Caliber50 Baseline Study Terminal Ballistic Performance

Abstract

Various evaluations were performed to baseline the terminal performance of .50 Cal Ammunition fielded by the US Military. These evaluations resulted in three distinct categories of performance; High performance Armor Piercing, General Armor Piercing, and General Ball. The sole member of the first category was the M903 Saboted Light Armor Penetrator (SLAP) cartridge due its superiority, when compared to all other cartridges, in penetrating hard targets at range. The General Armor Piercing category included the Mk211 Multi-Purpose Round, M8 Armor Piercing Incendiary (API), and Mk263 Armor Piercing cartridges. The final category, General Ball, consists of the M33 which was far less capable than other rounds. The study results provide an abundance of performance data that can serve as a basis to develop requirements for an improved family of caliber .50 ammunition as well as provide rational for reducing capability overlaps, bridging capability gaps, and eliminating or improving inferior performing products.