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A Review: Advances and Modernization in U.S Army Gun Propellants

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Abstract

The U.S. Army is entering a period of modernization, phasing out older, limited and costlier weapon designs for new, more efficient, and effective weapon technologies. The emphasis has shifted to optimizing lethality and accuracy at extended ranges to reduce cost per kill via the use of mechanization and automation to provide more coverage with fewer systems while reducing crew burden, size, and training requirements. The improved overall system performance via integration of technology enablers such as additive manufacturing is prepositioned for future capability growth. Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, has been postulated to allow the rate of energy release from gun propellant to be highly optimized by controlling the surface area of the grain, thus resulting in a high generation of gas to maintain pressure later in the ballistic cycle. Consequentially, higher efficiency is achieved with more energy delivered to the projectile, and faster launch velocities are achieved, providing an enhanced capability for maneuvering forces on the battlefield.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the NJ U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center (CCDC AC), Picatinny Arsenal and the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

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  1. Picatinny Arsenal, NJ U.S, Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center (CCDC AC), Wharton, NJ, USA

    D. T. Bird

  2. Interdisciplinary Program in Materials Science and Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, USA

    D. T. Bird & N. M. Ravindra

  3. Department of Physics, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, USA

    N. M. Ravindra

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Bird, D.T., Ravindra, N.M. A Review: Advances and Modernization in U.S Army Gun Propellants. JOM 73, 1144–1164 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-021-04566-5

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