KDI Precision Products, Inc.

3975 McMann Road

Cincinnati, Ohio 45245-2395

Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) Fuzing

Evolving to Meet End User Requirements
51st Annual NDIA Fuze Conference - May 23, 2007
Dave Grilliot & Cory Hatch
www.L-3com.com An ISO 9001 Registered Company
 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) Evolution

• Program History
• System Overview
• Rocket / Fuzing Development
• Conclusions

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 Evolutions in MLRS Rockets

1992
1979
M26A1 ER-MLRS
M26 MLRS

2004 2001
XM30 GMLRS Unitary M30 GMLRS DPICM

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 Evolutions in MLRS Fuzing
1979
M445 1992
M451

2004 2001
GMLRS Unitary ESAF GMLRS DPICM ESAD

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 MLRS History
• Army recognized need for a weapon for counterfire, air defense suppression, and
light armor and personnel targeting
• Supplement available cannon weapons for delivery of a large volume of firepower
in a very short time against critical, time-sensitive targets
• Dec 1975 - MICOM released a RFP to determine the best technical approach for
the General Support Rocket System (GSRS)
• Mar 1979 - Vought launched first GSRS rocket out of its
"six-pack“ launch pod/container from a Self-Propelled
Launcher Loader
• Nov 1979 - GSRS was redesignated MLRS
• Mar 1982 - Vought awarded concept definition contract
to develop a binary chemical warhead (BCW) – XM135
• May 1982 - Vought Corporation delivered the first six
M42 low-rate production rockets (one crated round)
• Feb 1983 - Production qual tests were completed at WSMR
• Nov 1984 - TGW development contract awarded
• Dec 1986 – XM29 SADARM submunitions development contract awarded

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 MLRS History (cont’d)
• FY 1989 - Development of German AT2 warhead program was completed
• Jul 1989 - Delivery of M270 launchers for Army TACMS missiles began
• Feb 1991 - 500th MLRS production launcher rolled out
• Feb 1991 - MLRS BCW (XM-135) program was cancelled.
• Feb 1991 - Alpha Battery, 21st FA launched first MLRS fired in combat
• Jul 1993 - Full-scale production of the MLRS basic rocket ended
• Dec 1993 - ER-MLRS development contract was signed
• FY 1994 - TGW program was terminated
• FY 1994 - SADARM program was terminated due to underfunding
• FY 1994 - Guided MLRS Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD)
initiated
• Oct 1994 - Germans fired first MLRS AT2 with live mines at WSMR
• FY 1996 - Bat-On-A-Rocket Demo Program designed to show that
ATACMS/BAT submunition could be integrated into an MLRS rocket
• May 1996 - ER-MLRS program approved to enter LRIP
• May 1998 - First Guided MLRS flight conducted at WSMR

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 MLRS History (cont’d)
• 1999 - M30 GMLRS DPICM development started
• Jan 2003 - GMLRS SDD phase completed Production Qual Flight Testing
• Oct 2003 - Lockheed Martin was awarded an SDD contract for 86 Guided
Unitary XM31 variant rockets
• 2003 - Lockheed Martin received GMLRS M30 LRIP contract
• 2004 - GMLRS M30 Operational Tests were completed
• Dec 2005 - M30 GMLRS full rate production contract awarded
• May 2005 - XM31 Guided Unitary delivered, following a US Army Urgent Need
statement
• Aug 2005 - XM31 Guided Unitary variant began field testing in Iraq
• Q3/Q4 2005 - 498 XM31 rockets were delivered to the U.S. Army
• Sep 2005 - XM31 GMLRS Unitary fired for first time in combat operations by
3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery (3-13 FA), 214th Field Artillery Brigade

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Page 7
 MLRS System Overview
• Highly mobile, automatic system that fires surface-to-surface rockets and
missiles from M270 platform
• Co-produced by United States, Germany, United Kingdom, France, and
Italy and fielded in 14 countries
• MLRS Family of Munitions (MFOM) includes three rockets and four
missiles with an additional variants in development
• Upgraded in early 1990s to fire Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS)
• Missions completed with crew of three and automated Fire Control System
• Can fire up to 12 MLRS rockets or 2 ATACMS in less than one minute
• MLRS employs the "shoot and scoot" principle to limit vulnerability to
counterbattery fire
• More than 10,000 rockets and 32 ATACMS fired in combat during Desert
Storm and was referred to as “steel rain”

