16 · MT 5/2022 Defence of the US and its Allies Northrop Grumman reports the increased fielding of the M230LF to defence forces around the globe. One use case finds the M230LF integrated into Kongsberg’s RS6 on a Patria vehicle. (Photo: Northrop Grumman) 75-100 rounds. This represents up to 30 stowed kills against small UAS before the weapons station must be reloaded”. Further, the Pentagon’s Group 1 (small) rating includes UASs weighing less than 20lbs (9kg) and flying lower than 1,200ft above ground level and at airspeeds less than 100kts. McCollum also previewed a significant near-term upgrade to the cannon itself. Currently a single- feed cannon, it compels operators to switch back and forth between ammunition types for air and ground targets. “We’re going to solve that issue. We’re developing a dual-feed cannon for which we’ll have a prototype to test in Q1/2024. Once we go to dual-feed, that will take that issue away”. Trends in recent UAS-based attacks in various conflicts increasingly point to a future of swarms of these vehicles being used on the battlefield – beyond current events with potential targets numbering in the single digits. Indeed, recent US DARPA projects with its industry partners have included events in which up to 250 UAS objects are virtually controlled or engaged in swarm events. The briefing team noted that while the US Army customer has addressed C-UAS with “small groups,” large-swarm warfighting constructs is the direction in which future testing and evaluation need to go. McCollum matter-of-factly noted, “To shoot down 100 drones in one engagement gets pretty expensive and that has not been done yet.” Mike Hafften, Northrop Grumman’s Director of Business Development (Ammunition Department), states that, while actual testing has not been done, the company is collecting test and evaluation data in its programmes for inclusion in its modeling and simulation capabilities. Beyond the gun, there are rapid advances in the M230LF’s ammunition offerings. Hafften noted that, within the last 18 months, his team has added a percussion-prime capability, providing the ability “to mitigate issues associated with radars and other EM [electro-magnetic] sources that can be on these counter-UAS platforms,” and added, that Northrop Grumman has also introduced two new rounds for the weapon. “We have a new HE round that includes a self-destruct feature and an associated ballistically-matched target practice round for that, too. To further extend our capabilities to support the Counter-UAS mission, we have incorporated an HE proximity sensing airburst round. This is a capability we have developed in conjunction with the US Army that is currently transitioning to production. This round includes our proximity sensor and also our air-bursting warhead but is tailored toward a kinetic kill capability to counter the UAS threat.” Northrop Grumman’s efforts to advance C-UAS kinetic kill capabilities, is hitting a “sweet spot,” of sorts, as it will provide the military commander with a defence-in-layer construct against the evolving UAS threat – as these vehicles are becoming increasingly autonomous in operation, tending to render jamming and other non- kinetic options as less effective. Northrop Grumman is expanding its ML230LF portfolio, consisting of the baseline gun and enabling ammunition, to more fully counter and destroy ground targets, including armour, and UAS. Northrop Grumman’s M230LF (Link Fed) Bushmaster Chain Gun is the latest derivative of the M230 cannon, fielded on the AH-64 Apache helicopter for the last three decades. The company is advancing the baseline gun by enhancing the weapon for overmatch and greater lethality on any fielded platform in three core mission sets: ground engagement, counter-UAS (C-UAS) and armour defeat. At a 24 August virtual Northrop Grumman media briefing attended by MilTech, the company reported more than 700 M230LFs have been delivered worldwide, with an unspecified number on order. Northrop Grumman and its M230LF defence customers are working rapidly to extend the weapon’s capabilities beyond its 2,000m max. range, while simultaneously offering other enhancements. The company further reported the weapon is capable of firing its full range of 30x113mm ammunition, to include high-explosive (HE) dual-purpose, HE-incendiary, proximity and, in the near future, guided ammunition. Gun Enhancements John McCollum, Director of Business Development (Guns Operating Unit) at Northrop Grumman, initially said the M230LF’s increasing popularity among defence forces is due to the cannon’s heritage of reliability and multi-mission capability, in particular for the C-UAS mission – a theme that resonated well for this briefing, given the background of the insatiable appetite by combatants in Ukraine, and other global hot spots, for more and increasingly capable UASs. The executive emphasised, “We can counter small UAS with a deep magazine to be able to address multiple drones down to Group 1-size quadcopters”. After the briefing, he explained for MilTech his statement regarding the deep magazine, noting “The ammunition capacity varies slightly depending on the remote weapon station provider. The ammo cans typically hold between Based in New Orleans, Marty Kauchak covers a wide range of policy, programme and industry issues as MilTech’s North American Bureau Chief. Marty Kauchak Harmonising the ML230LF Northrop Grumman Expands Bushmaster Portfolio f
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM5Mjg=