"US Army solicits bid for biodegradable ammunition" Topic

"Sir, I'm sorry to report that due to the damp and rain, our ammo has sprouted!"

US Army asks for biodegradable ammo

The U.S. Army gets through a lot of ammunition thanks to the amount of training it carries out. But that ammunition doesn't come without waste which slowly degrades over hundreds of years polluting whatever ground (and nearby water sources) it happens to fall upon.

So the Department of Defense (DoD) decided to do something about it, and is requesting environmentally friendly ammunition for use during training exercises.

The request was made via the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. Specifically, the DoD wants "biodegradable training ammunition loaded with specialized seeds to grow environmentally beneficial plants that eliminate ammunition debris and contaminants."

link

Could bring landmines back – if every landmine had a tree seed in it, seed grows into a tree after a few years so you can spot where the mine is when the war is over!

Brilliant thought.

Maybe the seed in the landmine will grow and press the detonator, eliminating the mine. Something fast-growing, like bamboo, would be best, so that mines would only be in place for a short time.

Casless G11 and AMR 30 rifles rounds would help

They would not. The brass gets recycled. It's the projectiles that bury themselves (often in fragments) and leach into the soil.

Awesome way to send flowers to your enemy's funeral. aka Pushing up daises.

Just when you think the military couldn't waste any more money even if they tried, they prove they can come up with new ways to do so.

Gonna suck if sugar ants and their cousins get into those weapons lockers.

Brilliant!

This is insane. We wonder where all the defense budget went. Pet projects!!!

Hug a cluster-bomb today, they're now eco-friendly! Rebranding run amok, nothing more. If you really want to preserve life, don't kill people, animals and plants in war. That's eco-friendly behaviour.

Rod Robertson.

One way, bio degradable packaging has been around since the 1800's at least – cardboard, cellophane (processed & extruded cellulose) is a bit later but it can provide an airtight seal for 50 years or more if packed in a (recyclable) metal container.

I think that about the only ammunition component that could be changed would be the projectile itself – since it is for 'training' ammunition, likely some sort of plastic, but you start to run into problems with how you define 'degradable' and what it degrades into, there are quite a few plastics already in the market place which break down into powder when exposed to UV light or just over time are unstable.

What are the differences in performance characteristics between "flower power" and "fire power"? Can you train on one and get the same results with the other?

Perhaps they can make it edible for humans too, since I hear those MRE's aren't really as good as their manufacturer(s) claim.

Well, beyond the snarky (and very lame) attempts at "humor", going to a biodegradable practice round might well SAVE money in the long run.

Case in point: Locally, a new school was planned on what was a WWII Marine training site (land in question was the former rifle range). The level of lead contamination was nearly off the charts and required a crap load of money to fix before the first shovel went in. And it was the USMC that had to pony up the bill.

So downline, the lack of clean up costs could well offset any development costs.

But then, lets not let commonsense get in the way of snarky self righteousness…

Well put Charlie.

Aside from storage, a bullet has to be hard and tangible for exactly no time at all after it's been fired.

Why contaminate an are aif you don't have to?

Leaving aside the fact lead is a finite resource

Most firing ranges dig out their berms every couple years and send the metal out to be recycled, Stu. Usually into more bullets. There are firms (at least in the US) which specialize in doing that.

The big problem I can see is that biodegradable training ammo would not fly the same as lead/steel combat ammo.

The answer is lasers.

Phasers!

I too always liked the concept that H&K was working on years ago. The G11 with "caseless" ammo … link

The G11 was pretty slick, though fiendishly complex internally. The new LSAT is apparently much simpler inside.

But the problem isn't the brass, it's the bullets. And as I already mentioned, I suspect that biodegradeable ammo will not fly the same as the lead/whatever warshots. So you will still need to spend a few rounds correcting your zero when it's time to shoot at bad guys.

Yes, I knew it had some teething problems. But I'd think from an operational standpoint this type of weapon would be an asset.

Other than the obvious battery issues.
I wonder if a gauss rifle is technically feasible.
They would presumably fire steel rounds rather than lead or copper.

Other than the obvious battery issues.

Many, many items in the military depends on batteries. And many are still trying to make some with very long lives. But who really knows.

I wonder if a gauss rifle is technically feasible.
They would presumably fire steel rounds rather than lead or copper.

That is probably on some ones work bench …

Of course their is always the "power gun Tech" found in Hammer's Slammers books. But I'm pretty sure that may still very much too, too high tech … maybe ? link

? Current Caseless ammo doesn't require any batteries. It still has a conventional mechanical primer in it.

The "pulse action" used in Aliens was caseless with an electronic ignition.

Well then all we have to do is open up trade talks with them …