US authorities want to alter the mixture of chemicals used to power missiles and rockets in order to increase the range of its front-line armaments so US forces may operate farther away from China. This will give the US an advantage in the Pacific.
Using more potent propellants and lighter warheads, the Pentagon and Congress are considering a retrofit that could increase some current weapons’ ranges by as much as 20%.
Bipartisan Push for Energetics to Counter China
It is according to two congressional aides and two US officials who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak in public.
The Senate unveiled bill wording last week that allotted at least $13 million to develop, create, and test energetics, or chemical compounds that can be used to drive missiles or replace the explosive material in warheads.
Even while only a small portion of the $886 billion defense budget is being considered by Congress, the financing kicks off a process that might ultimately result in significant increases in weapons spending.
The bipartisan attempt to discourage China has broad bipartisan support, but the final financing levels for the idea must yet be negotiated between the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and the Democratic-controlled Senate.
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The Key to Enhanced Weapon Performance
Unfortunately, the Pentagon has become complacent in deploying energetics from the 1940s and has ignored modern energetics, such as CL-20, which are essential to extending the range and lethality of our force.
Aides and people familiar with the idea told Reuters that, pending final approval in Congress, the bill would launch a Pentagon effort to try to increase the range of current weapons using chemicals like China Lake Compound #20, also known as CL-20.
Congress has been drawn to studies like one from 2021 that claimed that, combined with other modifications, repowering a rocket with CL-20 might increase its range by around 20%.
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