thedrifter
09-04-03, 06:07 AM
Arsenal eyes role in new weapon system
By Ed Tibbetts
.
The U.S. Marine Corps, which is seeking to reconstitute its artillery, is studying
.
a sophisticated new mortar system that could be man-
.
ufactured at the Rock Island Arsenal.
.
If it happens, it would be the first time in years that the Arsenal has played a major role in the manufacture or assembly of a new weapons system. In addition, Arsenal officials say, Marine interest could attract the Army’s attention in the weapon, too.
.
The system the Marines are working on is called the Dragon Fire, a 120mm mortar system that is lighter, can fire rounds as far as 14,000 yards and can be transported by helicopter. It also is designed to be fully automated, meaning it would have a computer, radio and aiming system all integrated into the weapon. “There’s a whole multitude of applications,” said Gary Taylor, an Arsenal-based program manager who has been involved in the system for several years.
.
The Marines are expected to seek bids to fill its fire support system need later this year, with a contract award possibly made in the first part of 2004. The Marines hope to field the weapon by 2006. If the Dragon Fire is picked up, and the Arsenal builds it, the project would probably mean 20 jobs at the manufacturing center, said Al Wilson, acting commander of the Arsenal.
.
Perhaps more importantly, it would put the Arsenal in the position of playing a key role in the development of a new artillery system. The Arsenal long has been the traditional manufacturer of the Army’s artillery.
.
Experts say the Dragon Fire could not only provide Marines in the field with more lethal support, but also would be easier to transport, making it a more logistically favorable weapon. “It would allow them to quickly deploy from a ship with a package,” said Patrick Garrett, associate analyst with Globalsecurity.org, which analyzes military issues.
.
The Marines are looking to project further inland from sea, and the Dragon Fire would provide them with a quicker response than heavier artillery. In Iraq, for example, troops would have had support farther forward as they pushed toward Baghdad.
.
The Dragon Fire system has been under development since 1996, and it’s still not clear whether the Marines will order it on a full-scale basis. But if it happens, the Arsenal is in line to assemble it. Recently, the installation signed a contract with a French company to build and assemble the system in conjunction with its sister Arsenal in Watervliet, N.Y.
.
Already, the Arsenal is preparing to build a prototype for the Dragon Fire system.
.
Much about the weapon’s impact on the Arsenal is unclear now.
.
The Dragon Fire is just one possible candidate to fill the Marines’ Expeditionary Fire Support System, the third leg in a triad of ground-fire, indirect -fire systems the Marines are developing. In fact, Lockheed Martin, the large military contractor based in Dallas, announced two weeks ago that it had successfully test fired its own Expeditionary Fire Support System.
.
Lockheed Martin is hoping its experience in one of the other legs of the ground-fire system triad will help it win the nod on filling the Marine Corps’ need.
.
Still, developers of the Dragon Fire did their own tests about three weeks ago aboard a light-armored vehicle at a testing site in Virginia. Forrest R. Lindsey, senior engineer at the Marines Corps Warfighting Lab at Quantico, Va., said the tests went well.
.
Ed Tibbetts can be contacted at (563) 383-2327 or etibbetts@qctimes.com
http://www.qctimes.com/internal.php?story_id=1017167&t=Local+News&c=2,1017167
Sempers,
Roger
:marine:
By Ed Tibbetts
.
The U.S. Marine Corps, which is seeking to reconstitute its artillery, is studying
.
a sophisticated new mortar system that could be man-
.
ufactured at the Rock Island Arsenal.
.
If it happens, it would be the first time in years that the Arsenal has played a major role in the manufacture or assembly of a new weapons system. In addition, Arsenal officials say, Marine interest could attract the Army’s attention in the weapon, too.
.
The system the Marines are working on is called the Dragon Fire, a 120mm mortar system that is lighter, can fire rounds as far as 14,000 yards and can be transported by helicopter. It also is designed to be fully automated, meaning it would have a computer, radio and aiming system all integrated into the weapon. “There’s a whole multitude of applications,” said Gary Taylor, an Arsenal-based program manager who has been involved in the system for several years.
.
The Marines are expected to seek bids to fill its fire support system need later this year, with a contract award possibly made in the first part of 2004. The Marines hope to field the weapon by 2006. If the Dragon Fire is picked up, and the Arsenal builds it, the project would probably mean 20 jobs at the manufacturing center, said Al Wilson, acting commander of the Arsenal.
.
Perhaps more importantly, it would put the Arsenal in the position of playing a key role in the development of a new artillery system. The Arsenal long has been the traditional manufacturer of the Army’s artillery.
.
Experts say the Dragon Fire could not only provide Marines in the field with more lethal support, but also would be easier to transport, making it a more logistically favorable weapon. “It would allow them to quickly deploy from a ship with a package,” said Patrick Garrett, associate analyst with Globalsecurity.org, which analyzes military issues.
.
The Marines are looking to project further inland from sea, and the Dragon Fire would provide them with a quicker response than heavier artillery. In Iraq, for example, troops would have had support farther forward as they pushed toward Baghdad.
.
The Dragon Fire system has been under development since 1996, and it’s still not clear whether the Marines will order it on a full-scale basis. But if it happens, the Arsenal is in line to assemble it. Recently, the installation signed a contract with a French company to build and assemble the system in conjunction with its sister Arsenal in Watervliet, N.Y.
.
Already, the Arsenal is preparing to build a prototype for the Dragon Fire system.
.
Much about the weapon’s impact on the Arsenal is unclear now.
.
The Dragon Fire is just one possible candidate to fill the Marines’ Expeditionary Fire Support System, the third leg in a triad of ground-fire, indirect -fire systems the Marines are developing. In fact, Lockheed Martin, the large military contractor based in Dallas, announced two weeks ago that it had successfully test fired its own Expeditionary Fire Support System.
.
Lockheed Martin is hoping its experience in one of the other legs of the ground-fire system triad will help it win the nod on filling the Marine Corps’ need.
.
Still, developers of the Dragon Fire did their own tests about three weeks ago aboard a light-armored vehicle at a testing site in Virginia. Forrest R. Lindsey, senior engineer at the Marines Corps Warfighting Lab at Quantico, Va., said the tests went well.
.
Ed Tibbetts can be contacted at (563) 383-2327 or etibbetts@qctimes.com
http://www.qctimes.com/internal.php?story_id=1017167&t=Local+News&c=2,1017167
Sempers,
Roger
:marine: