Nonhazardous Marking Devices for Exercise Munitions

Development of an aircraft-deliverable marking device for use in Air Force exercise munitions is discussed. The purpose of these munitions will be to provide airstrike realism in joint Army/Air Force training exercises by marking the ground troops to simulate live ordnance casualties, enabling direct assessment of the strike effectiveness. A shallow incidence angle of the mark is required to enable troop defensive actions (for example, becoming prone) to simulate the casualty level. Three basic approaches to the problem are evaluated: free-falling, discrete ballistic markers; discrete, gliding markers; and marking bomblets. Feasibility of these approaches is evaluated by analytical and experimental methods. Development of the marking bomblet concept into a workable design is noted. Feasibility, successfully demonstrated in a series of flight tests and other studies, is reported. The developed design consisted of a 65-gm bomblet having a ribbon drogue device to provide vertical orientation and limited velocity at impact. The fuze is fired on impact, which generates pressure to expel the dye in discrete streams through 20 radial nozzles. The nozzles direct the dye at the 30 deg angle. (Author)