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14 Apr 16. Simmel Difesa expands 40mm LV ammunition range. Simmel Difesa has developed a complete suite of 40 x 46 mm low-velocity (LV) grenades that are insensitive munition (IM)-compliant and fitted with point-detonating self-destruct (PD SD) fuzes.
The latest round to be developed by the company is the 40 mm LV Enhanced Blast-Self-Destruct IM (LV EB-SD IM), which is of the thermobaric type and highly effective in urban operations, but this has yet to be qualified.
The LV High Explosive Fragmentation Self-Destruct IM (LV HE-FRAG-SD IM) is filled with an insensitive polymer-bonded explosive (PBX)-based HE charge fitted with a dual-safety fuze that complies with MIL-STD-1316. This munition has a lethal radius area of up to 10 m from the point of impact and is already in low rate initial production, with testing supported by the Italian Army.
For engaging more resilient targets, Simmel Difesa is offering the 40 mm HE-Dual Purpose-SD (HE-DP-SD) round, which is capable of producing a simultaneous blast and fragmentation effect. This has a lethal radius of up to 10 m and will also penetrate up to 80 mm of conventional steel armour.
Development of the 40 mm HE-DP-SD round is complete and will be qualified by mid-2016.
As a lower-cost alternative, the company also manufactures a 40 mm LV HE-FRAG that is not IM-compliant.
For training purposes the 40mm target practice grenade provides the same ballistic characteristics as the live grenades and can be fired from any LV grenade launcher. A target practice marker grenade, which produces a highly visible orange dye on impact, is also being offered.
According to Simmel Difesa, the ballistic performance of the new LV grenades are consistent throughout the range, with a maximum muzzle velocity of 78 m/s and a maximum stated range of 430 m.
(Source: IHS Jane’s)
12 Apr 16. Raytheon Said to Lobby for More of a Missile That Failed a Test. Raytheon Co. is asking Congress to increase purchases of a U.S. Navy missile interceptor even as the Pentagon investigates the defensive weapon’s failure in a test, according to people familiar with the contractor’s efforts.
The company wants congressional defense committees to add 17 SM-3 IB missiles — at a cost of $179 million — to the Missile Defense Agency’s request for 35 of the “hit-to-kill” weapons for the fiscal year beginning in October, according to four people who asked not to be identified discussing the behind-the-scenes lobbying.
“Raytheon supports stable and economical production quantities for fiscal 2017, as funded in prior and current years,” spokesman Michael Doble said via e-mail when asked about the request. He didn’t comment on whether Waltham, Massachusetts-based Raytheon was seeking an increase.
The push for more of the weapons — fired from Navy ships to destroy short-to-intermediate range missiles — comes after a $12m missile was lost early in flight during a Oct. 31 intercept test. The Missile Defense Agency is still reviewing the incident, and an official said the cause appears to be a bad component that inadvertently made it through the quality acceptance process.
‘Slipped Through’
“It looks like we potentially had a component in the missile that just slipped through acceptance testing,” Rear Admiral Johnny Wolfe, head of naval missile defense for the agency, said in an interview. “You never want to have production issues but unfortunately, those things happen.”
Doble of Raytheon said the missile, which was declared operational in 2014, “has an impressive flight test record. These interceptors are deployed worldwide protecting the U.S. and its allies against ballistic missile threats. We are working closely with our Missile Defense Agency customer to fully resolve issues that surfaced during” flight testing.
Before the failure, the missile formally known as