National overview of the German ETC program

Today's investigations on electrothermal-chemical (ETC) guns concentrate on different methods of electrothermal plasma ignition technologies to be combined with ETC tailored propellants and their charge designs. It is the goal to obtain increased gun performance in terms of muzzle energy, muzzle velocity, and temperature compensation of the propellants. In the German ETC program, governmental agencies, research institutes, and industry are involved to investigate proper ETC technologies to be applied in large-caliber guns. Basic investigations as well as large-caliber firing demonstrations are included in the program. It is the goal of the current ETC phase to demonstrate muzzle energies up to 15 MJ out of a 120-mm smooth-bore gun barrel under operating conditions. This paper gives an overview of the program structure and briefly addresses the content of the subprograms performed in institutes as well as of the industrial investigations.