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 MLRS System Overview
• Launcher Fire Control System
Rocked Pods
• Fire Control System
• Rocket Pod
• Rocket
• Stabilizer Fins
• Propulsion Section
• Warhead Section
Stabilizer Fins
• Fuze
• Submunition / Warhead Propulsion Section

Warhead Section

Fuze Submunition

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 M270 / M270A1 Launcher
• Derivative of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV)
• Accommodates the MLRS Family of Munitions
including the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS)
• 12 rockets or 2 ATACMS missiles
• Capable of firing one at a time or in rapid ripples to ranges of
more than 30 kilometers
• Can attain speeds reaching 65km/hr
• Can maneuver over most terrain

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 MLRS Rocket
• MFOM includes three rockets and four missiles with others in
development
• 13 feet long and 9 inches in diameter
• Tube-launched, spin-stabilized, free-flight projectile
• Range is a function of launcher elevation
• Assembled, checked, and packaged in a dual-purpose
launch-storage tube at the factory

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 MLRS Rocket – Major Components
• Four stabilizer fins
• Located on aft end of the rocket
• Provide in-flight stability by maintaining a counterclockwise
spin
• Initial spin is developed by spin rails on inner wall of the
launch tube
• Propulsion section
• Solid propellant rocket motor
• Umbilical cable links the FCS to igniter in rocket nozzle
• Motor ignited by electrical command from FCS
• Warhead section
• Center core burster with submunitions or unitary warhead
• Fuze – Electro-mechanical S&A, ESAD or ESAF

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 Warhead / Submunitions
• M77/M85 Dual Purpose Improved Conventional
submunition (DPICM)
• High explosive grenades detonates on impact
• Case fragments produce antipersonnel effects
• Can penetrate up to four inches of armor
• West German-developed AT2 scatterable mine warhead
• Brilliant Anti-armor Technology (BAT)
• Precision engagement weapon AT2 Mine
• Integrates stand-off delivery accuracy with a
submunition that can kill moving armor columns in the
deep battle zone
• Unitary Warhead
B.A.T.
• 200 pounds of high explosive
• Greatly reduces collateral damage
• Potential for delivering other warheads
Unitary Warhead

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 Baseline M26 Rocket
• Dec 1975 - Started development
• Feb 1983 - Production qualification test program was
successfully completed at WSMR
• Used for counterfire, air defense suppression, and
targeting of light armor and personnel
• Free flight ballistic rocket
• Range limited to approximately 30km
• Function time set into fuze prior to launch
• Dispensed 644 M77 munitions over target area
• Used M445 remote settable fuze

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 Baseline M26 Rocket

SOLID PROPELLANT
ROCKET MOTOR

SABOTS (4)

644
M77
MUNITIONS

FUZE UMBILICAL
ASSEMBLY

POLYURETHANE
FOAM SUPPORT
REMOTE SETTABLE
FUZE (M445) EXPLOSIVE CORE
ASSEMBLY

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 M445 Fuze
• 1978 - Army Harry Diamond Labs (HDL) developed M587
Mortar Fuze
• Interface Hybrid - Honeywell
• Non-volatile Memory Timer – Nitron
• 10 KHz RC Hybrid – Timex
• 1979 - KDI contracted to design, develop, and produce
M445 Fuze
• 1982 - KDI completed development, production
engineering, and qualification phases of the program
• 1983 - Started LRIP
• 1985 - High rate production started
• 10 years production – produced ~700,000 fuzes
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 M445 Fuze
• S&A assembly for mechanical arming
• Contains unique gearless S&A - setback weight runs in zig-zag
path (24 g’s) - used as first safety environment
• Fluidic generator
• Environmentally-energized fluidic generator powered the
electronics
• Used as second safety environment
• Electronics design
• Provided overhead safety for electrical arming
• Remote settable function time: 4.0 – 199.99 seconds
• Firing capacitor held shorted until 3.4 seconds before set
function time
• Used same 3 custom chips at the M587
• Added PA fire circuit and power supply circuit
• Piston actuator removes 2nd rotor lock after electronic delay
based on fluidic generator frequency
• Explosive Output:
• Lead: CH6, 760 mg

