ATK to Develop Next-Gen Ammunition for U.S. Army Abrams MBTs

Someoneforyou

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ATK Receives $77 Million Contract to Develop Next-Generation Ammunition for U.S. Army Abrams MBT
UNITED STATES - 11 JULY 2011

Minneapolis | ATK has received a $77 million, three-year contract to develop and qualify the M829E4 120mm Advanced Kinetic Energy (AKE) tactical tank round for the U.S. Army. At the completion of this contract, ATK will have completed the second phase of the Engineering Manufacture Design (EMD) work required to qualify the new round for use with the Army's M1A2 SEP Abrams Main Battle Tank. Upon qualification, the round will enter full-rate production.

"During our 30 years of program experience partnering with the Army, we have type classified 10 of the 12 120mm tactical and training rounds for the Abrams tank. This experience makes ATK uniquely qualified to develop this next generation capability for the Army," said Bruce DeWitt, Vice President and General Manager for ATK Advanced Weapons Division. "ATK provided the 120mm ammunition that helped 'upgun' the Abrams from a 105mm to a 120mm main gun and we look forward to working with the Army to maintain the Abrams' standing as the world's dominant tank."

The M829E4 is the Army's fifth generation, 120mm kinetic energy cartridge. The round is being developed to provide the Abrams M1A2 SEP (System Enhancement Package) with heavy armor defeat capabilities that allow the tank crew to engage and destroy threat Main Battle Tanks protected with advanced, explosive reactive armor at extended ranges as well as in Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT), mountain, and nontraditional battlefields. The round will allow for the use of fewer rounds and allow for faster enemy engagements - factors that will ultimately increase crew and platform survivability.

Having successfully completed the first EMD phase, ATK was selected to advance to the second EMD phase based on an industry competition that included the results of a ballistic demonstration test and shoot-off and final proposal used to provide the best value decision for the Army.


ATK Has Developed 10 of the 12 120mm Tank Rounds Type Classified Since 1980



Source: ATK
 

Soviet Sniper 762

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Re: ATK to Develop Next-Generation Ammunition for U.S. Army Abrams Mai

The Abram's M829AE3 cannot pierce the Relikt mounted on the T-90M, while the 3BM48 can pierce the Abrmas at 2000 m. and the 9M119 at 5000. Now Americans are developing rail-guns for thanks. They calculated that a single shot can have 64 MJ of power. It's a little superior than the explosion of the last model of Tomahawk.

And what about in Russia?
 

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