Tank and Medium Caliber Ammunition

Abstract

Title changed from Tank and Medium Caliber Ammunition to Weapons and Munitions Advanced Development. The Weapons and Munitions Advanced Development Program Element (PE) encompasses a comprehensive program to develop, rapidly transition to production, and field advanced weapons and munitions. These programs will ensure continued battlefield overmatch and lethality of U.S. maneuver forces against the full range of modern battlefield threats. To achieve this, Weapons and Munitions Engineering Development Program will identify and develop promising technologies through competitive development and streamlined acquisition procedures. Project 652: The M829E4 cartridge is an Abrams delivered Line of Sight (LOS) munition that will provide capability for the current force Armored Brigade Combat Team's (ABCT) commander to conduct decisive operations and destroy current and future enemy Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) equipped with Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) and Active Protective System (APS) at ranges from 0-2km (T) and 0-4km (O). The M829E4 equips ABCT commanders with a unique capability which will increase the ABCT's lethality and ability to seize the initiative during unified land operations. After an Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) Phase I competitive shoot off in FY 2011, Alliant Techsystems (ATK) was awarded the option to continue with Phase II until its conclusion in FY 2015. FY 2012 supported the continuation of Phase II of the M829E4 cartridge. FY 2013 funding supported design finalization, design verification, fabrication and initial testing of Developmental Test and Evaluation (DT&E) hardware. The full performance of the M829E4 is obtained with an Abrams equipped with an Ammunition Data Link breech modification. FY 2014 supported hardware and performance testing, mandated Live Fire Test & Evaluation (LFT&E) and completion of Milestone C. FY 2015 supported qualifying a second source for the composite sabot material. The current single source supplier for this material had significantly increased the cost for this material, more than doubled in cost, and expressed intentions of possibly getting out of this business. Qualification of this second source has occurred and has resulted in competitive pricing thus driving down the unit price cost. The aforementioned selection has mitigated the risk of the current supplier exiting as a supplier of this material. Project 656: The Advanced Multi Purpose (AMP) program is a direct fire line of sight 120mm large caliber munition under development for the Abrams Main Battle Tank. It has three modes of operation including point detonate, point detonate delay and airburst. AMP is the material solution for breaching double reinforced concrete walls and defeating Anti Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) teams from 50m to 2000m (T) and 50m to 4500m (O), a validated gap that cannot currently be met with existing stockpiled ammunition. In addition to added capability, AMP will also consolidate the capabilities of four existing stockpiled 120mm munitions, thereby addressing the users' battlecarry dilemma by allowing them to load a single munition that is capable of defeating multiple targets including ATGM teams, reinforced walls, personnel, light armor, bunkers, and obstacles. The full performance of the AMP is obtained with an Abrams equipped Ammunition Data Link breech modification, the same required by the 120mm M829E4 cartridge that achieved Milestone C in FY 2014. FY 2016 supports multiple contracts with competing prototypes in Phase 1 of 2 for Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD). Project 694: The 40mm Low Velocity (LV) Increased Range Anti-Personnel (IRAP) tactical cartridge allows the warfighter to effectively engage multiple targets, at increased ranges using the 40mm M203 and M320 Grenade Launchers. The IRAP cartridge provides the grenadier with a higher probability of achieving a first shot kill against enemy personnel, coupled with the ability to defeat personnel targets in defilade positions at increased ranges with greater accuracy and lethality. When deployed against point and area targets, the cartridge inflicts incapacitating effects against personnel or achieve a mobility kill against unarmored vehicles at increased ranges beyond those offered by the current M433 High Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP) cartridge. IRAP is a new capability identified as a Warfighter requirement in the Capability Development Document, 40mm, Low Velocity Family of Ammunition Annex A1, Increased Range Anti-Personnel Cartridge. The cartridge provides lethal effects against targets with improved accuracy and greater standoff ranges increasing