Small Ammo, BIG Benefits
PM MAS partners with small businesses to develop the next generation of small caliber ammunition, designed to reduce the weight by up to 30 percent.
by Ms. Natasha Owens W
hen it comes to small caliber ammunition acquisition, many instinctively think of large ammunition production companies man- ufacturing massive quantities of tactical and training ammunition. For the past five years, the production levels of the 7.62 mm caliber
ammunition alone have consistently exceeded 160 million rounds annually. Meeting the high-volume production levels for small caliber ammunition is challenging for small companies, to say the least.
Te Army has taken great strides to partner with small companies to develop small caliber ammunition technologies to address capability improvements. Prior to the development of the Enhanced Performance Round (EPR), research and development (R&D) efforts in the area of small caliber ammunition were limited and difficult to initiate because, until only very recently, the Army had not captured small arms ammunition capability needs in capability development documents (CDDs), which meant that there were no approved operational requirements and no funding. In recent years, greater emphasis has been placed on improving small caliber ammunition per- formance to address documented capability gaps.
Tis led to developing 5.56 mm- and 7.62 mm-caliber specific CDDs, which were approved through the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System in early 2015. With these in place, the Army could seek help from industry in identifying and maturing technologies to eliminate these gaps. And because there was little inter- est from traditional ammunition manufacturers in spending a significant amount of resources in lighter case material, that meant looking to small business.
SMALL BUSINESS STEPS IN One of the Army’s top priorities is to lighten Soldier combat loads. Reducing the weight of equipment carried by the warfighter, often referred to as “Soldier load,” increases
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ACQUISITION
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