Munitions Safety Information Analysis Center

Supporting Member Nations in the Enhancement of their Munitions Life Cycle Safety
Supporting Munitions Safety

STANAG 4241
Review of
the Bullet Impact Test
IMEMTS 2013 – San Diego, CA, USA
Emmanuel Schultz MSIAC Office
TSO Propulsion Technology +32.(0)2.707.54.16
+32.(0)2.707.54.47 [email protected]
[email protected] http://www.msiac.nato.int

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 Agenda
Supporting Munitions Safety

• Background

• Questionnaire

• Standards

• Analysis

• Summary of recommendations

• Next steps

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 Background
Supporting Munitions Safety

• TTCP has recommended NATO to review the

STANAG 4241 ed.2 for the following reasons (extract
from [R1]) :
 Current requirement has been very difficult to consistently
obtain
 Many BI tests ruled “no test” because velocity below lower
limit
 Would have been good test under old standard *
 Why the Change?
 What are the experiences of the other services and
nations?
• NATO AC/326 SG B has tasked MSIAC to work on this
topic.
* : It is important to note that this author refers to the MIL STD 2105 and NOT the STANAG. The tolerance of the
velocity has changed between MIL-STD 2105 B and MIL-STD 2105 C from ± 60 m/s to ± 20 m/s.
The tolerance has been constant in ed. 1 and ed. 2 of the STANAG 4241 (± 20 m/s).
[R1] “Lessons learned from the use of the new response descriptors”, Stuart Blashill, TTCP WPN TP-4, February
2012.

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 Procedure
Supporting Munitions Safety

• MSIAC has written a survey related to the

Bullet Impact test (Broader scope than just
the velocity)
• The survey was reviewed and amended by
the custodian of STANAG 4241 (DEU)
• The survey was send to the following nations
mid-January:
 AUS, AUT, CAN, CZE, DEU, FIN, FRA, ITA, NLD,
NOR, SVK, ZAF, ESP, SWE, CHE, TUR, GBR,
USA
• After reception & analysis of the answers and
other related documents, MSIAC has written
the report O-152.
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 Contents of the survey
Supporting Munitions Safety

• Summary of the contents of the survey:

 Do you have a test procedure?
 What bullet do you use?
 What weapon do you use?
 Single or triple bullet test?
 Firing distance?
 Meteorological conditions?
 Do you adjust the Muzzle Velocity (V0) & how?
 How do you measure the impact velocity (Vi)? Accuracy?
 Have you encountered difficulties to achieve the Vi
requirement? Frequency? Why? Do you solve it?
 Do you thing the velocity is realistic?
 Are there other points (except the velocity) that you would
like to highlight / should be reviewed?

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 Test Standards
Supporting Munitions Safety

• The bullet impact test is defined with

several documents.
 In NATO:
STANAG 4439 ed.3 (Reaction level)
STANAG 4241 ed.2 (test requirements)
AOP-39 ed.3 (Guidance)
 In UN, for HC 1.6:
Test 7 (j) of UN Recommendations on the transport
of dangerous goods – Manual of tests and criteria,
5th revised edition, amendment 1

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 Comparison between NATO & UN
Supporting Munitions Safety

STANAG 4241 ed.2 UN 7 (j) (5a1)

Alternative procedure Yes No
Number of tests 2 3
Type of bullet M2, 0.5 cal, AP 0.5 cal, AP
Projectile mass Not specified (bullet is specified) 0.046 kg

Aiming point Main filling + most shock-sensitive 3 tests in 3 orientations, most

but the booster vulnerable areas
Firing distance 20 to 30 m 10 to 30 m
Velocity Impact V = 850 ± 20 m/s V (Muzzle?) = 840 ± 40 m/s
Rate of fire 600 ± 50 rounds / minute 600 rounds / minute
Guns A rigidly mounted gun Three 12.7 mm guns
Size of the target 5 cm circle Not specified
Reaction level acceptable Burning or no reaction Burning or no reaction

• Additional precision in UN: • Lack of clarity in UN:

 M2 not specify
 Need of three guns remotely
 No tolerance on weight, firing rate
controlled
 Which velocity (Impact, Muzzle)?
 The propellant load may require  Aiming point? Does that mean the
adjustment booster has to be hit in the three
tests?

