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| Precision Guided Mortar Munitions | |
|---|---|
| Name | Precision Guided Mortar Munitions |
| Type | Mortar munition |
Precision Guided Mortar Munitions Precision Guided Mortar Munitions are mortar rounds fitted with terminal guidance and control surfaces to improve accuracy beyond conventional indirect fire. They intersect technologies and doctrines associated with Cold War, Gulf War, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and contemporary Russo-Ukrainian War battlefields. They are developed by firms and institutions such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Technologies, BAE Systems, Rheinmetall, and national arsenals tied to programs like U.S. Army Futures Command, Defence Research and Development Organisation, Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom).
Precision Guided Mortar Munitions combine sensor suites, navigation systems, and aerodynamic control surfaces to convert legacy mortar tubes into precision strike systems used by formations influenced by doctrines from NATO, United Nations Peacekeeping, North Atlantic Treaty Organization interoperability standards, and expeditionary forces participating in operations like Operation Anaconda and Operation Desert Storm. Typical systems align with procurement pathways overseen by agencies such as U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, European Defence Agency, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, and national procurement bodies of France, Germany, Israel, India, and China. Their employment intersects with platforms and programs including M777 howitzer, Bradley Fighting Vehicle, Stryker, HIMARS, and airborne units training under institutions like United States Army Infantry School and Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
Early experiments in guided munitions trace to programs of World War II and research institutes like Sandia National Laboratories and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; post‑Cold War impetus came from conflicts in the Balkans and lessons from Gulf War urban precision needs. Programs such as Advanced Mortar System and cooperative projects between Israel Aerospace Industries and Elbit Systems accelerated fieldable designs adopted after testing at ranges managed by facilities like Aberdeen Proving Ground and Dauphin Island Test Facility. Acquisition milestones were influenced by combat reports from Operation Iraqi Freedom and policy reviews at ministries modeled on Pentagon and Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) staff processes that prioritized precision, reduced collateral risk, and logistics integration with networks like Global Positioning System and tactical data links used in Operation Inherent Resolve.
Guidance architectures integrate inertial measurement units developed from research at MIT, satellite navigation from Global Positioning System and complementary systems like GLONASS and BeiDou, and seekers based on technologies from Northrop Grumman and Thales Group. Seeker types include semi‑active laser homing influenced by doctrine tied to units such as U.S. Army Special Forces and electro‑optical imaging sensors derived from programs at DARPA and laboratories at California Institute of Technology. Control mechanisms employ canards, folding fins, or jet‑vane actuators informed by aerodynamics research at National Aeronautics and Space Administration and wind‑tunnel data from Cranfield University. Warhead options trace lineage to designs vetted by committees like NATO Science and Technology Organization and safety standards from institutions including International Committee of the Red Cross discussions on proportionate targeting.
Notable families include GPS/INS guided rounds fielded by contractors such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies, laser‑guided variants from companies like Elbit Systems and Israel Military Industries, and hybrid terminal seekers produced by Rheinmetall and MBDA. Calibers cover common NATO sizes influenced by inventories of U.S. Marine Corps and British Army mortar platoons, with modular kits enabling retrofit of legacy munitions similar to approaches used in Smart munitions programs. Experimental approaches echo concepts from Precision Guided Munition efforts and remote‑sensing research linked to European Space Agency satellite imagery used for battle damage assessment.
Tactical employment integrates forward observers and joint terminal attack controllers trained at Joint Fires Observer courses and units like 1st Infantry Division or 3rd Brigade Combat Team; targeting workflows coordinate through command posts modeled on Combined Joint Task Force staff structures and sensor networks exploiting assets such as Predator UAV, Reaper, and manned reconnaissance aircraft like AH‑64 Apache. Use cases span counter‑battery fire influenced by doctrines from Field Artillery School (U.S.), urban precision strikes in scenarios similar to Siege of Mosul (2016–17), and distributed lethality concepts championed by think tanks like RAND Corporation. Logistics and sustainment tie into supply chains run by organizations like U.S. Army Materiel Command and export controls framed by treaties including Arms Trade Treaty deliberations.
Advantages include increased accuracy analogous to results seen with Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System munitions, reduced munitions expenditure per target as argued in analyses by Center for Strategic and International Studies, and lower collateral effects cited in reports from Human Rights Watch. Limitations encompass vulnerability to electronic warfare measures developed by units associated with Russian Armed Forces and People's Liberation Army, cost per round considerations reviewed by Government Accountability Office, and performance constraints in contested GPS environments examined in symposia hosted by Royal United Services Institute and International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Operators include armed forces of United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Israel, India, Turkey, Pakistan, Australia, Ukraine, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates with procurement managed through channels like Foreign Military Sales and bilateral agreements modeled on deals such as those between United States and Israel or France and Gabon. Acquisition programs are often coordinated with defense industrial bases involving conglomerates such as BAE Systems, Thales Group, Rheinmetall, and national arsenals like Ordnance Factory Board (India) and overseen by export and certification regimes informed by NATO Standardization Office.
Category:Weapons