CTG, .50 Cal, All Types

The CTG, .50 Cal, All Types program, as outlined in Army Budget Line Item 1722E08000, is a comprehensive procurement initiative supporting the acquisition of multiple variants of .50 caliber ammunition for the U.S. Army. The primary goals of this program are to meet critical war reserve, operational, training, and testing requirements in accordance with Department of Defense Instruction 3000.04 and Army Regulation 5-13. The program ensures that both active and reserve components have sufficient stocks of .50 caliber ammunition to support operational plans, homeland defense, and military support to civil authorities, as mandated by Section 1815 of the FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Act.

CTG, .50 Caliber Ball, M33 is the standard ball ammunition used in the M2, M2A1, and M3 machine guns. The objective is to sustain annual training and build war reserve inventories, ensuring readiness and deterrence against potential adversaries. This ammunition is classified as service-ready and is a core component for both training and combat operations.

CTG, .50 Caliber 4 Ball M33 / 1 Tracer M17 provides a linked belt configuration for machine guns, combining four ball rounds with one tracer to allow shooters to observe bullet trajectories. The request supports both training and war reserve requirements. This mix is essential for effective gunnery training and live-fire exercises, as well as for operational use against unarmored targets.

CTG, .50 Caliber Blank, M1A1 is a training-unique item used to simulate live firing during exercises. The budget supports depot-level stocks for training purposes. This ammunition is not used in combat but is vital for safe and effective training with the M2 and M2A1 machine guns, particularly when used with blank firing attachments.

CTG, .50 Caliber Reduced Range Ammunition (RRA) is designed for live-fire training on ranges with reduced surface danger zones. These rounds are not suitable for combat and are classified as not service-ready. The budget reflects an increased emphasis on training in constrained environments and supports the ramp-up of production to offset legacy .50 caliber stocks.

CTG, .50 Caliber 4 SLAP M903 / 1 SLAP-T M962 is a specialized armor-penetrating round used for defeating light armored targets and armored helicopters. The request builds war reserve inventory to enhance the Army's capability against evolving armored threats. The SLAP and SLAP-Tracer rounds provide increased penetration over standard ball ammunition and are classified as service-ready for combat use.

The CTG, .50 Cal, All Types line item supports a balanced mix of ammunition types to fulfill the Army's operational, training, and test requirements. The program also sustains minimum production rates at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant and a second source in Oxford, MS, ensuring industrial base readiness. The Army intends to leverage contract negotiations and potential foreign military sales to maximize procurement efficiency and increase quantities where possible, thereby maintaining readiness and flexibility in support of national defense objectives.