New rounds for Abrams tanks

Jane’s International Defence Review” is reporting that “Abrams tanks will soon get Advanced Multi-Purpose 120 mm rounds” reported on July 28, 2015 by the US Department of Defense. Additional announcement, the contract will ggo to General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS) and Orbital ATK contracts for full-scale development and preparation of serial production (Engineering and manufacturing development – EMD) new 120 mm multi-shot Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP) for the main tank of the US Army M1A2 Abrams.

Layout prospective US 120-mm tank multi-shot Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP) with programmable fuse (s) Rupert Pengelley / Jane’s

The contract is worth up to 16 million dollars for each of the two companies, with all the options. Options are supposed to implemented before the end of the fiscal year 2022 and include two stages EMD (2015-2019. Years), the beginning of pre-production (2019 fin. Year), and the two full scale production (2020-2021 fin. Years).Including the $ 5.3 million allocated to R&D in FY 2015 year.

The results of the first (demonstration) phase EMD must select one project and then implemented 30-month second phase of EMD its working out during the 2016-2019 FY.

Shot AMP, officially referred to as HM1147 such as “multi-purpose high-explosive with tracer” ( High Explosive Multi-Purpose with Tracer – HEMP-T), originally developed by the Arsenal design and engineering center (Armament Research, Development & Engineering Center – ARDEC) US Army . In fact, the AMP is a high-explosive shells with a programmable fuse with a choice of at least three modes of undermining (the contact with the slowdown, the instantaneous contact programmable air blasting), the mode is set via the fire control tank M1A2 (to be modified accordingly). It is reported that “the technology has reached an acceptable level of AMP readiness in 2006”, but the contracts for the development and testing of these shots in the production have been issued only now.

In February 2015 the arsenal Watervliet, NY, was awarded by the US Army a contract for $15 million for the modernization of several tanks, M1A2, including the installation of equipment Ammunition Data Link (ADL). ADL was developed by Benét Laboratories US Army (located on the territory of the same arsenal Watervliet, NY). AMP is a unitary shot from combustible sleeve with a charge of 6.5 kg of gunpowder and electric fuse JA2 M129. The total weight of about 21 kg shot, the projectile has six folding stabilizers. The projectile AMP, is expected to replace the US Army 120-mm tank shots of several types – shaped-charge fragmentation M830 HEAT, multi-purpose air undermining M830A1 MPAT, grapeshot M1028 and penetrating and M908.

A pre-production test will be conducted with a pace of 700 units a year, and mass – rate 3500 rounds per year. ARDEC expects that the price shot AMP will be 30% less than the ammunition that it will replace.

Ammunition M1A2 tank is 40 rounds for 120-mm gun M256. Upon successful completion of phase EMD, Adopting shot XM1147, will lead to only two different types of ammunition needed to fit most American tanks as well as the new multi-AMP armor-piercing M829E4 AKE ( Advanced Kinetic Energy)APFSDS-T.

M829E4 successfully passed the first stage of the qualification tests in July 2015 and is scheduled for the beginning of pre-production in the near future, with the production of the first pre-production shots at the end of the year. The company Orbital ATK has current contracts to supply the US Army fired M829E4 totaling $ 80 million (including options).

Prospective US 120-mm tank shoots – the multipurpose AMP and armor-piercing M829E4