Propulsion Technology

AVT Demonstration on MHM at NATO HQ, October 2019
EFSS Mortar- Marine Corps
Impact on a Rocket Motor

MSIAC expertise in propulsion covers both propelling charges and solid rocket motors.

MSIAC addresses the safety concerns of propulsion from the design phase to the end of life, including testing and evaluation, and surveillance.

Current area of interest / work: 
  1. Development of Expertise in Propulsion
  2. Testing
  3. Insensitive Munitions Database
  4. Munitions Health Management - MHM
  5. Insensitive Munitions Policy

 

  1. Development of Expertise in Propulsion

  • Gathering information on new technologies related to rocket motor and propelling charge.
  • Answering Technical Questions and developing Technical Reports in the area of Propulsion Technology
    • Reaction mechanisms in Rocket Motors
    • Recent advances in rocket and gun propellant technology
A RAM-mixed Falcon K round being fired during the MSIAC visit;
picture courtesy of The Falcon Project ©       
 
Picture from Nitrochemie website

  1. Testing

MSIAC maintains a catalogue of Insensitive Munitions testing facilities (L-106) and a catalogue of environmental testing facilities (L-196). The content of those catalogues is provided directly by the testing facilities. In addition, in order to help the testing facilities assessing their capacity to perform IM tests, MSIAC has developed a self-audit procedure. To date, this procedure was used by 5 test centres. Reports of the self-audit are available on weblink.

 

 

  1. Insensitive Munitions Database

  • Advanced Insensitive Munitions Search - AIMS

AIMS is a web-based platform for quick and easy search of IM (Insensitive Munitions) Test Results. It combines the test results on munitions response to the six IM Threats: Fast Cook-off, Slow Cook-off, Bullet Impact, Fragment Impact, Sympathetic Reaction and Shaped Charge Jet Impact. https://www.msiac.nato.int/products-services/advanced-im-search-aims

  • Mitigation Techniques for Munitions - MTM

MTM is a web-based application allowing the search of techniques and technologies to mitigate the reaction of munitions against IM threats. https://www.msiac.nato.int/products-services/m3-now-titled-mitigation-technologies-for-munitions

 

  1. Munitions Health Management - MHM

MSIAC works on the safety and cost-benefit aspects of Munitions Health Management through a collaboration with the AVT-292 group from the NATO Science & Technology Organisation. This activity led to two Cooperative Demonstrations of Technology at NATO Headquarters, in 2014 and 2019, where several nations got the chance to present the concept and the benefits of MHM to key NATO stakeholders and representatives from NATO nations. A video summarizes the key elements that were presented in 2014 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t15ZgpoxJs) and the technical report (L-192) is available on weblink. 
 
The user perspective was also collected by getting feedback from the nations on the use of dataloggers in storage and operations (L-193). 
 

Picture taken during the Cooperative Demonstration of Technology on MHM
October 2019, NATO Headquarters

MSIAC is currently involved in a SMART Defence Initiative within NATO with aiming at developing policy and guidance documents to foster implementation of MHM capabilities.

  1. Insensitive Munitions Policy

Support is provided to update the Allied Publications related to the Response Descriptors, the Bullet Impact test, the Shaped Charge Jet attack and the Fragment Impact test for the CNAD Ammunition Safety Group SG/B.