The Perfect Soldier: Special Operations, Commandos, and the Future of Us Warfare by James F. Dunnigan
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Dirty Little Secrets
Navy Smart Shell Does a Crash and Burn
by James Dunnigan
April 17, 2005
Discussion Board on this DLS topic
After twelve years of effort, and two billion dollars spent, the U.S. Navy is
starting over in its effort to develop a five inch (127mm) “smart shell.” The
failed program, called extended range guided munition, or ERGM, tried to turn
127mm shells into GPS guided projectiles. But the system never worked reliably.
So the Navy is holding another competition, to allow other suppliers to offer
their designs. The original ERGM contractor, Raytheon, is also entering the
competition, using their experience spending all that navy R&D money (plus
some of their own) to come up new, more reliable, designs. Making this
technology work is an evolutionary process. Such “guided shells” have been
around for over two decades. At first, they were laser guided. But these were
too expensive, at half a million dollars per 155mm shell (the U.S. Army
"Copperhead"). However, better, and cheaper technologies have been developed,
that make it easier to get the guidance systems into an artillery shell, and
have them work reliably once they are fired from the cannon. The latest army
effort, the 155mm Excalibur, has encouraged the navy to consider using that
weapon, or at least its technology. The navy is planning on using 155mm guns on
new destroyer designs. The larger shell makes a bigger bang when it hits, and
provides more space guidance systems. A "dumb" artillery shell will land with 75
meters (or more, depending on range) of the aiming point, the laser guided
Copperhead would land within a meter or two. GPS guided shells will land within
15-30 meters of the aiming point.
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