ADAPTING EXPERIMENTATION AND TESTING
program transition to the Army, as the Single Manager for Conventional Ammunition, by 2026.
LIGHTER MATERIAL, CONSIDERABLE CHALLENGES PdM SCA works hand in hand with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armament Center (DEVCOM AC), DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and industry partners to advance lightweight ammunition solu- tions. While polymer materials have great potential to maximize weight savings, their physical and chemical properties present unique technical and life cycle challenges that are not present in metallic alternatives. “Extreme temperature performance has historically been a challenge with polymer materials,” said Brian Kim, project officer for Lightweight Small Caliber Ammuni- tion at DEVCOM AC. “Tere are also many unknowns with how polymer will perform in terms of long-term storage and shelf life. However, with the recent development and incremen- tal testing of new case designs, we have increased confidence in meeting Army extreme temperature requirements. Accelerated aging studies are currently ongoing to inform the limitations of polymer ammunition storage.”
In maturing 7.62 mm polymer ammunition technology, the team has learned that testing often and failing early is key to learning. PdM SCA is currently executing an other-transaction authority contract with a polymer ammunition vendor, maximizing test iterations and data exchange between the contractor and the U.S. government. “It is critical to have a continuous feedback loop of designing tests to isolate and understand key variables, test execution first at ambient and then at operational tempera- ture extremes, and then use those observations to refine the test design for the next round of testing,” Randy Mrozek, Ph.D., team lead for polymer physics and processing at DEVCOM ARL, explained. “Tis critical feedback loop is only enabled by having
“It is critical to have a continuous feedback loop of designing tests to isolate and understand key variables.”
https://asc.ar my.mil 47
expertise in ammunition manufacturing, weapons operation and materials understanding on the development team.”
CONCLUSION Lightweight small-caliber efforts have come a long way. Despite the inherent challenges of incorporating new materials into prod- ucts, the successful fielding of XM1186 and XM1188 as well as the approval of MK323 for fielding to the Marine Corps set a path for further lightweight integration. PdM SCA continues to leverage collaborative opportunities through the JLWIPT, incre- mental testing methodology and industry expertise to support weight reduction priorities that will benefit the warfighter.
For more information, go to the PdM SCA webpage at https://
jpeoaa.army.mil/Project-Offices/PM-MAS/Teams/PdM- Small-Caliber.
MAJ. ROBERT K. RODELL is the project officer for Lightweight Small Caliber Ammunition and Precision Munitions, serving as an assistant product manager for PdM SCA within PM MAS, assigned to JPEO A&A at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey. He holds an M.A. in transportation and logistics management from American Military University and a B.S. in criminology from George Mason University and served as a logistics officer for 10 years before joining the Army Acquisition Workforce in 2022.
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