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	Director, Operational Test & Evaluation
	FY98 Annual Report

M829E3 120-MM APFSDS-T CARTRIDGE

Army ACAT II Program:		Prime Contractor
Total Number of Rounds:	25,400	Alliant Techsystems
Total Program Cost (TY$):	$127M
Average Unit Cost (TY$):	$5K	Service Certified Y2K Compliant
Full-rate production:	FY02	N/A

SYSTEM DESCRIPTION & CONTRIBUTION TO JOINT VISION 2010

The M829E3 Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot-Tracer (APFSDS-T) cartridge is one of the main gun (120-mm) ammunition rounds that will be fired from the M1A2 Abrams Tank. It is the kinetic energy round being developed to counter threat explosive reactive armor advancements, and is scheduled to be fielded early next century. Propulsion and penetrator improvements are key elements of this program. The M829E3 is an improved version of the M829A2, which was fired in Operation Desert Storm and commonly referred to by U.S. troops as the "Silver Bullet." It was noted for killing many Iraqi T-72 tanks in the Southwest Asian War. This improved tank round will support the dominant maneuver force aspect of Joint Vision 2010 by supplying improved firepower capability to the M1A2 Abrams Tank.

Due to the funding threshold, the M829E3 is not required to undergo operational test oversight from this office. However, this system does qualify for LFT&E oversight.

The DOT&E activity for this program involved LFT&E only. The LFT&E include both a lethality requirement and a vulnerability requirement. The lethality requirement is assessed versus future tank threats, while the vulnerability requirement is assessed to the Abrams Tank. More specifically, the vulnerability of the Abrams Tank should not be increased when equipped with the improved round. Draft LFT&E strategies for this program have been provided to DOT&E in FY98. The LFT&E strategy is expected to be approved in early FY99. The LFT&E program is currently scheduled for FY00.

T&E activity during FY98 has focused solely on the development of an acceptable LFT&E strategy. There has been lethality testing of early prototypes; however, a final design has not been selected. It is expected that there will be more lethality in FY99, with realistic testing against representative threat surrogates beginning in FY00. As with most systems, DOT&E will include all relevant test data for future evaluation.

A robust LFT&E lethality program, comprising 378 shots against a variety of targets; e.g., rolled homogeneous armor, range targets, and threat shotline targets (including base armor and explosive reactive armor), has been outlined in the latest draft LFT&E strategy. Another 173 shots using the current M829A2 will also be conducted to provide a baseline comparison. The contribution of M829E3 to Abrams Tank vulnerability will be examined in five tests against simulated ammunition compartments and three tests against full-scale ammunition compartments. DOT&E approval of this strategy is expected in early FY99.