Enhanced Munitions Advanced Technology
Abstract
The Enhanced Munitions Advanced Technology effort will demonstrate enabling technologies and perform associated applied research that will improve the performance, range, and lethality of existing and future weapons systems. This effort will take promising technologies demonstrated at the laboratory scale and transition them into demonstration programs utilizing generic hardware based munitions in the concept and development stages. Mature demonstrated Enhanced Munitions technology can be transitioned, thereby decreasing the Program Executive Office’s (PEO) program costs and schedule risk, facilitating spin-offs to other munitions within their portfolios. Technologies demonstrated seek to improve the performance, lethality, and range of weapons to ensure the U.S. is not outgunned and outranged on the battlefield of the future. Through FY 2021, the Joint Enhanced Munitions Technology Program (JEMTP) investments focus on five Munition Areas: 1) High Performance Propulsion - Alternative propulsion designs and systems for increased range, e.g. rotating detonation engines, solid fuel ramjets, highly loaded grain technology, etc.; 2) Minimum Signature Propulsion – new propellant compositions and hybrid propulsion for reduced time to target/increased range; 3) Area Effects Warheads – high performance explosives, reactive materials, multiphase blast, etc.; 4) Hard Target Effects Warheads – improved penetration for shaped charge jets, lethality enhancements for area effects munitions; and 5) Gun Propulsion – novel ignition schemes, advanced propellant design, etc. Munition Area Technology Groups (MATG), under tri- service leadership, have developed technology roadmaps for each Munition Area which are used to guide investments. In FY 2022, the JFTP and JEMTP merged and the program scope expanded to exploit technology developments such as hypersonics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, etc. and accelerate their application to enable next generation kinetic weapons capabilities in the areas of energetic materials, advanced propulsion, warhead effects, enabling fuze technologies, and pioneering targeting technologies with a specific focus on enhancing kinetic weapons lethality, range and resultant effects. The program will retain tri-service leadership to inform technology investments accelerating development across the Department. Investments will be informed by a threat-opportunity based analysis that focuses on developing weapons systems that exploit technology dominance to ensure military objectives in Joint Force campaign scenarios. New technology roadmaps for munition technical areas will guide investments consistent with the DoD National Defense Strategy and inform Service technology investments.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Project
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2023
- Source ID
- 077_0603000D8Z_3_0400_PB_2023
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- Root: Joint Munitions Advanced Technology
- Child Accomplishment: Enhanced Munitions Advanced Technology
- Child Accomplishment: High Reliability Cluster Munition