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 Answers
Supporting Munitions Safety

• 20 test centers from 11 nations Nation

CAN
Organisation
DRDC Valcartier
Status
Gov
have provided a full answer. CAN
Canadian Explosives Research
Laboratory (CERL)
Gov

And others have provided CZ

FIN
Military Technical Institute
Test Firing Center
Gov
Gov
comments. FRA DGA-EM Gov

• 13 from governments and 7

FRA DGA-TT Gov
FRA Herakles Private
GER Bayern-Chemie Private
from industries. GER TDW Private
GER WTD91 Gov
Answers by nations NLD
Centre of Excellence Weapons
Gov
and Ammunition
Canada, 2 NOR Nammo Private
USA, 4 Czech SWE Bofors Test Center Private
Republic, 1 SWE FOI Gov
TUR several firms Private
Finland, 1
UK QinetiQ Private
UK, 1
USA NAWC China Lake Gov
France, 3 USA NSWC Dahlgren D Gov
Turkey, 1
USA Redstone (Army) Gov
USA Yuma (Army) Gov
Sweden, 2

Norway, 1
Netherlands, Germany, 3 THANK YOU
1 for the number and the quality of your answers
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 Test Procedure
Supporting Munitions Safety

• 50/50 between specific procedure and

STANAG only. Specific procedures detail:
 Type of test (single vs. triple)
 Aiming point
 Test setup
 Safety procedure
 => add test setup (3 examples on the report)
• Most of the nations fire on the booster.
AOP39, Fragment Impact test and UN
recommend to fire on the booster:
 =>Not to exclude the booster if hit
probability is sufficient (determined by THA
and approved by National Authority)
 =>French translation of “booster” is “relais
d’amorçage”

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 Single vs. Triple
Supporting Munitions Safety

Single vs. Triple

Mostly
Triple, 1 Triple Only, 1

Single Only, 7

Both, 6

Mostly
Single, 4

• The procedure 1 (standard) specifies a three-

round burst.
• In reality, a majority of test centers apply the
single BI (Procedure 2), even if we consider
only the Governmental facilities.
 => The 2 procedures should be kept
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 Type of Weapons
Supporting Munitions Safety

• Several weapons used:

 Machine gun M2 HB (45” barrel)
 Aircraft gun M2 (36” barrel)
 AIMTEST
 Custom made barrels
• The rate of fire requirement (600 ± 50 rds/min) is compatible
with the performance of this type of guns
 M2 HB ~ 500 rds/minute
 M2 Aircraft ~ 800 rds/minute
 M3 Aircraft: up to 1200 rds/minute
• But, impossible to fire 3 bullets in a 5 cm circle at this firing
rate with 1 gun:
 => explicitly mention the need of three guns remotely
controlled
• Booster unlikely to be hit by three bullets:
 => Triple-round burst in the main explosive filling
 => Single shot in the most sensitive explosive component
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 Type of Bullets
Supporting Munitions Safety

Type of 12.7 mm bullets

Only others,
4

12.7 mm M2
AP or others, Only 12.7
3 mm M2 AP,
13

• A large majority of test centers use the 12.7mm M2

AP.
• Other bullets mentioned:
 12.7x99 PF1 (similar to M2 AP)
 12.7x99 AP-S, NM 185
 12.7x99 AP, DM51 (Similar to M8)
 12.7x99 API, M8

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 Firing Distance
Supporting Munitions Safety

• Current recommendation: 20 to 30 m.
• Firing distances range from 3 to 50 meters.
 The really short distances reported are for small
items (accuracy)
 15 m seems acceptable in term of stability
• => A range of approximately 15 to 30 m to the
target (sufficient to assure bullet stabilization) is
acceptable. Exact range is determined by the
test authority, depending on accuracy and safety
aspects.

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 Measuring equipments
Supporting Munitions Safety

• Several types of equipments to measure

the impact velocity:
 Radar (10)
 Trigger screens (7)
 High speed camera + reference board (6)
 Optical screens (4)
• Non contact equipment is preferred
• ~Half of the facilities also measure the V0
(radar, screens, chronograph)

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 Meteo
Supporting Munitions Safety

• AOP-39, 9-H:
 Extreme external conditions (e.g. wind, rain,
temperature) that might influence the test outcome
should be avoided.
• The tests centers applying weather restrictions
have mentioned:
 Wind speed in excess
 Thunder storm (lightning)
 Relative humidity too low
 Rain / snow
• => the recommendations of AOP seem sufficient

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 Velocity requirements
Supporting Munitions Safety

