Automated Weapons Assembly and Missile De-canning System

Opportunities exist today to utilize proven robotics technology to automate the process of building air-launched ready service weapons aboard aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships. Affordable and reliable automated systems, working in concert with crew members, promise means to increase ordnance throughput rates sufficiently to support the most aggressive sortie generation rates, while significantly reducing crew workload and improving safety. Two flexible, reconfigurable automation systems are proposed to perform different, but related functions: First, a work cell will be developed that is capable of assisting ordnancemen in the assembly of bomb-based ordnance, including MK-80 and BLU-series gravity bombs and precision-guided munitions such as the JDAM and Paveway. Second, a work cell will be developed that is capable of removing missiles and other all up rounds from their shipping containers and loading MHU-191 transport skids automatically. In Phase I, a detailed analysis of current weapons assembly and de-canning operations will be conducted and a concept for the overall system and key subsystems will be developed and evaluated. In Phase II, an engineering prototype of a JDAM assembly system will be built and demonstrated.