Feb 23 2009
U.S. subsidiary, American Rheinmetall Munitions, is pleased to announce partial integration of Mk281 "green ammunition" at the National Training Center (NTC), Fort Irwin, California. The U.S. Center for Health Promotion and Preventative Medicine at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland has given the Non-Dud Producing Mk281 a stamp of approval.
Mk281 does not contain toxic chemicals or energetic materials, which aligns it with the Department of Defense (DoD) and Environmental Protection Agency's joint mission to solve Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) issues. The Army's current 40 mm training cartridge, M918, is a 1970's pyrotechnic design that contains heavy metals in the fuze and potassium perchlorate in the flash/bang payload. It is due to phase out in favor of newer munitions when the U.S. industrial base is ready.
It takes 6-10 million training rounds each year to keep war-fighting skills sharp, and with a fuze failure rate of 3%-8%, M918 creates an annual taxpayer bill of >$500M in UXO clean-up costs. Fort Irwin requested the adoption of Mk281 after experiencing M918 fuze failures. By 2004, Army Headquarters approved. Today, the NTC is ready to battle UXO, while remaining true to their primary mission -- training excellence.
Mk281 is in the U.S. market because the DoD recognized the importance of incorporating advanced NATO technologies into the industrial base. Rheinmetall Defense entered the "green ammunition" market space through the DoD's Foreign Comparative Testing (FCT) program. To date, PEO Ammunition, the Single Manager of Conventional Ammunition (SMCA), states foreign "green ammunition" like Mk218 cannot be fully integrated into the U.S. Army Ammunition Plant (AAP) without significant financial harm to the industrial base.
By presidential executive order, the DoD is required to buy "green ammunition" for use on all training ranges. According to the Defense Science Board's 2003, written for the DoD, 40 mm "green ammunition" is critical to conquering UXO issues. Despite setting up the FCT program and having Mk281 plentiful in supply channels, the DoD's competing mission to protect U.S. small businesses, associated with the WW II Army Ammunition Plants, creates unintentional blockades to solving UXO issues.
Regardless of competing missions, the Armed Forces have access now to Mk281 through the Marine's 5-year contract award to Rheinmetall Defense. Fort Irwin is using Mk281 Mod 0 day version. The training cartridge also is available in the day/night Mk281 Mod 1 version, which is visible in IR spectrum and naked eye.
American Rheinmetall Munition, Inc. is a U.S. subsidiary of German-based Rheinmetall Defence. ARM headquarters is located in Stafford, Virginia. The production facility is located in Camden, Arkansas. ARM is committed to continued growth by means of strategic teaming, exceptional supply-chain management, advanced production techniques, and alignment with Department of Defense's initiatives to provide the best for War-fighters.