Projectiles with GPS and laser guidance

The 155 mm BONUS Mk anti-armor projectile is designed to engage various types of stationary or mobile armored vehicles. The goal is to neutralize or destroy armored targets by combining multiple shots.

A distinctive feature of the BONUS Mk projectile is its high probability of hit, which has been demonstrated during numerous acceptance trials. These 155 mm projectiles are a French-Swedish development. Each BONUS round carries two warheads that separate from the main projectile. The two individual warheads use aerodynamic fins to slow down their descent. Each submunition, rotating around its own axis, acts as a radar, searching for targets using its onboard sensors.

The 155 mm BONUS artillery munition is capable of effectively countering armored vehicles. It is compatible with most existing artillery guns and is fired like a conventional shell.

The projectile also features a base bleed design, which extends its range to a maximum of 35 kilometers when fired from an L52 NATO gun.

Over the target area, the BONUS carrier shell separates to deploy two sensor-fused submunitions, which then rotate in search of targets within a designated search area of up to 32,000 square meters. Once a threat is located, the submunition immediately transitions to the attack phase to destroy the target. Each of the two deployed submunitions independently seeks and eliminates its own target, using a warhead equipped with an Explosively Formed Penetrator (EFP). The high spin rate, rapid descent speed, and absence of a parachute make it virtually undetectable. If no targets are identified, the system self-destructs to avoid leaving live ordnance on the battlefield.

The MULTI-MODE SENSOR BONUS detects and identifies targets by processing signals received from passive infrared (IR) sensors covering multiple wavelengths. The system then combines these results with signals from a profile sensor to differentiate viable targets from decoys. By using a combination of sensors, BONUS is effective against targets employing both passive and active defense systems.

Technical Specifications of the BONUS Mk II Projectile

• Caliber: 155 mm
• Ballistic Identity: M864 projectile
• Weight: 45 kg
• Length without fuze: 805 mm
• Maximum Range:
  • JBMOU L/52: 35 km
  • JBMOU L/39: 27 km

Submunition Characteristics

• Detonation Time: PHit ≥ one target per projectile
• Descent Speed of Submunition: 45 m/s
• Rotation Speed: 15 revolutions per second (rps)
• Optical Axis: 30° relative to the rotation axis
• Search Pattern: Spiral search
• Search Diameter: 200 m
• Search Area: 32,000 m²

Sensor Package

• Type of Sensors: Dual-mode (multispectral IR and Ladar)
• Altimeter: Ladar

Warhead

• Explosive Device: EFP (Explosively Formed Penetrator), formation speed >2000 m/s
• Armor Penetration: From 100 mm to 140 mm of RHA (rolled homogeneous armor)

Shelf Life: 15 years

The BONUS projectile is described in Kropyvnytskyi for the M777 and CAESAR systems.

Do not use the projectile against targets in forested areas, covered by protective metal nets, etc.

The M712 Copperhead projectile was the first smart artillery shell ever developed. Its accuracy is measured in centimeters, and its lethality is impressive.

Copperhead is a 155-mm artillery shell launched from a gun and guided to a target designated by a laser. This munition is capable of engaging both armored and point targets at distances exceeding six kilometers, providing commanders on the battlefield with unparalleled capability to use artillery with the same effect as direct-fire weapons.

The system was used during Operation Desert Storm, where it achieved great success. Copperhead shells were employed to destroy observation and border posts, as well as forward radar installations during the first week of shelling.

The M712 projectile is intended only for indirect fire. However, its trajectory can be programmed in two modes. In ballistic mode, the projectile flies on a high trajectory. At the peak of its trajectory, the projectile detects the target via the reflected laser beam and directs its movement toward the target.

The second mode is the “glide” mode. The “glide” trajectory resembles that of a cruise missile. The guidance in this mode is similar to that of the ballistic trajectory.

• Maximum flight range — up to 30.1 km
• Weight without fuze – 62.6 kg
• Length without fuze – 1372 mm

• M3A1 – Charge 4 – 5200 m
• M3A1 – Charge 5 – 6700 m
• M4A2 – Charge 4 – 5800 m
• M4A2 – Charge 5 – 7000 m
• M4A2 – Charge 6 – 8500 m
• M4A2 – Charge 7 – 9900 m
• M119A1/A2 – 16000 m

SMArt 155 – a 155 mm projectile that carries two self-guided sub-munitions for engaging armored targets at medium ranges. After the activation of the ejector charge, two self-guided sub-munitions with laser guidance are expelled by centrifugal force.

The sub-munitions deploy stabilizers, extend the infrared target-seeking sensor, and activate the battery, powering the electronics.

At this point, three sensors are activated and begin searching for the target: an active radar, which also serves as a rangefinder, a passive radar, and an infrared sensor. The search is conducted at altitudes ranging from 200 to 20 meters. Upon detecting a target, the aiming point is calculated, and a shot is fired at the target using a cumulative charge with a tantalum casing, creating a shock core capable of penetrating armor up to 120 mm thick. If no targets are present within the sub-munition’s effective range, the projectile self-destructs. There are two independent and redundant mechanisms for this purpose. The first mechanism detonates the sub-munition regardless of target detection when it descends below twenty meters. If this self-detonation mechanism fails, the second mechanism activates after the battery charge is depleted.

• Maximum flight range:

  • 22.5 km when fired from a 39-caliber howitzer;
  • 27.5 km when fired from a 52-caliber howitzer;

• Weight without fuze – 47 kg

• Length with fuze – 898 mm

External ballistics is similar to the M483 projectile and DM642.

Range table for different charges (M109 howitzer):

M3A1 Charge 1 – 3640 m
M3A1 Charge 2 – 4570 m
M3A1 Charge 3 – 5590 m
M3A1 Charge 4 – 7080 m
M3A1 Charge 5 – 9050 m
M4A2 Charge 3 – 6490 m
M4A2 Charge 4 – 7720 m
M4A2 Charge 5 – 9420 m
M4A2 Charge 6 – 11730 m
M4A2 Charge 7 – 14320 m
Four yellow weight markings in Kropyvnytskyi indicate “norm.”

Does not activate on impact.

– For the first shot, it is recommended to reduce the fuze setting by 0.2 seconds. The ideal detonation height of the ejector charge is about 200 m.

A film in English that tells about the SMArt 155 using the example of the war in Ukraine.