By Geoff Fein
The BAE Systems–Lockheed Martin [LMT] Long Range Land Attack Projectile (LRLAP) team recorded a failure of the 155mm round’s rocket motor igniter retainer during a test earlier this month.
The problem was not a rocket motor failure, Ryan May, a BAE spokesman, told Defense Daily.
“[We] did have a failure of our team’s tactical 155mm LRLAP rocket motor igniter retainer, which is different from a rocket motor failure and much easier to correct,” he said.
This rocket motor retainer is a simple metallic plate that is designed to protect the rocket igniter during gun launch yet discard upon initiation of the rocket motor, May said.
“We had a failed test of the tactical retainer on February 16th. The retainer has been redesigned and will be retested within the next two weeks.,” he added. “It is important to note that there will be no schedule impact as a result of this retainer failure for the 6-inch [projectile] program.”
LRLAP is developed by Lockheed Martin and is shot from BAE’s Advanced Gun System (AGS), that will go on to DDG-1000.
The gun system is intended to provide Marines ashore with naval surface fire support.
LRLAP will have a range of 74 nautical miles (nmi). In testing it has flown to 63 nmi three times (Defense Daily, April 4). AGS can fire 20 rounds per minute at 10 rounds per gun. That provides DDG-1000 with a volume fire of 1,200 pounds per minute up to 74 miles. It enables the ship to more than 500 square miles (Defense Daily, April 4).
Last month, BAE and Lockheed Martin said they were working on a 5-inch precision guided variant of LRLAP. Long-range guided shots are planned for the May-June timeframe, at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The plan is to demonstrate guided flights by the end of the year (Defense Daily, Jan. 16).