Nammo Insights 2019 THE RAMJET Offering you perspectives and insights from one of the world´s leading manufacturers of specialty ammunition and REVOLUTION rocket motors HOW WILL EXTREME RANGE MISSILES AND CHANGE THE MODERN BATTLEFIELD?

2019 SPECIAL REPORT PROPULSION

The range revolution page 10 What could the next war look like? page 13 Propelling missiles into the future page 16 A different way to launch into space page 18

FINDING THE WINNING BULLET

Lars Axel Nygård test fires 30 000 page 6 bullets every year. Find out why 2

Photo: Winifred Brown / U.S. Army

INTRODUCTION

Western democracies are today get five times the range they we have changed our annual facing challenges on a scale not seen have today, for instance? Military magazine into a new format, since the end of the Cold War. After scientists try to understand the allowing you to get deeper insights decades of fighting insurgencies implications: what if both sides can into the ongoing technological and non-state actors, states hit almost any target, anywhere? developments in a historical and with significant industrial and Will there still be front lines? Can we strategic context – this time with technological capacity can once protect our most important assets? a special report on developments again be possible adversaries. Will we even have a battlefield in in propulsion technologies. the classic sense of the word? At the same time, technology has Thorstein Korsvold rushed forward. Some of the most We won’t pretend to have the Web & Content Manager pronounced changes have come in answers, but thanks to our Nammo the field of propulsion. What will technical expertise, we may offer happen when artillery or missiles some insights. This is also why

CONTENT 2019 SPECIAL REPORT PROPULSION

3 THE BULLET 10 THE RANGE 16 PROPELLING THAT SWIMS REVOLUTION MISSILES INTO Nammo’s new “Swimmer” Artillery ammunition THE FUTURE bullet works underwater is getting a massive Ramjets are back, and upgrade this time they could 4 FOUR GENERATIONS change everything OF NAMMO 13 WHAT COULD The family making THE NEXT WAR 18 A DIFFERENT ammunition since 1896 LOOK LIKE? WAY TO LAUNCH Do we understand the INTO SPACE 6 FINDING THE implications of new Hybrid propulsion WINNING BULLET technologies on the could help power a This Norwegian gunsmith future of warfare? new generation of fires 30 000 rounds a year space launchers to help athletes win 3 The Swimmer is already in active service with both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army, the latter having adopted it for the new Stryker Dragoon vehicle. Photo: 2nd Lt. Clay Harmon THE BULLET THAT SWIMS

“Super cavitation” has the potential to cause radical change to the battlefield. Suddenly defenders have a tool that works equally well against submerged threats and armored opponents on land.

Nammo’s Swimmer bullet is a of the new Mk258 ammunition we multiple target types – instead of concept that combines armor found out that the impossible was several that need to be changed – piercing with the ability to shoot actually possible,” Hasslid explains. makes units more effective in battle. straight through water. For the It also helps the logistics chain. Under the right circumstances, first time, it is being rolled out a bullet can create a bubble as it Both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy in significant numbers. goes through water. The super are now using the Swimmer. That Jan Hasslid, one of Nammo’s leading cavitation effect can then happen gives them a new weapon against engineers on the project, explains if low pressure behind the bullet underwater threats. Plus, instead how the Swimmer started out as reduces drag drastically. of using expensive and specialized an armor piercing ammunition. counters, defenders can now simply But getting there is a daunting fire with the guns they have. “The original Mk258 (today also technological challenge. At the tip of known as the ‘Swimmer’) was the bullet, massive pressure has to “The interest in the Mk258 is designed for use with the Norwegian be induced, enough to lower pressure tremendous. I’m also very optimistic army’s combat vehicle, the CV90. behind it (using the Venturi effect) so about what we can counter with Test results were really good when much that liquid there becomes vapor. this: torpedoes, mines or even the ammo was fired through their submarines could all be within “We already had something that 30 mm Bushmaster cannons – we range,” Hasslid concludes. we knew worked well against could defeat armored vehicles at a armored targets. In addition, our distance of 4 000 m,” Hasslid says. engineers utilized the latest materials DID YOU KNOW? But when the U.S. Navy started technology, hydrocode simulation looking at the ammunition, they tools, as well as Computerized Nammo has been saw even more potential. Fluid Dynamics, CFD, to maximize making 30 mm vehicle performance of the new design. “We worked with U.S. Navy ammunition for nearly It took a lot of effort, but we got engineers to qualify the Mk258 for it to work,” Hasslid says. 30 years, beginning use with USMC amphibious vehicles. with the Norwegian U.S. Navy engineers had an idea about The main advantage of the Swimmer shooting straight under water, and is versatility. Having just one CV90 fighting vehicles with the robustness and performance ammunition type that works against in the early 1990s. 4

FOUR GENERATIONS OF NAMMO

Jostein Lundgaard’s family has been making ammunition for Nammo since the very beginning – in 1896. That’s four generations! “I was born into a family of factory workers, wanted to continue the tradition, and never regretted that decision,” Lundgaard says.

