The M992 Field Artillery Ammunition Supply Vehicle ( FAASV ) is built on the chassis of the M109 howitzer . It is also colloquially referred to as a "cat" (referring to its nomenclature, CAT: Carrier, Ammunition, Tracked). It replaced the M548 supply vehicle . Unlike the M548, it is armored.
36-476: This ammunition vehicle has no turret, but has a taller superstructure to store 90-95 rounds (depending on the model) with a corresponding number of powders and primers. For the M992 and M992A1 there is a maximum of 90 conventional rounds, 45 each in two racks, and three M712 Copperhead rounds. Until recently, much of the remaining internal crew space was taken up by a hydraulically-powered conveyor system designed to allow
72-408: A ballistic phase and a glide phase. At a predetermined point along the trajectory, the guidance vanes extend and there is a transition from ballistic phase to glide phase. Glide phase targeting logic is designed to ensure the largest possible angle of fall permitted by the cloud cover and the visibility. The target is acquired when the projectile is close enough to detect the laser illumination or when
108-418: A court or other part of a legal system. Separately from ballistics information, firearm and tool mark examinations (" ballistic fingerprinting ") involve analyzing firearm, ammunition, and tool mark evidence in order to establish whether a certain firearm or tool was used in the commission of a crime. Astrodynamics is the application of ballistics and celestial mechanics to the practical problems concerning
144-602: A great distance without the aid of explosive devices – particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines . The catapult has been used since ancient times, because it was proven to be one of the most effective mechanisms during warfare. The word "catapult" comes from the Latin catapulta , which in turn comes from the Greek καταπέλτης ( katapeltēs ), itself from κατά ( kata ), "against” and πάλλω ( pallō ), "to toss, to hurl". Catapults were invented by
180-434: A sub-field of ballistics, is the study of the propulsion of a projectile . In guns , internal ballistics covers the time from the propellant 's ignition until the projectile exits the gun barrel . The study of internal ballistics is important to designers and users of firearms of all types, from small-bore rifles and pistols , to high-tech artillery . For rocket propelled projectiles, internal ballistics covers
216-508: A weapons mount similar to that on the M109 turret, usually mounting a Mk 19 grenade launcher for local defense against infantry and light armored vehicles. The latest models have a mounting point for two secure radios. The hydraulic conveyor system is usually removed by crews, as it is slower than moving the rounds by hand. Recently, the army has removed the conveyor system and changed the two horizontal opening doors to two vertical doors opening from
252-488: Is a fin-stabilized, terminally laser guided , explosive shell intended to engage hard point targets such as tanks , self-propelled howitzers or other high-value targets. It may be fired from different artillery pieces , such as the M114 , M109 , M198 , M777 and CAESAR howitzers. The projectile has a minimum range of 3 km (1.9 mi) and a maximum range of 16 km (9.9 mi). The concept for Copperhead
288-405: Is a free-moving body with momentum which can be subject to forces such as the forces exerted by pressurized gases from a gun barrel or a propelling nozzle , normal force by rifling , and gravity and air drag during flight. A ballistic missile is a missile that is guided only during the relatively brief initial phase of powered flight and the trajectory is subsequently governed by
324-404: Is about 20 mph. This ability reflects the ability of the human shoulder muscles and tendons to store elasticity until it is needed to propel an object. A sling is a projectile weapon typically used to throw a blunt projectile such as a stone, clay or lead " sling-bullet ". A sling has a small cradle or pouch in the middle of two lengths of cord. The sling stone is placed in
360-519: Is designed to ensure (1) that the optical system will always be able to detect the target, and (2) that once the target has been detected there will be sufficient time and velocity to maneuver to hit the target. Copperhead must be below any cloud cover at critical parts of the trajectory, and there must be sufficient visibility to ensure that when the target is acquired the projectile will have sufficient time to maneuver. Copperhead has two modes of operation: ballistic mode and glide mode. Ballistic mode
396-435: Is longer and heavier than traditional 155mm ammunition. The warhead assembly consists of a shaped charge loaded with 6.69 kilograms (14.75 lb) of Composition B . For Copperhead to function, the target must be illuminated with a laser designator . Once the laser signal is detected, the on-board guidance system will operate the steering vanes to maneuver the projectile to the target. The Copperhead targeting logic
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#1732884916541432-402: Is the launching of a projectile by hand. Although some other animals can throw, humans are unusually good throwers due to their high dexterity and good timing capabilities, and it is believed that this is an evolved trait. Evidence of human throwing dates back 2 million years. The 90 mph throwing speed found in many athletes far exceeds the speed at which chimpanzees can throw things, which
