The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which facilitates and manages military equipment exports through the foreign military sales (FMS) programme, has announced changes to the Security Assistance Management Manual (SAMM) for air-to-surface munitions and indirect fire surface-to-surface munitions and their delivery systems.
In a memorandum to users dated 27 November, DSCA director Lieutenant General Charles Hooper amended the regulations for the total package approach for FMS purchasers to be expanded to cover targeting solutions.
Under the new amendments, countries receiving these munitions will be required to have a US targeting solution as part of the total package approach, unless the implementing agency with the US Department of Defense (DoD) has “determined that the country has a sufficient previously established US, indigenous, or third-party solution for targeting infrastructure.”
An EMB 314/A-29 Super Tucano drops a Paveway laser-guided bomb. Countries wanting to acquire systems such as Paveway will need to have improved targeting infrastructure covering areas such as collateral damage and weaponeering. (US Air Force)
Key aspects of the new target development capabilities include assessments by users of potential collateral damage estimations, and weaponeering, which involves planning to ensure that an optimal number or type of weapons are employed to ensure the successful prosecution of a target with the desired effect.
Weaponeering and collateral damage estimations will be required for munitions that use coordinate seeking, laser, infrared, radar-seeking, stand-off, and unguided systems. Target coordinate mensuration (TCM) is also required for coordinate seeking and stand-off munitions. TCM involves the end-user’s ability to generate accurate absolute coordinates for the successful deployment of coordinate seeking systems.
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