Kinetic Projectile Ammunition Design & Demonstration for 50-foot Standoff with Service Weapons or EOD Disrupters

OUSD (R&E) CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Advanced Materials;Sustainment The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws. OBJECTIVE: Design, develop, build, and demonstrate a ballistically stable projectile/cartridge that can be used with the current service issue ammunition and rifles and/or the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) 12-gauge disrupter [Ref 1]. The desired target effect is to cause an explosive reaction of the munition. The explosive fill must be fully consumed with a high order reaction preferred. The proposed solution shall be effective for targets at a minimum of 50 feet of standoff. The accuracy shall be one minute of angle (MOA) with a circular error of probability of 50% at one inch. The proposed projectile/cartridge must meet the performance specifications of the service weapon or disrupter. Service issue ammunition for consideration includes: 1) 5.56x45; 2) 7.62x51; 3) .300 NM; 4).338NM and 5) 6.8x51 common cartridge. Targets shall include Blu-97, M118, Blu26, M38, Area Denial Munitions such as Volcano, PTAB family, artillery projectiles such as 155/105mm and Mk 80 series bombs. DESCRIPTION: EOD operators currently use disrupters of all types (including service weapons) to address explosive hazards and mitigate threats. These threats can include Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) and/or Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). According to JP-3-42, Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal, render safe procedures are the part of the EOD procedures involving the application of special EOD methods and tools to provide for the interruption of functions or separation of essential components of UXO to prevent an unacceptable detonation or intentionally cause a detonation [Ref 2]. As a defensive force, EOD must understand the reliability to detonate and NOT detonate explosive hazards with a high confidence level. The objective of this effort is to design, develop, build, and demonstrate a ballistically stable projectile that can be used to meet the stated objective. Any service weapon cartridge must meet Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute (SAAMI) specifications for the relevant caliber [Ref 2]. PHASE I: Develop kinetic projectile/cartridge designs with ballistic models/calculations. This will be in the forms of a PowerPoint presentation and design report. The report shall include the Computer Aided Design (CAD) file for analysis and data to verify that it can perform within the service weapon/disrupter specifications. Build a statistically relevant number of projectile(s)/cartridges for testing to SAAMI specifications (service weapon solutions only). Test and demonstrate the projectiles/cartridges to assess ballistic performance, accuracy, and precision. Produce a test report with the round configuration, results from the firings, conclusions, and recommendations for Phase II maturation. Deliver 40 projectiles/cartridges to the government for testing. PHASE II: Characterize the projectile/cartridge interior and exterior ballistics, specifically muzzle velocity, velocity at distance, and flight characteristics. Characterize the barrier limit thickness with mild steel (1018/A36 steel). Build an additional 100 projectiles/cartridges for testing against live targets at a government test facility. Refine the design of the proposed capability based on performance and lessons learned. Repeat the characterize, build and test steps above with an additional 100 projectiles/cartridges. Test and validate the projectile capability performance with a statistically supported demonstration. Document the proposed final design via a CAD file and technical data package. Provide a final test report with all test results, analysis and recommendations. Provide 100 projectile/cartridges for the final design to the government. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Support transition of the technology for Navy use. The projectile developed from this effort could be commercialized for industry to provide to the EOD acquisition community in response to EOD requirements. The dual-use aspect of this capability is that it could be supplied to state and local bomb squads. REFERENCES: 1. EOD Disrupters. Department of Homeland Security. https://www.dhs.gov/publication/eod-disrupters 2. JP 3-42 Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal, 09 September 2016. https://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/Doctrine/pubs/jp3_42.pdf 3. Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute https://saami.org/ KEYWORDS: Explosive Ordnance Disposal; EOD; kinetic; projectile; disrupter; ammunition