Orbital ATK Awarded Next Phase Advanced Multi Purpose 120mm ammunition Development 52401162

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Orbital ATK Awarded Next Phase Advanced Multi Purpose 120mm ammunition Development
Orbital ATK has been selected for the U.S. Army’s next phase of the 120mm advanced multi-purpose round development. The other competitor was the combined GDOTS and Rheinmetall team with a variant of the DM11.
     
Orbital ATK Awarded Next Phase Advanced Multi Purpose 120mm ammunition Development 640 001
120mm ammunition on Orbital ATK stand at AUSA 2015. From left to right: M829A4, AMP and M1028
     
The contract calls for a 30-month development and qualification deliverable, and also includes three exercisable options for initial and full-rate production that could bring the total contract value to $119 million dollars.

The AMP round addresses two capability gaps: breaching reinforced walls, and defeating anti-tank crews and dismounts at ranges up to 2,000 meters. AMP also consolidates the capabilities of four existing 120 mm rounds used to defeat light armor, bunkers and to reduce obstacles. AMP creates a more flexible mission loadout of ammunition and simplifies battlecarry decisions for Abrams crews going in to combat.

Battlecarry is a tactic in which crews have a round chambered in anticipation of the most likely threat. When a threat appears that was unanticipated, the crew must react accordingly to either chamber an appropriate round type to defeat the threat (while putting themselves at risk of being engaged by the enemy first) or accept the possibility that the chambered round will provide the necessary effects to neutralize the threat until another round can be chambered and fired to adequately end an engagement.

Using the Abrams’ ammunition data link, the gunner will use the fire control system to program the AMP fuze for a specific operational mode. The versatility of the round lies in the crew’s ability to specify the engagement mode, which greatly reduces crew reaction time and increases battlefield survivability.

Since 1980, Orbital ATK has partnered with the U.S. Army, to successfully type-classify 12 of the 14 current 120 mm tactical and training rounds for the Abrams tank and has delivered more than 4 million 120 mm tank rounds to the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and allied militaries. The company has qualified and is in production with the M829A4 Advanced Kinetic Energy round, which provides the ability to defeat current and projected threat tanks equipped with third generation reactive armor and active protection systems.