The Norwegian company Raufoss is developing an innovative projectile, the layout of which was presented at the Eurosatory 2018 conference in Paris.
The principle of operation of an active-projectile (ARS) for many years known to science. He gets the initial breakthrough due to the propelling charge, and already during the flight the jet engine turns on. But such projectiles were not widely spread even after many engineering and structural tasks had been solved.
Failed attempts
Periodically it becomes known about the beginning of new developments in this area. The latest and most famous of these is the US Navy's ERGM program. The Americans worked on the creation of a controlled AWP EX171, which was supposed to hit targets at a distance of 115 kilometers. The project was closed for various reasons, but the most important of them was the colossal cost of one shot. In total, 600 million dollars was spent on such studies.
A similar fate befell the development of the LRLAP for 155-caliber AGS artillery mounts, which form the basis of weapons of Zamvolt destroyers. The project was closed due to the fact that a batch of 2,000 shells was estimated at almost $ 2 billion.
New concept
Despite the unsuccessful attempts of other enterprises, the company Raufoss decided to offer its own concept of the new ARS, launched by hot air masses. In previous developments, solid fuel engines were used, which carried with them not only fuel, but also an oxidizer. Here, oxygen acts as an oxidizing agent, which will allow you to carry the maximum amount of fuel to achieve the required range of damage. Norwegian scientists claim that it will be possible to reach the goal at a distance of 100-150 kilometers.
According to the company Roufoss, in about a year, the first tests of a working prototype are expected. The goal will be to verify the functionality of the power plant.
