Page 29 - ADT NOV - DEC 2024 Digital Magazine | GBP

produce and deliver over 1,500
StormBreaker smart munitions,
for use by the service, the US
Navy, and foreign military sale
users Norway, Germany, Italy, and
Finland. The PGMs are expected to
be delivered by 2028.

The StormBreaker, also known as
the GBU-53/B, is an air-launched
glide bomb designed to hit moving
targets in all weather conditions
with high accuracy. The 204-pound
(92.5 kilograms) munition’s tri-mode
seeker — millimeter wave, imaging
infrared, and semi-active laser —
enables it to hunt both static and
moving targets day or night in all
weather. According to Raytheon,
StormBreaker’s small size enables
the use of fewer aircraft to take
out the same number of targets as indirect fires out to 499+ kilometres. launch solutions.
larger weapons that require multi- According to the company, the new Northrop Grumman also offers
ple jets. The weapon can also fly surface-to-surface weapon fea- potential customers the Precision
more than 45 miles to strike mobile tures an open systems architecture Guidance Kit (PGK) replaces
targets. Two US military aircraft — design for maximum affordability conventional fuzes for artillery
F-15E Strike Eagle and F/A-18E/F and flexibility, is modular for future and mortar munitions, transform-
SuperHornet — field the air-to- growth, and is M142 HIMARS and ing them into Global Positioning
ground weapon, with tests ongoing M270A2 MLRS compatible. In System (GPS)- precision guided
to integrate it with the F-35 as well. December this year, the U.S. Army
successfully completed its first sol- weapons. The U.S. Army uses
Even as the service adds PGMs to dier-led Limited User Test (LUT) of the PGK to upgrade conven-
its arsenal, the Air Force Research the PrSM. tional 155mm artillery to what the
Laboratory’ is focused on develop- “The PrSM program has consist- company describes as “a level of
ing swarms of loitering bombs that ently demonstrated the ability accuracy that approaches near pre-
can “talk” to each other before coor- to deliver accurate and relia- cision.” The company also has the
dinating an attack. “The Air Force’s ble performance,” said Carolyn Precision Guidance Kit – Extended
vision for munitions is to be the Orzechowski, vice president of Range (PGK-ER), which maintain-
global leader in advancing weap- ing the form factor of the PGK but
ons science and technology with Precision Fires Launchers and has updated as well as new tech-
discovery, development, demon- Missiles at Lockheed Martin. “This nologies that help it perform in a
stration and transition,” Jacob achievement underscores the pro- GPS-degraded environment.
gram’s maturity and reinforces the
Dodson, senior research mechani- system’s reliability for our Army
cal engineer and technical lead for partner.” Enforcer in the Mix
fuze technology development at the The German Armed Forces has
Air Force Research Laboratory, said signed a contract with MBDA for
at a recent event. Creating an Impression the Enforcer PGM - a lightweight,
Northrop Grumman’s Hatchet is a day/night, precision-guided, shoul-
Precision Strike Missile six-pound, miniature precision strike der-launched weapon system with
munition enhancing the lethality and an effective range of more than
Lockheed Martin’s Precision Strike reliability of manned and unmanned
Missile (PrSM), a long-range platforms. It is ideal for use on 1,800m. In March this year, the
precision-strike missile designed Group 2-5 UAVs, or integrated with company said that it is focused on
for the U.S. Army, will provide the missiles. The company is also enhancing the production of the
service with capabilities to attack, developing Jackal, a turbo-jet pow- Enforcer. The Enforcer Production
neutralize, suppress and destroy ered precision strike missile. Jackal Increase Campaign (EPIC) – has
targets using missile-delivered offers surface, air, and maritime been proposed for funding within
the European Commission’s ASAP
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