Biodegradable ammunition (Army, Air Force, training, stationed)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I just read that in US army was looking into using biodegradable ammunition to replace existing rounds used in training.
DoD stipulated that the new ammunition should, instead, contain seeds that produce food for animals.
That was in 2017. Now 6 years later what happened with that project?
It would be pretty awesome, l think, and could eliminate lead contamination in the soil and groundwater.
I just read that in US army was looking into using biodegradable ammunition to replace existing rounds used in training.
DoD stipulated that the new ammunition should, instead, contain seeds that produce food for animals.
That was in 2017. Now 6 years later what happened with that project?
It would be pretty awesome, l think, and could eliminate lead contamination in the soil and groundwater.
That sounds like a wet dream of some environmentalist. The lead that is used in training/shooting grounds (both military and civilian) is often "mined" to recover and reuse and poses little threat to the environment.
I just read that in US army was looking into using biodegradable ammunition to replace existing rounds used in training.
DoD stipulated that the new ammunition should, instead, contain seeds that produce food for animals.
That was in 2017. Now 6 years later what happened with that project?
It would be pretty awesome, l think, and could eliminate lead contamination in the soil and groundwater.
You may want to post a reference to this.
On the lighter side - who is supposed to trim the weeds on range berms?
My first thought on this was here we go again with the nonsensical ideas.
But then I remembered back in the late 90’s when I was stationed at Dyess Air Force Base. The range was closed indefinitely for lead contamination.
Since I was about to deploy to Panama and Colombia, I had to shoot and get qualified, I didn’t have a choice.
So they bussed all the airmen, who were about to deploy on various operations around the world, all the way to Goodfellow Air Force Base 100 miles away in an old blue bus with no air conditioning. We had to leave at 0400 and we didn’t get back until 1900. But don’t feel bad for us, they gave us a free MRE!
Anyway, because of that experience, I am all for biodegradable ammo for training purposes.
This is all well and good but let ask this.......will such ammo be similar to what they will experience if they have to shoot for real, all considerations across the board? If training ammo has to be used for real, will it be effective?
You just have to love it "not only are bullets a physical hazard ...". No, they are simply decorative and make good bottle openers btw.
Reminds me of the fable of the hunter who ran out of ammo and shot at a stag with cherry pits to see the stag with a fully grown cherry tree between the antlers the next year.
Apparently some changes have been made since 2017 but only a few of competition shooters I know load shotgun cartridges with flower seeds to decorate their berms.
What about food allergies??? Please be very considerate of what seed someone may be allergic to!!!
SBIR announcements are just that, announcements. It's a call for anyone interested in proposing a development in that area to send their proposals to the responsible agency for consideration. Doesn't mean it is happening or will be pursued, just that within that agency, the discussion arose and they asked SBIR to make an announcement that if anyone in the private sector is interested is looking into this, let the agency know.
A17-012 (Biodegradable Ammunition) is just one of thousands of these projects announced, but never gone anywhere. DOD faced with massive expenditures to cleanup toxic sites, wanted to see if an alternative to toxic remediation could be found by removing some or all of the hazards from ammunition used in training. Had it been pursued, one phase of the requirement would be to prove it works and performs the same as current ammunition to ensure practice reflects reality in combat.
It's only a matter of time before some "training" rounds get into "general circulation" and someone gets "seeded." (Kinda like the "wooden bullet" story that the Germans and Japanese didn't use against allied soldiers.)
Those, that were there may have a different version of the story...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
