TEXAS RESEARCH INSTITUTE , AUSTIN, INC. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: The deployment of the C-RAM weapon system has increased the desire of the Army to have the

Description

The deployment of the C-RAM weapon system has increased the desire of the Army to have the ability to"dial in"a velocity to guns to respond to a wider range of scenarios. Responding to this request, TRI/Austin proposes designing, fabricating, and testing an electro-thermal launcher for a feasibility test-bed for larger caliber launchers that will evolve into a replacement/upgrade for the C-RAM. TRI/Austin will team with the Institute for Advanced Technology at the University of Texas at Austin, which houses a world class pulsed power facility and gun range for testing of prototype design. Projectiles of electrically conductive and non-conductive materials will be tested at velocities similar to a .22 caliber bullet and a demonstration of variable velocity will be performed. Research will also be conducted into the potential for transforming a next-generation launcher into an electro-thermal chemical launcher using a combustible fuel in tandem with a current pulse to replace the powder charges presently in bullets. This research has the potential to affect a reduction in the supply chain (through the removal of propellant) and serve as a template to permit exploration of portions of the Army arsenal to be converted to a variable velocity system.