Intelligent Munitions System

The XM1100 Scorpion (previously known as the Intelligent Munitions System or IMS) is a smart system being developed by Textron and the US Army TACOM-ARDEC Picatinny Centre.

The IMS allows for controlled and safe use of munitions in the battlefield and prevent unwanted munitions from being buried and forgotten. It is remotely operated and can be left in the field on an automatic mode or turned off to allow friendly vehicles to pass through the area. Each module contains 4 anti-vehicle smart munitions that are fired into the air and release a guided warhead that will descend vertically on the target.

History
The IMS started as a component in the Army's Future Combat Systems initiative. Its role was as a ground-based wide-area top-attack system for detecting, classifying, and engaging enemy systems in the battlefield. Textron Defense Systems was awarded a $115 million contract for the system design and development phase of Intelligent Munitions System in October 2006.

The IMS continued developing after the cancellation of Future Combat Systems. Textron announced on May 4, 2009, that the (renamed) XM1100 Scorpion networked sensor and munitions platform was tested successfully at two separate events. A system pre-verification test event took place at Fort Devens, Mass., where the Scorpion system was launched successfully against all six target encounters. Scorpion demonstrated command and control, ground sensor tracking, target engagement, and launch effectiveness against the target set. It was also tested at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. Soldiers were able to emplace the system during several scenarios, including day and night, using everyday and cold-weather gear, on foot and from a vehicle. On July 15, 2009, Textron announced that the Scorpion had completed rigorous verification testing as well as a successful critical design review with the U.S. Army. Testing took place at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, where dispensing modules controlled by a Scorpion control station were demonstrated in both urban and open terrain settings against single and multiple target arrays. Additional day and overnight system verification trials occurred with up to eight dispensing modules under the control of a single Scorpion control station. These activities validated the Scorpion's situational awareness, command and control, and target engagement capabilities. The Scorpion's sensor fuzed warhead also was demonstrated to verify functionality and performance under various scenarios. Textron was then informed that they successfully achieved all of the exit criteria required to pass the critical design review. In October 2009, it was announced that the Scorpion had completed a test series focused on demonstrating the system’s capabilities in urban environments. Testing was held at Fort Benning, Georgia, where the Scorpion system performed in both day and nighttime scenarios. Fort Benning’s military operations in urban terrain (MOUT) site was used for the test series. The rigorous test series confirmed the Scorpion system’s ability to accurately identify and engage targets in urban environments.

By January 2010, the XM1100 Scorpion system successfully completed a rigorous test series at White Sands Missile Range. Testing culminated in the first end-to-end, live-fire engagement by the Scorpion networked sensor and munitions platform, with the Scorpion system scoring a perfect three for three against vehicle targets. Remote controlled military targets were driven through multiple fields of emplaced Scorpion systems, which identified and tracked the targets and passed information to an operator overlooking the fields. The operator then armed a fully functional Scorpion system with a high-explosive munition, destroying the targets and demonstrating the system’s effectiveness. A full network of 16 dispensing modules was employed during the test event, which included demonstration of command and control, ground sensor tracking, target engagement, anti-vehicle munitions launch and warhead lethality, as well as self-destruction testing and soldier interaction testing and assessment. Additional achievements included the testing of a fielded Scorpion system overnight to observe its force protection capability. In December 2010, Textron announced that the Scorpion system had performed successfully during live-fire engagements against moving main battle tanks and medium armored personnel carrier targets, scoring hits with its highly lethal explosively formed penetrator warhead in 100 percent of the live fire tests. Additional demonstrations at the event featured Scorpion's communication, command and control, and power management capabilities as well as the operational reliability of the system during nearly a month of severe, hot environmental conditions.

In July 2011, the XM1100 Scorpion system successfully completed its final government design verification field test. The demonstration evaluated the Scorpion system's ability to detect and track individual and multiple targets, as well as engage vehicle targets. Its munitions dispensing module (DM) and networked munitions controller also were evaluated for reliability and performance. The Scorpion system performed successfully throughout the multi-day event. In a demonstration of operational effectiveness, the Scorpion obstacle engaged and stopped a column of tracked vehicles in a "many-on-many" test scenario.