Posted on 06/30/2010 8:53:34 AM PDT by Joe Brower
U.S. Army Begins Shipping M855A1 Enhanced Performance Round (M855A1 EPR)
By David Crane
6/25/2010
The Army announced today it has begun shipping its new 5.56mm cartridge, the M855A1 Enhanced Performance Round, to support warfighters in Afghanistan.
The new M855A1 round is sometimes referred to as 'green ammo'.
The new round replaces the current M855 5.56mm cartridge that has been used by U.S. troops since the early 1980s.
The M855A1 resulted in a number of significant enhancements not found in the current round, officials said. They explained these include improved hard-target capability, more dependable, consistent performance at all distances, improved accuracy, reduced muzzle flash and a higher velocity.
During testing, the M855A1 performed better than current 7.62mm ball ammunition against certain types of targets, blurring the performance differences that previously separated the two rounds.
The projectile incorporates these improvements without adding weight or requiring additional training.
According to Lt. Col. Jeffrey K. Woods, the program’s product manager, the projectile is &'the best general purpose 5.56mm round ever produced'.
Woods said its fielding represents the most significant advancement in general purpose small caliber ammunition in decades.
The Enhanced Performance Round contains an environmentally-friendly projectile that eliminates up to 2,000 tons of lead from the manufacturing process each year in direct support of Army commitment to environmental stewardship.
Woods said the effort is a clear example of how “greening” a previously hazardous material can also provide extremely beneficial performance improvements.
Picatinny Arsenal's Project Manager for Maneuver Ammunition Systems manages the M855A1 program.
Project Manager Chris Grassano called the fielding “the culmination of an Army enterprise effort by a number of organizations, particularly the Army Research Laboratory, Armament Research Development and Engineering Center, Program Executive Office for Ammunition and the Joint Munitions
'The Army utilized advanced science, modeling and analysis to produce the best 5.56mm round possible for the warfighter' he said.
The M855A1 is tailored for use in the M-4 weapon system [Colt M4 Carbine and Colt M4A1 Carbine/SBR (Short Barreled Rifle) platforms] but also improves the performance of the M-16 [M16 assault rifle] and M-249 [FN M249 SAW/LMG] families of weapons.
A true general-purpose round, the M855A1 exceeds the performance of the current M855 against the many different types of targets likely to be encountered in combat.
Prior to initial production, the EPR underwent vigorous testing. Official qualification of the round consisted of a series of side-by-side tests with the current M855.
Overall, the Army fired more than 1 million rounds to ensure the new cartridge met or exceeded all expectations. The M855A1 is without question the most thoroughly tested small caliber round ever fielded, Woods said.
The Army has recently completed the Limited Rate Initial Production phase for the M855A1 and is beginning the follow-on full rate production phase where plans are to procure more than 200 millions rounds over the next 12-15 months.
The M855A1 Enhanced Performance Round is the first environmentally-friendly bullet resulting from a larger 'greening' effort across the Army's Small Caliber Ammunition programs. Other greening efforts include 5.56mm tracer, 7.62mm ball and green primers.
Soldiers in Afghanistan will begin using the new, improved round this summer.
400 rounds expended?
What about HITS?
If you put 400 rounds on a windshield, it’s going to DISINTEGRATE from the mass alone. That’s why anecdotal “evidence” is suspicious.
I guess my question is why would anyone think otherwise ? Read this
I would do it myself, but I'm at work right now and used up all my "hooky time" posting this first article.
And how is the 885a1 round classified? This discussion appears to be about the 885A1, not the 885
What say you?
We’ll see.
Since it’s a follow-on/replacement for the M855, it might achieve the same status because of the construction of the round and not the ballistic properties.
Whoa. Good find. See, we can change our ROE in Afganistan without any serious impact.
That’s damn funny a projectile that shows the army’s environmental stewerdship.
They have environmentally friendly smallarms ammo.What’s next?Environmentally friendly artillery.
In 1980 Ford Aerospace did develop a field laser rifle in competition against Martin Marietta.
The Ford model worked in the field with portable backpacks while the MM model was connected to a stationary power supply.
What the gov did was award the contract to MM with the Ford design. Ford was so ticked it wrote a letter to the President that they were out of the small arms business.
Now 30 years later, I wonder what the technology looks like.
I can tell you that the new "Magic Bullet" is being developed by Specter Industeries in a secret compound deep in Dead Murtha's district and has already received $300Million in Stimulus Funds. (Production is being outsourced to CHina) I can also tell you that the NEW, Now Improved 5.56 will replace every round in the US Army's inventory, up to and including the 155 Smart Shell.
No wonder those Russki Spies are everywhere.
Does this round live up to the hype? What is that tip? Bullet weight?
And Democrats and their taxpayer looting bureaucrats "might" suddenly develop a respect for the constitution too. I'm curious as to whether you were being intentionally disingenuous when you gave the classification for the m855 or you just didn't realize that this bullet was significantly different.
It was probably the DIVAD (M247 Seargeant York) that put Ford out of the defense business.
After that debacle, Ford Aerospace sat in limbo until it was sold to Loral.
During testing, the M855A1 performed better than current 7.62mm ball ammunition against certain types of targets, blurring the performance differences that previously separated the two rounds.
Do tell. These guys been playing 'Mass Effect'? BTW, I've got both SS109 for the ARs and Lake City 30'06 black tip for the good old NM Garand. Plus mass quantities of 30 cal AP pulls that load nicely into .308 cases for the FAL. Mind you don't compress the powder load.
No, I was not being disingunous.
The construction of the M855a1 is somewhat similar to the original M855, so I referenced the current DOJ/BATF(E) opinion of the older round.
I’ve reloaded and fired THOUSANDS of rounds of the SS109 bullet (and the M193 bullet) and did the research on the M855a1, since it’s been in the pipeline for quite some time. This is not a new development.
You sound like your panties are in a wad?
Not at all I just dislike being lectured to by self annointed experts who get it wrong. Your having fired THOUSANDS of rounds doesn't mean you have a clue as to what the worthless BATF will pull out of their collective a$$es. Unless you work for them?
Read the link in post 22
I'm sorry. Any further information about this new ammunition is classified. Or something.
1. I never claimed to be an “expert”, just experienced. I offered a view on the current round to help clarify how the BATF(E) might decide on the new round.
2. YOU were the one who claimed that it wouldn’t be available, despite a complete lack of evidence.
Sure, the same BATF(E) that declared a shoe-string to be an automatic weapon could rule agains the M855A1’s projectile. I wouldn’t put it past them, but at least I have some knowlege of the history of the precursor round and the reasoning for the BATF(E)’s original decision.
Yes.
You found me.
I’m a BATF(E) troll and I’m here to tell you to go ahead and cut down a shotgun barrel for me. 12” should do it.
Try boxers.
“During testing, the M855A1 performed better than current 7.62mm ball ammunition against certain types of targets, blurring the performance differences that previously separated the two rounds.”
An executive order was signed suspending the laws of physics.
They did PAVETACK, SIDEWINDER and LANTERN but you’re right, not much new came from them.
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