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Force Protection
Development of Advanced Hornet is Part of the U.S. Army's Transformation
initiative. Improvements include command, control and coordination
via secure two-way radio communications with a battlefield controller.
Also, romote On/Off/On and munition status features make Advanced
Hornet redeployable and allow friendly forces to pass unharmed.
With an embedded GPS receiver, each Hornet identifies its location,
for more rapid placement, reporting and accountability.
Advanced Hornet allows munitions acting together to provide a coordinated
ambush, further improving system effectiveness. An intelligence-gathering
"Sentry" mode of operation alerts controllers and battle
commanders to the exact location of threat vehicles — allowing
them to plan accordingly and conserve the Hornet munitions until
needed.
System
Operation
Hornet's low-trajectory, direct over-flight sensor fuzed submunition
approach has been optimized for wide area coverage. When Hornet
detects a target, a gas generator launches a submunition over the
vehicle. A built-in sensor fuzes and fires an Explosively Formed
Penetrator (EFP) downward to defeat heavily armored vehicles.
Increased
Operational Utility
Two-way secure communications provide
the ability to
- Turn the field On/Off/On for safe passage
of friendly forces,
- Recover and redeploy pre-armed munitions
safely,
- Implement coordinated attack strategies
among munitions (i.e., Ambush mode), and
- Utilize the munitions in a non-lethal Sentry
sense and report mode for intelligence purposes.
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Improved smart submunition (found also in Textron Systems' Sensor
Fuzed Weapon) features:
- Dual mode sensor for improved accuracy,
reduced false alarms, improved countermeasure resistance,
and
- Combined effects EFP warhead for lethality
across a broad spectrum of armored and softer-skinned threat
vehicles.
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