Fire and Forget Non-Lethal Kinetic Energy Munition

"The military requires a range-variable, non-lethal kinetic energy munition that is non-lethal over their entire engagement range from muzzle to a maximum range of 100m. An ideal munition would incorporate a highly accurate fuse and proximity sensor thatwould sense the target range and /or some other system that programs their time to function. On signal, the munitions would adjust their configurations to be non-lethal based upon the sensed range to target by increasing their surface area or by usingsome braking technology. The system needs to be near 100 percent reliable so that a full velocity projectile that has not reconfigured its shape to be non-lethal never hits the target.A Phase I effort is proposed to develop an optical fused non-lethal munition that can be fired at muzzle velocity that will put the munition 100m down range but can be decelerated to non-lethal impact velocities within several meters. The proposedmunitions will be 40 mm and 20 mm and will be designed to fit existing weapons. The proposed work will also review non-lethal impacts and strive to define guidelines for safe but effective non-lethal impacts. (P-020583) The successful development of the Fire and Forget Non-Lethal munition will provide military and civilian user communities with a variable range munition that is non-lethal throughout the munition's entire operational range. The successful development ofa 40 mm and a 20 mm optical fuse will make