MINNEAPOLIS, 6 July 2006. BAE Systems has received a six-month contract from the U.S. Army's Project Manager, Combat Ammunition Systems, to participate in a competitive technical development program for the Precision Guidance Kit for use with Army cannon artillery ammunition.
The guidance kit is a system designed to improve the accuracy of conventional 105 mm and 155 mm artillery projectiles. The BAE Systems-led team, which includes the company's Bofors unit, Rockwell Collins, and L3 Communications BT Fuze Products Division, received the award after successfully completing an internally funded project to demonstrate a two-directional precision guidance kit solution referred to as the BAE Systems Course Correcting Fuze (CCF).
During the technical development program, BAE Systems will compete against other contractors to achieve a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 demonstration by the end of the six-month contract (TRL 6 indicates the system or prototype has been demonstrated in a relevant environment). Following the demonstration, the Army will downselect to one contractor to enter system development and demonstration, followed by low-rate initial production, which is expected to begin in 2009.
BAE Systems' CCF can be integrated to fire from today's artillery platforms with no impact on current operating procedures. It can be employed on U.S. 155 mm and 105 mm projectiles, and operates with current and future fire control systems and artillery platforms. Its design requires few moving parts, no steering subsystems and no guidance subsystem to minimize cost and risk and enhance reliability.
