US Army’s Polymer ‘SixPAC’ Advanced Ammo Crates To Replace M2 Ammo Box

The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center's next-generation lightweight packaging system, SixPAC, is built to modernize small‑caliber logistics and trim weight, costs, and supply‑chain vulnerabilities.

Photo: Eric Kowal, Army

Since the days of World War II, the United States Army’s mini arms ammunition has changed considerably. The work replaced the venerable .30-06 Springfield and .30 Carbine cartridges pinch the 5.56x45 NATO information during the Cold War, and the U.S. Army is now successful the process of transitioning to the advanced 6.8x51mm communal cartridge – besides known arsenic 2.77 Fury. The caller information was developed to find a mediate crushed betwixt the bequest 5.56x45mm and the heavier-hitting 7.62x51mm cartridges utilized by the U.S. subject and its NATO allies. The dream for the Pentagon is that the caller cartridge could yet find a spot on the different NATO standards.

Yet, moreover arsenic location has been attraction connected processing improved cartridges since the Second World War, location has been small to nary effort successful advancing the measurement ammunition is packaged for distribution to the troops, astatine slightest until past month.

That is erstwhile U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armament Center announced the introduction of a caller polymer strategy that is the first awesome overhaul of small-caliber packaging, the first since the days of the “Greatest Generation.”

The Metal Ammo Box Has Met Its Match

The aged metallic ammunition boxes could arguably beryllium 1 of the top subject inventions of each time. Besides being effective astatine carrying ammunition, the sturdy metallic boxes are wide utilized successful the civilian world to clasp tools, camping and outdoor gear, and different items.

Ammo boxes person been a unchangeable merchandise of army/navy surplus stores crossed the state for decades, but not each are technically “surplus” arsenic location is nary shortage of non-military knockoffs retired there.

Yet, the aged ammo boxes person yet met their match!

The polymer containers connection overmuch of the spot but measurement conscionable half of the bequest alloy ammo boxes, which will trim the load carried by soldiers successful the field.

It is expected that much than 800 injection molders crossed the state will beryllium tin of producing the crates, redeeming the Pentagon and taxpayers while besides lowering the obstruction to introduction for caller suppliers.

Grab a SixPAC

The caller packaging, dubbed the “SixPAC” for its capacity to clasp the 6.8mm cartridges, now features 2 lightweight polymer ammunition containers successful a alloy outer pack.

“After successful implementation pinch the cartridges, the strategy is planned for adjustment crossed aggregate bequest small-caliber ammunition accumulation lines,” the Army announced past week.

This alteration doesn’t tally contrary to the aged schoolhouse reasoning that if it isn’t broken, it shouldn’t beryllium fixed. Rather, it was portion of an effort to reside proviso concatenation vulnerabilities, rising costs and a request to hole for tomorrow's subject operations successful varied climates.

Those concerns led to the “reevaluation” of the bequest munitions packaging.

The caller SixPAC offers a lighter tactical soul pack, which could summation the manufacturing guidelines and further summation efficiency. The polymer strategy besides removes wood wholly from the equation, arsenic the aged dense metallic ammo boxes were transported successful woody crates.

Those crates were manually assembled and were susceptible to mold during storage. By going pinch polymers, the process is simplified and location is besides a reduced reliance connected chemic treatments that were basal pinch wood, which successful move lowers the biology impacts.

The polymer soul battalion enables easier transport. At the aforesaid time, the alloy outer battalion reduces the logistical footprint. That allows much containers and ammunition per pallet and has a notably larger proviso guidelines than its bequest wood counterpart.

“It’s a processing field, and polymers are unsocial — you tin modify them, see additives that amended effect performance, stiffness aliases dimensional stability,” said Edward Lucas, a mechanical technologist and polymer designer astatine the Development Command Armament Center. “You tin adhd much ingredients to the cauldron and your potion will travel retired different, trading immoderate characteristics for others.”

Evolution of Ammunition Crates

Polymer is the latest successful the improvement of ammunition crates. The earliest shape of mini arms ordnance retention was soft leather cartridge pouches aliases “belly boxes,” which began to beryllium utilized successful the 18th period to support insubstantial cartridges dry.

It was only pinch the wide take of self-contained metallic cartridges utilizing a metallic guidelines that location was a request for existent ammunition boxes aliases crates. The earliest were elemental woody boxes that began to look astir the clip of the American Civil War, astir 1863.

By the extremity of the 19th century, militaries astir the world adopted reinforced woody boxes that featured soul expanse metallic aliases zinc linings to conflict disconnected moisture. Wooden ammunition boxes are still wide utilized arsenic a measurement to carrier ammunition, but they could hardly beryllium described arsenic the astir effective fixed the weight they add.

In September 1942, arsenic the U.S. subject was progressive successful World War II, the U.S. subject officially adopted the hermetically sealed alloy M2 ammunition can, which provided wholly waterproof small-arms retention for the .50 caliber instrumentality gun. It could clasp linked .50 BMG belts for the dense instrumentality gun, but the aforesaid metallic ammo container could transportation upwards of 2,200 loose rounds of 9mm aliases 1,200 loose rounds of 5.56mm ammunition.

Although the famed ammo cans are apt to stay a favourite of civilians arsenic astir indestructible retention boxes, the early for the subject whitethorn beryllium pinch polymer crates.