Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has won Israel defence Forces’ (IDF) tender for development, production and supply of ‘TopGun‘, a course correction fuze for artillery shells. The tender, which was issued by the Israel’s Ministry of defence’s Directorate of defence Research and Development (DDR&D), is meant to provide the IDF with a global, first-of-its-kind development of this Fuze.
TopGun is an add-on fuze mounted on 155mm shells used by the IDF. It allows guiding the shell to its target (a pre-defined coordinate) after it has been fired. The aerodynamic guidance is performed with small wings controlled by miniaturized avionics embedded into the Fuze. TopGun is capable of accurately calculating its location in space and plan the optimal course required for the shell to engage with the predefined target. IAI’s TopGun course correction fuze will be displayed at the AUSA, Annual Meeting & Exposition show in Washington DC, USA, from October 9-11, (Booth/Stand).
TopGun essentially converts standard artillery ammunition into a precision guided weapon, which is highly relevant for future warfare arenas, both in Israel and globally. It allows expanding the task range allocated to artillery and faster, more efficient performance of artillery assignments.
Jacob Galifat, General Manager of the IAI/MALAM Division, said, “Following years of challenging technological development effort and multiple resources, we witness a unique technology that has matured so it can be further customized for the operational requirements of IDF. This project has faced us with new technological challenges, including protecting the survivability of electronic and mechanical components in a difficult firing environment and miniaturization of the entire avionics into the size of a Fuze. We are extremely proud of the exceptional technological capabilities that have made this development possible. We estimate the global demand for the product will be extensive and the winning of the tender in Israel will translate into business success in multiple markets worldwide.”
