The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras is partnering with Munitions India Limited to develop the country’s first 155mm “smart” artillery round.
The two-year initiative seeks to develop a shell with a range of 38 kilometers (23 miles) and a circular error probability of 10 meters (33 feet), 50 times greater accuracy than the country’s current rounds, according to an IIT Madras press release.
The fin-stabilized, canard-controlled, guided shell will feature three-fuse operation: point detonation, height of burst, and delayed detonation, with greater lethality than existing shells at the terminal impact point.
To Use Indigenous Navigation
Additionally, it will be compatible with 39 and 45 caliber 155mm artillery guns and use the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System-guided GPS back-up to remain free of “foreign agency involvement.”
“The special purpose shell will house the guidance, navigation and control system along with roll isolation strategies, canard actuation system, fuze, shell body and warhead,” G Rajesh, Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Madras explained.
“The smart projectile will have complex technologies such as miniaturized electronics/sensors and mechanical structures.”
