According to EDR Magazine, at the DSEI-2023 defense exhibition held from September 12 to 15, 2023 in London, BAE Systems Corporation presented a promising 155-mm NGAA (Next Generation Adaptive Ammunition) artillery shell developed by its British "land" division BAE Systems Land UK, designed to combine high performance with mass production capabilities production and cost reduction.
Image of a promising 155 mm artillery shell BAE Systems NGAA (Next Generation Adaptive Ammunition) (c) Paolo Valpolini / www.edrmagazine.eu
This NGAA projectile is being developed both to replace the main family of standard 155-mm high-explosive shells of the British Army L15, and for the world market. The development of the projectile was caused by the experience of military operations in Ukraine, which highlighted the problem of insufficient ammunition stocks in the armed forces and limited production capacities of the ammunition industry, accustomed to a long peaceful period.
The main task in the development of the projectile was an integrated approach aimed at ensuring the use of less specialized equipment used in civilian industries for the production of projectiles, which will make it possible to quickly reconfigure enterprises for mass production of ammunition when the need arises. This solution should also affect the entire chain of subcontracting supplies, ensuring the production of components and elements of the shot also with non-specialized commercially available equipment.
For this purpose, the NGAA projectile body is planned to be made of commercial steel grades that can be purchased from a wide range of suppliers, apparently providing an increase in its strength with hardening technologies. The body of the projectile should also be carried out as a single, and not from several elements, and should have a common shape for all types of projectiles.
The NGAA projectile should be equipped with composite explosives of a new type, the production of which, however, so far requires special equipment and is "difficult to scale". Therefore, BAE Systems develops Resonance acoustic mixing (RAM) technology for the production of such explosives, which, as stated, accelerates the process of producing explosives from "hours to minutes", significantly reduces the cost and is suitable for large-scale production. New solutions for explosives chemistry are also being developed, which are promised to be presented by the end of the year.
For the NGAA projectile, instead of traditional mechanical fuses, a single fully electronic programmable fuse e-Fuze is being developed, which should use widely available electronic components. The fuse will be scalable, and will be created, in particular, also in the version for 127-mm shells of naval artillery systems.
The NGAA projectile itself should have an improved aerodynamic shape and be modular, allowing different types of equipment. In addition to the main high-explosive equipment, smoke and lighting equipment of a new type are also offered, in particular on the basis of "new generation" red phosphorus (New Generation Red Phosphorus). In the future, it is possible to use other payloads (electronic warfare, etc.). The projectile should be equipped with a bottom gas generator, with which, when firing from a 155-mm / 52 caliber gun, the range will be up to 40 km, or a bottom jet accelerator, with a range, respectively, up to 65 km. The projectile will be fully compatible with serial correction devices such as PGK.
BAE Systems says it aims to reduce the cost of manufacturing the actual projectile by 50-75%, although the cost of the e-Fuze electronic fuse is likely to be comparable to the cost of current mechanical fuses. NGAA projectile prototypes are planned to be demonstrated by the end of 2023.
Image of a promising 155 mm artillery shell BAE Systems NGAA (Next Generation Adaptive Ammunition) (c) Paolo Valpolini / www.edrmagazine.eu
