EVERY OUNCE MATTERS
Any reduction in equipment weight, often referred to as
“warfighter load,” will enhance warfighters’ readiness and increase mobility, survivability and lethality. In post-combat surveys, weight carried by the warfighter is frequently among the top concerns of combat veterans. While there are many pieces of equipment that add to this overall load, one common denomi- nator across the services is ammunition. Te cartridge case is the heaviest and hence the most logical area for initial weight reduc- tion efforts in small-caliber munitions.
BRASS HAS ITS ADVANTAGES Te cartridge case is a critical component that has remained largely unchanged since the advent of brass-cased ammunition in the mid- to late 19th century. Te Army has investigated the use of lighter materials for the past 50-plus years, always falling back on the performance, ease of manufacturing and robustness of brass case designs. Brass is a tough material that not only can stand up to firing pressures exceeding 70,000 pounds per square inch, but can spring outward under those firing pressures to seal the chamber and then spring back for easy extraction. Brass cases also can function and withstand storage at extreme temperatures of -65 degrees F to more than 160 degrees F.
Tose factors, combined with a reasonable material cost, good availability, scrap recyclability and ability to reload, make it a challenge to replace brass. Other services have also looked at possible alternatives, but had the same technical challenges in their own searches. Scattered efforts over time across the services did not yield successful designs.
Within the past few years, emerging technologies and manufac- turing improvements have created the opportunity for a fresh look at lightweight ammunition. With focused investments in research and development, improvements in ammunition cartridge cases are possible and with development can be ready for military use.
In 2016, the Project Manager for Maneuver Ammunition Systems (PM MAS) within the Joint Program Executive Office for Arma- ments and Ammunition (JPEO A&A, formerly the PEO for Ammunition), along with the Marine Corps, led an effort to establish a charter among key stakeholders that would help bring together requirement and materiel developers from all services.
Te purpose of the Joint Lightweight Ammunition Integrated Product Team is to document the approach and to synchronize activities and investments across programs to achieve lightweight ammunition goals. Te mission of the team is to collaborate on combat requirements, materiel developer solutions and joint
62 Army AL&T Magazine Fall 2019
POLYMER HAS POSSIBILITIES
These 7.62 mm casings are made using polymer, a promising material for reducing the weight of ammunition. (Photo by JPEO A&A)
qualification of lightweight ammunition using alternative case materials that would meet or exceed the performance of current brass-cased ammunition in standard service weapons. Te objec- tives include activities that will support a successful transition to the single manager for conventional ammunition, which is repre- sented by PM MAS. Moreover, the integrated product team used active international partnerships to gain valuable insight into active lightweight efforts within Britain’s Ministry of Defense.
Before the establishment of the team, each of the services was exploring lightweight ammunition, with little or no coordination. Te efforts were often overlapping, and resources were not opti- mized to ensure product development within an established plan to deliver lightweight ammunition to the warfighter.
In the Army, the Joint Capabilities Integration and Develop- ment System-approved Family of Ammunition requirements (5.56 mm, 7.62 mm, .50-caliber) call for reducing the weight of ammunition. Te Marine Corps and the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) continued to investigate lighter ammuni- tion not only for their warfighters but for their aircraft operations as well. Reducing the weight of the ammunition allows aircraft to carry more ammunition to support critical missions, allows room for other critical supplies or creates additional fuel capac- ity for extended missions. Te need to collaborate and learn from each service’s efforts is clear. Te chartered integrated product
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