Internationale ontwikkelingen artillerie

[pz]

Mogelijke aanschaf 120 houwitsers op wielen voor de Duitse strijdkrachten.



https://soldat-und-technik.de/2021/05/bewaffnung/27171/beschaffung-radhaubitzen-bundeswehr/

https://twitter.com/soldat_technik/status/1397856419999780867

Als onderdeel van het project "Future Medium Range Indirect Fire System", zijn de Duitse strijdkrachten van plan in totaal 120 artilleriesystemen op wielplatforms aan te schaffen, volgens een lezing van kolonel Jürgen Schmidt, hoofd van de gevechtsafdeling bij het federale bureau voor Uitrusting, informatietechnologie en gebruik van de federale strijdkrachten (BAAINBw), die hij op 26 mei hield als onderdeel van het virtuele Defense IQ-evenement "Future Artillery 2021" voor een internationaal gespecialiseerd publiek. Tijdens de lezing werden verdere details van het toekomstige artilleriesysteem duidelijk

[Harald]

Ramjet Shells Could Triple Artillery Range

The Army's ERAMS program will soon announce development contracts for howitzer shells capable of firing over 100 km (62 miles) to counter Russian and Chinese artillery.

The Army is about to award development contracts for future artillery shells that will look more and more like missiles, with precision guidance, fins, and even ramjet engines. The program – part of a much wider buildup of US missile and cannons – aims to boost both range and accuracy far beyond anything possible with gunpowder alone. The goal: enable the currently outgunned and outranged US artillery force to compete with more advanced Russian and Chinese guns.

The US Army has long had rocket-boosted howitzer shells. The Cold War M549A1 has a range of roughly 30 kilometers (not quite 19 miles). The new XM1113 Rocket Assisted Projectile goes 40 km (25 miles) or more from the current M109 Paladin cannon and 70 km (44 miles) from the XM1299 Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) now in development. But to break triple digits – 100 kilometers (62 miles) and more – you can't rely on rockets: You need something much more powerful, like a ramjet.

There are three main ways you can extend the range of a projectile, and the Army's Extended Range Artillery Munitions Suite is exploring all of them in combination for the future XM1155 shell, ERAMS project manager Nick Berg told me in an interview:
◾Increase muzzle velocity. The faster the projectile comes out of the gun barrel, the farther it can go before drag and gravity bring it down to earth. Higher muzzle velocity is the emphasize of the XM1299 ERCA howitzer, which has a longer barrel and more powerful propellant than the current Paladin.
◾Add lift surfaces. Basically, this means adding wings and fins to the shell – like a missile or miniature aircraft – to make it more aerodynamic. The more lift generated, the longer the projectile can fly. Of course, the wings, fins, and electronics all have to survive the brutal shock of being fired from a cannon.
◾Add "post-launch propulsion." This is where rockets and ramjets come in: They kick in after the projectile has cleared the gun barrel (hence "post-launch") to give it an extra burst of thrust. Again, the motors first have to survive the shock of launch.

"We've actually investigated and looked at all of those areas," Berg told me. "We really have focused on lifting surfaces to increase your glide [distance], but then also we've looked at solid fuel ramjets as a post-launch propulsion mechanism to boost you out to extended ranges."

Why ramjets over rockets? The basic difference is that rockets contain their own oxidizer to burn their fuel, while jets of all kinds – from ramjets to turbofans – get their oxygen from the atmosphere. (Hence the name "air-breathing engine"). That saves weight, since you don't have to carry oxidizer; it improves safety, since the fuel doesn't ignite as easily; and it extends endurance, since the jet can keep thrusting as long as it has air and fuel. (A longer, gentler burn is also more aerodynamically efficient, reducing drag). A rocket-boosted artillery shell might burn for just 10 seconds, Berg told me, while a jet could conceivably last much longer.

