Tank round guides self to target during test

[unhappycamper]

A Mid Range Munition destroys a T-72 tank in a test at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., after using its infrared seeker to guide itself to the target.


Tank round guides self to target during test
By Kris Osborn - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Feb 10, 2009 5:23:40 EST

An Army Abrams 120mm cannon destroyed a T-72 tank more than 5,000 meters away using a next-generation guided tank round able to find its own way toward a target, service officials said.

The December test at Yuma Proving Grounds, Ariz., was staged to prove that the guidance system of the Mid Range Munition (MRM) would work when fired.

The MRM has two guidance modes.

The first is laser designation, in which the round follows a laser spot generated by some other target seeker to the target, or in so-called offset mode, near the target.

The second is with its 3-inch infrared camera. The guidance system compares the IR images to a target library stored in electronic form.


Rest of FCS article at: http://armytimes.com/news/2009/02/military_tank_round_020909w/%2e



uhc comment: Of course there's no $$$$$ attached to the Mid Range Munition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XM1111_Mid-Range_Munition

XM1111 Mid-Range Munition

The XM1111 Mid-Range Munition (MRM) is a 120 mm precision guided munition being developed for the Rheinmetall 120mm Gun (known as the "M256" in the US military) used by several Western tanks. It is also intended to fulfill a requirement for Future Combat Systems for a long-range, Beyond Line of Sight tank munition.

The U.S. Army awarded two contracts in a competition to validate the requirement, one for a kinetic energy penetrator round (MRM-KE) and one for a chemical energy warhead { :wtf: } round (MRM-CE).

In December 2007, Raytheon's CE-based concept was awarded the system-design-and-development contract to develop the round.

MRM-KE

The MRM-KE (Mid-Range Munition - Kinetic Energy) is an implementation of the MRM under development by Alliant Techsystems, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems and HR Textron.<1>

The missile/projectile is designed to be used as a high-velocity penetrator for line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight shots. In line of sight, it would operate using laser guidance or a millimeter wave seeker. In BLOS, the shell would be fired in a ballistic arc, and would seek out its own targets.

The missile uses a kinetic energy penetrator to penetrate enemy armor. This effect is improved by a rocket motor that speed the munition up. It steers with impulse thrusters.

MRM-KE uses technology developed as part of the X-Rod and XM1007 Tank Extended Range Munition (TERM) programs, both of which have been cancelled. <2><3>

[Turbineguy]

1. "... guides self to target..."

That sounds so... Palestinian.