22 JULY - AUGUST 2004

ARMY AL&T

Government-Industry Collaboration —Developing the Army’s Go-to-WarAmmunitionLTC David Rice, Peter Burke and Ken Heider

The Ammunition Enterprise

has traditionally had five

major functions: continuing

research and development of new

ammunition, process and produc-

tion engineering to iron out kinks

in mass producing ammunition,

preparing and maintaining draw-

ings and specifications so arsenals

can advise private industry how to

better perform its job, nationwide

procurement to make the best am-

munition possible and ammunition

manufacture and assembly over-

sight as required to sustain a

steady munitions flow to our Sol-

diers. Clearly, the focus is on de-

veloping and sustaining an ammu-

nition and firepower base that will

provide U.S. forces full-spectrum

dominance, regardless of where

the battle takes them.

Marines prepare 81mm mortar positions just south of theWusbin Valley, Afghanistan. The Marines are conductingsecurity during the movement through the Wusbin Valleyin support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. MarineCorps photo by LCPL Justin M. Mason, 2nd MarineDivision Headquarters Battalion.)

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Just how big is the ammunition mar-ket? Well, in FY02, the three U.S.military departments procured morethan $2.5 billion in con-ventional ammunition.This figure rose to morethan $3.3 billion in FY03and will, most likely, be-come an even largeramount given the ongoingwar on terrorism and con-tinuing operations in Iraqand Afghanistan. Thecritical job of developingit all starts at the ProgramExecutive Office for Am-munition (PEO Ammo)and the U.S. Army Arma-ment Research, Develop-ment and EngineeringCenter based on userneeds and combatantcommander requirements.This need is met in thelaboratories and researchcenters by the engineers,scientists and ammunitionexperts who work there.

Delivering Precision Effects for Close CombatThe XM395 120mm Precision GuidedMortar Munition (PGMM) is a goodexample of how a critical operationalneed is being filled. Mortars are themaneuver commander’s primary sourceof organic, highly responsive, indirectfire support for close combat. How-ever, when a maneuver element en-counters an obstacle, such as a bunkercomplex, the commander is forced toclose on and defeat the enemy usingdirect-fire weapons, which expose histroops to enemy fire. Conventionalmortar ammunition can only providesuppressive fire. In some situations, itcan’t be used at all because of the col-lateral damage probability to sur-rounding structures or possibility ofinjuring noncombatants.

The PGMM, developed by the Prod-uct Manager (PM) for Mortar SystemsOffice at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ, is es-

sentially a round of high-explosive mortar ammu-nition that incorporates a laser seeker and guidance/control systemthat will defeat personnelunder protective cover(bunkers/buildings) orlightly armored vehiclesin two rounds or less.The Defense PlanningGuidance Update for FYs04-09 specifies the needto generate precision ef-fects against “the fullrange of mobile targetsduring operations onurban terrain: enemyforces, military infra-structure, nonstate actorsin urban environmentsand time-critical targets.”TRADOC Pamphlet 525-3-90, Objective Force(OF) Tactical Operational

and Organizational Concept for Ma-neuver Units of Action (UA), affirmsthe criticality of precision munitionsin the new operational environment.PGMM will be a critical enabler forour force to defeat time-urgent, criti-cal targets across the full spectrum ofconflict in all operational environ-ments and terrain.

While PGMM will support the closefight in all environments, its greatestcontribution may be in urban andcomplex terrain, where it uses accuracyto achieve lethality while minimizingcollateral damage. PGMM will support point target engagements requiring penetration of structures toincapacitate the enemy, defeat lightlyarmored vehicles in complex/urbanterrain and provide a new indirect-firecapability to rapidly engage fleeting or

short-dwell material targets. Mortarunits armed with PGMM will assistthe UA to achieve dominance acrossall contingencies, from full-spectrumstability and support operations tomajor combat missions, while avoidinginjury to noncombatants and excessivedamage to designated structures.