468-441: Is the study of the behavior and effects of a projectile when it hits its target. Terminal ballistics is relevant both for small caliber projectiles as well as for large caliber projectiles (fired from artillery ). The study of extremely high velocity impacts is still very new and is as yet mostly applied to spacecraft design. Forensic ballistics involves analysis of bullets and bullet impacts to determine information of use to
504-449: Is used where the cloud ceiling is high and visibility is good. When the projectile is 3,000 m (9,800 ft) from the target, the guidance vanes extend, the target is acquired, and then the on-board guidance system adjusts the guidance vanes to maneuver onto the target. Glide mode is used when the cloud ceiling and/or the visibility is too low to permit the use of the ballistic mode. A glide mode trajectory consists of two phases:
540-694: The MQM-105 Aquila pilotless drone. Copperhead was used in Operation Desert Storm , with 90 rounds fired against hardened Iraqi fortifications and radar stations. One of these strikes caused an Iraqi unit to surrender. Lebanese Armed Forces fired several hundred Copperhead shells at ISIL targets in east Lebanon during the Qalamoun offensive (July–August 2017) . At least five technicals , five occupied buildings, and several troop formations were struck with precision. The US replenished 827 shells after
576-429: The ancient Greeks . A gun is a normally tubular weapon or other device designed to discharge projectiles or other material. The projectile may be solid, liquid, gas, or energy and may be free, as with bullets and artillery shells, or captive as with Taser probes and whaling harpoons . The means of projection varies according to design but is usually effected by the action of gas pressure, either produced through
612-479: The 12th century the technology was spreading through the rest of Asia, and into Europe by the 13th century. After millennia of empirical development, the discipline of ballistics was initially studied and developed by Italian mathematician Niccolò Tartaglia in 1531, although he continued to use segments of straight-line motion, conventions established by the Greek philosopher Aristotle and Albert of Saxony , but with
648-453: The M992s used by United States Forces Korea , including the increase of engine horsepower from 400 to 440. Related development Vehicle of comparable role and configuration [REDACTED] Media related to M992 Field Artillery Ammunition Support Vehicle at Wikimedia Commons M712 Copperhead The M712 Copperhead is a 155 mm caliber cannon-launched guided projectile . It
684-614: The atmosphere and work very well in space. Rockets for military and recreational uses date back to at least 13th century China . Significant scientific, interplanetary and industrial use did not occur until the 20th century, when rocketry was the enabling technology for the Space Age , including setting foot on the Moon . Rockets are now used for fireworks , weaponry , ejection seats , launch vehicles for artificial satellites , human spaceflight , and space exploration . Chemical rockets are
720-469: The behaviour of a non-powered projectile in flight. External ballistics is frequently associated with firearms , and deals with the unpowered free-flight phase of the bullet after it exits the gun barrel and before it hits the target, so it lies between transitional ballistics and terminal ballistics . However, external ballistics is also concerned with the free-flight of rockets and other projectiles, such as balls, arrows etc. Terminal ballistics
756-536: The center to provide protection to the crew during transfers. The vehicle also contains a two-stroke diesel -powered auxiliary power unit that can power all non-automotive energy requirements on the Field Artillery Ammunition Supply Vehicle and on the howitzer when a slave cable is used to connect the two. This reduces fuel consumption when mobility is not required. Between December 1995 to December 1996, Samsung Aerospace Industries upgraded
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#1732884916541792-400: The first lethal projectile ever described in discussion of ballistics. A string joins the two ends and when the string is drawn back, the ends of the stick are flexed. When the string is released, the potential energy of the flexed stick is transformed into the velocity of the arrow. Archery is the art or sport of shooting arrows from bows. A catapult is a device used to launch a projectile
828-610: The first time made it possible to successfully predict trajectories. The word ballistics comes from the Greek βάλλειν ballein , meaning "to throw". A projectile is any object projected into space (empty or not) by the exertion of a force . Although any object in motion through space (for example a thrown baseball ) is a projectile, the term most commonly refers to a ranged weapon . Mathematical equations of motion are used to analyze projectile trajectory . Examples of projectiles include balls , arrows , bullets , artillery shells , wingless rockets , etc. Throwing
864-439: The innovation that he connected the straight lines by a circular arc. Galileo established the principle of compound motion in 1638, using the principle to derive the parabolic form of the ballistic trajectory. Ballistics was put on a solid scientific and mathematical basis by Isaac Newton , with the publication of Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica in 1687. This gave mathematical laws of motion and gravity which for
