By 2019, the USMC primary ground-based Low Altitude Air Defense (LAAD) missile will require a Service Life Extension Program to retain operational relevance in the modern threat environment, according to a programme briefing attended my MT at Modern Day Marine 2014.
The Marine Corps fielded the STINGER in 1981, in shoulder fired man portable versions and later on in 1997s with 17 Light-Armored Vehicle – Air Defense vehicles (LAV-AD), housing two four-round launch containers and a 25mm cannon.
The PEO Land Systems office said the STINGER is planned to remain the Corps primary LAAD asset, the SLEP will investigate the feasibility of AN/PAS-18 STinger Night Sight replacement as a top technology programme.
Technologies are being sought to equip a potential STINGER Night Sight Replacement with multi-spectral infrared in Low and High wavelengths. The sight should also be enabled with electro-optic capability sufficient to “detect traditional as well as emerging small/light UAS and cruise missiles,” according to literature distributed at the briefing.
The STINGER night sight replacement would also feature a large focal plane array (1280x1024 or more) and an optical/digital zoom capability to enable target detection and identification at the missile’s maximum range. Any new site must have a similar or improved form factor, similar size and weight, and use comparable or lower power levels without performance degradation.
Such a STINGER night sight replacement would require a wider field of view, at least 20° horizontal and 10° in the vertical. New sight technology should include off/standby-to-operate time of less then 10 seconds. Use of MIL-SPEC batteries with six hours operating time and 12 hours of standby power would be a requirement according to the programme briefing.
Addressing the STINGER missile’s inter-launch boundary, one now mitigated by use of M2 .50 and M-240B 7.62 calibre machine guns used in the anti-aircraft mode, a frangible round is being sought. Literature available at the briefing stated, “in order to increase lethality against these [aircraft and UAS] targets, a frangible type round is desired that would produce multiple projectiles and achieve an increase in the probability of a kinetic hit against the target.”
The Marine Corps fielded the STINGER in 1981, in shoulder fired man portable versions and later on in 1997s with 17 Light-Armored Vehicle – Air Defense vehicles (LAV-AD), housing two four-round launch containers and a 25mm cannon.
The PEO Land Systems office said the STINGER is planned to remain the Corps primary LAAD asset, the SLEP will investigate the feasibility of AN/PAS-18 STinger Night Sight replacement as a top technology programme.
Technologies are being sought to equip a potential STINGER Night Sight Replacement with multi-spectral infrared in Low and High wavelengths. The sight should also be enabled with electro-optic capability sufficient to “detect traditional as well as emerging small/light UAS and cruise missiles,” according to literature distributed at the briefing.
The STINGER night sight replacement would also feature a large focal plane array (1280x1024 or more) and an optical/digital zoom capability to enable target detection and identification at the missile’s maximum range. Any new site must have a similar or improved form factor, similar size and weight, and use comparable or lower power levels without performance degradation.
Such a STINGER night sight replacement would require a wider field of view, at least 20° horizontal and 10° in the vertical. New sight technology should include off/standby-to-operate time of less then 10 seconds. Use of MIL-SPEC batteries with six hours operating time and 12 hours of standby power would be a requirement according to the programme briefing.
Addressing the STINGER missile’s inter-launch boundary, one now mitigated by use of M2 .50 and M-240B 7.62 calibre machine guns used in the anti-aircraft mode, a frangible round is being sought. Literature available at the briefing stated, “in order to increase lethality against these [aircraft and UAS] targets, a frangible type round is desired that would produce multiple projectiles and achieve an increase in the probability of a kinetic hit against the target.”
Josh Cohen