Lockheed Martin and Thales' Australia-based subsidiaries have tested four jointly designed warheads in the Mulwala facility.
A team formed by the two firms tested the four alternative warhead designs stated to be relevant for GMLRS 227 mm guided artillery rockets.
The prototype warheads were developed using new materials and manufacturing techniques to explore possible improvements in the lethality of existing munitions.
Australia plans to bolster its munition production capabilities in the coming years, and this teaming is among the moves being made in that direction.
Newer high-explosive warheads feature harder fragmentation casings to enhance effectiveness against better-protected targets and secondary compositions like incendiary ones for extra effects. Geometrical optimisations to alter fragmentation in the desired form are also among the studies that aim to improve the high-explosive warheads' performance.
Lockheed Martin and Thales Cooperate on Warheads