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 M26A1/A2 ER-MLRS (Extended Range)
• MLRS was outranged by a majority of foreign systems
• 1993 - LVS officially began the ER-MLRS EMD program
• Rocket motor modified to increase range from 30km to 45km
• Improved accuracy
• Targets include soft and light armored personnel and
equipment
• Smaller warhead section with fewer submunitions
• M26A1 - 518 M85 DPICM submunitions
• M26A2 - 518 M77 DPICM submunitions

• New warhead fuze - XM451 remote settable fuze

• > 14,000 produced

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 M26A1/A2 ER-MLRS

POLYURETHANE
FOAM SUPPORT

REMOTE SETTABLE
FUZE (XM451)
EXPLOSIVE CORE 274MM (10.8 in)
ASSEMBLY LONGER ROCKET MOTOR ASSEMBLY
MODIFIED MLRS
SOLID PROPELLANT
518 M85/M77
DUAL-PURPOSE
GRENADES

FUZE UMBILICAL ASSEMBLY

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 XM451 Fuze
• 1993 - XM451 Fuze Development awarded to KDI
• Increased range and altitude required redesign of fluidic
generator and low power electronics
• XM451 Electronics
• Based on M445 and made compatible with existing setters
• 3 custom chips replaced with custom Timer ASIC with
built in clock and reset
• Reduced current from 20mA to 1mA
• Fluidic Generator
• High altitude reduced the airflow to fluidic generator
• Nozzle body and reed relay redesigned to operate in a
high altitude/low pressure environment
• S&A Device
• Uses same version as M445, XM447, XM448 and TCS
• Safety Environments – Setback and Fluidic Generator
• 1996 - ER-MLRS entered LRIP
• > 16,000 Fuzes produced prior to ending in 2002

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 M30 Guided MLRS (DPICM)
• Began EMD in 1999
• Grew from need for increased range and accuracy
• GPS aided inertial guidance package
• Control actuation system
• Spinning tail fins
• Canards provide basic maneuverability
• Maximum range 60+ km
• Accuracy measured in meters
• Enhanced anti-jam capabilities
• Dispenses 404 M101 DPICM Submunitions
• Decreases number of rockets to defeat targets by as much as 80%
• New Fuze – GMLRS ESAD

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 M30 Guided MLRS (DPICM)

Warhead

ESAD Spinning
Tail Fins
Rocket Motor

DPICM
Guidance Set & (404 M101 Grenades)
Control
Actuation
System

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 KDI ESAD / Technology Evolution
Jan. 1991 - Nov. 1998 Nov. 1998 - Jan. 2002 Jan. 2002 - Today
1st Generation ESAD 2nd Generation ESAD 3rd Generation ESAD
2500 Vdc 1600 Vdc 1250 Vdc
KDI EFI LEEFI (**)

Microcontroller Dual FPGA

MIL Spec thru Hole Components SMT & COTS

Spark Gap Switch N-Channel MCT

Hermetic * = Currently in SDD Hermetic
** = Began incorporating IPS in 2005
Updated: June 2006
1991
1st KDI ESAD WCMD-ER
ATACMS ESAD FTSA
NLOS-LS ESAD*
1992
JASSM ESAF *
PATRIOT ESAD 1st KDI SFW ESAD AWS ESAF *
Dual Redundant ESAD & FTSA ESAD Guided MLRS Guided MLRS
Using COTS FTSA ESAD Tomahawk RAM ISD *
1993
1st KDI ESAD
ESAF*
Swiss Dragon ESAD Bomb Fuze
1994
Triple Tandem Outputs
Swiss TOW
1995
1st Air Force NNMSB Approved ESAD
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
1st Navy WSESRB Approved ESAD
Jan 2000 Jan 2007
JSOW ESAD ESSM SDB TDACS GMLRS
1996 AIM-9X ESAD ESAF Guided MLRS ISD * ISD *
ESAD Unitary ESAF * FMU-139
TSSAM ESAD W/RFU
PIP ESAF *
1997 RAM
JSOW & ATACMS FTSA’s ESAD
1998
Separated Firing Module
EFOG-M ESAD

