Evening star., 1952-01-12
NueIear Artillery Gun
May Have Non-Atomie
prope||ing Charge
BY the Associaied Press


atomic shells may be fired with q
conventional propelling charge
like any big caliber gun. Nc
nuclear explosive is needed to
throw the missile at the target.
And a major problem in the
design of the weapon, a model OF
which was shown to the Joint
Congressional Committee or
Atomic Energy yesterday. prob
ably has been to hold the weight
of the gun down to a point where
it is practical for battlefield use
If the words used by Chairman
Mcmahon of the committee were
used advisedly. the new weapon
appears to be a gun instead of a
rocket-launching device. He de-
scribed it, in talking to reporters
as an artillery gun" designed to
handle atomic shells.
Range Not Necessary.
A weapon used tactically on 9
war front would not need unusua
range, only enough to his enemy
troop positions, field Notifications
or concentration points close be-
hind the lines. The huge power
of an atomic explosion thus woulc
not be required to propel the
atomic-charged shell from the
gun. ...
Gen. J. Lawton Collins, Army
Chief of Staff, said in a radio
interview last month that artil-
lery capable Of firing atomic mis-
siles has been tested. He sale
that didn't mean "it has beer
tested as an atomic weapon: il
doesn't have to be-" ...
That seemed to point prett;
definitely toward the idea that the
model which congressman saw
yesterday probably was not toe
radical in design, except perhaps
for the bore and length of its
tube.
While the packaged size o1
atomic explosives has been re-
duced considerably since Hiro-
shima, it is doubtful that the
diameter of the package still could
be fitted to standard existing
weapons.
The biggest mobile gun used
by the Army is the 240-mm
howitzer. That is a bore OF
slightly under 10 inches. A caliber
of even double that size would
create a hefty weapon for easy
mobility on a battlefield, although
not an impossible weight.
A 240-mm. howitzer weighs
$4,000 pounds and the carriage for
it about $4,000 pounds
To double that bore might bring
the complete weapon assembly
up to a weight of about 60 tons
But Cotton tanks are considered
by some military men as practical
for battlefield use.
The maximum effective range
of a 240-mm. howitzer is about
IA miles. enough to get the dan
gerous' explosion area of an
atomic burst well away from
friendly troop positions.
Howitzer Angle Needed.
A howitzer is q high-angle-of- =
fire weapon, the 240-mm. having
an elevation Of 65 degrees. Such
"a high angle could be Of use for
particular type of atomic bonn
bardment where a shell might be
needed to penetrate an under
ground fortiflcation.
Detonating the atomic shell over
or at the target should have i'm
posed no seriously critical prob
lem. The standard proximity
fuze (the electronic device which
explodes a shell or bomb as II
reaches a point above the target)
would provide for an air burst ef-
fective for anti-personnel and
general demolition purposes.
Because the propelling charge
presumably would be non-atomic
with no nuclear explosion occur
ring at the gun location, there
would be no problem Of shielding
for radiation. But the peculiar
nature Of atomic materials and
weapons undoubtedly viii create
special handling and storage prob
lens for the atomic artillerymen.
Among other questions is the
matter Of whether final adjust
ment Of the projectile's trigger
mechanism viii have to be made
Immediately preceding the firing.
Beyond that will be the problem
of field commanders to decide
what situations cali for atomic
artillery and. If used. whether IL
win require particular naneuver-
ling Of friendly forces to gel
Through an area subjected tt
atomic blast and radiation. /