I'm unsure of what you mean by MOFA.

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htart/articles/20060630.aspx My bad, I assumed people read the content on SP. A Real MOFA of a Fuze June 30, 2006: Right about the time of the 2003 Iraqi invasion, American artillery units began to receive one of the few fuze breakthroughs in over half a century. The M782 MOFA (Multi Option Fuze for Artillery) is a multi-mode fuze. There are four basic basic fuze functions for artillery shells. And never before have all four been found in one fuze. The M782 can be set to explode on contact, or after a short delay once hitting something (if you want do more damage to fortifications or buildings). The other two functions are ToT (time on target) where the shell explodes in the air after a certain number of seconds. Finally, there is Proximity, where a tiny radar set in the fuze detonates when the shell is 20-30 feet from something (usually the ground). The ToT and Proximity setting both produce air-bursts, which do more damage because fewer of the fragments go right into the ground. MOFA can also be set by machine, which is how fuzes are set if a lot of them have to be set in a short amount of time. MOFA made life a lot easer for artillery crews, and since early 2003, hardly any of the older fuzes are used any more. MOFA comes in two versions, one for 105mm shells, and the other 155mm shells.

Multi-role fuzes (MRF) have been in service for a couple for decades. The only novelty (?) here is to combine the time function with the others. Presumably because it's deemed cost effective, but most of the shells needing a time fuze are not generally used at ground burst or proximity (ie airburst typically around 3 - 15 metres). Proximity fuzes have been used by field artillery since late 1944. Time fuzes, by whatever mechanism have been round for over a century (igniferous originally, then mechanical then eletronic). They cause the fuze event at the length of time (usually in seconds) after the shell is fired - this is not ToT. The reason for time fuzes these days is to achieve a higher(ish) airburst, eg for illuminating, BE smoke, bomblet. The only reason to high airburst HE is for psyops reasons or possibly to Mark. Some proximity fuzes have 3 HoB settings, and can also get a 'normal' HoB if the ground is highly or lowly reflective. Giving arty fuzes options for 'command detonation', 'pressure plate', etc would be extremely stupid not to mention a gross waste of money.

" Giving arty fuzes options for 'command detonation', 'pressure plate', etc would be extremely stupid not to mention a gross waste of money." And in the moment of need those bombs can be quickly improvised. Not wise to build special fuses, better to train personnel to build improvised bombs if such is envisioned as a needed capability. Leave the fuse away, take fuse from handgrenade and stick it into the shell with some explosive (whatever you got) and voila... you got a primitive wire/suicide detonated bomb. My friends who have served in Finnish sissi (guerrilla/ranger/force recon) companies have been building these lil things and it isnt hard at all. If you got radio/IR commanded fuses, it becomes very easy..

The fuze with the guidance system is more important than combining time & proximity functions in the same fuze. Precision guidance is the future for all ordinance. But it is nice to have fewer fuzes in the ammo load. Too bad this MOFA did not appear thirty years ago.