Cased Telescoped Ammunition
August 3, 2024 | Author: Anonymous | Category: N/A
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BAE Systems has produced over 100,000 thousand rounds of Cased Telescoped Ammunition since 2011 in its dedicated UK facility in Radway Green, Cheshire where it has established a strong engineering and production expertise. The Cased Telescoped Ammunition demonstrates a complete step-change in power over previous-generation medium calibre weapons. The system as a whole takes up less space, weighs less and is much simpler to maintain and operate. The new rounds, made by BAE Systems for the British Army, contain both the projectile and propelling charge within a single case tube – very different to traditional rounds. This allows the round to deliver a greater effect from the same calibre ammunition.
Our suite of ammunition Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarding - Tracer
For armoured targets such as tanks
This armour-piercing round is able to penetrate more than 140mm of Rolled Homogeneous Armour (RHA) at 1,500m. This sub-calibred dart can defeat all light armoured vehicles and infantry fighting vehicles, including those heavily protected with advanced add-on armour.
Velocity 1,500 m/s Penetration 140mm* *Hardened steel (RHA) at 1,500m
Anti Aerial Airburst - Tracer
For drones, helicopters and light aircraft
With an increased operational range, very high accuracy and a payload of 200 tungsten pellets, the Anti Aerial Airburst round provides the Cased Telescoped Armament System with a highly effective capability reducing the number of rounds needed to make the target. The Anti Aerial Airburst round is particularly effective against Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, helicopters and low speed aircraft.
Velocity 900 m/s
Range 4,000m Payload 200 tungsten pellets
General Purpose Round - Airburst - Tracer
For multiple light targets
The General Purpose Airburst round is a programmable High Explosive (HE) munition delivering an “Airburst” detonation on targets up to a maximum range of 2500m. The unique projectile is optimized to fragment, resulting in a large area coverage on the ground or behind protective barriers. it also offers the ability to neutralize vehicle optical systems.
Velocity 1,000 m/s Effective area >125m2
General Purpose Round - Point Detonating - Tracer
For hardened targets
The General Purpose Point Detonating round is a High Explosive munition capable of penetrating more than 210 mm of double reinforced concrete. The unique projectile is optimised for fragmentation. The munition delivers effective suppression of threats in urban structures and lightly armoured vehicles.
Velocity 1,000 m/s Penetration 210mm* *Concrete at 1,500m
The new 40mm Cased Telescoped Ammunition – the first of its kind in the world – delivers up to four times the power of the 30mm round it replaces. It also includes a highly effective airburst round
Textron’s Cased Telescoped (CT) Ammunition for Next Generation Infantry Weapons Team Chanakya Mon, 26 Apr 2021 | Reading Time: 7 minutes
Image Courtsey: Textron Systems Warfare has evolved over the centuries and today it encompasses multiple domains and prosecuted as conventional as well as non conventional operations, tending to blur the geographic and physical limitations by leveraging technology. The ‘Revolution in Military Affairs’ or commonly known as RMA has been a buzzword among military strategists and commanders who now visualise future wars to be short, intense and technology driven. Yet as armies gear up to fight
across the entire spectrum of warfare – ranging from all-out conventional war to counter insurgency operations, it is the infantry soldier who still bears the mantle of ensuring victory by capturing or defending the objective and forces across the world have been making continual efforts to enhance the fighting capabilities of their soldiers by providing them with the latest in weapons and equipment. The man behind the machine will continue to be important and conflict situations such as terrorism, asymmetric and fourth generation wars have brought this into limelight. Such conflict situations require a transformed soldier capable of dealing with hi-tech war that will be short and intense and it is a known fact that the rifle is the first and last friend of a soldier, irrespective of the extent to which we transform Infantry soldier as a fighting system. Weapons and ammunition are not only crucial but also need to be modern and state-of-the-art. During the many reforms after the Crimean War, weight on the soldier was studied in detail. The report concluded that the ‘fighting value of a soldier is in inverse proportion to load he carries.’ So, the primary means of making an infantry soldier more efficient is to reduce the weight he has to carry and increase the firepower in his possession. The weight carried by soldiers has always been subject to cyclical variation and much discussion. The Americans realised in Afghanistan that overloading a soldier is both unsustainable and undesirable, though that was the initial trend during operations. The US Army now focuses on four main factors of modern-day battlefields namely, increased weapon effectiveness and responsiveness, enhanced ground mobility of opponents, area denial tactics and high operational tempos. This mandates special attention on the individual soldier, the small unit, referred to the fire team, squad or section. Lethality for example, always high on the list of improvements has essentially focused on the individual service weapon carried by each infantryman. The next generation infantry service weapons essentially should have modularity, improved ammunition, greater accuracy, and be more discrete.