Production manager Jostein the products they made are still Our users “After all, quality Lundgaard eagerly shows us very impressive,” Jostein says. need does not exist the pictures of factory workers in a vacuum. It from 120 years ago. They all look WARTIME DEMANDS ammunition has practical solemnly at the camera. He is Norwegian authorities established that works implications. clearly proud of his heritage. the factory at Raufoss because they every single Our users need feared the struggle for independence ammunition that “There he is. That’s my great time. In all from Sweden could escalate into works every grandfather. He started here just conditions a war. Therefore, they needed the single time. In all after they built the factory.” capability to produce ammunition. conditions. They In other pictures, Lundgaard points While relations between the two need to know that the precision is top out a grandfather, an uncle, his countries are very friendly today, in notch. The ability to penetrate must own father, a brother and several the 19th century the Swedish king was be the best possible. Because these other relatives. Some have worked also the ruler of , holding both factors save lives,” Lundgaard says. in the very same building where in a personal union. The Norwegians When talking to younger Jostein has his office today. wanted independence, and prepared workers or new colleagues for war. In the end, Norway seceded here, what do you tell them? “It’s a bit strange to think of. But peacefully in 1905. But developments also a very natural thing for me. on the continent would soon bring “That compromising when it So many of us have worked here. a huge increase in demand. comes to quality is never an It feels like home, I guess.” option. We don’t do that.” World War I defined what Raufoss What’s left today of the reality Ammunition – today part of SURVIVING AFTER THE COLD WAR these people lived in? the Nammo group – would When asked what Nammo’s biggest become, Lundgaard believes. “A lot has changed, obviously. We accomplishment is, Jostein talks live in very different times. Safety “Mass production of ammunition about simply surviving. After the end concerns have become immensely definitely started in this period, of the Cold War a lot of competing more important. And I think there because wartime demands were so companies did not make it. is a different understanding of the great. Yet the bullets we have in our “A lot of other factories went bankrupt. role of the workers: the respect for museum show a surprisingly high Our colleagues and competitors had their skill and the importance of level of workmanship. The precision a very tough time adapting to a new their work; it’s improved immensely is remarkable, the threads are very reality in the 1990s, after the threat from what we saw in the old days. fine, and there is little deviation from the Soviet Union disappeared. These are all differences, of course, from bullet to bullet. I believe they But the industry here at Raufoss, as but there’s one striking similarity.” focused on quality even in these well as in Kongsberg, has managed early years,” Lundgaard says. And what’s that? to survive, and over time even thrive. “I believe my great grandfather Today, one of his responsibilities as I think that may be our greatest and his generation had some of the a production manager is to make achievement. We actually have same focus on quality, and doing sure only the best makes it out of just as many people working in the things right. If you look at what they the Nammo gates. He describes industrial park today as we did in 1989. made and consider their machinery it as a constant fight to improve That’s something to be proud of!” – primitive by today’s standards – things little by little, every day. 5

After World War II, the company also began developing space products, and a space division was set up. Other companies in the industrial park housing Nammo were producing metal parts for the automobile industry at the same time. There was a lot of expertise gathered in one place, and much of the activity was highly specialized. Just the right mix for quality, but also innovation. The well-known multipurpose round (aka “the Raufoss round”) was developed here in the 1970s, and today Nammo works on other high-end projects like Ramjet artillery, Ramjet missiles or space rockets.

“The demands on the industry changed. Precision became extremely important, for example. Where our predecessors often just judged their ammunition products by looking at them, we use machines to measure variations down to a thousandth of a millimeter. We x-ray our products looking for hidden cracks. We do advanced chemical analyses to find out which solvents work best to harden metal casings. Not to mention the test firings where we look at how ammunition behaves when hitting a variety of targets. Often, we use multi-million-dollar, super-high-speed cameras to do this.”

Today’s production has little in common with the old assembly lines. High-tech robots do much of the work – together with people who are often both specialized and highly trained. During our interview, he pauses to inspect machines and processes. One of them is a measuring device checking medium caliber parts for deviations. Over time, they are going steadily down, the system shows.

“We must not forget that this is something you might end up using in combat, where your life depends on it. Delivering the best quality is Jostein Lundgaard in almost holy for us. If we don’t, we will the factory at Raufoss. be going out of business very soon.” Photo: Nammo 6

FINDING THE WINNING BULLET

Each year, Jan Gustavsson and Lars Axel Nygård test fire an unbelievable 30 000 rounds for the Norwegian national biathlon team. In a sport where precision means everything, they have developed a unique system to find the best bullets.

