Eyeing China in the Pacific, US studies explosives to make missiles fly
further
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[August 02, 2023]
By Mike Stone
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials want to tinker with the mix of
chemicals fueling missiles and rockets to gain an advantage in the
Pacific by increasing the range of its front line munitions so U.S.
forces can operate further away from China.
The Pentagon and Congress are looking at a retrofit that could extend
ranges for some current weapons as much as 20% by using more powerful
propellants and lighter warheads, two congressional aides and two U.S.
officials said who spoke to Reuters under the condition of anonymity
because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Last week, the Senate revealed bill language earmarking at least $13
million to plan, expand and manufacture chemical compounds that can be
used to propel missiles, or replace the explosive material in warheads,
known as "energetics".
Although a fraction of the $886 billion defense bill making its way
through Congress, the funding starts a process that could ultimately
lead to billions of dollars of new spending on munitions.
The Democrat-controlled Senate and Republican-held House of
Representatives still need to negotiate final funding levels for the
concept, but there is general agreement on the bipartisan effort to
deter China.
The "distance in the Indo-Pacific and sheer size of (China's) Navy means
the U.S. needs more ship-killing missiles that can reach distant
targets," Representative Mike Gallagher told Reuters. China views the
U.S. in the Pacific as a threat, ramping up its own military presence in
response.
"Unfortunately, the Pentagon has grown complacent using 1940s-era
energetics and neglected advanced energetics like CL-20 that are
necessary to increasing the range and lethality of our force. Every foot
farther a missile can travel is a foot farther an American service
member is from danger."
CL-20 PROGRAM
Pending final approval in Congress, the bill would set in motion a
Pentagon program to try to add more range to existing weapons using
chemicals such as China Lake Compound #20, also known as CL-20, aides
and people familiar with the plan told Reuters.
Developed by a government laboratory in California back in the 1980s,
CL-20 is one of the most discussed chemical compounds under
consideration, one senior defense official said. Congress has gravitated
to studies, like one published in 2021, that said repowering a rocket
with CL-20 - along with other changes - could extend its range by about
20%.
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U.S. and Chinese flags are seen in this
illustration taken, January 30, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File
Photo
A paper by the Energetics Technology Center said new energetic
materials give a 400-pound bomb "the same lethality as a current
1000-pound bomb," adding China makes "CL-20 on an industrial scale
and built it into weapons systems."
Northrop Grumman Corp is one of the main makers of CL-20 in the
United States. The other main rocket motor maker is Aerojet
Rocketdyne which was purchased last week by L3Harris Technologies.
The Senate earmarked funds would be used to establish an office for
energetic materials within the Department of Defense answering to
the Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, according to the
legislation.
The office would be a coordinating body across the Army, Navy and
Air Force to cut through institutional red tape.
"This relatively modest investment for energetics is a meaningful
and important initiative," said Tom Karako, a weapons expert at the
Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Karako said the cost of re-powering or using new explosive chemicals
in weapons in the U.S. inventory could be in the billions of
dollars, adding that the figure was heavily dependent on which
weapons were re-powered, and how many were modified or purchased.
Iain Overton, executive director with the nonprofit Action on Armed
Violence, said the race to tweak already lethal weapons was not
progress.
"History is said to repeat itself, and in the sense that arms races
always end badly," he said. "Does bigger, more deadly weapons make
us safer? The answer is a resounding: no. In the last decade, when
explosive weapons were used in populated areas, 90% of those
reported killed or injured globally were civilians."
The House version of the annual defense bill requires the Pentagon
to run a CL-20 pilot program that switches out either the explosive
or propellant in three existing weapons.
The House version does not name any weapons, but Bob Kavetsky with
the Energetics Technology Center said candidates for the new
chemicals include the Lockheed Martin-made long range anti-ship
missiles and extended range air-to-surface missiles. Other
candidates include Harpoon anti-ship missile made by Boeing and
Javelin anti-tank weapons made by Lockheed and RTX.
(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Chris Sanders)
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