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M451 to GMLRS ESAD Evolution
Out-of-Line
MIL-SPEC components
Through Hole Parts
Sensitive Explosives

In-Line
Hermetic
COTS Components
SMT Technology
Insensitive Explosives

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 Guided MLRS (DPICM) ESAD
• Replace existing electro-mechanical fuze
with In-Line Electronic Safe and Arm Device
(ESAD)
• Design meets MIL-STD-1316D and
STANAG 4187
• High voltage generation needed to due
removal of mechanical interrupters
• Uses solid state high voltage switch (NMCT)
• External Low Energy EFI (LEEFI) used
• Safety environments – changed from
setback and ram air to umbilical disconnect
and acceleration
• Utilizes MEMS accelerometer
• First motion and safe separation verification
• Sequencing and acceleration for time
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 Guided MLRS (DPICM) ESAD
• Serial interface
• Overhead safety timer can be programmed in launcher
• Provides real time status of events
• Arm/fire command issued 200 ms prior to desired detonation point
• Dual Actel anti-fuse Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) used to
implement timing, sequencing and communications logic
• Surface mount COTS parts used
• Increased shelf life & reliability over mechanical system
• No mechanical parts
• Hermetically sealed housing
• Increased testability
• NMCT switch allows unlimited number of test firings
• Can be fully tested on bench to verify proper operation
• Qualified in 2002
• > 2200 Delivered to date

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 XM31 Guided MLRS Unitary
• October 2003 - Lockheed Martin awarded an SDD contract for 86 unitary
variant rockets, to last until 2007
• Integrates a 200 pound unitary warhead
• Reduces collateral damage by providing a “one round, one kill capability”
• New Tri-mode fuze allows airburst, point impact and delay modes for
penetrator capability
• May 2005 - First units delivered - accelerated following a US Army Urgent
Need statement
• H2 2005 - First 498 rockets were delivered to the U.S. Army
• Aug 2005 - Unitary variant began field testing in Iraq
• Sep 2005 - First GMLRS unitary rockets fired in combat operations by 3rd
Battalion, 13th Field Artillery (3-13 FA), 214th Field Artillery Brigade
• > 2100 Produced to date
• Today, GMLRS unitary is the Army’s only surface-fired, precision, longer
range indirect fire munition available to troops in contact in an urban
environment
• Affectionately referred to as the “70km sniper round”

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GMLRS Unitary Rocket

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 GMLRS Unitary ESAF
• Tri mode fuze functionality – proximity, impact,
and impact with delay
• Design compatibility with MIL-STD-1316E and
STANAG 4187
• GMLRS (DPICM) ESAD was baseline design
• Added internal impact switches
• Added external impact switch fire input
• Added proximity sensor interface
• Impact survivability
• Survives high g longitudinal loads
• Settable detonation delay time
• Potting material & mechanical packaging
• Safety Environments – Umbilical disconnect
and acceleration

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 GMLRS Unitary ESAF
• Proximity sensor interface
• Provides +8V at 400mA for proximity
sensor logic circuitry
• Provides +5V at 500mA for proximity
sensor transmitter circuitry
• Interface circuitry for proximity fire input
• Fits 3” fuze well
• Serial Communications to set overhead safety time,
detonation delay time, function mode, receive
command arm/fire and provide status during test
and flight
• Meets insensitive munitions (IM) requirements
• Qualified 2006

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 GMLRS Unitary

• Proximity Sensor Firing Mode

• Selectable 3M & 10M HOB
• Approach velocities near Mach 2.5

• Impact Survivability – ESAF tested

against hardened concrete target

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GMLRS Unitary

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 Conclusions
• MLRS program has evolved over the last 30 years
• MLRS improvements have focused on upgrading launcher
responsiveness and enhancing the range and precision of
its munitions over the last 10+ years
• Increased range – from 30km to 70km+
• Improved lethality and reduced collateral damage by
changing submunitions / warhead – DPICM, Unitary
• Systems have adapted to evolving technology – GPS/INS,
control systems, Fire Control, Fuzing improvements
• Program team always focused on delivering weapon
to meet war fighters needs - “one round, one kill
capability”

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