Image Courtsey: Wikimedia Commons It is under this context that US Army launched a new program to upgrade its small arms weapons and ammunition system, the Lightweight Small Arms Technologies program, or LSAT. LSAT started as an attempt to design lighterweight small arms. The LSAT program’s scope was then limited to light machine guns due to conflict with some ongoing projects. While LSAT briefly attempted to use caseless technology to achieve this goal, eventually CTA was adopted for further development. The LSAT program — which focused on 5.56 — then became the Cased Telescoped Small Arms Systems (CTSAS) program in 2016. This also expanded the scope of the project to include other calibers. Textron Systems – Cased Telescoped Small Arms Technology Textron Systems received a contract from the U.S. Army to develop a prototype for the Next Generation Squad Automatic Rifle (NGSAR) program. The prototype that Textron Systems develops could potentially replace the M249 Squad
Automatic Weapon in Brigade Combat Teams. As per the qualitative requirements given out, NGSAR should have: o
Intermediate caliber, high-velocity, magazine-fed system.
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Weigh less than 12 pounds with ammunition that weighs 20 percent less than the traditional brass case ammo.
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Weapon will be at most 35 inches long and be able to fire 60 rounds per minute for 15 minutes without a barrel change.
Brief History of Small Arms Ammunition. In the mid-1800s, the advent of metallic cartridge cases allowed for a single round of ammunition to be packaged in a self-contained format. The metallic cartridge case increased the overall weight of a round and necessitated mechanisms such as extractors and ejectors within a weapon. During World War II, the German military sought to reduce its strategic reliance on copper and zinc used in the manufacture of brass cartridge cases. Instead, German designers developed a thin-walled steel cartridge case achieving a weight reduction of 3-5% and lower production costs. Polymer cartridge cases were introduced later, though they face a number of design challenges. The material selected must be able to withstand the various mechanical, thermal, and chemical stresses to which cartridge cases are subjected. The primary advantage of polymer cased ammunition is a reduction in overall cartridge weight. The mobility of the infantry remains a primary consideration for many developed countries’ armed forces. Hence developing technical solutions that achieve weight reduction in ammunition is a prime consideration. The brass cartridge case, accounting for 48 per cent of the total weight, offers significant potential for total cartridge weight reduction, as well as possible cost savings and further technical developments. The primary advantages of emergent cartridge case technologies may be the weight and volume savings they offer. The weight reduction, ranging from 15 to nearly 50 per cent depending on the technology,
could afford combatants to carry a significant amount of additional ammunition beyond their current-day first line scales, allowing for overall increased unit ‘firepower’. The two major lines of ammunition technology development are: o
Cased telescoped ammunition (CT). The bullet is seated fully within the length of the cartridge case and completely encased in a polymer shell, thereby reducing a cartridge’s overall length and significant reduction in cartridge weight and volume. The projectile is partially or completely enveloped by the propellant. CT configuration obviates the need for metal cartridge case heads while maintaining a functional level of case strength and integrity. The weapon mechanism must be purpose-built to allow for the use of CT ammunition.