“I think you have to be a little Top biathlete Synnøve Solemdal (four crazy to do what we do. Or maybe -time relay world champion) agrees: I should rephrase that: we have “Our sport is about hitting the target! to be very dedicated, very patient, We need the bullets to go where and like to work with statistics,” we aim. Of course it’s important says Lars Axel Nygård. to have good ammunition.” Nygård is part If you have What happens if you don’t? If of Norway’s you have a product with poor a poorly biathlon team, precision, or something that performing and as the chief behaves unpredictably? bullet, and gunsmith, he miss even plays a crucial “Well, if you have a poorly once, that role. Biathlon performing bullet, and miss even is a sport that translates once, that translates to a time combines penalty of up to one minute in a race. to a time competitive That’s a lot. And if you miss too much penalty skiing with target over time, it will have a negative shooting. Over impact on your confidence. You’ll the past decade or so, it has grown start wondering: is it me? Or is there immensely in popularity, becoming something wrong with the equipment one of the most important winter or the ammunition? That can break a sports. And with popularity comes biathlete’s confidence in a dangerous increased competition. One of the way. Because the confidence you ways to stay ahead is simply to make bring onto the shooting range is sure the bullets hit their mark. very important. You only have a short time there, and you need to be “For the athletes, that can really confident. There’s no room for mean the difference between an doubt or errors,” Solemdal says. Olympic gold medal – or a 20th or 30th place,” Nygård says. UNPREDICTABLE SHOOTING The situation Solemdal describes Lars Axel Nygård believes in statistics is not entirely unfamiliar for and collecting evidence over time. the Norwegian biathletes. Every year, 30 000 test shots are fired in order to find the perfect ammunition. Photo: Nammo 7

We decided Until around “Everyone was basically freezing But a hit is a hit! Norway went on to start 2002, they had their pants off. As the amount of test to win the competition – and the a reputation for shooting grew, we just couldn’t do Olympic gold medal. But even testing unpredictable that any more,” Nygård explains. one miss could have changed ammunition shooting, that,” says Lars Axel Nygård. In the period before the Winter much more and missing Olympics in Salt Lake City in quite often. 2002, Gustavsson and Nygård The situation prompted the started to use some of the more DID YOU KNOW? team’s shooting and ammunition rigorous test methods. They experts into action. test fired more, and hand picked Nammo has “We decided to start testing what they believed were the best four commercial ammunition more systematically. ammunition batches (biathletes ammunition brands: The goal was to improve accuracy and use small .22 caliber rounds). • Lapua predictability, cooperate much more Judged by today’s standards, closely with the manufacturer, and get the testing regime was still in its • SK the best batches of ammunition,” says infancy, but even a basic effort to • Berger logistics coordinator Jan Gustavsson. improve seemed to net big gains. • VihtaVuori Gustavsson explains that the team “The 2002 Olympic relay biathlon needed to test shoot much more, competition was a turning point. In establish a methodology for the the relay competition, our athletes testing, and build a statistical hit the very edge of the target no base that showed accuracy over less than five times. All of these time, for each ammunition and could have been misses if the gun combination. Such a project bullets had been less accurate by would require an enormous effort. as little as a millimeter or two. Biathlete Synnøve Solemdal. But the payoff came quickly. Photo: Vegard Breie / Norwegian Biathlon Association AN OLYMPIC SUCCESS One of Gustavsson and Nygård’s predecessors, coach Kjetil Sæter, had already started a professionalization. But there was still room for improvement. Until the early 2000s, test shooting was done manually, in cold conditions, often a freezer room. 8

“EVERY ATHLETE GETS THEIR WEAPON TESTED WITH DIFFERENT AMMUNITION BATCHES, IN DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES. GIVEN ENOUGH TIME AND TEST FIRINGS, WE START TO SEE PATTERNS” LARS AXEL NYGÅRD

He also has to make sure the weapons are top notch. Each of them is fired a thousand times! Synnøve Solemdal during the 2018-2019 biathlon season “It’s a real puzzle. Every athlete gets opening in Sjusjøen, Norway. their weapon tested with different Photo: Vegard Breie / Norwegian Biathlon Association ammunition batches, in different “We have very good cooperation temperatures. Given enough time with the Lapua ammunition factory and test firings, we start to see in Schönebeck (Germany). They patterns. Those patterns show do some testing, and give us the us which ammunition batches best batches. These are selected, match which weapons the best. naturally, from their top brands: What we are looking for is a low the Lapua Polar and Extreme average spread combined with a ammunition. This year, they gave high precision,” Nygård explains. us 39 batches. We tested these, Nygård and Axelsson show off the and came away with around end result: a few sheets of paper 350 000 shots for our athletes,” with all the athletes’ names – and Jan Gustavsson explains. a lot of numbers. We are only 350 000? That sounds like it should allowed a quick glance, because this is normally a secret even Norway took home four biathlon be enough for a small army! Isn’t the best biathletes in the world gold medals, as well as two silver that an enormous amount? are not supposed to see. medals in those Olympic games. “It is a lot. But we have the elite Nygård believes the credit – teams, the recruits and the obviously, perhaps – should go to junior teams. That’s quite a few the athletes. But he also thinks the athletes, and each individual can ammunition effort played a part in shoot more than 20 000 rounds enabling Norway’s biathletes to be over a season. We do need quite at their best – for years to come. a large amount,” Nygård adds.

