US Army to mortar troops with supplies

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

The US Army has revealed plans to help resupply troops on the battlefield by shooting at them.

It is developing a smart mortar that contains ammunition and other items needed on the front line.



A patent was recently granted for the projectile, known as an 'Ammunition Resupply Projectile.'

'This concept allows a guided package to be delivered with incredible accuracy within minutes,' said Ryan Decker, one of seven named on the patent application.

The patent describes a tube-launched projectile that deploys a navigable payload in flight to accurately deliver a payload to a distant target.

A tail section is secured to the payload deployment section, which includes a steerable decelerator system.

That system also houses a guidance and navigation system made up of electronics, power supply and a parafoil control mechanism.

When the payload is first separated in flight it acts like a shell to protect the cargo and it is guided to the intended target via the parafoil with the aid of the guidance and navigation system.



http://www.popularmechanics.com/mil...s-army-ammunition-resupply-projectile-mortar/

 

[jaggerwild]

Was that a badger they were miss firing?

 

[dorsetknob]

The US Army has revealed plans to help resupply troops on the battlefield by shooting at them.

Nothing new
They used to call that Blue on Blue " oops "

Edit the only thing new is that now they have Patented it

 

[droopyRO]

Wait untill FedEx or DHL hears of this, your next GPU will arrive from a ballistic trajectory.

 

[silkstone]

I wonder what happened to the camera man

 

[chaosmassive]

Wait untill FedEx or DHL hears of this, your next GPU will arrive from a ballistic trajectory.

hope it wont end like this

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

hope it wont end like this

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Or they can do the old school method and just air drop supplies just like in the good old WWII days with C-47s. Design a pallet with rockets & some wizardry that homes in on a tracking device that soldiers on the ground have placed down and will fire those rockets to correct drift to make sure they land within 5 or10m of the tracking beacon.

Im sure all but the worst, poorly trained and under funded air force can handle an accurate air drop these days with all the technology thats available.

 

[silkstone]

Im sure all but the worst, poorly trained and under funded air force can handle an accurate air drop these days with all the technology thats available.

The problem with that is that it's much slower to get the supplies needed where they are needed. Also if you have troops scattered over a wide area, the plane has to hang around longer making it more likely to be shot down.

 

[dorsetknob]

The problem with that is that it's much slower to get the supplies needed where they are needed. Also if you have troops scattered over a wide area, the plane has to hang around longer making it more likely to be shot down.

Not a problem remember Blue on Blue
"Target Acquired stand by for re supply
Fire
Target hit
supplies incoming"

 

[FreedomEclipse]

The problem with that is that it's much slower to get the supplies needed where they are needed. Also if you have troops scattered over a wide area, the plane has to hang around longer making it more likely to be shot down.

Not really, There are different modes of transport when it comes to airdropping supplies. The general idea is you go into battle fully equipped and supplied unlike WII where establishing a FOB and supply lines were absolutely critical and supply lines can be cut off at any time or severely stretched which leaves soldiers scrounging around for supplies.

A soldier going out and starting an operation with a very very limited supply of ammunition and other things that he/she would need this day and age is not really seen as acceptable.

If not a transport plane like a C-130 which can hold upto 20 tonnes then an Osprey, Chinook or smaller choppers can drop smaller loads. Being shot down is always a risk but whenever a country invades another country, a huge part of the operation is gaining air superiority and transport planes, Ospreys & chinooks while being big targets and even clumsy when it comes to handling as far as the chinook is concerned, Its a fly by. Most military transports have countermeasures & even jamming devices to cover them while they slow down just to make a cargo drop.

While delivering supplies by mortar is probably very quick and effective in emergency situations. Those situations should be few and far between.

Also Planes and choppers have a longer range then a mortar or a shell fired from an artillery peice. carry a much bigger payload thus complete more drops over wider spaces.