Soldier Survivability. FY 2017 supports Milestone B approval, Request for Proposal (RFP) preparation, Source Selection Planning, Government Technical Development and Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) Testing. Engineering, Manufacturing Development will commence in FY 2017. Project EB8: The One Way Luminescence (OWL) program is a critical technology development in response to the 7.62mm, 5.56mm, and .50 Caliber Family of Ammunition Capabilities Development Documents (CDD). Current small caliber ammunition tracer rounds are a pyrotechnic tracer mix allowing enemy forces to see the trace round and track its trajectory back to the shooter. The OWL program objective develops and fields a full day/night tracer round, replace the current pyrotechnic cartridges with trace cartridges that are only visible to the shooter and soldiers in close proximity, increasing soldier survivability. 7.62mm is the immediate focus followed by 5.56mm and .50 caliber OWL cartridges. FY 2017 funding supports maturation and downselect of the 7.62mm OWL technology, procurement of bullet components, "tracer" material and testing evaluation in order to attain a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6. FY 2017 funding further supports EMD contract development necessary for a FY 2018 Milestone B. Project EB9: This project is essential to support the advanced development activities and technology demonstrations of the Aviation Airborne Expendable Countermeasure (AAECM) components and prototype munition decoys necessary to address emerging threat deficiencies in Army aircraft protection and the safety of its aircrews against advanced Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) and shoulder launched Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAM) systems. These efforts will evaluate integrated technologies and countermeasure prototype systems in realistic operating test environments to help expedite technology transition from the laboratory to operational use to demonstrate component and subsystem maturity prior to integration into major and complex Army aircraft platforms. These expendable countermeasures systems are an essential part of survivability equipment for Army aircraft. Army RDT&E efforts are coordinated with the PEO Aviation and its platform PMs with PM Aircraft Survivability Equipment (ASE) to address emerging JUONS from theatre. Project EC2: The Advanced Armor-Piercing (ADVAP) program is a critical technology development in response to the 7.62mm and 5.56mm Family of Ammunition Capabilities Development Documents (CDD). The nomenclature for the 7.62mm ADVAP is now XM1158 and the companion trace is XM1159. The overall objective of the ADVAP program is to develop and Full Materiel Release (FMR) a 7.62mm XM1158 cartridge linked 4:1 with a trace cartridge (XM1159) followed by a 5.56mm cartridge variant that will provide overmatch capability to defeat advanced light armored threats within typical machine gun ranges. The 7.62mm XM1158 and XM1159 cartridge will be optimized for use in the M240 Machine Gun. Project EC3: The Ammunition Logistics Prototyping project supports the future force by improving the distribution, management, reliability and survivability of ammunition through the advanced development, integration, and demonstration of logistics system enablers. These enablers will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of ammunition operations, to include retrograde, while reducing the logistics footprint on the battlefield. Technology areas addressed include handling, distribution, and management (strategic and tactical), prognostics, diagnostics, and asset visibility, explosives safety, and adaptive and environmentally friendly packaging and palletization. The efficient deployment and sustainment of reliable ammunition is vital to success on the battlefield. This project enhances the operational effectiveness of the ammunition logistics system to ensure the distribution of reliable ammunition to the warfighter. Project EL7: The Reduced Range Small Caliber Training Ammunition (RRTA) program is a critical technology development in response to the 7.62mm and .50 Caliber Capabilities Development Documents (CDD). The overall objective of the RRTA program is to develop and field 7.62mm RRTA cartridges that will provide a ballistic match to M80A1 and M62A1 cartridges to standard training ranges, while reducing the maximum range of the ammunition. This will allow soldiers to train with 7.62mm weapons on restricted ranges. The RRTA cartridge will be designed to be compatible with all Army 7.62mm weapons, but specifically optimized to work in the M240 Machine Gun. After the 7.62mm cartridge is matured. FY 2017 dollars support Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction in preparation for a