In order to be able to engage small and fast flying targets such as drones as successfully as possible Rheinmetall Air Defense has developed the so-called Ahead ammunition. This is based on a programmable fuse that is individually set when it leaves the barrel of the anti-aircraft gun.
For this purpose, the VO measuring base in the barrel of the gun measures the velocity of each individual projectile. The control electronics use this and data from the fire control computer to calculate the respective fuze setting and program each projectile at the muzzle.
Immediately before approaching the target, the fuze triggers a fragmentation charge in the projectile, which then disintegrates into numerous small heavy metal sub-projectiles.
The effect after fragmentation is comparable to the cone-shaped spread of a shotgun shell – the target is destroyed by the multiple impact of sub-projectiles and the effect is intensified with each additional projectile.
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