Grumman develops more lethal explosives for hypersonic and other missiles

Northrop Grumman has been developing Lethality Enhanced Ordnance (LEO) – a scalable, performance-enhancing warhead technology that replaces cluster bombs which have been banned in 2010.

They completed series testing of a new 50 lb-class warhead for future US air-to-surface and surface-to-surface hypersonic weapons.

The new warhead leverages the company’s Lethality Enhanced Ordnance (LEO) technology. It is a scalable fragmentation/penetration warhead solution developed by Northrop Grumman. The requirement was for no submunitions and to have less than 1% unexploded ordnance (UXO) after arming. LEO technology uses a thinned out shell casing supplemented with an inner fragmentation layer that can be scaled according to the target. They reached the desired destructive level and left behind no unexploded mini-bombs.

Northrop Grumman uses a modeling tool to accurately determine the size, velocity, and distribution (fuze sensor/height of burst) of fragmentation. This optimizes weapon performance. It also reduces the time spent in the design phase.

14 thoughts on “Grumman develops more lethal explosives for hypersonic and other missiles”

  1. The point is to not have the disadvantage of a cluster bomb where they tend to not detonate 100% of the submunitions, thus leaving unexploded bomblets around to pose a long term threat.It wouldn’t be legally classed as a cluster bomb because it wouldn’t have the side effects that caused cluster bombs to be a legal issue in the first place.

  2. Because the use of nuclear weapons has even more negative effects than the use of normal weapons. Not least the political effects on other major powers.

  3. The point is to not have the disadvantage of a cluster bomb where they tend to not detonate 100% of the submunitions, thus leaving unexploded bomblets around to pose a long term threat.
    It wouldn’t be legally classed as a cluster bomb because it wouldn’t have the side effects that caused cluster bombs to be a legal issue in the first place.

  4. Because the use of nuclear weapons has even more negative effects than the use of normal weapons. Not least the political effects on other major powers.

  5. Turpin I agree this is terrible, but necessary. We must be able to defend ourselves and loved ones. We caot stick our heads in the sand, there are a lot of people out there that want to kill us and our loved ones just because we exist.

  6. Turpin I agree this is terrible, but necessary. We must be able to defend ourselves and loved ones. We cannot stick our heads in the sand, there are a lot of people out there that want to kill us and our loved ones just because we exist.

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