BOFORS DEFENCE - SMART MORTAR AND ARTILLERY AMMUNITION

STRIX SMART MORTAR-LAUNCHED PROJECTILE

STRIX is a 120mm mortar-launched, terminally guided, top attack projectile for combating armour. It is the only operational weapon of its kind in the world. When STRIX is launched it flies right onto the target area and attacks the target from above where the armour protection is weakest, devastating it with behind-armour effect. The passive IR target seeker automatically finds the target at any time of the day or night and in difficult countermeasure environments.

STRIX superior hit probability is based on its IR target seeker and side thruster jets, controlled by built-in smart image and guidance processors. STRIX discriminates between dummy targets and burning targets.

The STRIX projectile can be launched from all standard smooth bore 120mm mortar systems and has a range exceeding 7km. Its advanced shaped charge has the ability to penetrate reactive armour. It is extremely accurate, easy to handle, easy to maintain and is designed for easy training. STRIX is a real fire-and-forget system and gives a new dimension to mortar launchers - deadly accuracy.

STRIX is a Bofors Defence/Saab Bofors Dynamics joint project.

TCM TRAJECTORY CORRECTABLE MUNITIONS

On the modern battle field there is no time for artillery guns to carry out ranging fire: a target must be hit with the first round.

The TCM round, which always finds its target , carries fins for aerodynamic trajectory correction and electronics for communicating with GPS and the land-based fire control system. It can be fitted with BONUS submunitions for hard targets or DPICM bomblets for semi-hard and soft targets or a warhead for bunkers or naval targets.

The fire control system comprises a micro wave link, which gives the projectile’s position, a unit for calculating the trajectory and the trajectory correction vector. The fire control system can control 6 guns and 24 rounds simultaneously.

The TCM hits the target within a radius less than 20m from the target centre at ranges exceeding 60km. No ranging fire is required.

155 BONUS SMART ARTILLERY SHELL

The 155 BONUS is a sensor-fuzed artillery shell for defeating armour at ranges out to 35km and can be fired from several types of 155mm artillery guns. The ballistics are compliant with NATO M864.

The shell carries two submunitions, which are released, at the end of the projectile trajectory. From 175m altitude each submunition, equipped with a passive, multiband IR-sensor, rotates as it descends at 45m/s, searching an area of 32000m² in a helical pattern. Immediately a target is detected, the warhead releases a highly accurate explosively formed penetrator (EFP) which destroys the target by striking from above.

Instead of a parachute the submunitions are equipped with fixed wings, This ensures that the descent is stable, scanning is rapid and detection by enemy sensors is difficult. With the passive sensor system hardware costs are reduced, hostile armour activities are easier to detect and the submunitions give very little or no warning before destroying the target.

BONUS, a Bofors Defence of Sweden/GIAT Industries of France joint programme, is also a co-operation project between Sweden (Swedish Defence Materiel Administration) and France (DGA), is scheduled for series production in the year 2000. Sweden and France have awarded the contract for full scale production.

Bofors Defence
SE-69180 Karlskoga
Sweden
Tel: +46 8 586 81500
Fax: +46 8 586 85030
E-mail: mailto:anders.l.gustavsson@boforsdefence.se,%20army@nri-ltd.com?subject=enquiry from www.army-technology.com
URL: http://www.boforsdefence.se/