The U.S. Navy has awarded Northrop Grumman a contract to develop new 57mm self-guided high explosive ammunition designed to be used with the Navy’s Mk110 Naval Gun Mount. The company will test and mature the munition for qualification.
Northrop Grumman’s 57mm guided high explosive ammunition can continuously maneuver in-flight as it moves toward a designated target. It has been specifically designed to protect against fast-moving surface threats, drones, and swarming threats.
This innovative ammunition uses technology similar to the company’s expertise in guided munitions, such as the Precision Guidance Kit. It features an on-board seeker that enables it to acquire moving targets and an aft-mounted directional system to steer it in for the final impact. In addition, it features a fuze that can self-select either proximity or point-detonation mode, depending on the intended target, in order to best engage and defeat it.
The 57mm round utilizes seekers and an aft-maneuver system to provide continuous trajectory guidance, regardless of how often the target might pivot. This new guided ammunition offers the Navy a more extensive stand-off range and a cost-effective solution against small, fast-moving threats without requiring any weapon system modifications.
“Our new 57mm guided ammunition is truly innovative in its ability to identify, track, and guide itself to a target,” said Dave Fine, vice president of armament systems at Northrop Grumman, in an official statement. “The Navy will gain a greater capability to defend against moving threats and a new level of accuracy to defeat them.”
