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Library > Fact Sheets > Hard and Deeply Buried Target (HDBT) Technology
HARD AND DEEPLY BURIED TARGET (HDBT) TECHNOLOGY
Posted 4/23/2010
Printable Fact Sheet
Over the last several years many potential adversaries have invested significantly in the construction of hard, deeply buried facilities that possess clear military value. These facilities are often used as command and control centers, weapon system storage depots, and for other tactical and strategic purposes. The trend in their construction has been to increase their depth and hardness, thereby making them more difficult to prosecute from the air. The Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate's response to this challenge is the Hard and Deeply Buried Target (HDBT) technology area.
HDBT technology development is focused on providing the Air Force munitions community with new capabilities that can better neutralize these increasingly hardened and below ground enemy facilities. The AFRL munitions directorate HDBT area supports a near-term capability concept "Conventional Precision Effects on HDBT" and a mid-term "Enhanced Precision Effects on HDBT". These capability concepts support development of conventional ordnance packages tailored for the penetration and defeat of these difficult targets. These near- and mid-term approaches are characterized by an increase in target impact velocity over current inventory approaches. A far-term capability concept "Novel Precision Effects against HDBT" is characterized by providing innovative techniques to exploit HDBT vulnerabilities to demonstrate novel precision effects against the most difficult targets and perform functional defeat.
Near-term HDBT technology challenges include designing survivable fuzes and fuzewells. Also, inventory explosives need to be validated for severe impact survivability. New ones may need to be created. The numerical modeling and simulation of the fuze, fuzewell and explosive environment require similar validation. Appropriate guidance, navigation, and control concepts will also have to be addressed when the ordnance package is eventually integrated into a full-up munition airframe, and anticipated flight profiles begin to emerge.
There are additional technology challenges associated with a mid-term HDBT ordnance package due to a required further increase in target impact velocity. These challenges include developing a fuze further hardened against even more violent deceleration loads. Microelectronics for severe deceleration environments will also be required. High speed explosive survivability will again need to be addressed. New modeling and simulation tools may be required to predict the effect of the impact on the package and the package's impact on the target. Finally, higher strength steels or other materials may need to be developed for penetrator case survivability.
The purpose of this Directorate's HDBT program is to transition these integrated technologies involving the case, explosive fill, fuze, and associated guidance concepts. The intent of this transition is to reduce the design risk in future HDBT air-to-surface munition concepts that will, themselves, eventually translate into the next generation of fielded HDBT weapons.
Point of Contact: Pam Pitchford (850) 883-2505 - Email: pamela.pitchford@eglin.af.mil
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