Mine Counter Measure using MEA

Background: Rapid Airborne Mine Clearance System (RAMICS) The Rapid Airborne Mine Clearance System (RAMICS) is one of four airborne mine countermeasures systems A laser-imaging, helicopter-borne gun system, designed by Northrop Grumman Corporation for the U.S. Navy to destroy mines at sea, fires at underwater targets with a 30mm MK44 Bushmaster II cannon manufactured by ATK Armament Systems The 30mm MK44 Bushmaster II cannon fires a supercavitating round ( MK258 Armor Piercing, Fin Stabilized, Discarding Sabot-Tracer {APFSDS-T} Anti-Mine Projectile Hydroballistic Ammo 30mm Ammunition). Unlike conventional projectiles that lose velocity upon hitting water, a supercavitating round has a unique configuration allowing it to maintain velocity, direction and kinetic energy, after entering water, to destroy a mine upon impact RAMICS is designed to obtain target data from another Northrop Grumman mine countermeasures product: the Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS) Problems Requires use of helicopter-mounted 30mm MK44 Bushmaster II cannon which helicopters are not designed to fire as there is too much recoil Helicopter platform is required as supercavitating rounds used by RAMICS need at least a 50 degree elevation to maintain its velocity upon entering water

Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS) North Grumman received a $27M contract to upgrade and modify the ALMDS The AN/AES-1 ALMDS is the first airborne organic mine countermeasure system designed to: Detect Classify Pinpoint floating and near surface moored mines Use light detection and ranging (LIDAR) Aspects of the mine countermeasure mission package are found on the Navy’s new LCS Deployed on the MH-60 helicopter

The MH-60S The ALMDS is integrated into the MH-60S helicopter to provide a rapid wide area reconnaissance and assessment of mine threats in mainly confined straits or choke points The MH-60S deploys the AQS-20A Mine Detection System and an Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS) for identifying submerged objects in coastal waters ALMDS is used for the mine countermeasures (MCM) on the new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).

Archerfish Airborne Mine Neutralization System The system is designed to work in concert with sonar systems. The sonar systems localize and identify sea mines, after which the AMNS reacquires and destroys the mines with a self contained shaped charge. MH-60S aircrews will utilize the Archerfish neutralization system to remotely navigate to the target from the helicopter using information gained from the systems onboard sonar and ultimately its camera while in close proximity to its intended target. After the neutralizer reaches its target, the operator initiates the burning of the shaped charge, which destroys the target. It cost around $100K to destroy a mine

M.E.A. - Multi Environment Ammunition Cost Effective Solution: Rapid Airborne Mine Neutralization System with the .50 cal MG/MEA or a 20mm Gun/MEA M.E.A. - Multi Environment Ammunition (The 12.7mm APSX) or 20mm MEA

Current Ammo Problems with current (standard) ammo Conventional rounds fired from the air do not work in water. Trying to defend against water-borne attacks , such as swarming boats, where rounds have to penetrate water barriers, such as waves, to hit a target is futile. Conventional rounds in route to a target, instead of entering the water, may ricochet off the water’s surface, losing velocity and also proving futile against swarm attacks Destroying mines and defending against swarming surface attacks are excellent applications of supercavitating rounds While various forms of supercavitating ammunition have existed for many years, they have major drawbacks: require steep angle of water entry (>60 degrees) – so unsuitable for firing from surface vessels require fins for stable flight, so much larger caliber weapon needed (30mm cannon to fire 9mm dart – RAMICS) Core Cavity boundary

Why MEA? The US Navy needs new rounds for the RAMICS The RAMICS program limitations due to: 30mm cannon needed to fire just 9mm darts MK258 Armor Piercing, Fin Stabilized, Discarding Sabot-Tracer (APFSDS-T), Anti-Mine Projectile Hydroballistic Ammo 30mm Ammunition Requires a Helicopter Platform The 12.7 mm APSX MEA is in production in the USA Can be fired from: Ships due to low entry angle Helicopters – using existing .50 cal weapons UUVs – Mount .50 cal and fire 12.7 mm MEA No need to install heavy 30mm gun .50 cal or a 20mm gun with MEA can do the job Lighter, safer and more deployable solution Proven in sea trials against real underwater targets

The Most Effective Solutions for Destroying Mines The 12.7mm APSX MEA (only requires an ammo change) Achieve mine destruction with only .50 caliber Immediately deployable in standard weapons on surface and airborne platforms Enables use of UUV as re-usable mine countermeasures platform MEA rounds enter the water without danger of ricocheting even when multiple air/water entries are involved (i.e. passing through waves) Are capable of penetrating steel targets underwater at an underwater range up to 60m for 12.7mm Rapid response clearance capability against near-surface and surface (floating) moored mines Higher performance and lower cost compared to older supercavitating rounds Standoff capability to destroy mines with great speed and accuracy MEA rounds enter or leave water at very low angles Currently in production in the USA in 12.7mm and 7.62mm

