Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC

The US Army is moving ahead with two major programmes to improve its capabilities in anti-tank and tactical missile systems.

Before the end of the year, the US Army is to award four system definition contracts for the Common Missile- which will be the standard anti-tank weapon fired from attack helicopters and ground vehicles, replacing the Raytheon BGM-71 TOW and Boeing AGM-114 Hellfire from around 2010.

The competitors are BAE Systems, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon. The US Army plans to award 10 smaller contracts for propulsion and seeker development. Engineering and manufacturing development (EMD)could start in 2004.

Joseph Butler, Army Aviation and Missile Command director of special projects, says at least 50,000 Common Missiles would be built for the army over 10 years. Butler says a memorandum of agreement is also being drafted, outlining potential Common Missile modifications to satisfy US Navy/Marine Corps requirements, which are "significantly different".

A request for information was issued in November to assess the technical maturity of Common Missile concepts for a 48-month EMD programme involving one or two contractors. A risk-reduction phase runs between now and the end of fiscal year 2003.

The Common Missile programme may, however, yield common components, such as a warhead or seeker, that would be mated to different airframes.

Butler envisages a tri-mode seeker with millimetre wave, imaging infrared and semi-active laser sensors. "Gel" fuels - highly viscous, semi-solid propellant that combines the characteristics of solid and liquid propellants - and "pintle" variable-thrust rocket motors will also be investigated.

Meanwhile, although the army is close to approving development of a unitary-warhead Lockheed Martin MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), it may be years before it enters service.

Brig Gen John Holly, the US Army programme executive officer for tactical missiles, says the project is progressing following the drafting of an operational requirements document (ORD). "It's in the staffing process, as it comes out, we'll have a valid ORD and we'll do what the user wants," says Holly.

Late last year, Lockheed Martin said it could deliver a unitary-warhead ATACMS within three months as the result of fast-track development during Operation Allied Force against Yugoslavia. But plans to field the derivative were shelved after the ceasefire.

Holly is in no rush to begin development and procurement. He says: "The previous quick response activity may or may not have included all the capabilities we'd really like in a unitary munition. We now have the time to recognise what the real requirements are."

Source: Flight International