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Caseless ammunition. Caseless ammunition is a type of small arms ammunition that eliminates the cartridge case that typically holds the primer, propellant, and projectile together as a unit. The greatest reduction in cartridge weight and volume can be achieved through the use of caseless ammunition. In this configuration, the cartridge body is comprised of the propellant, leaving no case to be discarded once fired. A reduction in weight of nearly 50 per cent as well as a 40 per cent reduction in overall cartridge volume has been achieved in 5,56mm prototypes.
The CTSAS program, run by Textron, has successfully produced a line of polymer-cased and linked CTA, along with a series of belt-fed machine guns and magazine-fed carbines that fire this ammunition. The ammunition has undergone various environmental durability and endurance tests. Textron Systems’ portfolio of CT Weapons & Ammunition includes a 5.56mm CT Light Machine Gun, a 7.62mm CT Medium Machine Gun and a 6.5mm CT Carbine. This nextgeneration of CT weapons deliver improved lethality and maneuverability at 40 percent less weight than current systems.
Image Courtsey: Textron Systems CT Ammunition – Capabilities and Features. Recently selected for the U.S. Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) program, the 6.8 mm CT rifle, automatic rifle and ammunition offer a superior product platform. CT weapons and ammo are mature, proven systems offered in current military calibers including 5.56mm and 7.62mm. The main features are: o
CTA rounds use compacted propellant, which has better burn characteristics and takes up less case volume compared to traditional loose propellant.
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Another advantage for polymer CTA ammunition is reduced round cost, due to the smaller amounts of material and energy required to create each round.
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The new 6.5mm caliber CT ammunition is purported to have superior ballistics to current calibers like 5.56mm and 7.62mm.
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A significant reduction in overall cartridge weight and volume also offers an important logistic advantage in packaging, transport, and storage cost reductions.
Textron Family of CT Arms & Ammunition
Image Courtsey: Textron Systems o
Polymer CT Ammunition. CT ammunition is easily configurable in multiple calibers including 5.56 mm, 6.5 mm and 7.62 mm, while maintaining or improving lethality. It uses a novel ammunition design, in which the projectile is completely enclosed within the cylindrical polymer cartridge case. The CT design allows for up to 37% weight savings. The 6.8mm is the NGSW calibre which has been developed by Textron Systems.
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5.56 MM CT LMG. The CT LMG is a belt-fed, open-bolt machine gun, operating using a long-stroke soft recoil operating system. The M249 weapon with 1,000 rounds weighs a combined 48.9 lb. The 5.56 CT LMG system reduces total system weight to 28.5 lb – a 40 percent reduction – and reduces system volume by 12 percent, while maintaining lethality.
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6.5 MM CT Carbine System. The multi-caliber Carbine is a closed bolt, forward feed, gas piston operated weapon, weighing 8.3 lb. The CT ammunition (6.5-7.62 mm) weighs
35 percent less and offers 30 percent more lethality than 7.62 mm x 51 mm brass ammunition. By swapping the barrel this multicaliber weapon is reconfigurable between 6.5 & 7.62 mm. o
7.62 MM CT MMG System. The 7.62 CT MMG system reduces total system weight to 45.3 lb – a 37 percent reduction – and reduces system volume by 12 percent. The CT MMG can also be converted to 6.5 mm CT ammunition – providing 30 percent more lethality when compared to the 7.62 mm cartridge. This multicaliber weapon is reconfigurable to 6.5 mm by swapping the barrel.
