09 May 11. Since June, the U.S. Army has fielded about 30 million of its new 5.56 M855A1 “Enhanced Performance Round” in Afghanistan. The cartridge, sometimes called the “green bullet” because it has an environmentally-friendly copper core instead of the traditional lead, has been getting mostly good reviews in the 11 months since it first deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom.
“The vast majority of everything we’ve got back from the field is positive,” said Lt. Col. Jeffrey K. Woods, product manager, small caliber ammunition, during a “media day” at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.
During the day-long event, reporters learned the benefits of the new cartridge, witnessed a demonstration of the round, compared to the round it is designed to replace, and had the opportunity to fire the round from both an M16 and M4 rifle. Perhaps the biggest plus of the M855A1 “enhanced performance round” is the consistency it brings to the fight — more so than the 5.56 M822 round it is designed to replace. Woods and other officials were reticent to talk specifically about the effects of the new bullet, or any bullet, on a “soft target” — a euphemism for enemy personnel. But what they made clear was the M855A1 is at least equal to the M855 on a soft target — but that it did damage with more consistency. The M855 is a good round, Woods said, but it is “yaw dependant.” Like all bullets, it wobbles when it travels along its trajectory. Its effectiveness depends on its yaw angle when it hits a target. Not so with the M855A1. The new EPR is not yaw-dependant — it delivers the same effectiveness in a soft target no matter its yaw angle.
“On M855’s best day, with that great performance that you will see, you’re going to see that type of performance out of the EPR — but you will see it every time,” Woods said.
The EPR cartridge is the same length as the M855 that it’s designed to replace, though the bullet it contains is about 1/8 of an inch longer. The weight and shape of the EPR is also the same as the M855, so it fits anything an M855 fits — including the M16 and the M4 it was designed for. The bullet itself has been redesigned completely. It features a larger steel “penetrator” on its tip, that is both sharper than what is on the M855 and is also exposed. Both bullets feature a copper jacket, but the EPR’s jacket is “reverse drawn” — part of its manufacturing. Perhaps the most notable feature of the EPR is that its bullet features a copper core, verses the M855’s lead core. There’s also a new propellant in the EPR, designed to enhance its performance in the M4 Carbine rifle — what most Soldiers are carrying today in Afghanistan. The M4 has a shorter barrel than the M16 rifle, and barrel length is directly related to a bullet’s velocity. (Source: ASD Network)
10 May 11. DSM Dyneema is part of an important new contract involving the supply of high-strength material for protective inserts destined for an important Turkish end user. Turkish company Karma Composite Technologies will make the inserts based on DSM Dyneema’s HB50 unidirectional (UD) product. DSM Dyneema is also providing technical know-how to Karma. Murat Giray, managing director of Karma Composite Technologies, says DSM Dyneema’s advice and commitment to support his company, as well as the competitiveness of Karma’s offer, was a key reason why Karma was chosen to supply the inserts.
09 May 11. Israel plans to invest $1bn in the development and production of batteries for its Iron Dome rocket interception system, a top Israeli defense official said in an interview published Monday. Defence Ministry director-general Major General Udi Shani told the daily Haaretz newspaper that five countries have already expressed interest in the system, which was successfully deployed during a rise in rocket fire from Gaza in early April. (Source: Defense News)
04 May 11. IndiComm were approached by the BBC to help showcase and demonstrate the type of technology used to enable US milit