Germany’s GIWS, a joint venture company between Diehl Defence and Rheinmetall Weapons and Munitions, has confirmed that qualification of its relaunched SMArt 155 artillery projectile will be undertaken between 2022 and 2024.
Qualification is to be followed by a Phase 4 production programme between 2024 and 2027 for the German Army, under which a significant number are to be procured to replenish stockpiles.
The complete SMArt155 artillery projectile (middle) with submunitions containing an EFP warhead deployed by a parachute (left and right). (GIWS)
According to GIWS, extensive trials by the German Army have confirmed that SMArt 155 has a dud rate of less than 1%, which was proved during the original qualification programme as well as continuous ammunition surveillance firing.
The current SMArt 155 has two top attack munitions that each have a heavy metal explosively formed penetrator (EFP) warhead, but it is understood an alternative warhead or potentially a mix of two different warheads is being considered.
When fired from a 155 mm/39-calibre system, the SMArt 155 can reach a maximum range of 22.5 km, and this is increased to 27.5 km when fired from a 155 mm/52-calibre system such as the Krauss-Maffei Wegmann PzH 2000 self-propelled artillery system, which is the German Army’s only conventional tube artillery system. The SMArt 155 range could be increased by using a base bleed (BB) unit.
Aside from Germany, the SMArt 155 is also deployed by Australia, Greece, and Switzerland, with more than 12,000 produced during the original production run. According to Klas Moerner von Morlanda, a senior vice-president for Rheinmetall Defence’s weapon and ammunition business unit, “There is already high interest for future sales of the SMArt 155 to many NATO and EU Nations.”
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