TESTING GALORE All the ammunition is taken to From 2004, Nygård and Trondheim in Norway, where Axelsson had come up with a Nygård is in charge of test firing good testing methodology. It’s more than 30 000 rounds – to a system they still use today. select the best of the best.

An example of the .22 caliber ammunition the biathletes use. Photo: Nammo 9

“This basically shows which testing results they get each year, a What did you find out? ammunition batches each athlete massive historical database has been “Vibrations have little effect. Water gets, and how well it performs. developed, showing trends over time. is – unsurprisingly – no good, To be concrete, it shows how many And with the Norwegian athletes and temperatures can absolutely millimeters the average spread doing so well, Lars Axel Nygård affect performance. We did learn is. But this is something we want feels they have something, and I guess I am a curious to keep to ourselves. We don’t I’ve actually succeeded. But he type: I certainly had some fun along want the athletes to speculate frozen and has to admit they the way as well,” Nygård laughs. too much about the ammunition. unfrozen tried a number All they need to know is that they a lot of of unorthodox Synnøve Solemdal certainly get a really good product.” experiments ammunition appreciates what the experts have along the way. done for the biathlon team. And I suppose the best athletes get the best ammunition? “At one point, we were curious “We know the trainers make a huge about the effects of prolonged effort to find the best ammunition for “As a rule of thumb. But sometimes, vibration. So we taped boxes of us, matched to our weapons. Today, someone on the junior or recruit ammunition to a car gearbox, and we know we have the best weapons team can get lucky and get a drove 700 kilometers. Another and ammunition. It’s only up to me super result: that’s when they experiment was to submerge when I’m out there,” Solemdal says. have a weapon that’s just a ammunition in water, to explore perfect match with a certain possible effects when these products “The ultimate feedback is when ammunition batch,” Nygård says. are exposed to high humidity. We’ve we are on tour with the biathlon world cup. And everything just THE CRAZY BIT: SUBMERGED also looked a lot at what happens goes well, and we hear the victory AND FROZEN AMMUNITION at different temperatures. I’ve actually frozen and unfrozen a lot cheers from an athlete. That’s a Today, the gunsmith has arrived of ammunition,” Nygård recalls. good feeling. Then we know we did at a testing regime that he feels something right,” Nygård concludes. works well. In addition to all the

2018-2019 biathlon season opening in Sjusjøen, Norway. Photo: Vegard Breie / Norwegian Biathlon Association 10

2019 SPECIAL REPORT PROPULSION THE RANGE REVOLUTION

Artillery range has hardly changed since World War I. However, thanks to new propulsion technologies, Nammo is on its way to completely overhauling that. A new family of artillery ammunition is set to reach distances of up to 150 kilometers.

“Range is important. If you can shoot much farther than your opponent, counter-battery fire LONG-RANGE can simply be disregarded. PROGRAM Your own artillery will be safe, while at the same time you can strike enemy positions with impunity. I think we should not underestimate the consequences of having a range advantage,” says Thomas Danbolt, Nammo’s Vice President Large Caliber Ammunition.

A hundred years have passed since World War I, but artillery range is still about the same: 20 km, or maybe a little more.

The graphic shows the ranges involved in Nammo’s long-range artillery program. Some projectiles, like the 155 mm IM HE-ER, are approved and in use; others, like the 155 mm HE-ExR, are still in development. Photo: From an artillery test in Sweden, with the 11

155 mm HE-ExRTM Ramjet

155 mm HE-LR 155 mm Rocket assist IM HE-ER Base bleed 155 mm HE (Legacy)

Massive fire 24 KM 40 KM 85 KM 100+ KM Precision

Some special ammunition with a bit But now, Thomas Danbolt believes of extra range has become available. that is finally about to change: These have, however, often been “Our Russian counterparts have marred by lower accuracy, higher begun to field artillery systems cost and difficulties when adapting with longer and longer range. them to army operational concepts. At the same time, NATO countries, Artillery units in Western countries which have emphasized air forces still mainly fire about as far as for a long time, are beginning to their predecessors did in 1918. look at their ground forces again. The U.S. Army is one example: they really want to upgrade their artillery capabilities. And at the same time, we see a technological drive toward shells with much longer range, more precision and, relatively speaking, lower cost. All in all, I think

The French Canon de 155 mm GPF came we could be in for a bit of a revolution into use in 1917. It had a range of 19.5 km. in the coming years,” Danbolt says. Photo: unknown 12

