DART: Successful firing trials with demonstration of manoeuvring capability of the new ammunition

Within the Strales program, Oto Melara, a Finmeccanica company, has successfully performed very important firing trials of the DART (Driven Ammunition Reduced Time of flight) at the Poligono Interforze Salto di Quirra (PISQ), an Italian inter service firing range located in Sardinia.

The Strales system, currently in the final phase of development under the funding of the Italian Navy, is an anti-air, anti short range missile and anti FIACs based on the installation on the 76 Super Rapid (SR) gun of a Radio Frequency (RF) guidance beam capable to steer a burst of sub-calibre DART projectiles against subsonic and supersonic targets with excellent manoeuvre capability.

This capacity can be extended to all the 76/62 Super Rapid guns in service through the installation of the proper kit which also includes the possibility of a double feeding magazine.

At the presence of high rank officers of the Italian Navy, five DART projectiles (two in single shot and three in a burst) were fired against simulated targets, they successfully entered and followed the guidance beam  manoeuvring with the required and expected accuracy.

This important result is a decisive milestone since it has been fired by a complete gun and has proved the capability of a high speed subcalibre projectile to be guided with the highest accuracy.

As a consequence of these firing trials, the first fully operative 76/62 STRALES will be installed on board an Italian Navy ship at the end of the present year, in accordance with the foreseen time schedule.

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