Image Courtsey: Textron Systems Textron Systems has more than 14 years of experience in developing CT ammunition weapons and ammunition with tested products complying Technology Readiness Level 7 (TRL7). Hence it is no surprise that Textron Systems was selected by the U.S. Army’s Project Manager Soldier Weapons as one of three organizations to deliver Next Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW)
based on the company’s mature, high-performance cased telescoped (CT) technology. Textron Systems is to deliver 43 6.8mm CT NGSW-Automatic Rifles and 53 NGSW-Rifles, as well as 845,000 rounds of CT ammunition during a 27month period of performance. It has successfully demonstrated its high capability and low-risk 6.8mm CT system that provides significant performance enhancements over current US Army systems. Cased Telescoped system in small arms is a promising technology that could significantly reduce the weight that a soldier carries into battle, while also providing other allied benefits. References 1. Modern advancements in cartridge case technology by N.R. Jenzen-Jones (http://www.jstor.com/stable/resrep10759.9) 2. CT Weapons & Ammunition Datasheet www.textronsystems.com 3. Press Release www.textronsystems.com
How do telescoping and caseless ammunitions work? Why do the gasses not just go around the bullet and out the barrel? That was a real problem with caseless ammunition. The H&K G11 had problems with the propellant gases backfilling and entering the magazine, causing gang fires. Telescoping ammunition is similar in design to shotgun shells. Their sole advantage over traditionally cased ammunition is the protection of the projectile by the casing. Otherwise, they are inferior in nearly every way. The telescoping cartridges cannot hold as much powder as traditional cases because the telescoping cartridge must hold the complete projectile inside itself. The traditional casing only holds a portion of the projectile inside the casing - allowing more room for propellant. The selling point for telescoping ammunition is space and weight reduction. These would also be achieved by using pistol ammunition in rifles. But it still wouldn’t be a good idea.
Understand that the chamber diameter and the barrel diameter are not the same. In either configuration the bullet will move forward into the barrel when fired, forming a tight seal similar to any other modern bullet as it engages the rifling. There will be some gas escaping around the side, but only as the bullet moves the few centimeters it needs to pass the forcing cone into the barrel. Most of the gas will be trapped behind it.
The tech is not new, its essentially the same as whats used for a shotgun shell.
Telescoped ammunition is used in both cased and caseless formats. The LSAT is just one type weapon that is designed to use it:
The advantages is that the ballistics is similar to cased ammo, but is shorter. The projectile clears the surrounding jacket by the time the propellant completely burns, and it’s not destroyed by the explosion, making the round just the same as a cased round. Of course, besides having similar ballistics, it also can include ball, FMJ, and sabot rounds.LSAT light machine gun - Wikipedia
The radical side-loading cannon that could change warfare (Mail Online) 14:41, March 25, 2016
A cannon that loads sideways and has four times as much explosive power in being delivered to the British Army. Dubbed the '40mm Cased Telescoped Cannon', it is the first system of its kind to be produced for Ministry of Defence for 50 years. The main difference in this design is that the ammunition is contained in a straight tube instead of the traditional bullet shape.
A cannon that loads sideways and has four times as much explosive power, has just been delivered to the British Army. Dubbed the '40mm Cased Telescoped Cannon', it is the first system of its kind to be produced for Ministry of Defence for 50 years This, according to its creators BAE Systems, allows it to deliver a more explosive charge. Testing has seen it deliver up to four times the power of the 30mm rounds it replaces. The current types of ammunition developed for the cannon include armour piercing and training rounds. An airburst round for engaging light vehicles, and a point detonating round which can penetrate thick concrete, are currently undergoing testing. CTAI, which is a formed by Nexter Systems of France and BAE, is also working on an anti-aerial airburst round for airborne targets.
The main difference in this design is that the ammunition is contained in a straight tube instead of the traditional bullet shape. This, according to its creators BAE Systems, allows it to deliver a more explosive charge. Testing has seen it deliver up to four times the power of the 30mm rounds it replaces BAE Systems says the delivery is the first of 515 40mm cannons will be the British Army's Warrior (pictured) and Ajax armoured fighting vehicles The cannon uses a new rotating system, with ammunition loaded at a 90 degree angle to the barrel before being rotated into firing position. Loading the ammunition sideways saves a large amount of space in the vehicle, allowing this to be used to store more ammunition or other equipment. The new system has been in development since the 1990s.
BAE Systems says the delivery is the first of 515 40mm cannons will be the British Army's Warrior and Ajax armoured fighting vehicles. Managing Director of CTAI, Craig Fennell, said: 'We are the only group in the world who can design and manufacture this type of cannon and ammunition, giving us a unique product for export.'
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