The new sensor-fused munition for artillery (SMArt) 155mm round has been tested by the Australian Army’s Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery (RAA).
The artillery round was tested during Exercise Chimera, which was held on 24-25 March at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area near Rockhampton, Queensland.
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Exercise Chimera saw the participation of RAA’s three regiments, namely Townsville-based 4th Regiment (4 Regt RAA), Darwin-based 8th/12th Regiment and Brisbane-based 1st Regiment.
During the exercise, the SMArt round was fired from the M777 lightweight towed howitzer from 4 Regt RAA 107 Battery.
Director Combat Support Program colonel Andrew Langford said: “This exercise showcased the professionalism of our gunners, demonstrating their ability to work together as an effective team.
“We are now prepared and ready for warfare on the contemporary battlefield, but we are continually looking for ways to be ready for future challenges in an ever-changing environment. We are achieving this challenge by working closely with our partners in the defence industry.”
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By GlobalDataSMArt 155mm is designed to neutralise armoured fighting vehicles such as main battle tanks. Each round includes two autonomous, intelligent, high-performance submunitions.
With this fire and forget capability, the Australian Army can now ‘efficiently and effectively’ destroy heavily armoured targets in all environments and weather conditions.
RAA 4 Regiment commanding officer lieutenant colonel Paul Duncan said: “The introduction of the SMArt155 projectile gives us that a capability to create a dilemma for enemy commanders by disrupting armoured approaches at operationally significant ranges, in all weather and terrain.
“The round is specifically designed for long-range, top attack. Each round contains two submunitions, which descend over the battlefield on parachutes, identify armoured vehicles using advanced sensors, and then fire an explosively formed penetrator warhead into the target.”
The live-fire exercise was carried out to launch the SMArt 155mm artillery round into the Australian Army service.
The round is manufactured and marketed by Gesellschaft für Intelligente Wirksysteme (GIWS), a joint venture of German ammunition makers Rheinmetall and Diehl Group.
