Enhanced Lethality Munitions for Army Applications

In order to destroy ballistic and cruise missile threats with chemical, biological, HE or nuclear warheads in hit-to-kill or shoot-to-kill scenarios by PAC-3 or THAAD like systems (under the realities of limited targeting accuracy) lethality enhancement is needed. Discrimination of balloons and the potential RV kill in the exo can also benefit from more lethal warheads. Highly energetic-reactive composites of several densities have been shown to increase damage to simulated RV targets and balloons by at least a factor of ten at velocities close to 5 km/sec. The proposed program describes several formulation approaches, which will improve material properties and reduce production costs accelerate technology insertion and transition the technology into a stage where missile designers can identify uses as reactive projectiles or reactive missile structure members functioning non-parasitically prior to impact. Several synthesis concepts will be evaluated and all pertinent measurements will be made to establish acceptable physical and reactive properties. As an optional task, ballistic evaluation is proposed against a realistic target set.