Two-Material Penetrator Nose for Penetrating Sand and Concrete

ABSTRACT: We propose to develop a two-part nose for a high-speed penetrator to successfully defeat hardened, deeply buried targets. The outer nose has a special shape that ensures stability of the penetrator's trajectory while penetrating a deep earth or sand overburden, to insure that the penetrator reaches its intended target without veering. When the penetrator then encounters a hardened (concrete) target, this outer nose is removed by fracture or erosion, exposing an inner nose that is specially shaped for efficient (low-drag) penetration of concrete. BENEFIT: A single bomb of the smallest possible size can be used to neutralize a hardened deeply buried target, thereby allowing more targets to be addressed per aircraft sortie. The technology is applicable to planetary and cometary geologic probes.