Gunning for Missiles
By Kenneth Kesner
When not in flight, airplanes are basically sitting ducks. Adversaries are developing new ways to strike our planes while they’re still on the ground, targeting them with masses of cruise missiles and unmanned aircraft systems (UASs). Soon, the most dangerous place for planes and crews may be at an airbase as they prepare for their next missions.
Sophisticated interceptor missile systems are already effective shields against the fewer supersonic and hypersonic threats. But commanders could never put enough of the complex, costly interceptors in the air to counter swarms of slower, cheaper cruise missiles and drones.
To protect aircraft, ships, and other assets against this growing threat, Northrop Grumman is developing Cannon-Based Air Defense (CBAD), which loads Bushmaster® Chain Guns® and medium- and large-caliber weapons with our innovative guided ammunition.
“We can effectively use cannons with advanced ammunition to protect bases, forces and assets by shooting down those threats.” said Ryan Carlson, chief engineer of CBAD for Northrop Grumman. “We are combatting mass attacks with economics and resilience.”
How it Works
Classic anti-aircraft guns use high rates of fire to throw up a “wall of lead” as threats near the target. Those smaller-caliber weapons are still effective for close-in dangers. But thousands of bullets end up landing somewhere downrange, and the guns don’t have the reach and punch needed for cruise missile defenses.
The CBAD solution loads existing medium- and large-caliber cannons with new ammunition developed by Northrop Grumman. When a round is fired, guidance sensors activate and guide the ammunition toward the target. Each round also includes a proximity fuze, a forward-looking sensor that “sees” the incoming threat. When close enough to the target, the fuze detonates, directing lethal fragments of the warhead into the target to destroy it.
“CBAD drastically decreases the number of rounds that must be fired to hit the target,” Carlson said. “With cannon air defense we’re not firing thousands of rounds per minute. We’re executing very specific fire salvos – handfuls of rounds – at intended targets with extreme precision.”