MEA Features Low angle water entry Low angle armor piercing (cylindrical shapes) Multiple-layer targets From Air or Water to Air or Water Calibre-sized holes (depending on application) Burst Charges capability Greatly extended range in air (by up to 25%) Used in standard weapons without modification Up to 31 times more effective energy transfer to target than MK258 design (30mm) Calibre Air Range Underwater range 20mm >120% standard 150 metres 12.7mm >2000 m 60 metres

Detecting Mines at Sea Using Blue/Green Lasers

Rapid Airborne Mine Neutralization System with the M2HB or 20mm Gun/MEA Line of Fire System Computes: •True Target Vector • Slant Range • Gimbal Angles (Roll, Pitch) • Target Angles in FOV •Boresight Laser Vector • Slant Range to Surface Spot • Spot Angles in FOV •Line of Fire Compensating for: •Geometric Effects •Ballistic Effects •Kinematic Effects Boresight laser Vector to boresight laser True target vector Sensor FOV

MEA can destroy sea mines using .50 cal or 20mm gun Advantages: -Detect -Classify -Pinpoint mines- The ALMDS -DESTROY (REAL TIME) with the MEA 7.62 = 20m Cal .50 = 60m 20mm = 100m Using MEA eliminates the need to install heavy 30mm guns No need to reconfigure the Helicopter Real time engagement/neutralization

Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) can destroying Mines Using the MEA Guns .50 cal machine gun 20mm Phalanx No gun modification required!!! Low Angle of Entry!! 7,62N = 20m Cal .50 = 60m 20mm = 100m under water

SHOOTING FROM THE AIR INTO THE WATER (RANGE 10M) MEA 12.7x99 12.7 APSX SPECIFICATIONS Bullet type APSX Bullet weight (g) 60 Core weight (g) 53 Core diameter (mm) 12.6 Muzzle velocity (m/sec) 780 Recoil Momentum (kgxs) 6.7 SHOOTING IN THE AIR X (range in m) V (velocity in m/sec) E (energy in Joule) 500 651 11230 1000 524 7270 1500 402 4280 2000 326 2820 SHOOTING FROM THE AIR INTO THE WATER (RANGE 10M) 10 627 10420 20 510 6890 30 415 4560 40 338 3030 50 275 223 1320 Samples available In production now Discarding sabot

Target Effectiveness 12.7 APSX DESCRIPTION RANGE Max supersonic range in air >6300 feet Max effective range in water 200 feet Will penetrate >12 mm steel at 100 feet u/w Proven against torpedo at 75 feet u/w

More capabilities with the 20mm MEA Rounds

Type – R 20mm MEA Type R (MEA): air discarding sabot and spin-stabilized core Key Factors are: Excellent underwater range and performance Stable flight in air out of the muzzle Enters the water without ricocheting at low angles through multiple air/water interfaces (i.e. passing through waves) Excellent armor piercing capability, even at low angles Sub-caliber, but larger diameter or projectile than MK258, enables internal fuse, bursting charge or tracer, if required Compatible with standard weapons Compromise ‘best of both worlds’ option – air/water/low water angle/ enhance performance Greater specific impact energy at any given range underwater

Shooting from the air into the water at range 100m Calculated characteristics of 20…30-mm ammunition with “Type R” underwater rounds Ammunition 20x102 20x128 25x137 25x184 30x173 Ammunition length, mm 168 203 223 288 290 Projectile weight, gram 97 110 172 222 250 Core weight, gram 72 82 130 180 190 Core diameter, mm 12.7 15.6 17.6 18.0 Core area, cm2 1.26 1.91 2.43 2.54 Muzzle velocity, m/sec 1160 1300 1120 1180 1340 Recoil momentum, kg x s 16.8 22.4 31.8 44.6 59.7 Shooting from the air into the water at range 100m Velocity “V” (m/sec) and energy “E” (k Joule) at underwater range “X” (m) X V E 30 700 902 33.4 781 39.6 831 62.2 984 92.0 60 423 6.4 625 16.0 545 19.3 585 30.8 722 49.5 90 256 2.6 433 7.7 380 9.4 412 15.3 530 26.7 120 155 0.9 300 3.7 265 4.6 7.5 389 14.4 150 - 209 1.8 185 2.2 204 286 7.8

Type – F 20mm MEA Type F: air discarding sabot and fin stabilized core Can provide a solution that builds upon the investment made in RAMICS by offering an incremental improvement in overall system performance. This involves replacing the supercavitating core in the current MK258 round with a compatible fin-stabilized projectile designed to use MEA’s cavitating core patent Key Factors are: Penetrator diameter remains unchanged (9mm) Weapon interface with ammunition remains fundamentally unchanged Projectile is still fin-stabilized Design still uses a discarding sabot No weapon modification is necessary Kinetic Energy at range underwater is 6 times greater than with current MK258 supercavitating projectile

