Tank and Medium Caliber Ammunition

Abstract

The Direct Fire Advanced Technology (DFAT) Program Element (PE) encompasses a comprehensive program to develop, rapidly transition to production, and field advanced tank, medium and small caliber munitions. These programs will ensure continued battlefield overmatch and lethality of U.S. maneuver forces despite worldwide development and proliferation of enhanced armored vehicle protection technologies. To achieve this, DFAT will identify and develop promising technologies through competitive development and streamlined acquisition procedures. All ammunition development funds within this PE are managed to facilitate transitions between phases, avoid administrative delays, and focus resources on the most promising areas. The M829E4 cartridge is an unguided, direct fire, Abrams delivered Line of Sight (LOS) munition that will provide fast response lethality to rapidly destroy threat targets with Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) and Active Protection Systems (APS) in the close fight from 0-2km (T) and to 0-4km (O). The M829E4 will be compatible with the 120mm Current Force Abrams Main Battle Tank. FY 2011 M829E4 Cartridge funding supported the completion of Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) Phase I and the initiation of Phase II. FY 2012 funding supported design finalization, design verification, testing and fabrication of Design, Test and Evaluation hardware and beginning of testing. FY 2013 features building of test hardware for final qualification testing. FY 2014 supports hardware and performance test, conducting mandated Live Fire Testing & Evaluation (LFT&E) and staffing of Milestone C. In FY 2014 the Target Practice Day/ Night/ Thermal (TP D/N/T) cartridge is a 40mm grenade training cartridge. The Low Velocity variant is for training with the M203/ M320 grenade launchers and the High Velocity variant is for training with the Mk19 grenade machine gun. Both of these cartridges will provide the War Fighter with a non dud producing, environmentally friendly training cartridge which replicates the impact signature of respective tactical ammunition and can be seen day or night, by the unaided eye or through night vision and thermal weapon sights.

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Document Details

Document Type
R2 Budgetary Justification
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2014
Source ID
0603639A_4_2040_PB_2014
Change Summary Explanation
Service Agency Name
Army

Entities

Organizations

  • United States Army

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Ammunition
  • Contractors
  • Contracts
  • Cost Analysis
  • Developmental Tests
  • Engineering
  • Grenades
  • Line Of Sight
  • Manufacturing
  • Materials
  • Munitions
  • Night Vision
  • Performance Tests
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Test Equipment
  • Training

Readers

  • Munitions and Ordnance Engineering
  • Sensor Fusion and Tracking Systems.

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