The U.S. Army is buying additional advanced BONUS munitions manufactured by BAE Systems and Nexter of France. The Army is purchasing BONUS through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), which provides effective and cost efficient multinational solutions to the Alliance, its Nations and Partners. BONUS is a 155-millimeter munition designed for destroying armored targets and will be employed by the U.S. Army’s fleet of M109 self-propelled howitzers and M777 ultra-lightweight towed howitzers. Finland, France, Norway, Sweden and the United States are among the countries with BONUS in their arsenal.
“This additional order shows the Army’s confidence in the BONUS system,” said Lena Gillström, managing director for BAE Systems Weapon Systems Sweden. “This advanced technology facilitates striking two targets with one munition to increase combat efficiency and lethality on the battlefield.” Work under this contract begins immediately with deliveries expected to start in 2021.
155 BONUS (BOfors NUtating Shell) is a 155 mm NATO artillery round that consists of a 47-kilogram (104 lb) heavy artillery projectile containing two autonomous, sensor-fused, fire-and-forget submunitions. The BONUS round contains two sensor-fuzed warheads with advanced target-seeking sensors. While descending, the submunition rotates, scanning the area below with multi-frequency infrared sensors that compares the detected vehicles with a programmable target database. Once deployed they independently seek, track and strike targets within an area of 32,000 square meters when fired from a NATO L52 gun. The submunitions each contain a high-penetration EFP warhead for use against even heavy armoured fighting vehicles like main battle tanks.
