United Defense Successfully Demonstrates Course Correcting Fuze for Cannon Artillery; GPS-Based Fuze Expected to Triple Cannon's
09 June 2005 - 1:12AM
Business Wire
United Defense Industries, Inc. (NYSE:UDI) demonstrated a
cost-effective system to improve cannon artillery accuracy with the
successful firing of inert M795 155-mm cannon projectiles equipped
with a two-directional Course Correcting Fuze (CCF). United Defense
has developed this new system with teammates Bofors Defence,
Rockwell Collins and BT Fuze Products. The CCF is a revolutionary,
GPS-based innovation that dramatically improves the effectiveness
of existing cannon artillery ammunition and provides near-precision
accuracy that is critical in combat environments. It can be
employed on all types of U.S. 155-mm and 105-mm projectiles in the
U.S. Field Artillery inventory, and is ready for a fast track full
scale development and early fielding. United Defense successfully
fired M795 rounds equipped with the CCF from a M109A6 Paladin to
ranges of 14.5 kilometers at Yuma Proving Ground. Preliminary
analysis from the demonstration confirmed United Defense's
laboratory analysis and the projectiles equipped with the CCF
achieved a precision error of less than 50 meters - three times
more accurate than the control rounds. "Urban conflict in Iraq has
re-validated the need for accurate and responsive cannon fired
artillery," said Jim Unterseher, director of Army Programs at
United Defense. "This successful CCF demonstration proves an
affordable solution for dramatically improving the accuracy of
cannons has arrived and can be quickly fielded. With CCF, we're
doing for cannon artillery what JDAM did for air delivered
munitions - we're making existing iron projectiles 'smart'." The
CCF makes projectiles more accurate by integrating G-hardened,
military GPS with proven flight control technology. Before a
CCF-equipped round is fired, the target's GPS coordinates are
programmed into the fuze. After the round is fired, the CCF guides
the projectile to the target by deploying three different types of
brakes (deployable fins) that adjust the projectile's range and
deflection. During the projectile's flight, satellites communicate
with the fuze to ensure the brakes deploy at the right time and
continually adjust the projectile's trajectory to guide the round
to its intended target. United Defense's successful demonstration
of the two-directional CCF prototype in a gun-fired environment is
an industry first and it places the system at Technology Readiness
Level 6. "United Defense is pleased to be teamed with the premier
munitions and fuze experts at Bofors Defence and BT Fuze Products,
and munition GPS experts at Rockwell Collins to develop and produce
the CCF," said Keith Howe, vice president and general manager,
United Defense Armament Systems Division. "With more than five
years already invested by this team in the CCF program, we are
positioned to deliver this new capability to the Army in less than
12 months." Building on the success of these latest CCF
demonstrations, the United Defense-led team will continue to
enhance its preliminary CCF design and research a broader range of
applications for the technology. To learn more about the CCF, visit
http://www.uniteddefense.com/media/Course_Correcting_Fuze_press_kit/.
About United Defense United Defense designs, develops and produces
combat vehicles, artillery, naval guns, missile launchers and
precision munitions used by the U.S. Department of Defense and
allies worldwide, and provides non-nuclear ship repair,
modernization and conversion to the U.S. Navy and other U.S.
Government agencies. To learn more about United Defense, visit
http://www.uniteddefense.com. Forward-Looking Statements
Information in this release may involve guidance, expectations,
beliefs, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future.
These forward looking statements involve risks and uncertainties.
All forward looking statements included in this release are based
upon information available to United Defense Industries, Inc., as
of the date of the release, and we assume no obligation to update
any such forward looking statements. The statements in this release
are not guarantees of future performance and actual results could
differ materially from our current expectations. Numerous factors
could cause or contribute to such differences. Please refer to the
Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December
31, 2004, and in our other reports filed from time to time with the
Securities and Exchange Commission for a further discussion of the
factors and risks associated with our business.
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