The Usa infantry has a number of the finest mortar systems on this planet. They’re lightweight, have great range, and supply a major amount of lethal and destructive fire to shut-range combat. And so, why would anyone consider tweaking something that has already been proven very capable in training and in combat?
“It is all about our troops maintaining the competitive edge over potential adversaries,” said Wayland Barber, chief of the Mortars and Recoilless Rifle Branch at Benét Laboratories. “Even without funding for brand spanking new weapons research, Army scientists and engineers are always seeking opportunities to enhance weapons systems which might be within the field.”
“No ahead of we field a brand new mortar system, our customers demand that we make it better with regard to extended range, increased lethality or capability, and reduced weight,” said Barber. “This triggers the full Army research community, from people who improve the lethality of ammunition to those that design the delivery system, to work on parallel and converging fields of science to realize a standard goal.”
Barber supervises a team of 14 Department of the military civilian engineers and technicians who not just design and build prototypes of future mortar and recoilless systems, additionally they design product improvements of what has already been fielded. Given today’s fiscal challenges because of sequestration, and the shortage of any major orders for brand spanking new weapon systems, improving what the U.S. military currently has fielded drives Barber and his team’s near-term focus.
Some of the newest work at Benét Labs transcends all fielded mortar systems within the U.S. inventory, from 60-mm to 81-mm to 120-mm mortars.
“The current 120-mm mortar system has good range, is reliable, and the troops find it irresistible,” said Bob Cooley, a Benét Labs Integrated Process Team leader. “But nearly as good as that system is, we’ve got several product improvements that we’re currently working that can improve Soldiers’ safety, increase range by as much as 25 percent, and decrease the system’s weight by nearly 16 percent.”
“One of the foremost upgrades to the 120-mm system is with its bipod,” Cooley said. “Our bipod redesign will improve the accuracy of the system since it moves the hearth control system from the tube to the bipod.”
According to Cooley, the hearth control system, or FCS, is currently attached to the tube, which in turn places a vital amount of stress and movement at the FCS during a hearth mission. By moving the FCS to the bipod, there’ll be less force exerted at the system, which in turn will improve accuracy.
Another design improvement for the 120-mm mortar system features a new baseplate that may not only provide more stability for extended range munitions, it’ll save U.S. taxpayers money. If and when the redesigned baseplate goes into full production, the price of the baseplate may be reduced by nearly 50 percent over the present legacy system. The qualification test was recently completed with the firing of three,000 rounds without incident.
The final piece to the redesigned 120-mm mortar system is a better cannon tube. When extended range ammunition is developed, the tube should also be modified to resist higher tube pressure, heat, and muzzle velocity.
Benét Labs plans to conduct a whole-quality testing of the redesigned 120-mm mortar system in fiscal year 2015, and Barber’s team can be doing research and design work at the 60-mm and the 81-mm mortar systems. News of these potential product improvements can be released in a future story.
Some at Benét pride themselves in that they made it (weapon system design), previous to they made it better. In essence, this team is rarely satisfied having met the prescribed technical data standards for product development, because they know that there’s an American serviceman or woman whose life depends upon their product. If there may be any chance to make our troops more lethal or safer, Benét research will discover it.
Benét Labs has a rich history of designing and fielding new weapon systems. Although Benét officially opened its doors because the Army’s large caliber research and design facility in 1962, its weapons research on the Watervliet Arsenal dates back to the 1840s. Therefore, trying to improve previously tested and fielded weapon systems is not only a job that the Benét’s workforce does when work for brand spanking new weapon systems dries up, doing continuous product improvement is of their DNA.
—-
The Watervliet Arsenal is a military-owned-and-operated factory and is the oldest, continuously active arsenal within the United states of america having begun operations in the course of the War of 1812. It celebrated its 200th anniversary in July 2013.
Today’s arsenal is relied upon by U.S. and foreign militaries to supply one of the most advanced, high-tech, high-powered weaponry for cannon, howitzer, and mortar systems. This National Historic Registered Landmark has an annual economic benefit to the area people in way over $100 million.
Related Topic Tags