Joint DOD/DOE Munitions / Warhead and Penetration Technology
Abstract
In the warhead and penetration technology thrust, a major activity continues to be design and development of technologies and warheads for hard-target-defeat. As hard-target weapons evolve, several technical issues need to be addressed, including penetrators, fuzing, and simulation tools, along with associated validation data. Hardened military facilities are being buried in layered earth and concrete, "cut and cover" constructions, tunneled into mountainsides, or mined into rock far beneath the earth's surface. Buried structures accounted for a significant number of targets attacked by our forces during the Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq wars, and much of our military planning is being devoted to defeating them. Thus, a major thrust of the Joint Department of Defense (DoD)/ Department of Energy (DOE) Munitions Technology Development Program (JMP) continues to be hard-target-defeat. As hard-target weapons evolve, several technical issues need to be addressed. Specifically, penetrators striking targets with obliquity or at high angles of attack experience violent dynamic responses that can cause their cases to fail or interfere with the functionality of fuzes. Similarly, oblique, low velocity target impacts can result in ricochet, undesirable shallow trajectories, or bouncing out of the target. In general, new delivery vehicles tend to be smaller and faster, requiring smaller penetrators that carry less payload, and must survive more stressing impacts. Developing improved penetrating weapons depends on a solid understanding of the physics of penetration as well as affordable materials and processes to execute new designs that require more strength and durability from the penetrator. Although we can predict penetration depth with acceptable confidence, there are some targets for which we have insufficient data and experience; consequently, predicting the path a penetrator will take and whether it will survive is much less certain. The JMP provides a fundamental penetration technology base that addresses many of these issues and enables our future strike weapons. Additionally, warhead concepts which greatly extend the current range of capabilities in speed and tailored target effects are being explored. With increasing emphasis and interest in defeating targets of military interest in civilian areas, and of defeating and neutralizing Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) facilities, the application of energy to targets must be thoroughly controlled and understood. This requirement places increased demands on warhead output and is being pursued under the JMP.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2011
- Source ID
- 0a54b7127c0d8053941f2220593987e8