control system to steer toward the target. The fuse is set before the round is fired, which gives the round coordinates."