Reducing Risk and Producing Better ProductsThe XM1028 120mm Antipersonnelcartridge was based on an urgentneed/requirement from U.S. ForcesKorea, who were concerned aboutAbrams tank vulnerability. They be-lieved the Abrams lacked sufficientfirepower to kill or suppress close-indismounted troops armed with hand-held antitank weapons. Although theAbrams current ammunition suite ishighly lethal against an array of tar-gets, including dismounts, its rate offire and coverage area are neverthelessinadequate against numerous danger-ously armed ground troops.

As the user community more clearlyarticulated its requirements, the Pro-ject Manager for Maneuver Ammuni-tion Systems (PM MAS) communi-cated these requests to several poten-tial prime contractors. One in partic-ular, General Dynamics Ordnance andTactical Systems (GD-OTS), commit-ted itself to intense market researchand, after listening to the customer,began doing independent research anddevelopment (IR&D) on antiperson-nel cartridges. Its concept involvedthe rapid expulsion of approximately1,100 tungsten balls — a tank “shot-gun shell.” Metal parts, primers andcombustible cartridge cases requiredonly slight modifications. Robusttesting of full-scale cartridges at gov-ernment ranges quickly proved the ef-ficacy of their technical approach andput GD-OTS in a good position toprepare its proposal.

ARMY AL&T

23JULY - AUGUST 2004

The XM395

120mm Precision

Guided Mortar

Munition is a

good example of

how a critical

operational need

is being filled.

Mortars are the

maneuver

commander’s

primary source of

organic, highly

responsive,

indirect fire

support for close

combat.

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PM MAS received highly competitiveproposals from two bidders deemed re-sponsive and capable ofproducing the XM1028cartridge in sufficientquality and quantity. Inthe end, the GD-OTSrange-proven full-scalecartridge won the devel-opment and productioncontract valued at morethan $25 million. To thegovernment, technicalrisk was significantly re-duced by GD-OTS’ investment in its ownIR&D program.

GD-OTS entered thesystems development anddemonstration phase atfull pace with a pro-ducible design. GD-OTS moved quickly toconsolidate its develop-ment team and put inplace the processes andmanagement controls toensure technical perform-ance within cost andschedule constraints.IR&D partnership divi-dends continued when,less than 12 months aftercontract award, resultsfrom a full-scale designevaluation test conclu-sively proved that theGD-OTS technical approach was thebest option.

The XM1028 program’s success re-sulted from a wise, but calculated,leveraging of IR&D resources, which,in turn, lowered government risk. Theprogram remains on schedule to meetproduction qualification test and low-rate production milestones. TheArmy’s acquisition objective is 16,000cartridges to be fielded in FY05’s

second quarter. The user communityis expected to submit requests for

even more.

Networked Munitions Provide SteppingStonesThe recently announcedNational Landmine Policystates the president’s firm,unconditional commit-ment that U.S. forces willnot use any persistent land-mines — antitank and antipersonnel mines thatdo not self-destruct —after 2010. It also directsmateriel developers to develop alternatives to persistent landmines.These self-destructing/self-deactivating alternativeswill incorporate sophisti-cated network technologiesto provide situationalawareness and positive munition control.

The Project ManagerClose Combat Systems(CCS) Office, atPicatinny Arse-nal, is already de-veloping these

networkedmunitions withtwo complementary programs.

The first is Spider, a remote-controlled antipersonnel sys-tem that uses encrypted radiofrequencies to control the muni-tion and provide an information

network. A Spider field detects intrud-ers and alerts the field operator, whomay then engage a hostile target orwarn off a noncombatant. If enemypresence is already known or expected,the operator can command the field tooperate in an autonomous mode inwhich individual Spider munitions de-tect, report and engage targets immedi-ately. Other Spider commands includeOn-Off-On, command destruct andreset self-destruct time. The munitionincludes components such as remotecontrol units, repeaters for extendedranges and munition control units —each with up to six antipersonnelgrenades. For operational flexibility,Spider may also be used to control otherlethal and nonlethal munitions as well asdemolition items.

The Spider program is developing avariety of technologies that are crucialto the National Land-mine Policy. Thoughsimple in concept,Spider is one of themost ambitious andchallenging under-takings for PEOAmmo.

24 JULY - AUGUST 2004

ARMY AL&T

As the user

community more

clearly

articulated its

requirements, the

Project Manager

for Maneuver

Ammunition

Systems

communicated

these requests to

several potential

prime

contractors.

GD-OTS

committed itself

to intense market

research and,

after listening to

the customer,

began doing

independent

research and

development on

antipersonnel

cartridges.

XM155 Spider provides remotecommand and control of lethal andnonlethal munitions.

final_CC.qxd 8/24/2004 12:07 AM Page 26

Safety, communications security andnetwork interoperability pose newtechnical challenges. Integrating securecommunications and software with tra-ditional explosives requires various cer-tifications and pre-qualifications thathave never before been obtained for amunitions item. Among these are theDOD Information Technology Secu-rity Certification and AccreditationsProcess, the Joint Tactical Radio Sys-tem waiver and the Army Fuze SafetyBoard Review for Spider software.

If Spider is not the ultimate end state, itis a necessary stepping stone that meetsthe president’s current timelines. Thesecond networked munition — the In-telligent Munition System (IMS) — isbeing developed as a core system under

the Army’s Future Combat Systems(FCS). Spider and IMS are comple-mentary systems and both are necessaryto meet the president’s timelines and di-rectives. Spider will be fully compatiblewith the IMS control system, whileIMS will add anti-vehicle capabilities,increased situational awareness, remotedeployment and full integration intoFCS. As FCS technologies mature,they will be incorporated into the Spider/IMS.

With Spider and IMS, PM CCS is onthe cutting edge of Army transforma-tion. Though capable of independentemployment, these networked muni-tions will be fully integrated into theFCS architecture. Spider and IMS willreceive, process and send commands

and information. They will also en-gage targets directly or pass targetinginformation to other FCS ground sys-tems, while continuously updating thebattlespace common operating picture.

This is an exciting time for materieldevelopers. As the nature of warfarechanges, the engineers, scientists, gov-ernment employees and contractorswho develop ammunition will meetchallenges by taking advantage of newtechnologies and techniques pioneeredat Picatinny Arsenal and elsewhere.

LTC DAVID RICE was the Product Man-ager, Large Caliber Ammunition Systems inthe PM MAS Office until his recent depar-ture for Senior Service College. He holds aB.A. in business administration from theUniversity of Oklahoma and an M.B.A. fromTexas Tech University. He is also a Com-mand and General Staff College graduate.

PETER BURKE is the Precision EffectsBranch Chief in the PM Mortar SystemsOffice, PEO Ammo. He holds a B.S. inindustrial engineering from the New JerseyInstitute of Technology and an M.B.A.from the Florida Institute of Technology.He is an Army Acquisition Corps (AAC)member and is Level III certified in sys-tems planning, research, development andengineering (SPRDE).

KEN HEIDER is the U.S. Army SpiderProject Officer within the Networked Mu-nitions Division for PM CCS. He has aB.S. in mechanical engineering from theUniversity of South Florida. Heider is anAAC member and is Level III certified inSRPDE and Level II certified in programmanagement.

ARMY AL&T

25JULY - AUGUST 2004

Chief Gunner’s Mate RaymondWright loads ammunition into a .50caliber machine gun during a live-fire training exercise aboard USSKearsarge (LHD 3) in theMediterranean Sea. The ship isdeployed to transport elements ofthe 24th Marine Expeditionary Unitto the Central Command Area ofResponsibility in support of thewar on terrorism. (U.S. Navyphoto by Photographer’s MateAirman Kenny Swartout.)

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