FIBER OPTIC WEAPONS OF THE "FUTURE" TODAY
Carlton Meyer
ENHANCED FIBER OPTIC GUIDED MISSILE (EFOG-M) SYSTEM
The FOG-M is the most revolutionary weapon since the arrival of the attack helicopter 30 years ago. Unfortunately, few U.S. military officers are aware of its existence. The FOG-M is basically a long-range TOW Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) perfected by the U.S. Army in the early 1990s. It flies a high trajectory guided by a TV camera in the nose of the missile which remains connected to the launcher by spooling out a fiber optic cable thinner than a fishing line. A Soldier guides the missile with a joystick and video screen and crashes it into the target. It can strike armored vehicles, helicopters or any tactical target within 10 miles.
When Cold war procurement was cut, none of the U.S. Army's tank, infantry, air defense, or artillery communities adopted the FOG-M; each favored improving their traditional systems. Despite its revolutionary capability, the FOG-M was never fielded. The U.S. Army has now developed an enhanced FOG-M called EFOG-M, but fielding this weapon is still too low a priority, although the 82d Airborne Division has fielded "A" Company 1-511th PIR with the EFOGM mounted on XM44 HMMWV 4x4 Firing Unit Equipment vehicles. This is a start. Currently, the Germans, French, and even Brazilians now have FOG-Ms in production. While the United States devotes billions of dollars to make incremental improvements in traditional systems, other nations have jumped ahead. U.S. Army R&D organizations can develope weapons continuously, but its up to the users--Soldiers in the field to aggressively ask for them to exploit them to the fullest.
A tank battalion can be annihilated by a EFOG-M battery several miles away, especially since a EFOG-M strikes downward and into a tanks' light overhead armor. Even attack helicopters would stay clear of areas where EFOG-Ms were reported, since EFOGMs can be used against them, too. Since an YMGM-157B EFOG-Missile can change course in flight, it can be fired in the general direction of the enemy and then change course to fool counter-battery radar. EFOG-Ms would not need to "shoot and move", they would "shoot and shoot". As a result, EFOG-Ms teamed with counter-battery radar could devastate gun batteries and mortar positions from 15 kilometers out.
EFOG-Ms may be fired into an areas simply so that its TV camera can verify an enemy presence for gun batteries. EFOG-Ms could also be fired from HMMWVs in landing craft cruising a few miles offshore. The Navy, which has long range wire-guided torpedoes in service, could also fire these wire-guided missiles from Seahawk helicopters, PC and Mk V patrol boats, or frigates to hit small boats and targets ashore.
The EFOG-Ms on XM44 HMMWVs at 6,000 pounds each is the ideal weapon for light forces. Two XM44 EFOGM HMMWVs fit inside a C-130 Hercules. A C-17 Globemaster III can carry 8 HMMWVs at a time and STOL airland them into 3,000 foot dirt strips. An EFOG-M system mounted aboard a HMMWV requires only 40% of the manpower, 10% of the ammunition, and 25% of the embark space of a 16,800 pound M198 155mm howitzer towed by a 22,000 pound FMTV truck. The U.S. Army & Marine Corps talk about weapons of the future, the EFOG-M is that weapon. The Official U.S. Army Missile Command site for EFOGM is:
http://efogm.redstone.army.mil/index.html
FEEDBACK!!!
"Dear Sir,
I measured an EFOGM at the Fort Benning Infantry Conference last year and by my calculations EFOGS are low enough to fit into the CH-47D Chinook helicopter. This capability to roll on/roll-off EFOGM XM44 HMMWVs after a full nap of the earth (NOE) flight profile is more important than external sling loading. EFOGMs can be inserted behind enemy lines paired with armed HMMWVs to hunt down enemy weapons of mass destruction (WMD) using its 10 km stand-off instead of trying to sneak up on foot across the open desert as the British SAS patrol Bravo Two-Zero tried to do in the Gulf War.
I emailed EFOGM PMs asking them when they were going to validate EFOGM for Low Velocity Airdrop by parachutes?
Airborne!
Mike Sparks
21st Century Weapons
E-mail May 1998
1st TSG (A)
