Aerodynamic performance of ultra long range projectiles

Abstract

The performance of ultra long range artillery projectiles is analyzed.  In the past ultra long range artillery was useless due to low accuracy, but now with relatively inexpensive guidance available for long range projectiles, such artillery is very promising.  Given the projectiles' initial velocity, mass, density, and shape, the projectile's range and impact velocity are determined.  For better results a MatLab program described in the paper has been used.
It is shown that both ranges and impact velocities increase with mass, density, and initial velocity.  For projectiles weighing 5 $kg$ to 142 $kg$, and launched from a conventional cannon at initial velocity 1,700 $m/s$, the ranges are 127 $km$ to 226 $km$ and the impact velocities are 562 $m/s$ to 1,127 $m/s$.  For projectiles weighing 5.3 $kg$ to 14.6 $kg$, and launched from an electromagnetic rail gun initial velocity 2,500 $m/s$, the ranges are 359 $km$ to 499 $km$ and the impact velocities are 1,361 $m/s$ to 1,996 $m/s$.
The temperature distribution on the surface of the projectile as a function of the distance from the nose tip is investigated as well.