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WASHINGTON — The Army’s artillery production doubled in the last year with the service currently producing 28,000 155-millimeter howitzer rounds a month.
The dramatic uptick comes as the Army expanded its capacity at current facilities while looking to bring new ones into the mix next year.
“We will have taken, over a couple years, what was a very fragile, admittedly, industrial base and dramatically improved its strength,” said Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology.
The need for the increased artillery comes in response to supporting the war in Ukraine, the recent conflict in Israel and replenishing U.S. stockpiles. The service has sent more than two million rounds to Ukraine thus far.
Currently, the Army ships steel from Ohio to two facilities in Pennsylvania, the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, and a sister facility in Wilkes-Barre. These two plants turn 2,000-pound steel rods into two-foot-tall artillery shells.
The shells are then transported to the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, where they are filled with explosives and sealed. The propellent and charges for the rounds are mostly produced at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant in Virginia and the Holston Army Ammunition Plant in Tennessee.
Throughout this year, the Army expanded production at these facilities by constructing new buildings, installing new equipment and improving automation. These upgrades helped double the Army’s artillery production rate, Bush said.
With the expanded capacity at current facilities, the Army is shifting its focus in fiscal year 2024 toward bringing brand-new production facilities into the manufacturing process. This will give the service multiple sources for each production step.
“Which is what you want in the ammunition production world,” Bush said. “You don’t want one building being the single point of failure.”
The service is building a new factory in Mesquite, Texas, and it awarded a contract last year to a Canadian company to build the artillery shells. It is also funding two new facilities to load the shells with explosives. One will be in Arkansas, and the other will be in Kansas.
The improved production process is part of the Army’s modernization plan to bring the industrial base into the 21st century. Current and future Army readiness requires modernization on a sustainable path that develops, implements, and deploys new technologies to deter current and emerging threats.
Bush said the Army aims to increase 155-millimeter production to 60,000 by next summer and to 100,000 by the end of 2025. The 100,000-round goal is largely contingent on the approval of President Joe Biden’s request to Congress for fiscal year 2024 emergency supplemental funding, which has $3.1 billion for 155-millimeter artillery production and facility modernization.
“This important legislation is needed to make sure the Army is ready to meet the growing challenges we face today, and in the future,” Bush said. “It will strengthen our industrial base to ensure we can supply our defense needs while we serve as the arsenal of democracy for our allies.”
Story by Christopher Hurd, Army News Service
By Aeriel Storey
Army engineers use inkjet printers to replicate explosives samples for testing, training
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — An unlikely fusion of ink, ingenuity and integrated teamwork is applying an existing technology to the challenge of sampling and detecting explosives.
At the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center, a team of engineers have adapted inkjet printing technology to deposit trace amounts of explosive materials onto surfaces that can be used to test sampling and detection methods.
Since 2010, DEVCOM CBC’s electronics engineers, Raphael Moon and Norman Green, have been working on developing the unique capability by using a commercial off-the-shelf printer that deposits explosive materials on a multitude of surfaces accurately, evenly, and reproducibly.
Their idea to replace the printer’s original ink with explosive materials came from an earlier program that required the use of commercial inkjet printers to replicate detonation patterns. To bring that concept into fruition, a multidisciplinary team consisting of Kevin Hung, Erik Roese, Ashish Tripathi, Erik Emmons and Dr. Jason Guicheteau was established.
“We had to test for about a year before we felt very comfortable trying to print explosives and chemicals correctly,” Moon said of the development process. “The idea of replacing the material in an ink cartridge is simple, but the properties of the chemicals need to be considered for it to work. The ink must have the right viscosity, surface tension and a suitable solvent that maintains the consistency of the ink throughout the printing process that does not damage the printer.”
Precision and accuracy have always been at the forefront of the development process for the system to produce reliable results, allowing for control and accuracy within a microgram. To achieve these results, the team created and tested various ink solutions and engineering options. “We’re really lucky because we’re in an organization where multiple disciplines are all in one building,” said Hung, a software engineer at DEVCOM CBC. “We were able to leverage everybody’s knowledge and experience to contribute to the inkjet project. It was really a team effort.”
Since its inception, the program has demonstrated that the inkjet printer can duplicate samples with high precision, accuracy, scalability, and flexibility for a wide array of various use cases.
One program that the inkjet printer has been applied to includes the NATO Research Task Group. The program uses trace amounts of explosives to create test and evaluation standards. The program has allowed the team to display the inkjet printer’s ability to print on realistic substrates that would accurately reflect trace detection of explosives in the field.
“We are printing on substrates that replicate materials normally found among debris from detonated devices including car parts, pieces of walls, ceilings, and floors,” said Roese, CBC’s electrical engineer on the project. To print such precise solutions onto objects that vary in size, shape, and curvature is groundbreaking for modern-day printing, and creates a pathway for future developments of systems alike.
At DEVCOM CBC, a team of engineers have adapted inkjet printing technology to deposit trace amounts of explosive materials onto surfaces that can be used to test sampling and detection methods.
These breakthroughs are integral for experimentation and have proved to be applicable in the field. Most recently, the team has been successful in assisting the military on training their working dogs to detect explosives by printing small amounts on sample coupons, as opposed to using traditional bulk quantities. The coupons were buried to simulate sub-surface explosives detection. The test received positive feedback from Soldiers testing in the field and opened more avenues for which the printer could be applied.
The highly customizable system can be used for various projects, requiring in-depth involvement from the inkjet printing team to assist on the specific needs and requirements of the project. “We have developed this system to be accurate and reproducible, so if there are certain parameters that a user needs, we can replicate those requirements for them,” said Hung. “We can also create new inks to mimic instances that users would see in the field.”
The idea has even expanded to include an additional printer, called a nano-plotter, that can be used for smaller, more precise material applications. The team is continuing to pursue projects they can support that allow them to push the boundaries and capabilities of the inkjet printers.
It all started backstage at a concert where a deal would be negotiated that would lead to VXV and AXL joining forces.
Since duals to the death were outlawed in 1859, both teams chose a modern solution to decide who would acquire the other.
After winning 4 out of 7 games of Russian Roulette UNO™, AXL is honored to announce that VXV Concepts has been acquired by AXL Advanced, with all VXV Concepts employees joining the AXL team.
VXV Concepts will continue to operate as its own brand through VXVconcepts.com, with all the resources AXL offers.
Both teams are excited about the future and look forward to releasing innovative products in 2024!
Please note that VXV Concepts products are currently built to order and will transition to in-stock like AXL offers in early 2024. Product and order questions can be directed to support@VXVconcepts.com or support@AXLadvanced.com
There’s a new campaign on Kickstarter featuring comics from comics from Pvt. Murphy, Sky Attack Comics, and 1st Awesome Platoon.
Inside its pages, you’ll find:
Sky Attack Comics – Eric Meadvin’s real life illustrated story created from personal deployment experience.
1st Awesome Platoon – Ethan “Topkick” Chang’s popular and aptly named 1st Awesome Platoon containing military humor from all branches of the military.
Pvt Murphy/Charlie Mike Comic creator Mark Baker is taking a departure from his usual gag type cartoons and has penned an exclusive fictional story, “The Psychopomps.”
www.kickstarter.com/projects/1436196985/new-military-comic-anthology
