Hvidovre Denmark 15th September 2015: A recently tested lightweight small arms ammunition case is on display on the PPD stand, S7-261, during DSEI. Utilising composite materials and innovative design it reduces the weight of a standard NATO ammunition case by 70% and increases the number of rounds that can be carried on a standard NATO pallet by 10%.
The PPD LWAC (Lightweight Ammunition Case) completed various UN tests in Feb 2015 and was accepted by the end user in May 2015. The LWAC is now certified for use in non-operational areas such as training, paving the way for initial orders for training ammunition etc. The operational area tests (STANAG 4423) are underway. So far the LWAC has passed all of those it has faced such as the bonfire and being “fired at” tests.
The significance of the weight saving is demonstrated by the savings that Denmark would have made during its deployment to Afghanistan in 2012. It would have represented a saving of 8 C-130 flights (and €1.14M) just in entry flights let alone savings on in theatre transport. The US is striving to achieve a 10% reduction in theatre/combat zone transport. It has been calculated that such a saving would have saved the US 7 lives a year in Afghanistan. Shifting ammunition is a very large part of the logistic requirement so any weight saving has an instant human return not to mention savings in costs, CO2 emissions and other green issues etc. For the humble infantryman the weight saving will reduce future medical costs for damaged knees and backs.
PPD’s LWAC can be safely packed and stowed with no requirement for modification to platforms, stowage systems or weapon mounts. Different colours can be incorporated into the composite LWAC case to signifying the type of ammunition within it, blue= training, green=operational etc. As the LWAC cases can be made transparent, still with the colouring pigment, the number of rounds can be counted without having to open the case saving time during stock checks. An RFID tag can be built it allowing each case, its content and its movement to be tracked from the moment the LWAC case is made to the moment it comes out of service.
“The LWAC has undergone a series of rigorous tests conducted by NAMMO Raufoss and watched by independent observers. LWAC® performed exactly as we predicted and wanted,” said Jan Engmann, CEO of PPD.
“The effort put in by our specialist advisers and experts has been vindicated and the benefits of using composite in this way are there for all to see. The weight savings we have achieved with the resulting cost reduction make it a simple decision for logisticians,” added Engmann.
“Our strategy has been global from the beginning and the LWAC is already under evaluation by the MoD´s of UK, US, Singapore, UAE, Denmark and Norway,” he continued
The LWAC is fully recyclable without any preparation and meets all the EU requirements for “green gas” emissions out to 2040. Other cases and lightweight pallets are in design.
Tags: DSEI, PlastPack Defence
I read the title and thought it meant the shell “case”; not the ammo box. Oh well, still a nice improvement.
I wonder if the handles will be more comfortable for carrying these things over long distances…
If they’re trackable does that mean none can go ‘missing’ and end up being used as tool boxes and the like?
These are prepared for RFID tags. No one claims you have to tag it 🙂
That and you gotta be pretty close to read an RFID.
Pretty cool idea, it makes a lot of sense and long overdue but I don’t believe for a minutes that it’s going to make a difference in saving weight for the troops humping the stuff. We all know that reducing the weight of anything just means that the troops can now carry more. So all this lighter ammo box means is that the Army or Marines can now issue out X more cases of ammo because they now weigh less.
Cool you got all this new lightweight gear that saves you 30lbs!!! Here take more ammo!
Yep, just look at the FILBE.
They make everything 30% lighter and give you a pack that holds 30% more
My first thought was a bunch of grunts chucking these off of seven tons and lamenting that they wish they had the metal ammo cans like back in the good old days.
If these hold a seal as well as existing ammo cans, they could be really useful for waterproof storage, medical ice containers, parts bins, etc. I don’t think there’s any doubt that these will work for ammo, but their secondary uses are probably just as important.
Some concerns of mine would be temperature resistance, like secured onto the side of an vehicle near the exhaust.