Abstract: The ground-based experiments of high velocity explosively-formed penetrators impacting the simulated chemical submunition payloads are performed to investigate the effects of different impact positions on the damage effect of chemical submunition. The experimental results show that the typical damage modes of chemical submunitions are denting (no leakage), local cracking ( partial leakage) and fragmenting (complete leakage), and their distribution strongly depends upon the impact positions in the submunition payload. An overlap volume analysis based on perforating trajectory shows that the destruction probability of submunitions, varying with the impact position offset, appears a complex multiple step-like distribution. The analysis result is in agreement with the experimental result. It may be considered that the dynamic behavior and effect, resulting from the direct impact of high velocity penetrator upon the submunitions along the perforation trajectory, are the dominant destruction mechanisms. The other important additional destruction mechanisms, such as skin debris impact, collision among neighboring sunmunitions, submunition debris impact and leaked fluid ejection, significantly enhance the destruction effectiveness against the chemical submunition payloads.

Key words: ordnance science and technology, ballistic missile defense, kinetic kill vehicle, chemical submunition, high velocity penetrator, damage effect