XM1156 Precision Guidance Kit
Encyclopedia
The XM1156 Precision Guidance Kit is a U.S. Army program to develop a precision guidance system for existing 155 mm artillery shells. The prime contractor is Alliant Techsystems
Alliant Techsystems
Alliant Techsystems Inc., most commonly known by its ticker symbol, ', is one of the largest aerospace and defense companies in the United States with more than 18,000 employees in 22 states, Puerto Rico and internationally, and 2010 revenues in excess of an estimated...

 and the industry team includes Interstate Electronics Corporation.

Overview

In operation the PGK will screw into the nose of the projectile
Projectile
A projectile is any object projected into space by the exertion of a force. Although a thrown baseball is technically a projectile too, the term more commonly refers to a weapon....

 much like the existing fuze
Fuze
Fuze Beverage, commercially referred to as just Fuze , is a manufacturer of teas and non-carbonated fruit drinks enriched with vitamins. Currently the brand consists of five vitamin-infused lines: Slenderize, Refresh, Tea, Defensify, and Vitalize...

. However as well as the fuzing function it will provide a GPS
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...

 guidance
Missile guidance
Missile guidance refers to a variety of methods of guiding a missile or a guided bomb to its intended target. The missile's target accuracy is a critical factor for its effectiveness...

 package and control surfaces to correct the flight of the shell. This is analogous to the addition of a Joint Direct Attack Munition
Joint Direct Attack Munition
The Joint Direct Attack Munition is a guidance kit that converts unguided bombs, or "dumb bombs" into all-weather "smart" munitions. JDAM-equipped bombs are guided by an integrated inertial guidance system coupled to a Global Positioning System receiver, giving them a published range of up to...

 (JDAM) tail-kit to a dumb iron bomb, creating a precision guided munition. The system is currently expected to begin production in 2009, and to be in-service by 2010.

Specifications

  • Guidance: GPS
  • Accuracy:
    • Increment I: < 50 m circular error probable
      Circular error probable
      In the military science of ballistics, circular error probable is an intuitive measure of a weapon system's precision...

       (CEP).
    • Increment II: < 30 m CEP.
  • Unit cost: < $3,000

Program status

  • June 2006: Raytheon
    Raytheon
    Raytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...

     downselected from XM1156 competition.
  • July 2006: BAE Systems
    BAE Systems
    BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...

    and Alliant Techsystems selected to take part in a competitive Technical Development (TD) program.
  • May 2007: System Demonstration and Development (SDD) contract awarded to Alliant Techsystems.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK