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81mm mortar
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A weapon without ammunition is useless, which is why ammunition is almost always a strategic national capability whose production must remain in-country. On the other hand, government demand has a tendency to swing up and down within narrow limits, and the demands of efficiency usually lead to a single supplier situation – often using equipment that dates back to World War 2. The USA has run into problems because of its reliance on a single small arms ammunition plant, for instance, and has moved to modernize and diversify its base. Its ally Australia is modernizing key ammunition facilities, and trying to modernize its industrial approach as well.

Then there’s Britain, whose long-term defense contracting practices are establishing world-class benchmarks. The UK MoD has been working on an arrangement that secures national supply needs from British sources, and ensures that modernization investments continues to improve industrial efficiency. Hence the new 15-year, GBP 2+ billion Munitions Acquisition – the Supply Solution (MASS) program…

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Anibal

Spain’s armed forces have recently placed a wide range of orders for vehicles, radios, ammunition, and other supplies and services, which are worth about EUR 250 million (currently $363 million) taken together.

Items include:

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M1A1, making tracks
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Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) in Plymouth, MN received a $17.5 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for M1002 120mm cartridges. The M1002 TPCSDS-T 120mm Cartridge is a Training Cartridges for the tactical M830A1 MPAT-T (multi-purpose anti-tank, tracer… a HEAT round) used by M1A1 Abrams tanks.

Work will be performed in Plymouth, MN (18.73%), Rocket Center, WVA (41.45%), Radford, VA (9.70%), Coachella, CA (4.34%), Louisville, KY (9.28%), Middletown, IA (8.58%), St. Bonifacious, MN (0.88%), Anoka, MN (0.63%), Ironwood, MI (0.10%), Toone, TN (1.48%), North Brook, IL (0.10%), Socorro, NM (0.88%), Yankton, SD (1.23%), Lawrenceville, VA (0.17%), Baraboo, WI (0.82%), Lexington, KY (0.98%), and Hartford, WI (0.65%), and is expected to be complete by Nov. 30, 2007. This was a sole source contract initiated on March 27, 2006 by the Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Picatinny Arsenal, NJ (DAAE30-00-C-1096).

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APFS-DS in flight

Turkey and the Netherlands recently awarded Rheinmetall AG of Dusseldorf, Germany contracts for large-calibre tank and artillery ammunition worth some EUR 79 million ($94 million at current conversion).

While US APFS-DS tank rounds use depleted uranium, the DM 63 uses hardened tungsten. Its new temperature-independent powder makes it suitable for use in extreme climate zones without limitation, which is important because Germany’s tank fire-sales and the Rheinmetall 120mm gun’s popularity abroad has created a customer base of roughly 20 countries that use their gun. The Rh 40 DM 131, meanwhile, is a 155mm artillery shell with a reported maximum range of over 40 km, and “insensitive explosives” that are far less prone to “cook off” if hit by enemy fire. With respect to the individual orders…

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Endangered Leopard
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In DID’s July 2005 article covering Belgium’s impending defense purchases, we noted that country’s Armoured Infantry Vehicle (AIV) program to replace its 132 Leopard 1A5BE main battle tanks, as well as its AIFV and M113 armored personnel carriers, with wheeled APCs. The contract was valued at up to EUR 800 million (about $1 billion) for 242 vehicles, in 7 separate versions that would include troop transport, combat engineer, commando, ambulance and logistic support missions. We also noted that a contract would “probably be awarded by the early months of 2006.”

Now a winner has just been selected from among the finalists (GD-Steyr’s Pandur II, GD-MOWAG’s Piranha III/LAV III, Iveco’s Centauro, and Patria’s Armored Modular Vehicle), a contract has been signed with Elbit for electro-optics and a 30mm remote weapons system – and a pair of controversies are brewing, plus a related DID article we can only describe as “Dude, Where’s My Pandur?”

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APFS-DS Firing

Alliant Techsystems (ATK) in Plymouth, MN received a $38 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for M829A3 120mm Kinetic Energy Cartridges. These are APFS-DS (Armor-Piercing, Fin-Stablilized, Discarding-Sabot) rounds, fired from the M1 Abrams mostly to kill other tanks. The M829A3 cartridge has a total weight of 22.3 kg and length of 892mm. It uses 8.1 kg of RPD-380 stick propellant, accelerating a 10kg projectile to a muzzle velocity of 1,555m/sec. The penetrator uses depleted uranium; the sabot is built of composite materials.

Including a contract awarded earlier in the company’s fiscal year for Production Year 3, the total value of its FY06 awards for M829A3 rounds is approximately $77 million. ATK is the sole source supplier of the M829A3, and they will have delivered over 35,000 M829A3 units once Production Year 4 contract is complete. Production of the M829A3 occurs at ATK’s manufacturing center of excellence in Rocket Center, West Virginia. Program management is headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota. Work allocation is Rock City, WVA (50%), Jonesborough, TN (25%), and Radford, VA (25%), and is expected to be complete by Dec. 30, 2008. This was a sole source contract initiated on Nov. 14, 2005 by the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ issued the contract (DAAE30-98-C-1094).

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MGS – C’est What?!?
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General Dynamics Land Systems in Sterling Heights, MI received a $24.5 million contract for spare parts that are unique to the two newest Stryker variants: the M1128 Stryker Mobile Gun System (MGS) and the M1135 Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle (NBCRV). This contract funds procurement of initial unique spares for the first-time fielding of these two variants, and has a total potential value of $50 million if all options are exercised.

Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, MI (73%), London Ontario, Canada (15%), Tallahassee, FL (10%), and Scranton, PA (2%), and is expected to be complete by July 31, 2007. This was a sole source contract initiated on Dec. 9, 2003 by the Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, MI (DAAE07-02-C-B001). See also corporate release.

So, how does this fit into the evolution of the USA’s Stryker vehicle family, and future production plans?

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M830A1 cutaway
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Alliant Tech Systems Inc. in Arden Hills, MN received a $6.6 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for M830A1 Cartridges. The 120mm M830A1 HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank) round is a major advancement over the M830, which has been in the US inventory since the early ‘80s. HEAT rounds have multi-purpose warheads which are used to defeat armored vehicles, helicopters and soft targets such as bunkers. The M830A1 is unique in that it features a three-piece discarding aluminum sabot, increasing velocity, range, and penetrating power. It also has a manually set proximity-detonation switch on the flight projectile nose, which allows the M1 Abrams tanks that carry it to fire on attacking helicopters with their 120mm main gun.

Work will be performed in Janesville, WI (17%), Lancaster, PA (14%), Middletown, IA (13%), Radford, VA (8%), Rocket Center, WV (15%), Joplin, MO (10%), Faribault, MN (7%), Coachella, CA (3%), Louisville, KY (2%), Camden, AR (2%), and Fridley, MN (2%), and is expected to be complete by Nov. 28, 2006. This was a sole source contract initiated on Sept. 2, 2002 by the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Picatinny Arsenal, NJ (DAAE30-03-C-1084).

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