O-099 A Comparison of Vulnerability and Performance of Insesnitive Munitions (IM) and Non-IM Directed Energy Warheads

The current major design drivers for modern-day weapon systems include the increasing demand for both improved performance to defeat new or perceived future targets and for improved insensitiveness of the weapon system to unplanned, accidental stimuli.

For over 20 years, the development of highly energetic materials for use in shaped charge and explosively formed projectile warheads has yielded cast-cured and pressed compositions with good vulnerability and performance characteristics.

Vulnerability testing and terminal ballistics performance of warheads such as Hellfire, Hellfire II, Javelin, Viper, HOT, HOT2, MILAN, MILAN2, AT4CS, M80 submunitions, a 50mm Swiss charge, a 60mm British charge, 81.3mm Generic Shaped Charge Test Unit, 120mm M830A1, a Swiss 120mm anti-tank round, a German and a French 150mm anti-tank round (shaped charges) and SADARM, H-WAM (Explosively Formed Projectiles) will be reported and analysed.

This overview of Less Sensitive Munitions, high-performance, metal accelerating warheads will be completed by the presentation of a methodology to enable the rapid assessment of the level of insensitiveness of the current anti-tank munitions stockpile. This should help define an implementation strategy for this category of weapon.