Article Posted on : - Jun 30, 2010

M789 High Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP) ammunition

ST. PETERSBURG (BNS): US Army has awarded two contracts to General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, in an estimated price of $14 million, for the production of 30mm M789 High Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP) ammunition and Phase III development of 25mm scalable fuze technology.

Both the contracts are given by US Army, under Project Manager for Maneuver Ammunition Systems (PM MAS).

US Army has contracted GD to establish a full-production capability for the M789 cartridge which is the primary tactical round of the Apache AH-64 helicopter, and it is widely used by the army in Iraq and Afghanistan operations.

“Establishing a second, independent production line for the M789 eliminates potential single-point production failure and gives the US Army more resources to meet the growing ammunition needs of the war-fighter, quickly and efficiently,” Tim McAuliffe, vice president and general manager of medium caliber ammunition for General Dynamics, said in the company news release.

The Phase III development effort of the Scalable Medium Cannon Caliber Airburst Fuze Development is an essential overall objective which creates scalable fuze technology that provides a plug-and-play capability for munitions ranging from 25mm to 50mm calibers.

General Dynamics has already completed Phase I and II of the scalable fuze technology.

US Army Bradley Fighting Vehicle and US Marine Corps LAV-25 will get the capability to reach targets in defilade via an airburst projectile by using the 25mm fuze technology.

The technology has already been successfully demonstrated across a variety of weapon platforms from 25mm to 40mm. It also has the ability to detonate a projectile within a hard target by using a selectable or delayed point detonation feature.

US Army is planning to use the scalable technology in its future platforms such as the Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle.