The grune cartridge of the US Army: M855A1 Enhanced Performance Round (EPR). Image: Dod
The Pentagon wants biodegradable ammunition, at least for sliding and militarubs
Ammunition of bombs over grenades to cartridges should, violate or destroy dead. But even if it is only used by militar tests, the coarse quantities burdened, the environment, see the environment, sees once of ammunition whose constituents such as in the case of lead cartridges or degraded uranium (Pentagon confirmed use of uranium ammunition in Syria) collateral damage to human health. But when ammunition is shot down and held on something, many ingredients are scattered scattered in the air, in the ground or into the water.
Heavy metals are released, energetic materials of explosives and their reaction products. Many of these substances are carcinogenic and harmful to the environment, TNO writes, the Dutch organization for applied scientific research, which, among other things, investigated the environmental impact of ammunition for the Dutch Ministry of Defense.
The combination of the two goals, the effective phased effect of ammunition, which is also supposed to break through tanks and other defense, and a potential low risk for the firing, its immediate environment, other soldiers, the civilians and nature, is a paradox, that too with the idea of clean and pracisential war has to do. NATO also strokes that it wants to reduce the environmental impact of military activities. Developed is environmentally friendly or low-pollutant ammunition, but still should be dead.
The US Army reports that development "eco-friendly" Ammo, which essentially as at the 5.56 mm green cartridge, the M855A1 Enhanced Performance Round (EPR), no lead is used, meant that already thousands of tonnes of lead are not entering the environment. The lead was replaced by a metal alloy (information has been corrected).
Since 1993, the Pentagon has been pursuing "Green Ammunition Program". In addition to the replacement of lead and other heavy metals, such as barium, the avoidance of components that danger the ozone layer and of cursing organic compounds. Thus, leadazide and lead rinitroresorcinat (bleistypnat), which are toxic and carcinogenic, are to be replaced as initial explosives in grenades, missiles, but also smaller ammunition. The toxins released in the fight and on exercises also harm the firing soldiers and pollute the environment. They should be replaced by "grune initial explosives" How copper-2-nitrotetrazole (CBX-1).
Wanted: Biodegradable ammunition with plant
Now the Pentagon searches for a biodegradable ammunition, not for the fight against combat, but for exercises. Those often take place in the US or in the countries of the Allies and are intended to strain the health of the soldiers and the environment with all realism possibly little.
In the tender text it is called, the US Army was built hundreds of thousands of shots and move on sliding and ubesting platzen. In addition, special units were used in day and night exercises. The speech is from 40mm grenades to 120mm caliber of armored ceranons and 155mm artillery shoes. The projectiles, cartridge hulsenes and traction levels were often left on the ground or remain underground to which they have penetrated. Some of the components were one hundred years and more need to disintegrate, with the ground and groundwater. Civilians such as farmers or workers often did not know if it is training or combat ammunition, the militar has no real way to find and eliminate the remains.
So it would be possible to have a possibility of having the tendering, biodegradable ammunition for exercise purposes, "To switch off environmental damage". Materials could be used, as they are already produced for biodegradable bottles, containers and other plastic products. In addition, you think "Seeds from which environmentally friendly plants grow, remove the soil toxins and include the biodegradable components developed in this project". You also think of the animals, which are supposed to consume the plants without health damage. Other side effects of the green ammunition are not considered. First of all, biodegradable ingredients are intended to make all the requirements of sufficient understicks with a caliber of 40-120mm, together with soil-resistant seeds. There are perfect prototypes Ballist tests are made.