Ramjet PGM Artillery
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Ramjet PGM Artillery
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https://aviationweek.com/defense-spa...imental-status
Ramjet-Powered Artillery Moves Beyond Experimental Status
A Nammo-designed solid-fuel ramjet inserted into a 155mm artillery shell ignited upon release from a U.S. artillery cannon in December 2019, proving for the first time the feasibility of an indirect fires system with extreme range.
Although it was a major technical breakthrough for ramjet propulsion, the newly revealed, two-year-old test by the Boeing/Nammo partnership still stops short of a graduation event for transforming 106-lb. artillery shells into supersonic pseudo-cruise missiles.
That milestone comes next May. The U.S.-Norwegian industry team plans to demonstrate ignition and maximum range of the cannon-fired weapon they simply call the “155mm ramjet.” The desired distance is not being released, but U.S. Army officials have previously estimated ranges of up to 150-200 km (90-125 mi.).
“That’s when we show the Army that this is real,” Dan Palmeter, a capture team leader for the Boeing Phantom Works Advanced Weapons Product Line, told Aviation Week at the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) annual convention.
If the test is successful, the goal is to transition the solid-fuel ramjet into the Army’s Extended-Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) system, which modifies the BAE Systems M109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzer with a 58-caliber, 30-ft. gun barrel replacing the 39-caliber, 20-ft. barrel. The ramjet-powered projectile also would be modified with small, deployable fins, mini-canard wings and a precision guidance kit.….
At the same time, the artillery system is only the first of a series of potential applications for Nammo’s decade-old investment in solid-fuel ramjet technology. Nammo and Boeing also have partnered on the Tactical High-Speed Offensive Ramjet for Extended Range, a U.S. Navy-funded program to demonstrate prototypes of a new air-launched missile.
Nammo announced during AUSA that more than 300 tests have been completed using solid-fuel ramjet propulsion systems.
“We believe ramjets have the potential to revolutionize artillery, combining exceptional range increases with precision never before seen in artillery,” said Morten Brandtzaeg, Nammo’s CEO. “We also see a potential for huge range increases on the missile side.”…..
https://aviationweek.com/defense-spa...imental-status
Ramjet-Powered Artillery Moves Beyond Experimental Status
A Nammo-designed solid-fuel ramjet inserted into a 155mm artillery shell ignited upon release from a U.S. artillery cannon in December 2019, proving for the first time the feasibility of an indirect fires system with extreme range.
Although it was a major technical breakthrough for ramjet propulsion, the newly revealed, two-year-old test by the Boeing/Nammo partnership still stops short of a graduation event for transforming 106-lb. artillery shells into supersonic pseudo-cruise missiles.
That milestone comes next May. The U.S.-Norwegian industry team plans to demonstrate ignition and maximum range of the cannon-fired weapon they simply call the “155mm ramjet.” The desired distance is not being released, but U.S. Army officials have previously estimated ranges of up to 150-200 km (90-125 mi.).
“That’s when we show the Army that this is real,” Dan Palmeter, a capture team leader for the Boeing Phantom Works Advanced Weapons Product Line, told Aviation Week at the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) annual convention.
If the test is successful, the goal is to transition the solid-fuel ramjet into the Army’s Extended-Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) system, which modifies the BAE Systems M109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzer with a 58-caliber, 30-ft. gun barrel replacing the 39-caliber, 20-ft. barrel. The ramjet-powered projectile also would be modified with small, deployable fins, mini-canard wings and a precision guidance kit.….
At the same time, the artillery system is only the first of a series of potential applications for Nammo’s decade-old investment in solid-fuel ramjet technology. Nammo and Boeing also have partnered on the Tactical High-Speed Offensive Ramjet for Extended Range, a U.S. Navy-funded program to demonstrate prototypes of a new air-launched missile.
Nammo announced during AUSA that more than 300 tests have been completed using solid-fuel ramjet propulsion systems.
“We believe ramjets have the potential to revolutionize artillery, combining exceptional range increases with precision never before seen in artillery,” said Morten Brandtzaeg, Nammo’s CEO. “We also see a potential for huge range increases on the missile side.”…..
Whizz.................................bang?
Salute!
I can see it now....
F-35 or stealth drone gets the laser code and a firebase or even a ship fires the bullet.
Tgt is lased, projectile hits. Too neat, and no serious collateral damage.
War must be ugly, lest we have more of them.
Gums sends...
I can see it now....
F-35 or stealth drone gets the laser code and a firebase or even a ship fires the bullet.
Tgt is lased, projectile hits. Too neat, and no serious collateral damage.
War must be ugly, lest we have more of them.
Gums sends...
Must admit I'm rather curious about how a 'solid fuel ramjet' would function. The big advantage of a ramjet vs. a conventional rocket motor is that you get the oxidizer from the air rather than having to carry it - so you can get more range from the same weight of propellant (and ramjets can have very impressive specific impulse numbers). But metering a solid fuel is going to be, um, interesting. I wonder if they are doing something with having the fuel be part of the combustion chamber wall?
If anyone has links to additional information I'd love to see it.
If anyone has links to additional information I'd love to see it.
General Melchett will need to find a chateau even further behind the lines.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
N
Thanks ORAC - so basically a solid rocket motor with a highly fuel rich mixture - with the rocket exhaust feeding the fuel to the ramjet. Interesting...
Dread to think how long it would take to get the goal posts hot too.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
I would thing what it will be bring is 24/7 availability. The artillery be behind the front line on call regardless of time or weather. If there is a fight it will be between the army and Air Force on the provision and control of suitable UAV assets providing similar 24/7 coverage of the target airspace.
I would thing what it will be bring is 24/7 availability. The artillery be behind the front line on call regardless of time or weather. If there is a fight it will be between the army and Air Force on the provision and control of suitable UAV assets providing similar 24/7 coverage of the target airspace.
155mm is good at suppression, typically dismounted infantry. Why you would want or need to suppress dismounts with such accuracy from 150-200km as quoted is, I think, a solution to a problem that doesn't really exist.
If the SPGs are that far away from the FLET then you lose all of its flexibility that it's other ammunition natures bring to the party.
Basically, I think it would be a tough sell to a ground commander to use this shiny new shell. Hopefully they develop tech that can benefit other industries like rocket science or similar perhaps.
Been around for ages. Augmenter Tube on a Jetex Model in the 1950 somewhat works the same way. NACA did studies into such motors in the late 1940s. Such motors are used on the SA-6 SAM and Meteor AAM.
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Hmmm, just a little disingenuous. The solid fuelled, throttlable ramjet was viewed as a very high risk part of the BVRAAM programme!
Many decades ago, we played with augmenters as a way to improve performance of model rockets.
From what I understand (admittedly limited), those are not the same as a ramjet. Augmenters use the 'ejector' effect to draw air in from the front to augment the thrust of the rocket motor to improve overall efficiency - there is no secondary combustion of the incoming air as there is with a ramjet.
Many decades ago, we played with augmenters as a way to improve performance of model rockets.
Many decades ago, we played with augmenters as a way to improve performance of model rockets.