SMALL AMMO, BIG BENEFITS
to ensure appropriate manufacturing readiness levels before transitioning from prototype to production. Both the Army and small company partners need to properly understand and plan for the impacts of concept or technology transi- tion to high-volume production early in development.
Since 1939, a large portion of DOD small caliber ammunition production capabil- ity has been built at Lake City Army Ammunition Plant
(LCAAP) in Inde-
pendence, MO, a government-owned, contractor-operated facility. With a capacity of nearly 1.5 billion rounds of ammunition per year, LCAAP has the capability to meet high production demands that are uncommon to many smaller companies.
Small businesses often consider transi- tioning to production, but cannot achieve the volume or surge capability required by the Army. Tey can also be daunted by the exacting standards that the Army requires. Because of this, the government often seeks to obtain “government pur- pose rights” when partnering with such small companies.
Government purpose rights enable the Army to hire small businesses to solve a particular problem that larger busi- nesses can’t or won’t tackle, but then transition those solutions to manufac- turing by soliciting production contracts from larger businesses that are capable of meeting the high volume of small cali- ber ammunition production required by DOD. Technical data initiated by small business is often proprietary; therefore, obtaining the rights for transition to production requires substantial negotia- tion because the DOTC initiative does not allow the Army the opportunity to obtain technical data rights.
DROP A QUARTER PCP Ammunition’s polymer-cased ammunition reduces weight while maintaining the performance requirements of traditional brass-cased ammunition in currently fielded U.S. military weapon sys- tems. (Photo by Clayton Cassidy, Close Quarters Media Group)
THE BENEFITS OF PARTNERING Tere is no doubt that partnering with small businesses presents its own set of challenges, but there are also significant benefits for the small caliber ammunition R&D programs. As was the situation with lightweight ammunition, small businesses are more likely to already be exploring new and novel corners of the market and are able to make great strides with relatively little investment. With smaller amounts of funding available for initial technology maturation and dem- onstration, the Army is able to provide additional funding in an area that a small business has already begun exploring.
Additionally, the Army is able to team with the small business by providing technical expertise to which the small business may otherwise not have access. For
instance, the Army has extensive
experience in the M240 weapon sys- tem and in-depth understanding of the system-level stresses through tools such
46
as finite element analysis, a computer tool that can predict how the ammuni- tion would react to real-world use.
With that kind of technical feedback, small businesses are able to effect change in the design and process much more rap- idly than large defense contractors. Tis is the result, in part, of small businesses typically offering flatter organizational structures
and, in turn, streamlined
decision-making processes. Te small business is able to implement changes in the process and product much more quickly and less expensively than larger contractors.
Te ability to communicate openly and make nearly instantaneous decisions is key to developing unconventional solu- tions such as polymer-cased ammunition. It is their years of experience in working with polymers and their understanding of how the material responds that make the partnership between the government
Army AL&T Magazine
January-March 2016
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