The US Army has finished the initial stress phase to achieve a new generation precision projectile that will allow soldiers to land their hits "with extreme precision".
The High Explosive Guided Mortar (HEGM) program is intended to replace the current Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative (APMI).
The HEGM project should represent the state of the art of the technology and will look different from the APMI.
"APMI has been a big plus for our soldiers in Afghanistan"explained Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Gibbs of the Product Manager Guided Precision Munitions and Mortar Systems office.
"It made up for the urgent need for a precision mortar to fit outposts across the country. "continued Gibbs."We are updating existing technology to increase, for example, the countermeasures to threats and the maneuverability of strikes."
The US military plans to award several contracts by the end of the year. The companies that get them will then have to make HEGM products for the US government for testing. The selection of the finalists will be made in 2018.
"We have received several proposals and have seen tremendous industry interest in HEGM requirements"concluded Gibbs.
(source / photo: US Army)
