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Compact pulsed power supplies are required for electrothermal-chemical (ETC) guns to be installed in combat fighting vehicles. In order to meet the requirements for integration of pulsed power supply (PPS) systems in such vehicles, components with high degrees of energy and power density as well as complex system designs need to be realized. This paper gives the basic electric requirements of medium- and large-caliber ETC guns to be fulfilled by the appropriate PPS systems. From these requirements, design criteria for high-energy discharge modules and their auxiliary systems are derived. The design of a 120-kJ capacitor module to be applied for the large-caliber ETC gun currently under investigation at Rheinmetall, Unterleuss, Germany, is described. Finally, the paper gives some basic considerations on volume and weight requirements of capacitive PPS systems to be applied for rapid-fire and single-shot ETC guns due to the current status of the investigations at Rheinmetall. Index Terms--Electrothermal-chemical (ETC), pulsed power supply (PPS) system.

The application of electric guns in combat vehicles require pulsed power supply systems with a compact design and a high reliability. Other investigations show that capacitive pulsed power supply (PPS) systems will fulfill these requirements for electrothermal-chemical (ETC) guns. In these PPS systems, high energy density capacitors and high power switches are critical components that have yet to be realized. This paper gives an overview of the latest results obtained from Rheinmetall's investigations on high energy capacitors and optically activated semiconductor switches being developed for ETC PPS systems. The basic technical requirements to be fulfilled by these components are presented. The final setup and the design data of a 1.9-2 MJ/[m.sup.3] discharge capacitors and a 22 kV/40 kA closing switch are described. Results obtained from full scale testing are presented. Basic considerations on other applications of these components and their scaled performance data conclude the paper. Index Terms--ETC, high energy density capacitor, pulsed power supply system, semiconductor.

Today's investigations on electrothermal-chemical (ETC) guns concentrate on different methods of electrothermal plasma ignition technologies to be combined with ETC tailored propellants and their charge designs. It is the goal to obtain increased gun performance in terms of muzzle energy, muzzle velocity, and temperature compensation of the propellants. In the German ETC program, governmental agencies, research institutes, and industry are involved to investigate proper ETC technologies to be applied in large-caliber guns. Basic investigations as well as large-caliber firing demonstrations are included in the program. It is the goal of the current ETC phase to demonstrate muzzle energies up to 15 MJ out of a 120-mm smooth-bore gun barrel under operating conditions. This paper gives an overview of the program structure and briefly addresses the content of the subprograms performed in institutes as well as of the industrial investigations. Index Terms--Compact pulsed power supply, electrothermal-chemical gun, plasma ignition.

The realization of the electrothermal-chemical (ETC) technology depends on the electrothermally controlled combustion of solid propellants with increased loading density. In order to design a powder charge and an appropriate converter system of electrical energy for an ETC-gun setup, detailed knowledge of the interaction between the electrical energy input and the combustion of the powder is necessary. Basic investigations have been performed at TZN with various closed vessels to understand the fundamental parameters that influence the combustion of compacted solid propellants. The paper presents the results obtained in experiments in a 500ml closed vessel with compacted JA2-powder in the form of disks and electrothermal energy input. The setup of closed vessel is given and characteristic experiments as well as their parameter variations are described and discussed. Index Terms - electrothermal, propellant, burn rate, plasma.