UK Ministry of Defence, The Army's current AS90 guns are to get a sophisticated new weapon that can more accurately seek out and destroy hostile armoured vehicles at long range (up to 22.5 km), day and night, in all weathers and in difficult terrain, such as forests and urban areas.
This new smart weapon, the Ballistic Sensor Fused Munition (BSFM), consists of a shell that can be fired from the AS90 artillery gun. Munitions drop by parachute, using sensors to seek out enemy targets as they drift down. This new smart technology will enable the artillery to target the enemy with much greater accuracy and will greatly reduce collateral damage.
Baroness Taylor, Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, said:
“I am pleased to announce the £83M contract award for the development and supply of Ballistic Sensor Fused Munitions (BSFM). We are equipping our army with the precision attack weapons to meet the challenges of modern operations.
“New technology is allowing us to use highly accurate, precisely targeted weapons, reducing both the numbers of weapons we need to deploy and the risk of collateral damage.
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“The BSFM will be fired from existing AS90 guns and this project follows our investment in highly accurate long-range guided rockets now deployed by the Royal Artillery in Afghanistan.”
Background Information
1. The £83 Million contract has been awarded to Gesellschaft fur Intelligente Wirksysteme mbH, (GIWS), of Germany.
2. The new Ballistic Sensor Fused Munition is expected to enter service in 2011.
3. Missiles and Batteries Ltd (MSB) in Scotland have been contracted by GIWS to produce the batteries. The contract is valued at £1.5million.