How does a ramjet differ from other kinds of jet engines? All jets work by sucking in air at the front end, compressing it, mixing it with fuel, and igniting it, blasting thrust out the back end. (The shorthand is "suck, squeeze, bang, blow.") At subsonic speeds, you need to mechanically compress the air with some kind of fan, like the one on the front of an airliner's turbofan engine. But at supersonic speeds, around Mach 2, the air is coming in the front of the engine so fast that it compresses itself, without mechanical assistance: That's a ramjet.

..../....

https://breakingdefense.com/2021/05/ramjet-shells-could-triple-artillery-range/?_ga=2.147548919.174798716.1621926118-855280167.1506406488


Test of Northrop Grumman's ramjet engine for extended-range 155 mm artillery shells

[pz]

UK eyes US mobile howitzer shoot-off to inform Mobile Fires Platform

https://www.army-technology.com/news/uk-eyes-us-mobile-howitzer-shoot-off-to-inform-mobile-fires-platform/



MFP is one of the British Army's key projects as it looks to modernise following the publication of the Defence Command Paper, and the government has earmarked £800m to be spent on the programme over the next decade.

Participating in the US trials are Elbit's ATMOS 2000, BAE Systems' Archer, Nexter's Caesar and Yugoimport's Nora. The trials are set to include a complete analysis of platforms and ordnance.

Commenting on observing the trials, an MOD spokesperson told Army Technology: "The UK will observe the US Army's mobile Howitzer trials and shoot off to develop our market understanding as part of the MFP procurement process."

The UK is currently working towards approval of an outline business case for the programme in the first quarter of 2022, with an eye towards a full operating capability of 116 guns in 2032. Initial operating capability for MFP is aimed at 18 guns in early 2029.

The MOD has already reviewed and analysed responses to a request for information from industry and has conducted an analysis of potential investment options.

Over the next quarter, the MOD plans to develop the programmes procurement strategy and plan the project's future assessment phase.

The UK currently operated the AS-90 self-propelled howitzer, which was first introduced into service in the early 1990s. Initially, the British Army operated 179 systems, however by 2017, this had been reduced to 110, reflecting a lack of significant upgrades to the UK's AS-90s. The system is currently scheduled to be retired in 2030.

The UK has yet to decide whether the future MFP will be a wheeled or tracked system and in a recent press briefing, the British Army's Head of Strategy Brigadier John Clark told reporters that options for the programme include upgrading the AS-90 fleet to meet modern threats.

The British Army will also spend £250m upgrades to its M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) designed to keep the system in service until 2050. Upgrades will see 44 launchers get a new armoured cab and upgraded automotive and launch mechanism components.

Work on the MLRS will begin in March 2022 and be completed over four years. The vehicles will also be equipped with Composite Rubber Tracks (CRT).

The UK's MLRS will be capable of firing the US' Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), which has a range of 499km. The UK and MLRS partners are also developing a Guided MLRS Extended Range (GMLRS-ER) missile that will extend the reach of the system from 84km to 150km – the new missile is expected to be in-service by 2025 for use by the upgraded launchers.

[Sparkplug]

US Army opting for 23-round autoloader for ERCA

23 APRIL 2021

by Ashley Roque

The US Army is scaling down an autoloader for its new Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) programme and will not meet its initial goal of having the enhanced capability ready by 2024. At the same time, however, the service has awarded five companies with contracts to look for alternative ways to accelerate the weapon's rate of fire.

Brigadier General John Rafferty, the head of the Long-Range Precision Fires Cross-Functional Team, and Program Manager for Armored Fighting Vehicles Colonel Timothy Fuller briefed reporters on 15 April about the service's multi-pronged approach for improving ERCA's rate of fire.

The weapon is an incremental upgrade to BAE Systems' Paladin M109A7 self-propelled howitzer that includes a 30 ft (9.1 m) gun tube designed to launch 58 calibre (155 mm) rounds. Service leaders are working with the company to have 18 ERCA Increment 1 (Inc 1) weapons ready for operational testing in 2023.