EXTREME RANGE With the guidance system, we believe but has an added base bleed we can consistently hit an area as part that vastly reduces drag Nammo already has a long history of small as the center of a football and therefore enhances range. producing high-performing artillery field. And even though the payload is ammunition. Now, it wants to be While less spectacular than somewhat smaller, the destructive at the forefront, developing a new the others, it could still have a force will likely be greater because generation of shells covering great impact on modern armies, of the accuracy,” Danbolt says. all range requirements. effectively doubling the distance The Ramjet shell can be fired from from which they can strike. Nammo’s most ambitious project is every modern 155 mm L52 artillery a Ramjet-powered, guided artillery “The 40 km capable 155 mm HE-ER gun – a trait it shares with all of shell with a range of up to 150 km. is already available. We did the Nammo’s other long-range shells. The 155 mm HE-ExR (extreme range), final testing at Ravlunda in Sweden as it is called, is scheduled for ROCKET ASSIST AND BASE BLEED in 2018. The projectile got to over its first live-fire tests in 2020. 40 kilometers every time.” Nammo is working on two other “In practice, this is a mix of a projects as well: one is the Norway recently approved it missile and an artillery shell. 155 mm HE-LR (long range), a for use in its armed forces, We are talking about a range rocket-assisted, guided projectile and has chosen it for that is five to eight times greater that can reach 70-85 km. The its new K9 Thunder system. Tanks are still considered the kings than conventional artillery. first prototypes have recently of the battlefield, but what will be Danbolt sees the 155 mm HE-ER their role in future conflicts? been test fired, and development (extended range) as a candidate Photo: U.S. Marine Corps, is in its final stages. by Sgt. Averi Coppa for replacing standard The last product is the 155 mm 20 km-capable ammunition. HE-ER (extended range). Already “Our two longest range products ordered by Finland and approved going out to 80 km or 150 km are by Norway, this artillery shell has very specialized tools. Their cost a 40 km+ range. It is based on could probably be considered high conventional technology, in an artillery context. Our 40 km+ capable shell is different: maybe it’s the least ambitious product, but it could still have the greatest impact. Western armies can now double their range, without any fuss or system changes. I believe that’s a major change – for the better.”

Thomas Danbolt, Vice President Large Caliber with examples of Nammo’s 155 mm shells. Photo: Nammo 13

2019 SPECIAL REPORT PROPULSION WHAT COULD THE NEXT WAR LOOK LIKE?

New weapon systems – especially missiles – are changing the military reality. Experts believe the next large-scale conflict might be something very different, and warn against planning for the previous war.

Tanks are still considered the kings “MISSILES CAN of the battlefield, but what will be their role in future conflicts? BE EXCEEDINGLY Photo: U.S. Marine Corps, EFFECTIVE AGAINST by Sgt. Averi Coppa HIGH-VALUE TARGETS”

all previous doctrines. For those who expected armies clashing on battlefields, 1914-1918 came as a shock with its trench warfare. And the next war was radically different again, with mobile tank warfare.

Historically, conflicts between large and powerful states will happen – at least every few generations. And almost every time, they are utterly different from what was ”The Battle of Austerlitz, 2 December 1805” painting shows one of Napoleon’s greatest victories expected. Ulriksen – along with his scientist colleague at the Norwegian Will there even be a recognizable “We can speculate. We can look at Defence Research Establishment front? Will we have a battlefield capabilities and scenarios. Some (FFI), Greger Johansson – believes in the classic sense of the word? things are more probable than others. there is a need to analyze what Will it be possible to protect But at the end of the day, we cannot “the next big one” could look like. our most important assets? know how the next major conflict “One of the most important changes Ståle Ulriksen, military scientist at will play out,” Ulriksen says. concerns missiles. Their range has Norway’s naval war college in Bergen, The examples are many: Napoleon been increasing substantially for years. grapples with some of the central introduced levée en masse (mass We expect that to continue. They have questions concerning “the next war”. conscription) and for a time fielded become more precise, and several A leading expert on Russia and naval much larger armies than his countries – among them Russia – military matters, he still does not opponents. Later, railroads and have stockpiled significant amounts believe he has all the answers. machine guns would overthrow of them,” says Greger Johansson. 14

Aircraft carriers are capable of significant power projection, and played an important role in World War II. But what happens when they encounter an opponent who has massed long-range anti-ship missiles? Photo: U.S. Navy / Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jake Greenberg

HIDING IN CAVES FOR THREE DAYS What’s a good defense in such a case? systems that can strike anywhere, anytime, against any target in whole Long-range missiles are one thing, “We could be back to one of the central countries… What would happen to the but can be seen as part of a bigger Cold War tenets: hide in a cave for a concepts of a battlefield and a front?” picture as well. Both in the West while. Unless we have incredibly good and in Russia there has been a (and numerous) air defense systems, However, Ulriksen by no means drive toward long-range artillery, it’s hard to defend against incoming considers missiles omnipotent. too. At the same time, sensor and swarms of missiles,” Ulriksen says. He recalls the NATO air campaign control systems have improved. against Serbia in 1999. After Altogether, a future conflict could “Using well-protected bases, three days of bombing, almost involve players with plenty of hidden deep inside mountains, is all the strategic military targets capability to strike targets precisely, one of the few effective ways to were destroyed. Yet the Yugoslav from long ranges. What happens preserve your forces, but identified (Serb) army kept on fighting. when everyone can do that? entryways are likely to be targeted,” Johansson agrees. The other “They tricked NATO into wasting philosophy is to be able to disperse missiles on worthless targets, rapidly, but that is very time critical and after 78 days the Serb forces and labor intensive for a defender left Kosovo almost intact.” given a short alert notice. Nevertheless, he argues missiles Ståle Ulriksen argues that an initial can be eminently usable – and have phase could possibly see most changed much over the last 20 years: missiles being used. After that, “They can be very effective against The first jet fighters appeared toward conventional forces – involved in a the end of World War II. In the following high-value targets.” decades, they would completely replace classic war of attrition – could once propeller planes as the preferred fighter again rise to pre-eminence. Both sides aircraft. Shown here is an American F-86. Photo: U.S. Air Force would still need land forces: tanks, soldiers, artillery, etc. An attacker “That’s a hard question to answer. would need them to exploit a situation We could be looking at an initial where missiles have disabled an phase, maybe three days or so opponent’s most important defensive – where everyone fires off what assets. A defender would need they have. That would be a phase them to fight back on the ground Photo: U.S. Army by Davide Dalla Massara where thousands of missiles and prevent loss of territory. and other long-range efforts LOW-TECH RESILIENCE try to destroy opponents’ most “Missiles do change a lot. They can important assets: military bases, be exceedingly effective against Expensive, high-value targets command and control centers, high-value targets. Carrier groups, like carriers or large amphibious infrastructure like power plants, air bases, oil platforms, and so on. ships are obvious missile goals: they can be sunk, or forced by the and so on,” says Ståle Ulriksen. They also – possibly – can change missile threat to move out of the the entire strategic situation in a area of operations. Even a remote war. Just the existence of weapon possibility of being destroyed by a 15

Missiles have steadily extended in range over the last few decades, a trend which will likely accelerate. Photo shows Sidewinder 9L rocket motors being prepared at Raufoss. Photo: Nammo

missile costing thousands or a few They must be provided with safe and Greger Johansson believes missiles million can be an Achilles heel for robust bases to be able to operate are important and ships or planes costing billions. effectively. My impression is that can force armies to many countries have bought these emphasize resilience Both Ulriksen and Johansson believe and depth more extremely capable weapon platforms, a stronger emphasis on volume, than they do today. but have put less emphasis on the Photo: FFI low-tech, cheaper and more resilient whole support system around the units could be a possible answer. platform. If this is neglected, these Against less costly units in greater assets can be lost quite quickly.” numbers, missiles would be relatively the West’s weaknesses: with a weaker. What would an attacker do FIRST STRIKE ADVANTAGE considerable missile capacity and when facing, say, dispersed army Both researchers also worry troops that can move quickly over vehicles in substantial numbers, about the huge advantage a large distances, Russia could exploit each costing less than a missile? first strike gives to the party an early advantage effectively. that initiates armed conflict. And what if there was a “This is what we see when we look significant ability to replace “The surprise factor could be at their forces. But the Russian losses, and a will to fight on? extremely important. If the ability to operate over a longer time period, their resiliency? I would Johansson goes so far as to transition from peace, where no say it’s rather poor. We end up describe resilience – the ability one believes in armed conflict, with a situation where a first strike to take a beating and still to war is short enough, it would followed by ground operations – a continue the fight – as the most immensely favor an attacker. quick land grab or a hybrid operation important trait for a defending Missiles could destroy important – could be followed by a fait force. Ståle Ulriksen agrees. infrastructure quickly and at a accompli (something that’s already “I’ve come to the conclusion that the low cost. Then there is only one happened, a fact on the ground most important aspect of a weapon question, really: does the defender that can no longer be prevented). system isn’t necessarily the firepower, have the resilience, the strategic The cost of fighting back – and do not but its resilience and robustness. depth, the backup and the will to fight back? I’m afraid a lot of Western forget Russia could threaten to use its We cannot use ‘glass cannons’ countries may not have these today. nuclear arsenal at this point – would that break soon after engaging be very high,” Ulriksen reasons. an opponent or that can be easily That being said, the recent “I believe we could be going back neutralized. A lot of countries Trident Juncture exercise was to a phase where the classic have invested heavily in very costly an impressive show of NATO conventional forces would become systems that can do a lot of damage unity,” says Greger Johansson. very important. Any armed forces in a short time. But what do you do His fellow researcher Ståle would have to have them, not to the when they’re gone? Take the combat Ulriksen has spent years analyzing exclusion of missiles or other such aircraft, the F-35 for example: while Russian capabilities, and concludes systems, but in addition to. Culture, in the air they are very powerful, on that their military is set up with mentality and the will to fight are also the ground they can be vulnerable. strengths matching some of paramount,” Johansson concludes. 16

2019 SPECIAL REPORT PROPULSION PROPELLING MISSILES INTO THE FUTURE

Ramjets are back – and this time they could change everything. Missiles with five times the range of current systems might be a reality in just a few years.

