A key part of the capability brought to the table by the US Army’s new Squad Designated Marksman Rifleis its chambering for the 7.62mm round. Specifically, this chambering allows the SDMR to fire the (also brand new) XM1158 Advanced Armor Piercing (ADVAP) round, designed to give the squad the capability to defeat advanced ceramic armors at combat ranges. There may be juuuuust one little problem, though: Cost. The US Army’s Ammunition Budget Justification for Fiscal Year 2019 was released this month; in it was procurement information on the XM1158 ADVAP, and a bit of a shocking sticker price to boot:
This is of course the first year that the ADVAP will enter major production, so it is possible this high price is the byproduct of the economy of scale. Comparing this figure to the same figures in the FY 2013 Budget Estimate for M855A1, and considering that more than a million rounds of ADVAP are being ordered, however, that doesn’t seem to be the case:
See more at: http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/...ent=2018-02-17&utm_campaign=Weekly+Newsletter
This is of course the first year that the ADVAP will enter major production, so it is possible this high price is the byproduct of the economy of scale. Comparing this figure to the same figures in the FY 2013 Budget Estimate for M855A1, and considering that more than a million rounds of ADVAP are being ordered, however, that doesn’t seem to be the case:
See more at: http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/...ent=2018-02-17&utm_campaign=Weekly+Newsletter
