USAF orders armor piercing ammunition for F-35 test firings

Air Force orders armor piercing ammunition for F-35 test firings Nov 12, 2012
By: Keith Stein

http://www.examiner.com/article/air-for ... st-firings

"The U.S. Air Force at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. anticipates awarding a sole source Firm Fixed Price contract to Rheinmetall AG in Zurich, Switzerland for Frangible Armor Piercing (FAP) ammunition to be tested aboard the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The Air Force will procure up to 12,000 rounds of Rheinmetall 25-millimeter x 137-millimeter FAP ammunition. “As part of the F-35's developmental and operational flight test firings, this FAP ammunition's performance will be evaluated with respect to the GAU-22/A gun system and F-35 aircraft interface requirements,” the Air Force said in contract documents released on Friday through the Federal Business Opportunities website.

The seventh Lockheed Martin-built F-35 flight test aircraft, also known as “AF-2,” was the first F-35 to have the internal GAU-22/A 25-millimeter gun system installed. General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products in Burlington, VT. makes the gun system, featuring a four-barrel Gatling gun, which fires at a rate of 3,000 rounds per minute.

It is anticipated that the total contract period of performance will not exceed 12 months from the time of award and will have an estimated value of $2 million, the Air Force said.

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Armament Directorate, Advanced Program Division, System Interface and Integration Branch at Eglin AFB are coordinating the contract award."

That's it.

FAP jokes below

Here is a doc on the F-35's FAP ammo.

http://www.f-16.net/f-16_forum_download-id-11840.html

XanderCrews wrote:FAP jokes below

Can't wait to hear of some F-35 pilot bragging how he "FAPed two guys last night."

3,000 FAPs per minute is truly impressive

XanderCrews wrote:3,000 FAPs per minute is truly impressive

3400 even more so and 4200 for missionized GAU-12 pod.

It'll be interesting to see the abilities of a mid-caliber gatling gun.

Rheinmetall do some very inetresting rounds, especially the AHEAD.

http://www.rheinmetall-defence.com/en/r ... /index.php

ewwww... lethal FAP

If you think normal FAP is impressive, wait till you see the laser-guided FAP.

Interesting. This almost looks like some reactive material ammunition I saw proposed before, just without the reactive part.

Are these explosive rounds or do they just break apart after they penetrate the surface? I know they make hunting bullets that break into 3 or 4 parts to increase the odds of hitting something important. Thanks.

Here is one explanation about FAP (wot is kosher):

http://www.gd-ots.com/MCA_20x102FAP.html

PDF here: http://www.gd-ots.com/2011%20Brochures/20x102%20FAP.pdf (3.9Mb)

"20MM x 102 FAP Frangible Armor Piercing Cartridge

The 20 mm Frangible Armor Piercing (FAP) round, developed to defeat both “hard” and “soft” targets without the use of explosives or a fuze. On impact, the frangible tungsten core penetrates the outer skin of the target, progressively breaking up as it passes through the remaining structure. In the process, it releases highly energetic fragments, which cause damage deep inside the target and ensure a high kill probability.

The FAP round, which can be deployed in both air-to-ground and air-to-air roles, has the same trajectory as low drag PGU 28/B and M-70 LD ammunition. Its frangible design makes the FAP round intrinsically safe from ricochet as the core breaks up on impact with the ground...."

Ahh... I thought so. Thanks. I've heard the 25 mm has 7 or 8 times the energy of the 20 mm. I guess it makes up for the slower rate of the fire. The 25 mm maybe better for CAS work also.

Here is another contender for F-35 Ammo, the APEX round (AP with Explosive).

http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2012armaments/ ... 7friis.pdf

borntoholdout wrote:Ahh... I thought so. Thanks. I've heard the 25 mm has 7 or 8 times the energy of the 20 mm. I guess it makes up for the slower rate of the fire. The 25 mm maybe better for CAS work also.

It has about twice the energy of the 20x102mm and just over half the energy of a 30x173mm (e.g. A-10 GAU-8 ).

Amazing stuff - good to know about ricochet reduction - GIF from PDF above. [ http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2012armaments/ ... 7friis.pdf (2.3Mb) ]