A lot of today’s anti-air missile Countries like Russia have invested “We have a situation where several systems have some pretty serious heavily in better, longer range missile crucial technologies have advanced. drawbacks: they cannot reach systems. High-flying strategic Together, they are paving the way high altitudes. Range is limited. bombers, especially bombers like for new concepts and defense And targets that are fast and the Tu-160 “Blackjack” with a service applications. If one looks at defensive maneuverable, such as fighter ceiling of 52 000 feet, are still in systems, this is quite clear. And the jets or missiles, can be very operation. And unmanned, potentially flip side is that the same evolution is difficult to hit. However, a new stealthy strike aircraft are a certain occurring with offensive missiles.” generation of Ramjet-powered part of many future air forces. anti-air missiles could spell the TWO TO FIVE TIMES THE RANGE At the same time, Western end of all these shortcomings. Frank Møller and his colleagues at countries have changed in ways Nammo – one of just a handful of “I think there’s a race going that make them more vulnerable manufacturers of tactical rocket on internationally. Propulsion to strikes. Møller believes motors in NATO – are working on technology has improved. Cruise Norway is a good example: Ramjet technology for missiles. missiles are getting longer ranges, “Norway has a number of possible The concept has been around for better sensors, improved accuracy, targets that would have an extremely decades, but some crucial new and the cost has gone down. But a high value in a conflict scenario: improvements – converging with reaction is coming: armed forces the F-35 aircraft, the North Sea oil advances in other fields – have everywhere are scrambling to rigs, our major cities, important finally made it viable. Frank Møller improve their missile defenses.” infrastructure, and so on. We are is sure we will see products on Frank Møller, Nammo’s VP of more dependent on these than the market within a few years. Strategy and Business Development before, and need to protect them. “Long-range Ramjet artillery will (Aerospace Propulsion), has more And I think that’s a development likely be on the market within than 30 years of experience with that mirrors what we see in two to four years. For missiles, it missiles and rocket motors. Now, he other countries,” Møller says. will take a bit longer, but we are feels the business is going through The rocket motor veteran feels confident that the technology is some of the biggest changes ever. investing in advanced air defense ready. What we are working on now is an obvious counter. Luckily, is more focused on the practical technology has advanced to a applications and technical solutions.” point where such defenses can, Are you sure of that? Are you possibly, be revolutionized. sure the technology will work?

“Absolutely. And it will be a momentous change.”

Range is one of the areas where today’s missiles could be left in the dust. Even regular aircraft cruising at just over 30 000 feet would be out of An F-35 plane releasing an AIM-120 range for most air defense systems. AMRAAM missile. In the future, the range of these AA missiles could increase significantly. Photo: USAF, by Master Sgt. Michael Jackson 17

Erland Ørbekk (left) and Frank Møller (right) believe Ramjet technology can give missiles much more range. Photo: Nammo

This is true for those designed for REPLACING OXYGEN WITH FUEL What operational advantages short to medium range use. They are In a conventional rocket motor, oxygen can we expect? far smaller and less expensive than accounts for 80 percent of the fuel “A Ramjet-powered missile will be longer range systems like Patriot weight. But a Ramjet instead uses superior to a conventional missile or S300/400. But the main trade-off oxygen from the outside air. As a in all possible ways. Ground-based is range and the ability to go high. consequence, oxygen can be replaced Ramjet missiles will be able to take “The usual solid-propellant rockets with fuel, increasing the capacity out high-altitude targets. And if fired have an extremely short range. four or five times. Erland Ørbekk, from aircraft, they will be effective Most people are unaware that they Nammo’s VP of technology for against high-speed and highly would not be able to reach most aerospace, explains that the maneuverable fighter jets at much of the planes out there, cruising advantages are great if a missile greater distances than today. We at their usual levels. They simply can reach high enough speeds. believe they could even be effective can’t get to that kind of altitude.” “In a traditional air breathing motor, against some of the new high-speed missiles being introduced outside Nammo now you need a compressor, a combustion The usual NATO. If you have a good enough aims to make chamber and a turbine. But in a sensor system on the ground, it will solid- tomorrow’s Ramjet, the oxygen pressure and be possible for Ramjet-powered propellant smaller air temperature will be high enough missiles to intercept them.” rockets defense setups just from reaching a high enough speed (Mach 3). A Ramjet missile have an every bit as capable as today’s can have a burn time of up to extremely big and expensive 300 seconds (5 minutes), and can short range systems. be throttled up and down, or even turned on and off,” Ørbekk says. Smaller, ground-based “The next generation will change a AA missile systems lack the lot. Ground-based Ramjet missiles ability to go really high and have will be able to take out high-altitude limited reach. The Ramjet can potentially eliminate these shortcomings. targets. And if fired from aircraft Photo: Martin Mellquist / (an air-to-air missile), they will Norwegian Armed Forces be able to target even high-speed fighter jets performing last-minute evasive maneuvers,” Møller says.