Common Rare Total

Had issue with Vi 7 3 10/19
Still have issue with Vi 2 3 5/19
• Several facilities used to have difficulties in achieving the velocity
requirements (Vi=850 ± 20 m/s):
 Often too low
 Or often too high
 Or issue with the tolerance
• Most of them have solved this problem, by adapting the procedure:
 Adjustment of propellant load / reloading with new propellant
 Warming the tube (with pre-firing)
 Selection of bullet with a tighter weight tolerance
 Conditioning the propellant in temperature
• Methodologies used by several test facilities are described in the
report.
• A large majority considers the requirement is achievable.
• => Preliminary shots may be useful to warm the barrel, adjust
the Vi and set the aiming point
• => the propellant loads may require adjustment.
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 Velocity realistic?
Supporting Munitions Safety

• Vi considered realistic for most of the facilities (12 yes, 3 No, 4 w/o
position)
• However, this question has brought up questions on the pertinence
of the M2 AP and what the worst case is:
 Firing close to the muzzle velocity (current position) or at a lower
velocity
 Firing with a smaller / higher caliber bullet (7.62 mm, 14.5 mm)
 Firing with a multi purpose round (e.g. API M8)
• Difficult question:
 The worst case is system dependant
 Higher penetration doesn’t always mean worst reaction.
 The aim of the STANAG is not to represent the wide range of bullets
(procedure 2 allows to test other bullets) but a standardized threat.
• For info, in the report O-152, MSIAC has gathered data on several
bullets. A bullet is characterized by several parameters: weight,
velocity, material of the jacket and of the core, dimension of the
core, presence of incendiary or explosive compositions, presence of
a tracer or not.

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 Other issues
Supporting Munitions Safety

• Availability of this bullet:

 Some suppliers identified in the paper
• Impossible to fire 3 bullets in a 5 cm circle at
this firing rate w/o restraining the test item:
 => Add guidance on the way to restrain the
test item. (No example provided)
 Should we keep this requirement, or decrease
firing rate, or increase the target size, or replace
triple by double burst?
• Small items inside packaging: STANAG is not
clear on the procedure.

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 Summary of recommendations
Supporting Munitions Safety

• Add example(s) of test setup in the STANAG

• For Procedure 1 IM tests, two tests are required, one aiming at the largest explosive
component (i.e. the main charge filling of the warhead or the propellant of the rocket
motor), and the other aimed at the most sensitive explosive component (i.e. the rocket
motor igniter or warhead booster). However, if the impact on the most sensitive area is of
sufficient low probability, as defined by the THA and approved by the review board, the
second test should be replaced by an additional one on the largest explosive component.
• Booster should be translated in the French version by “le relais d’amorcage”.
• Offering 2 different methods is representative of what the nations are doing. Therefore, the
2 procedures should be kept.
• Explicitly mention the need of three guns remotely controlled to perform the triple bullet
test, in order to achieve the requested accuracy and firing rate.
• If the booster or rocket motor igniter is considered as an aiming point, then the test should
consist only of a single shot. Therefore, the procedure 1 should become:
 A three-round burst firing in the main explosive component
 A single shot firing in the most shock-sensitive explosive component
• For bullet impacts, a range of approximately 15 to 30 m to the target (sufficient to assure
bullet stabilization) is acceptable. The exact range from gun to target is to be determined by
the test authorities, depending on accuracy and safety aspects.
• Preliminary shots may be useful to warm the barrel, adjust the impact velocity and set the
aiming point.
• To achieve the impact velocity requirement, the propellant loads may require adjustment.
• Add guidance on the way to restrain the test item when performing the triple-burst test.
• Add a procedure for small items.

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 Open questions
Supporting Munitions Safety

• Is the 0.5 cal M2 AP still the good choice?

• What is best practice for small items inside
a packaging?
• Competition between firing rate and size of
the target for the triple-burst:
 Should we keep the triple burst? (Consistency
with UN orange book)
 Should we decrease the firing rate?
 Should we enlarge the size of the target?

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 Conclusion
Supporting Munitions Safety

• Creation of an expert working group:

 to tackle the open questions
 To discuss all the recommendations
• A transformation of the STANAG into an AOP
(likewise the 4240 for Fast Cook-Off)

• This survey was an effective way to get

feedback from the nations, to share
information, and to prepare the working
group.

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Supporting Munitions Safety

Merci pour votre attention

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