O-031 Summary of the NIMIC Workshop on Shaped Charge Jet Impingement on Energetic Materials and Munitions

According to the NATO Standardization Agreement, STANAG 4439[11, Insensitive Munitions (IM) can respond to Shaped Charge weapon attack with any reaction up to a NATO Type 111 reaction, but must not detonate. The fact that this is a difficult requirement to meet, reveals that Shaped Charge Jet (SCJ) is a very potent threat. This paper is a summary of the one-week workshop NIMIC organized in 1996 about this threat.
Existing and future Shaped Charge threats were reviewed, as well as the different kinds of possible target munitions. The likelihood of each of the scenarios corresponding to the attack of a given munition by a given Shaped Charge and the levels of damage to be expected were assessed. As a result a list of priority areas to be dealt with in trying to mitigate Shaped Charge effects was drafted.
The eight higher priority cases were selected for a brainstorming session about mitigation methods. Methods regarding the use of less sensitive Energetic Materials, the improvement of munitions design, ordnance protectioflpackaging, and combat system design concepts, were discussed.
Technological gaps in the field of understanding jet/EM interaction mechanisms were pointed out. The categories, purpose, input data needs of modelling tools were discussed, as well as testing issues, including an analysis of laboratory, small scale and full scale testing and a discussion of the Shaped Charge Jet Impact draft STANAG 4526.
The latest draft of the SCJ Impact Hazard Protocol*[41 was reviewed and recommendations made about what threats and targets it should deal with and how it could be linked to other Protocols, e.g. the Bullet/Fragment Impact one.