"Soldier-Driven Bullet Innovation, Lighter and More Punch" Topic

""Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men." George S. Patton is right but the men and women who fight these wars are only as good as their equipment and armament they use, specifically their weapons and ammunition.

The United States Army's weapon of choice for soldiers on the ground has been the M-4 Carbine for over 20 years. Since the M-4 is easily maintained and comparatively cheaper than other alternatives, I doubt the Department of Defense would waste funds trying to find an alternative within the next decade. However, ammunition has been advancing and improving significantly over the past several years.

In September of this year, I had the chance to visit the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (LCAAP) in Lake City, MO. This plant manufactures and distributes approximately 90% of the ammunition used by the Army. While I was there I toured the cartridge manufacturing facilities. Bill Melton and his staff explained each phase of the cartridge manufacturing process and the different procedures that went into developing tracer rounds, armor-piercing rounds, and others types of cartridges. Throughout the tour I could not help but think about how far ammunition has advanced…"
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Amicalement
Armand

Didn't see any specs on that 'enhanced' penetration.

Have they actually developed or are developing a 5.56 round that will effectively penetrate block and brick walls?

Some hard data would be of interest.

As to polymers, I have seen extraction problems with polymer coated cases in the past. As noted by the first commenter on that article, the question arises of polymer cases sticking in situations where a high rate of fire has heated up the weapons breech.