Raytheon Company

Brandon Cundiff

John J Spilotro

Thomas H Bootes

Keith A Kerns

Jesse T Waddell

Wayne Y Lee

Jason M Shire

Kim L Christianson

An existing munition may be modified, using a modification kit, to provide enhanced fragmentation effects. The munition may be enclosed in an airframe, which also contains preformed fragments, and one or more adapters may be used to provide connections through the airframe. The adapters may be used to substitute for types of connectors already on the existing munition. The adapters may include one or more of an adapter for coupling a tail kit to a tail of the munition, an adapter for coupling a nose kit to a nose of the munition, and an adapter for coupling lugs to the munition. The adapters may engage couplers on the munition, and/or may engage the airframe. The modification of the existing munition may transform the existing munition into a fragmentation weapon, for example usable for height-of-burst detonation to spread fragments over a large area.

Munition modification kit and method of modifying munition

A fragmentation munition has a fragmentation canister containing preformed fragments, and an explosive cartridge that fits into a central hole in the fragmentation canister. The explosive cartridge includes an outer shell, and an explosive within the outer shell. The munition may be configured to precisely deliver fragments to a relatively small area, such as an area that is a few meters in radius. Toward that end the explosive may be configured primarily to rupture the housing and secondarily to spread fragments over a limited area. The main kinetic energy of the fragments is from the acceleration they gain as part of the munition falls from a launcher, such as a carrier aircraft. The dispersed fragments may have a similar downward velocity after controlled dispersal by the explosive, allowing them considerable kinetic energy (considerable penetrating power), but with a precisely controlled dispersal area.

Fragmentation munition with limited explosive force

A munition that is adapted to enhance fragmentation effects upon detonation includes preformed fragments between a casing and a shell. The overall mass of the preformed fragments is greater than the overall combined mass of the casing and the shell for enhancing the degree of controlled fragmentation compared to uncontrolled fragmentation. By enhancing the dispersal of controlled fragmentation, the overall fragmentation area coverage and fragmentation pattern density may also be enhanced while limiting travel of the fragmentation beyond the target area for reducing collateral damage. The preformed fragments may fill a continuous volume between the casing and the shell to effectively utilize the munition volume and to maximize the amount of preformed fragments contained within the shell. The preformed fragments may be free flowing pellets that are poured into the volume between the casing and the shell for enhancing distribution of the fragments and for improving assembly of the munition.

Munition with preformed fragments

A munition has a fuze that is mounted nonparallel to the axis of the munition, for example having a largest extent that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the munition. Shocks from the fuze are transferred through a shock transfer device that is in contact with the fuze, to an initiation device that is also in contact with the shock transfer device. Shocks passing through the shock transfer device to the initiation coupler pass through a relatively narrow neck of the shock transfer device. In the shock transfer device the shock is concentrated and located precisely at the neck, before spreading out again and being transferred to the initiation device. In the initiation device the shock may detonate a high explosive material, which in turn is used to detonate a main explosive of the munition, such as a warhead.

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Oro Valley, AZ, United States of America

Brandon Cundiff