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Frag Out! Magazine #27

Frag Out! Magazine

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gram the following param, before use: elevation, time of arming of the seek- er and the reaction control system, temperature. All of that is done with the use of automatic programmer unit(s) that need to be placed in the inventory of a mortar battery. However, the ability to act against moving armor, effec- tive warhead and passive operation can be listed among the advantages of the system. It needs to be said though that Strix is not a round that can be viewed as a universal solution. It has been designed to act against vehicles. Any different employment would mean that the rounds go to a waste. Israeli 120 mm GMM is another solution that exhibits a universal opera- tional profile. The round in question, developed from a scratch, has a range from 7.2 to beyond 10 km. GMM has been fitted with a HE warhead and two guidance systems. When acting against moving vehicles it is possible to use the laser guidance system. CEP is less than 1.5 m. In case of sta- tionary targets, GPS guidance is used. However, here the threat of jamming needs to be taken into the account. This concept allows for occasional use against moving targets, provided that the user takes into consideration all of the disadvantages that laser designators entail. The round may also be used to rapidly and precisely act against stationary targets, without a need to use any external guidance means. IDF has also been using conventional M971 DPICM rounds since 2000. The round carries twenty-four M87 shaped charge/fragmentation elements. This provides the IDF with a certain level of flexibility, depending on the tactical situation and available target desig- nation assets. The pragmatic approach adopted by the IDF cannot be over- looked and the philosophy adopted by the Israelis could be used as a model within the Polish context. Another development idea was implemented by the Americans, who have introduced two 120 mm mortar round designs. MGK (Mortar Guidance Kit) is a modification of standard mortar rounds, with added GPS guidance system in the nose and perfected tail section with control surfaces. MGK needs to be programmed before firing. At range of 6.5 km the round has very lim- ited capabilities to neutralize armored targets. These targets need to stay still as well. There is one advantage of this solution though, namely the low price. XM-395 was to offer much greater capabilities, using semi-active laser guidance. Originally the round was to be developed in two variants – one with a shaped-charge anti-tank warhead and large folding wings, with the warhead being capable of attacking moving vehicles and another version with a HE warhead and reaction motors flight control system. As a result of troublesome nature of the guidance system and the evolving require- ments, a less advanced variant was handed off for operational testing in Afghanistan (2011). It had a range of up to 7.5 km, featured a HE warhead and GPS-based guidance unit – CEP of less than 10 m. With a price tag of ten thousand dollars and effectiveness allowing the troops to use up to two rounds to destroy the target, the new design became a short-range replace- ment of Excalibur. Thus, it may be said that the US forces resigned from the ability to act against moving armor with the use of mortars, even though requirements as such were still valid on the verge of centuries. Not only was this motivated by budgetary cuts and by the failure of the FCS program, but also by the conclusion reached, suggesting that the whole system of the anti-tank defense capabilities that remain in the hands of the US Army is sufficiently effective, and that there is no necessity for extra and expensive reinforcement in a form of a mortar round that would be capable of attacking moving vehicles. In the USSR ammunition of this kind still uses laser guid- ance solutions. Target designator, synchronizing device and 120 mm Gran rounds form a Russian precision mortar munitions system. The round itself is 1200 mm long, it weighs 27 kg and carries 5.3 kg of explosives. With range between 1.5 and 9 km the round offers hit probability of 70 to 80%. However, Malakhit synchronization-module-fitted laser target designator is required here. The designator offers range between 4 and 7 km for MBT-sized targets. The system weighs 37 kg. It is a system that is not really a mobile (portable) solution. One of its disadvantages is the fact that the target needs to be il- luminated for at least several sec. This means that vehicles with active pro- tection systems (Warta, Shtora, Obra, MUSS) can effectively defend them- selves with the use of automatically dispensed salvo of smoke grenades. Polish precision guided rounds for the RAK mortar are pretty good then, con- sidering the factors listed above. APR 120 anti-tank round is 800 mm long, it weighs 16.8 kg and can be fired at range of up to 8 km. APR 120 rounds feature a single shaped-charge warhead that probably offers penetration capabilities on par with the Spike ATGM. The guidance takes place with the use of a laser. However, contrary to the competitive or legacy de- signs, the Polish engineers introduced a number of solutions, in the new ammo and the LPC-1 designator weighing 13.7 kg, that not only increase the hit certainty, but they also make it possible to overcome the active protection measures used by the enemy vehicles. These elements make it impossible for the enemy laser warning receivers to detect or classi- fy the beam. Secondly, the enemy will not even have time to effectively employ countermeasures, due to the fact that LPC-1 is active only for a short period of time. Some solutions implemented in the ammunition it- self make it possible to hit the target even when laser beam projection is interrupted. APR 120 may also be used as conventional round, in a direct fire setting. Considering all of the aforesaid factors, series manufactured APR120 rounds would be an effective anti-tank measure for the Polish RAK self-propelled mortars. Summing it up, in the Polish military mortars are employed as organic means of direct support. They are usually placed in the hands of the com- manders of motorized and mechanized battalions. The main role of the mortars is to act against infantry, enemy mortars and ATGMs, and, with the use of cargo and guided rounds, against armored assets. The system is highly effective. Even when HE rounds are used, an infantry company can be brought down to its knees with the use of 40 to 100 mortar bombs. This depends on the formation in which the company moves – whether it is marching or whether it is ready to defend itself. A support company operating 8 mortars can deplete such quantity of ammunition in 45 to 90 sec. The battlefield is going through a major revolution as well. The rapid counter-battery fire reaction time, in conjunction with MLRS firepower mean that time between firing the first round until the moment when the asset leaves the position and moves ~500 m away should be shorter than 5 minutes. In optimal setting it would be less than 180 sec. These performance figures remain beyond reach, in normal conditions, for the 120 mm towed mortar assets. Considering the aforesaid factors, self-propelled mortars are the fu- ture artillery solution that would be becoming far more common on the battlefield. Analyzing the pros and cons of the individual platforms, when placed on the background of battlefield analysis leads us to a unanimous conclusion: the turret-based self-propelled mortars that offer full range of elevation and direction angles and fitted with automated loading and ammunition storage systems would be the dominating design adopted in the upcoming years. This design is identical to the one adopted in case of the Polish RAK platform. VEHICLES

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