TRL 6 demonstration and preparation for Milestone B. Project EL8: The Lightweight Small Caliber Ammunition (LSCA) program is a critical technology development in response to the 7.62mm and .50 Caliber Capabilities Development Documents (CDD). The goal of the LSCA Program is to reduce the Soldier load through reduction in ammunition weight. The LSCA Program will develop and field 7.62mm LSCA cartridges that will provide the same capabilities as the M80A1 and M62A1 cartridges. The LSCA cartridge will be designed to be compatible with all Army 7.62mm weapon systems, but specifically optimized to work in the M240 Machine Gun. After the 7.62mm cartridge is matured a .50 Caliber variant will be developed. FY 2017 funding will support 7.62mm TRL 6 evaluation of the 7.62mm Phase II Defense Ordinance Technology Consortium (DOTC) efforts, solicitation release, preliminary design review, and milestone B preparation for the LSCA Program. Project EU1: The Enhanced Lethality Cannon Munitions program will identify, develop, prototype, and demonstrate new enhanced lethality technologies, components, and subsystems maturity for Cannon munitions to enable fact-based analysis of enhanced lethality alternatives, quantify their effectiveness in mitigating evolving and derived capability gaps, reduce integration risk, and support transition into existing/new Cannon munitions. This program will evaluate and analyze the effectiveness, efficiency, producibility, affordability, safety, and compatibility of these prototype potential materiel solutions in high fidelity simulations and representative realistic performance-related developmental tests. Project EU2: The Improved Multi-Option Fuze will identify, develop, prototype, and demonstrate new improved multi-option fuze technologies, components, and subsystems based on Next Generation Proximity Sensor (NGPS) capabilities with built-in exportability attributes previously matured via OSD-sponsored Science and Technology efforts under the Joint Fuze Technology Program and Defense Exportability Features (DEF) Congressional Pilot Program. This program will evaluate and analyze the effectiveness, efficiency, producibility, affordability, safety, and compatibility of these prototype potential materiel solutions in representative realistic performance-related developmental tests. Project FA5: The objective of this advanced component development and prototyping effort is to identify, evaluate, mature, test, and demonstrate various assured precision prototype technologies in weapons and munitions systems to prove component and subsystem maturity in a system-of-systems environment and to reduce subsequent Program of Record (PoR) integration risk. Assured Precision Weapons and Munitions are an integral part of US military strategy and continue to enable combat overmatch and dominance across the Land Component battlespace. Unhindered access to trusted Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) information under conditions where existing space based PNT (i.e. P(Y)-Code Global Positioning System (GPS)) may be limited or denied has created the need to develop, prototype, and evaluate new/emerging Assured PNT capabilities (including M-Code GPS and Pseudolites) into both PGMs and Weapons operating in a complex system-of-systems environment. This imperative is reinforced by Public Law 111-383 Section 913 which mandates the use of Air Force-developed M-Code GPS capabilities in all systems fielded FY 2018 and beyond unless a waiver is obtained from the Secretary of Defense. As such, both precision weapon and munition PoRs must coordinate with the development and technology delivery activities of the Air Force’s Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE) program as well as the Army’s Assured PNT program to protect and insure critical precision-based Joint warfighting capabilities as well as maximizing effectiveness and efficiency of US taxpayer investments across multiple Lethality portfolios.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2017
• Source ID: 0603639A_4_2040_PB_2017
• Change Summary Explanation: In FY 2017, PE 0603639A projects 694, EU1, EU2, and FA5 are new start programs.
• Service Agency Name: Army

Entities

Organizations

• United States Army

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Air Platforms
• Biomedical
• Human Systems
• Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Ammunition
• Artillery Ammunition
• Cartridge Cases
• Complex Systems
• Explosives
• Fire Control Systems
• Global Positioning Systems
• Guided Missiles
• High Explosive Ammunition
• High Explosives
• Insensitive Explosives
• Munitions
• Navigation
• Ordnance Laboratories
• Procurement
• Test And Evaluation
• Training Ammunition

Readers

• Munitions and Ordnance Engineering

Technology Areas

• Space