Tank barrel-launched systems: Russia, then the Soviet Union, has largely pioneered the firing of missiles from within a tank, in other words, by using the main armament of the vehicle itself, the turreted barrel. The concept has since been applied by Israel and now guided missiles are also fired from existing howitzers. (Complete Guide).

The US Army's laser spot-homing 155 mm Lockheed Martin Copperhead artillery round was cancelled in 1990, but its development may have encouraged Russia's work on the 2K24 Santimetr (Centimetre) system, which, entering service in the 1980s, fired the 152 mm 30F35 projectile.

Krasnopol

KBP has since developed the 120/122 mm Kitilov-2/-2M-and the 152 mm Krasnopol, which has a range of 22 km. The smaller guidance components of the Kitilov were then applied to the larger round, producing the Krasnopol-M, which can be fitted with larger driving bands to suit Western 155 mm guns. KBP has also developed 100, 115 and 125 mm laser-guided rounds for tank guns, and is working with Diehl and Krauss Maffei Wegmann (KMW) on the 105 mm Spear round.

Term-KE

The most important guided tank round in the near term may well be the 120 mm Alliant Techsystems XM1007 Term-KE (Tank Extended-Range Munition-Kinetic Energy), a rocket-assisted munition with active millimetre-wave radar guidance and a long-rod penetrator. Nose-mounted thrusters provide control in the terminal phase. A 105 mm derivative has been proposed for the FCS. ATK is also assisting Lockheed Martin in a competition with Raytheon to develop the Mraas (MultiRole Armament and Ammunition System) for the US Army's Block 2 FCS. The Mraas ammunition suite will consist of three types: anti-armour, guided medium-range and guided extended-range.

Smart

Large calibre artillery rounds provide the possibility of killing two or more tanks with a single shot, by dispensing submunitions. The Sadarm programme from ATK and the Aerojet Electronic Systems Division of GenCorp. appears to be dead, and ATK is now promoting the Giws (Rheinmetall/Diehl) 155 mm Smart (Sensor-fuzed Munition for Artillery), which delivers two parachute-equipped submunitions with EFP warheads, in this case with an MMW/IIR and radiometer sensor system. The Smart has been described as the world's only gun-fired, tri-mode sensor, 155 mm smart submunition currently in production. Approximately 9000 are on order for the German Army for use from its PzH 2000, and these shells have also been ordered by Greece and Switzerland.

Excalibur

Raytheon, in a partnership with Primex Technologies, is responsible for the 155 mm XM982 Excalibur, which has GPS/INS navigation, a variety of warloads and a range of up to 50 km. Initial deliveries to the US Army and US Marine Corps are due to begin in 2005, leading to IOC (initial operational capability) in 2006.

Bonus

Another cargo round is the Bofors/Giat 155 mm Bonus, which has two submunitions with metal wings that produce both retardation and rotation. A multi-band infrared sensor by Intertechnique triggers an EFP warhead. The range of the base-bleed Bonus shell is 34 km, but the Giat Pelican is expected to carry five of these submunitions to more than 80 km.