900-533: The laws of classical mechanics ; in contrast to (for example) a cruise missile which is aerodynamically guided in powered flight like a fixed-wing aircraft . The earliest known ballistic projectiles were stones and spears, and the throwing stick . The oldest evidence of stone-tipped projectiles, which may or may not have been propelled by a bow (c.f. atlatl ), dating to c. 280,000 years ago, were found in Ethiopia, present day-East-Africa. The oldest evidence of
936-425: The most common type of high performance rocket and they typically create their exhaust by the combustion of rocket propellant . Chemical rockets store a large amount of energy in an easily released form, and can be very dangerous. However, careful design, testing, construction and use minimizes risks. Ballistics is often broken down into the following four categories: Internal ballistics (also interior ballistics),
972-408: The period during which a rocket engine is providing thrust. Transitional ballistics, also known as intermediate ballistics, is the study of a projectile's behavior from the time it leaves the muzzle until the pressure behind the projectile is equalized, so it lies between internal ballistics and external ballistics . External ballistics is the part of the science of ballistics that deals with
1008-404: The pouch. The middle finger or thumb is placed through a loop on the end of one cord, and a tab at the end of the other cord is placed between the thumb and forefinger. The sling is swung in an arc, and the tab released at a precise moment. This frees the projectile to fly to the target. A bow is a flexible piece of material which shoots aerodynamic projectiles called arrows . The arrow is perhaps
1044-404: The projectile emerges from the cloud cover, whichever event occurs later in the trajectory. When a trajectory solution has been obtained, time-to-target and terminal velocity are checked to ensure that there will be enough time to maneuver and that the projectile is aerodynamically stable—that it will not stall while maneuvering. Initially the laser designation was intended to be performed by
1080-477: The quick uploading of rounds or their transfer to the M109-series howitzer. Most early models had an additional mechanism called an X-Y Conveyor to lift the rounds into the honeycomb-like storage racks in the front of the superstructure. A ceiling plate above the two racks can be unbolted and opened to allow the racks to be winched out of the vehicle. This vehicle is fitted with a Halon fire suppression system and
1116-476: The rapid combustion of a propellant or compressed and stored by mechanical means, operating on the projectile inside an open-ended tube in the fashion of a piston. The confined gas accelerates the movable projectile down the length of the tube imparting sufficient velocity to sustain the projectile's travel once the action of the gas ceases at the end of the tube or muzzle. Alternatively, acceleration via electromagnetic field generation may be employed in which case
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1152-404: The rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction . Rocket engines push rockets forward simply by throwing their exhaust backwards extremely fast. While comparatively inefficient for low speed use, rockets are relatively lightweight and powerful, capable of generating large accelerations and of attaining extremely high speeds with reasonable efficiency. Rockets are not reliant on
1188-412: The successful completion of the offensive. Ballistics Ballistics is the field of mechanics concerned with the launching, flight behaviour and impact effects of projectiles , especially ranged weapon munitions such as bullets , unguided bombs , rockets or the like; the science or art of designing and accelerating projectiles so as to achieve a desired performance. A ballistic body
1224-402: The tube may be dispensed with and a guide rail substituted. A weapons engineer or armourer who applies the scientific principles of ballistics to design cartridges are often called a ballistician . A rocket is a missile , spacecraft , aircraft or other vehicle that obtains thrust from a rocket engine . Rocket engine exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within
1260-822: The use of bows to shoot arrows dates to about 10,000 years ago; it is based on pinewood arrows found in the Ahrensburg valley north of Hamburg . They had shallow grooves on the base, indicating that they were shot from a bow. The oldest bow so far recovered is about 8,000 years old, found in the Holmegård swamp in Denmark. Archery seems to have arrived in the Americas with the Arctic small tool tradition , about 4,500 years ago. The first devices identified as guns appeared in China around 1000 AD, and by
1296-519: Was originally made in 1970 by engineers at the US Army's Rodman Laboratories, with feasibility studies conducted in 1971. In 1972 development contracts were awarded to Martin Marietta and Texas Instruments . After testing Martin Marietta was chosen for continued development through the 1970s. Inventories of March 1, 1995: At 62.4 kilograms (137.6 lb) and 140 centimetres (54 in) long, Copperhead
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