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Joint Services Ammunition Qualification. Project Manager Maneuver Ammunition Systems Mr. William Sanville 13 Apr 04. 5.56 Terminal Ballistics Standardization. A nalyzing What’s Been Done B aselining Where We Are C ollectively Working To Get Where We Need To Be. M855 EFFECTIVENESS.
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Joint Services Ammunition Qualification Project Manager Maneuver Ammunition Systems Mr. William Sanville 13 Apr 04
5.56 Terminal Ballistics Standardization • Analyzing What’s Been Done • Baselining Where We Are • Collectively Working To Get Where We Need To Be
M855 EFFECTIVENESS • After Action Reports from Operation Enduring Freedom, Reports that Effectiveness of M855 is Inadequate Close Quarter Battle Operations (CQB). Multiple Rounds Are Being Required for Adequate Effect • U.S. Army Infantry Center on 15 Apr 02, Hosted a Meeting to Discuss Issue of “Stopping Power” of 5.56mm M855 Ctg. via In-theater Briefs. Meeting Consensus was that M855 was Performing as it was Intended. However, the Threat Target has Changed, As Well As the Role of Ground Combatant, therefore M855 Was Not Optimized for Current Operations and M4 Long Range Body Armor Penetration CQB Light Target Effectiveness Paradigm Shift
A NEW LOOK: CAN WE DO BETTER? 1st Joint Standard Ever Joint Service Wound Ballistics Team IPT
THE PLAN AND PATH FORWARD • Currently Testing 29 Bullet/Gun Combinations Using New Standard • Joint Service Team is Concurrently Developing Torso Simulation & Evaluation Methodology • Gelatin Data and Torso Simulation will be Combined for First Ever Measure of Effectiveness by Early Summer
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM • Multi Service Use of Armament Systems with Service Unique Qualification Requirements • Redundant Test and Evaluation Wastes Critical Resources
CURRENT SITUATION • Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Army Will Use the MK44 30mm Gun • Primary Weapon for FCS ICV • Primary Weapon for EFV • Upgrade for C130 • LPD 17 for Navy • CH 60 Helicopter • Ammunition Requirements Very Similar • Marine Corps Qualified 16 Rounds for the MK44 30mm Gun • Why Can’t the Army Use the Marine Corps Qualified Ammunition?
DISCUSSION • Army & Navy (USMC) Qualification Test Requirements Are Similar But Differences Exist • Other Services May Have Unique System Requirements • Alternatives • Independently Develop Ammunition • Very Costly Approach • Create New Approach to Minimize Costs by: • Leveraging Navy/Marine Corps Mk44 and 30mm Knowledge • Harmonize Future Test Plans Across Services • Use of NDI Procurement Approach
PM-MAS APPROACH • Created IPT to Work Jointly With Navy/USMC to Minimize Duplication of Effort • Purpose - Can We Accept Marine Corps Qualification in Lieu of Army Qualification?
ARMY/MARINE CORPS EVALUATION • Total Army Requirements Yield 72 Tests • Based on AR70-1 and AR700-142 • PM-MAS Team Evaluated Marine Corps Testing • Accepted All USMC Performance and Safety Data • Evaluation Reduced 72 Tests to 10 Tests • Five are Specific FCS ICV Platform Integration
QUALIFICATION TESTS • Army/ICV Specific (5) • Secure Cargo & Rough Handling Sequences • Environmental (2) • Extreme Temperature Storage • High Rate Firings at Extreme Temperatures • Fuze Certification (3) • No Arm at 1 Meter • Arm/No Arm Distance • No Arm at ICV Safe Separation
SUMMARY • Community Working Together Has: • Reduced FCS Program Qualification Burden • Reduced FCS Total Program Costs • ARMY to Leverage Current Navy/USMC Ammunition Contracts • Joint Approach will Benefit All Services
CONCLUSION With Everyone Working Together There Is A Road Towards Joint Qualification We Are Not There Yet
5.56MM ENGINEERING STUDY (BASELINING WHAT’S POSSIBLE) Looking at Available Types of Ammunition and How the Weapon Parameters Affect The Result
TOTAL ANGLE OF ATTACK AT IMPACT (TAOA) AOA Explains Why These are Different 1.5m Distance was the Only Difference Between These Two Significantly Different Impacts Results of Test Suggest that M855 Field Reports May Be Explainable
WHY WE USE GELATIN… Gelatin generally used and accepted as tissue simulant because it is homogenous, presenting same physical characteristics block after block; because it is transparent, so that events inside block can be recorded by high-speed video; its retarding properties and density have been shown to be sufficiently similar to muscle tissue; wound profile in gelatin has been shown to be comparable to penetration, expansion, and fragmentation patterns observed during more expensive animal tests, and properties of the medium and their correlation to ballistics have been rigorously evaluated and independently validated for well over seventy years In 1987, San Diego police department conducted study to determine if their hand gun ammo was achieving sufficient penetration to reach vital organs and structures. To achieve this objective, they fired shots into gelatin and compared results to those seen in autopsies resulting from officer involved shootings. This was done to assess predictive potential of gelatin. Shots into gelatin showed narrower range of penetration depths than that observed in living human torso; while penetration range in gelatin was 12-14 inches, the same bullet, in torso region, had a range of 10-17 inches. Additionally, average expansion ratio of 9mm 147 grain projectile in gelatin was about 1.2 and in torso it was found to be about 1.15. Given that the human torso contains different organs and structures of varying densities that are capable of some displacement and that gelatin is a homogeneous medium that provides more or less constant resistance, it is not unreasonable to assume that a tissue simulant would have a narrower band of variance Left shows Federal 9mm 115-grain JHP bullets that were recovered. Right image shows Federal .38 Special +P 125-grain Nyclad projectiles that were recovered after passing through listed medium
THE PLAN AND PATH FORWARD Computer Simulation of Human Torso Impacts Computer Simulation of Ballistic Testing Future Weapon System Development