04-26-2022, 12:10 PM
Fess Wrote:From what I have read, the Army decided that it needed a certain amount of energy at long range. Exactly why, I don't know for certain, but the ability of a single PKM gunner to pin down US forces at "stand off" distances is certainly part of it. The US preference for shorter and shorter barrels is not helping.
Another potential reason for the more powerful cartridge has surfaced in the current events in Ukraine. Much of the body armor being encountered is less than level 4. Although tungsten penetrators would be required to reliably get through level 4, steel penetrators can deal with lesser body armor, but it takes velocity and mass. This desire to get better performance from steel penetrators makes a lot more sense once you realize that the US and the "Free World Countries" in general do not have large amounts of tungsten reserves. As it turns out, China and Russia have more tungsten than the rest of the countries in the world combined.
To be honest, the NGSW program may prove to be most useful as a learning exercise. The design and testing phase for a new weapon and ammo have been shortened when compared to previous ones, and the US is gaining experience with two new types of ammo as well as an advanced optic. Some argue that the optic is the most important result of the program. Initial fielding is also small enough that a course correction is more likely if problems show up.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/2704...hat%20year.
Fess:
Interesting theory. I tend to think that like the M-855, the new ammo is intended to defeat todays and a future body armor.
As for a single PKM gunner pinning down US forces, I doubt it unless those US forces chose not to return fire with M-240's or maneuver. PKM shoots a round that is at best marginal compared to our 7.62 NATO and Infantry units have plenty of M-240's.
I agree with your final comment though. Any piece of gear is fielded to specific units for a while to see if they meet requirements. I am sure that lessons learned will be incorporated into changes to the system. Ammo seems to be the cheapest factor until the decision is made to change and then re-tooling will be a significant cost factor.
LR-55