US Army wants biodegradable ammo

[GunnyGene]

Granted it would be only for training ammo. Seems they just can't get past the Environmental Justice thing. :roll:

The U.S. Army gets through a lot of ammunition thanks to the amount of training it carries out. But that ammunition doesn't come without waste which slowly degrades over hundreds of years polluting whatever ground (and nearby water sources) it happens to fall upon.

So the Department of Defense (DoD) decided to do something about it, and is requesting environmentally friendly ammunition for use during training exercises.

The request was made via the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. Specifically, the DoD wants "biodegradable training ammunition loaded with specialized seeds to grow environmentally beneficial plants that eliminate ammunition debris and contaminants."

The ammunition the DoD wants to replace with biodegradable alternatives includes "low velocity 40mm grenades; 60mm, 81mm, and 120mm mortars; shoulder launched munitions; 120mm tank rounds; and 155mm artillery rounds." There's also cartridge cases and sabot petals, which can either lay on the ground or end up buried beneath it.

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/01/10/us-army-asks-for-biodegradable-ammo.html

 

[Clovishound]

The photo that went along with it showed a belt of green tipped rifle rounds.

The article was about grenade, mortar and artillery rounds. :roll:

I don't have an issue with using less toxic materials in ammo. It does make sense, as the military must deal with cleanup and environmental issues at their ranges. The seeds in them is a bit much, though, IMO.

 

[Mobuck]

I want some that grows a pretty red rose bush where all my misses hit the dirt. That way I have something to remind me of those OOPS moments.

 

[Clovishound]

I want some that grows a pretty red rose bush where all my misses hit the dirt. That way I have something to remind me of those OOPS moments.

Would that be when you miss with a grenade, mortar, or artillery round?

 

[ditto1958]

Please tell me President Trump will put a stop to BS like this.

 

[gasbag]

Maybe they should save all uneaten McDonalds hamburgers.
Those could prove deadly if fired from a gun.

 

[powder smoke]

Please tell me President Trump will put a stop to BS like this.

That is exactly what I was thinking. The military has better places to spend their money. ps

 

[GunnyGene]

No doubt this "Flower Power" will also cost quite a bit more than current munitions.

 

[Mobuck]

"Would that be when you miss with a grenade, mortar, or artillery round?"

I'm mostly into mortars at this time. Potential to knock off 2-3 coyotes with one shot, you know.

 

[Galaxiedan]

And they are gonna launch these "seed bombs" into the desert at 29 palms and there gonna grow?

 

[DGW1949]

I want some that grows a pretty red rose bush where all my misses hit the dirt. That way I have something to remind me of those OOPS moments.

I was thinking that it would make my spring planting a lot more fun. :lol: .

DGW

 

[cleardatum]

if it's bio-degradable, doesn't that render it non-reusable?

 

[Enigma]

And all these seeds weigh exactly the same amount and are exactly the same size, so they won't unbalance the bullet, right? What a colossal waste of my tax dollars! I've been in and around the Army for over 40 years, and this one takes the cake, I must admit.

 

[sliclee]

The dirtbag president clinton did that to us many moons ago. It, he decided we should use clean ammo when we kill the enemy
so we don't dirty the ground.
We went from paying about a penny a round to 5 dollars until it was slowed down. You will not believe what congress allow to happen
financially. Read it and weep or/cry, it actually went into effect with congresses love and kisses.
The price to wet your appetite to look up, we were paying here, in our country, using our equipment on our land digging up
a pound of clean bullet material which was good enough to make very good speakers cost us $2 a pound which went to $5 a pound
when they found out they could get more than that. At that time CHINA and us were worse than you could imagine.
It was decided, by the slime balls, clinton and congress to go to China and have them dig the dirt at $3 a pound that slowly went to $20 a pound because china said the dirt was dirty and had to be cleaned first, GOT THE PICTURE. This is the truth, you can't
make this up.

 

[Rook]

If lead kills wild life then I should have also died sometime in the mid 60s from all the lead sinkers I've crushed with my teeth on fishing line. I believe I might have even used lead split-shot sinkers to chew on instead of a tooth pick. :roll:

 

[RSIno1]

For training - Just sift the berm every couple years and remove the lead and copper - now you have a asset to resell and save on the next batch of ammo. But lead & copper are elements and occur naturally so what's the big deal?