Shooting from the air into the water at range 100m Calculated characteristics of 20…30-mm ammunition with “Type F” underwater rounds Ammunition 20x102 20x128 25x137 25x184 30x173 Ammunition length, mm 168 203 223 288 290 Projectile weight, gram 110 120 170 190 230 Core weight, gram 85 95 130 150 Core diameter, mm 9.0 Core area, cm2 0.64 Muzzle velocity, m/sec 1080 1240 1130 1270 1390 Recoil momentum, kg x s 17.2 22.8 31.8 43.9 59.1 Shooting from the air into the water at range 100m Velocity “V” (m/sec) and energy “E” (k Joule) at underwater range “X” (m) X V E 30 705 21.1 876 36.4 897 52.3 1039 81.0 1165 115 60 461 618 18.1 712 32.9 850 54.2 976 80.9 90 301 3.9 437 565 20.7 695 36.2 817 56.7 197 1.6 308 4.5 449 13.1 568 24.2 685 39.9 129 0.7 218 2.3 356 8.2 465 16.2 574 28.0

Type-U 20mm MEA Type U: water-discarding sabot Key Factors are: During flight through air, projectile is stabilized by the sabot, which operates as the tail fin. Most suitable for underwater targets Key Factors are: Optimum underwater range and specific impact energy (30 times impact energy/m2 compared to current MK258) Smooth bore or rifled weapons can be used Weapon does not require modification Low angle of water entry enables deployment from ships/boats/aircraft

Shooting from the air into the water at range 100m Calculated characteristics of 20…30-mm ammunition with “Type U” underwater rounds Ammunition 20x102 20x128 25x137 25x184 30x173 Ammunition length, mm 168 203 223 288 290 Projectile weight, gram 105 115 165 220 250 Core weight, gram 82 90 125 180 200 Core diameter, mm 12.7 14.5 16.0 16.5 Core area, cm2 1.26 1.65 2.0 2.13 Muzzle velocity, m/sec 1110 1270 1150 1190 1340 Recoil momentum, kg x s 17.2 22.6 31.5 44.6 59.7 Shooting from the air into the water at range 100m Velocity “V” (m/sec) and energy “E” (k Joule) at underwater range “X” (m) X V E 30 770 24.3 940 39.8 883 48.7 991 88.4 1163 169 60 534 11.7 697 21.9 678 28.7 825 61.2 992 123 370 5.6 516 12.0 521 17.0 687 42.5 854 91.2 120 257 2.7 383 6.8 400 10.0 572 29.4 735 67.5 150 178 1.3 283 3.6 307 5.9 476 20.4 633 50.1

Additional Supercavitation Benefits Enhanced Effect of the ‘Super’ Cavity Near misses are still effective Destructive effect of collapsing cavity even with 300mm near misses Cavity persists in water (more than 30 metres for 30mm) Increases chances of destroying target

More Capabilities with MEA Without MEA 30 mm cannon required Heavy weapon Excessive recoil 9mm penetrator Fins required High angle ( >60 deg) needed Must be helicopter fired Multiple passes required for detect to engagement sequence With MEA 12.7 / 20 / 25 / 27 / 30 mm MEA Lighter-weight weapon Acceptable recoil 12.7 mm and larger With or w/o fins Very low angles ( >2 deg) Ship, land, or air platform MEA can neutralize naval mines from high or low angles

Comparison of “W” parameters for 30mm ammunition E – energy of collision between core (bullet) and target S – area of contact between core (bullet) and target Parameter of effect upon target & explosive: W = E x S (k Joule x cm2) Ammunition 30x173 Projectile type R U F RAMICS Parameter “W” at underwater range “X” X W m k Joule x cm2 30 233 360 73.6 50.1 60 125 262 51.8 25.6 90 67.8 194 36.3 13.0 120 36.6 144 25.5 6.6 150 19.8 106 17.9 3.4 At 150metres underwater range, MEA types have up to 31 x greater Kinetic Energy Area compared to MK258 projectile – from same weapon

Conclusions RAMICS program limited due to 30mm rounds (darts) fired from a helicopter – not usable from ships The 12.7mm APSX MEA is a perfect solution! Currently in production within the USA Can accomplish the mine countermeasures mission with .50 caliber weapons already installed Can be fired from a helicopter or from a ship due to its low entry angle capability The ALMDS is integrated into the MH-60S helicopter to provide a rapid wide area reconnaissance and assessment of mine threats in mainly confined straits or choke points. Just by installing a .50 cal into the MH-60S, pilots can destroy mines with the MEA immediately after detecting them. No need to reconfigure the MH 60S with the Archerfish. Only needs an ammo change and no gun modification Provides a cost effective solution (Less than $10k/Mines) The 12.7mm APSX MEA is available NOW!

Reference Points NATO Industrial Advisory Group (NIAG) Study 159 ‘Hardkill Torpedo Countermeasures’ recommended MEA supercavitating gunfire as the best complementary hardkill solution to Anti-Torpedo Torpedo for ship defense (June 2012) A European navy has successfully trialed MEA 12.7 APSX against torpedo with ‘fatal damage’ to real (static) torpedo, fired from air to water with single shots, through 25 metres of water at 15 degrees angle of incidence. (Scaled trial: actual application will use Medium Calibre) DSGT has proven MEA effectiveness against a real torpedo at 125 metres underwater range, using 30mm MEA, penetrating at very low angles MEA independently evaluated by NATO Industrial Advisory Group (NIAG) study as most effective hardkill solution for ship defence

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