Their plans had then called for an autoloader capability to be added in 2024 as part of ERCA Inc 2. However, they have determined that the government designed autoloader that carries 31 rounds is too large for the vehicle and it is now being scaled down to carry 23 rounds, Brig Gen Rafferty explained.

"Scaling down to that 23 round, reduced capacity is the sweet spot for weight, centre of gravity, and onboard kills," he added.

If autoloader development proceeds as planned, the one-star general said the service will demo it about the September timeframe, but it will not be ready in time for the previously anticipated 2024 date.

"That's okay," Brig Gen Rafferty added. "The guidance we got from the senior leaders was range, mobility, and then rate of fire when we're ready with the right alternative."



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https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/us-army-opting-for-23-round-autoloader-for-erca

[Harald]

De Lockheed Martin precision-strike-mis (PrSM)

https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/precision-strike-missile.html

* past dit hier? als zijnde raket artillerie ?

Raket artillerie is ook artillerie, dus voor mijn gevoel in het juiste topic geplaatst.

[Parera]

De Lockheed Martin precision-strike-mis (PrSM)

https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/precision-strike-missile.html

* past dit hier? als zijnde raket artillerie ?

[Harald]

Ik ben ook erg benieuwd naar de shoot-off door de US Army met een verschillende Self Propelled 155mm artillery voeruigen.
De datum van shoot off is mij niet bekend maar zou wel (dacht ik) in het begin van 2021 plaatsvinden.
De nieuwe 155mm stukken zouden dan de M777 moeten vervangen in de Stryker eenheden.

US Army mobile howitzer shoot-off participants emerge
https://www.defensenews.com/land/2020/12/17/us-army-mobile-howitzer-shoot-off-participants-emerge/

The service is looking for new mobile artillery piece for its brigades equipped with Stryker wheeled armored vehicles, which are presently equipped with towed 155mm M777 howitzers.

The Army had first announced in July (2020) that it was looking for new self-propelled howitzers for its Stryker brigades, expressing interest only in designs that were at least mature enough to go into serial production, if they weren't already. The service is also looking for increased range, rate of fire, and mobility over the existing M777s.

US Army mobile howitzer shoot-off participants emerge
https://www.defensenews.com/land/2020/12/17/us-army-mobile-howitzer-shoot-off-participants-emerge/

[Harald]

De pzh heeft dit al een paar decennia maargoed 

US Army loopt wat achter... 

Tevens die 7 schoten per minuut is ook nog niet indrukwekkend in vergelijking met de phz2000.

..... It is capable of a very high rate of fire; in burst mode it can fire three rounds in nine seconds, ten rounds in 56 seconds, and can—depending on barrel heating—fire between 10 and 13 rounds per minute continuously. The PzH 2000 has automatic support for up to 5 rounds of Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact (MRSI). The replenishment of shells is automated. Two operators can load 60 shells and propelling charges in less than 12 minutes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panzerhaubitze_2000

[Huzaar1]

De pzh heeft dit al een paar decennia maargoed 

[Harald]

US Army Demonstrates Auto-loading Artillery

The US Army's Picatinny Armaments Center recently highlighted its progress toward developing automated loading for its self-propelled howitzers.

These efforts are receiving increased attention as a part of the Extended Range Artillery Cannon (ERCA) project a key component of the Long Range Precision Fires a priority initiative in the Army's modernization.

The lethality and operational benefits of auto-loaded self-propelled howitzers has been well established in its field use in the German PzH2000, Russian 2S19 "Msta-S", and Swedish Archer.

ERCA XM1299E1 auto-loading integration on to the M109A7 requires not simply new ammunition handling but also a new breech, gun positioning, and ammunition and fuse selection and setting. Achieving a rate of fire of 7 rounds per minute has been demonstrated in Army evaluations, though these employed a limited capacity loader.

The next step for the ERCA Integration Team is preparing a full-capacity autoloader and optimized turret system for two demonstrations planned for 2021. These will further validate autoloader technologies and increased rates of fire.

.../....

https://armadainternational.com/2021/03/us-army-demonstrates-auto-loading-artillery/