ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE (EMI)/ELETRO MAGNETIC PULSE (EMP) HIGH POWER MICROWAVE (HPM) PROTECTION FOR PACKAGED AMMUNITION

MODERN BATTLEFIELD CONDITIONS POSE SEVERE ELECTROMAGNETIC ENVIRONMENTS TO MILITARY ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS. SUCH THREATS RANGE FROM ENEMY GENERATED NUCLEAR EMP AND HPMS TO FRIENDLY RADAR AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM RF RADIATIONS. WHILE THESE THREATS HAVE BEEN INCREASING IN POWER AND FREQUENCY, THE FUZES USED IN MODERN WEAPONS HAVE BEEN INCREASINGLY BASED ON SENSITIVE ELECTRONICS, SUCH AS INTEGRATED CIRCUITS FOR TIMING, RADAR ALTITUDE SENSORS, AND PROXIMITY FUZES. THESE SENSORS, IN CONJUNCATION WITH THEIR ELECTRONIC DETONATORS, MAY BE ACTIVATED BY THE VARIOUS ELECTROMAGNETIC THREATS. THE ISSUES ADDRESSED IN THIS SBIR PROGRAM WILL BE: 1WHAT LEVEL OF HARDENING IS DESIRED BY THE ARMY FROM THE AMMUNITION CONTAINERS? THIS GIVES GUIDANCE IN THE DETERMINATION OF WHAT TYPE OF MEASURES NEED TO BE TAKEN IN MODIFYING THE CONTAINERS. 2WHAT IS THE PRESENT SHIELDING EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PRESENT AMMUNITION CASES? IF SOME TYPES OF PRESENT CASES OFFER SIGNIFICANT SHIELDING, THERE MAY NOT BE ANY NEED FOR MODIFYING SUCH CASES. SIMILARITY, KNOWING THE PRESENT SHIELDING EFFECTIVENESS OF PRESENT CASES WILL AID IN IDENTIFYING HARDENING MODIFICATIONS. 3WHAT TYPE OF MODIFICATIONS CAN BE MADE TO THE CONTAINERS? INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE ARE THE ADDED QUESTIONS A) WHAT IS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EACH MODIFICATION AND B) WHAT IS THE COST OF EACH TYPE OF MODIFICATION?