Guided Bullets: A Decade of Enabling Adaptive Materials R&D

Abstract

This paper outlines a research area which is ripe for the generation of a technological surprise for the U.S. and its allies as well as presenting a tremendous opportunity. An historical summary starting in 1995 of several disjointed U.S. programs which were highly technically successful, but were stopped prematurely because of non-technical reasons, is presented. The programs are shown to have matured critical component and subassembly technologies but were never continued far enough to be integrated into tactical rounds. The paper shows that the most critical of these technologies is related to launch-hardened flight control actuators and that work in this area continues around the world at a steady pace. The full paper concludes with a brief assessment of guided bullet flight control technology, future applications and paradigm-shifting missions.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2004
Accession Number
ADA432910

Entities

People

  • Gary Lee
  • Ron Barrett

Organizations

  • Auburn University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Actuators
  • Aerial Gunnery
  • California
  • Control Systems
  • Corporations
  • Demographic Cohorts
  • Energy Consumption
  • Engineering
  • Flight Control Systems
  • Munitions
  • Muzzle Velocity
  • Research Facilities
  • Structural Mechanics
  • Target Tracking
  • Test Facilities
  • Wind Tunnels

Readers

  • Educational Psychology
  • Robotics and Automation.
  • Technical Research and Report Writing.