Frank Møller indicates that a Ramjet-powered missile will realistically have two to five times the reach of today’s missiles, while retaining the same size. They will also be more maneuverable and reach much higher, likely as much as 60-70 000 feet. “A RAMJET-POWERED MISSILE WILL REALISTICALLY HAVE TWO TO FIVE TIMES THE REACH” 18

2019 SPECIAL REPORT PROPULSION A DIFFERENT WAY TO LAUNCH INTO SPACE

“It is so difficult to get everything right: the technology and the power to fight Earth’s gravity for just long enough… A rocket is such a complex system. But the feeling when we did it? It was fantastic. An explosion of joy.”

On September 27, 2018, with a Nammo’s Nucleus effort can be seen thundering sound, the Nucleus rocket as heralding a big change: the rise sped from its launch rail at Andøya of small – but capable – players. Space Center. Just over a minute “You can say that we weren’t really later, it had reached an altitude of supposed to do what we did, with such 107 km. On the ground, the crew limited resources. Also, our choice of in the control room realized they a hybrid rocket motor was unusual. had done it. After 10 years of hard We did it anyway,” Boiron points out. work, the cheering was almost as loud as the launch itself. LIMITED RESOURCES A few months later, lead engineer The core Nucleus team consisted of Adrien Boiron still feels proud. only 10-20 people. They cooperated He’s told the tale about the Nucleus with and got important support from a lot of times by now. But it still the European Space Agency (ESA). brings a big smile to his face. Still, achieving launch with such limited resources was “I think we really did something a phenomenal success. amazing. What we accomplished

was incredible. The rocket behaved Nucleus is also part of an overall Adrien Boiron, lead engineer, beautifully in flight, and flew well technological change: satellites Nucleus program. over the 100 km altitude goal that today can be far smaller than only Photo: Nammo we had set. And with the reception a decade or two ago. That paves the Nammo already has decades of we’ve gotten from media, people way for smaller, lighter and less experience with military rocket in the industry, and so on – it’s costly rocket concepts. After the propulsion. The company makes been amazing,” Boiron says. launch last September, Nammo rocket motors for a range of has proven that it has something The launch – conducted in the missiles like the AMRAAM, ESSM to offer to help make that a reality. north of Norway – turned a lot of and IRIS-T. Now, the goal is to heads in the space sector. Nammo “With what we’ve accomplished, strengthen the civilian product sent the first Norwegian-made we have become one of the line, providing the right launch rocket into space. In itself, that leaders, worldwide, in the field infrastructure and a working rocket was a remarkable achievement. of microlauncher propulsion concept can be established. Financing, designing, building, and systems. We have demonstrated “We have some hard work ahead: successfully launching such rockets a suborbital launch, and are the build bigger rockets, and keep is a capability traditionally only held first in Europe to do that.” by a handful of major countries, launching. I believe our next launch or organizations like NASA. may actually have a first cube satellite on board. That’s an exciting prospect.” 19

DID YOU KNOW? Nammo today delivers separation boosters to the Ariane 5 and to in-space programs, such as NASA’s Juno spacecraft. With several new programs in the pipeline, the goal is to be a key provider for future European small and micro satellite launchers, as well as new in-space programs.

Do you think that’s realistic?

“Yes, it’s realistic now, more than ever. We demonstrated the technology, we have the key building blocks, we know the hybrid rocket technology works, and the launch infrastructure is coming together at Andøya. Also, in Europe, we know there is the right pool of engineers and companies to make this happen and provide a new and competitive commercial launch service dedicated to small satellites,” Adrien Boiron concludes.

On the eve of the Nucleus launch, the team assembled for a photo underneath the rocket. Photo: Nammo Nammo is an international aerospace and defense company headquartered in Norway. With 2 400 employees across more than 30 sites and offices in 13 countries, the company is one of the world’s leading providers of ammunition and rocket motors for both military and civilian customers.

Nammo AS P.O. Box 142 NO-2831 Raufoss Norway

www.nammo.com Photo by: Marthe Brendefur / Norwegian Armed Forces