05-17-2011, 08:30 PM
Quote:Sounds reasonable to me. What do you have in mind for item 1) on-target performance?
On-target performance would address human targets first. Since every person reacts to projectile injuries in different ways, I would like to see an upgraded standard to ballistic gelatin representing:
* Tissue compartmentalization
* Bone structures
* Body heat
* Clothing/Equipment
* Skin and sinew
* Anatomical orientation
That equals a major cost increase in gel testing, as you would have to build a semi human replica with an anatomical skeleton-at least the torso, and compartmentalize organ chambers, the abdomen, etc. If that was done, you could more reasonably say, this projectile from this aspect will probably do x, y, and z. If it misses the ribs but is within probable path of the left lateral spine between T4 and T6, the likelihood of lower extremity paralysis is 65% higher. If it hits the sternum from a 15% oblique frontal shot from the target's left side, his right lung will suffer this type of a wound profile, given that he was wearing his chest harness with the straps loosened, exposing that area more. If the projectile hits this landmark on a fully-loaded Bakelite AKM magazine from a 30 degree angle in a canvas chest harness and then passes through an M-65 field jacket, chances of vital zone penetration are reduced ( )%.
Most of us would postulate that long, high-sectional density bullets would be superior to the currently available projectiles in such tests, but that has to be demonstrated. I would also suggest simulating different types of ballistic gel density to represent the muscle and organ tissue density as close to mean as possible for different areas of the world, since that is a factor in wound ballistics.
That answer may be too long, complicated, and expensive, but I don't know what else to say, since we are of a culture that thankfully has moral standards that preclude us from conducting live tissue training on various human subjects, unlike some of the other governments in the world.
Barrier target performance would include defeating foreign trends in armor, common construction materials for walls and structures, light-skinned military vehicles (will this be able to reach the occupants, and from what angles/aspects), as well as various types of trees. I would propose demonstrating this on several examples, illustrating the capabilities and limitations, with existing calibers from existing platforms as comparisons.
LRRPF52