Army to use CRADA for NGCV ammunition development

The Army intends to use a cooperative research and development agreement to obtain 50 mm ammunition for testing in support of the Next Generation Combat Vehicle.

The director of the Army's new Maneuver Requirements Division under Futures Command told Inside Defense last week the service wants to develop “smart” ammunition that would make current rounds more lethal through precision or fusing, a pre-decisional goal as of now.

A Federal Business Opportunities notice posted last week lists three different types of ammunition the Army is looking for: a 50 mm High Explosive Air Burst-Tracer, “a tactical cartridge used to defeat personnel threats in the open, defilade and under the cover of urban structures;” a 50 mm Target Practice-Tracer to replicate the HEAB-T's ballistic flight; and a 50 mm Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot-Tracer, “a tactical cartridge used to defeat current and projected future peer armored materiel threats."

The MRD is working with the project manager for maneuver ammunition systems on the effort.

The notice states proposed ammunition must be compatible with the XM913 cannon.