Military

Cartridge, 105mm, DPICM: XM915/XM916

The 105MM DPICM is being developed to fulfill the Light Infantry Division need for an extended range capability with enhanced lethal effectiveness against personnel and materiel targets. The 105MM DPICM consists of two cartridges. The M916 is the same projectile as the M915 but is fired with the M67 propellant (low-end charge). The XM915 incoporating the M200 propelling charge is the extended range round for the M119A1 howitzer. The XM916, incorporating the M67 propelling charge is being developed for the US Army M119A1, M101A1, and M102 series howitzers. Both of these cartridges have projectiles containing a sub-munition payload of 42 dual purpose Self Destruct Fuzed XM80 grenades.

This projectile provides the light infantry divisions extended range-out to 14.1 kilometers-and enhanced lethality against both personnel and armored targets. The increased range is obtained by firing the M119A1 howitzer using the M200 maximum propelling charge (Charge 8, high end). (When the M119 fires the M915 with Charge 8, the howitzer's QE is limited to 800 mils, producing a maximum range of 14.1 kilometers.)

The M915/916 cartridge pair provides dual-purpose improved conventional munition capability at extended ranges for 105mm howitzers. The M916 is the short-range version of the round. The M915 can only be fired from the M119 howitzer system. Both rounds are semi-fixed and the steel cargo projectile carries 42 M80 sub-munitions.

The projectile contents are dispersed in the usual manner under the control of a nose-mounted electronic time self-destruct fuse (M234). The rounds both require the M217E1 cartridge case. The self-destruct feature allows friendly force maneuvering flexibility on the modern battlefield. The submunition either detonates or self-destructs within seven minutes (plus or minus one minute) from impact. Testing in the late 1990w of more than 4,000 M80 grenades proved that 99.8 percent detonate or self-destruct within the time frame.

Chamberlain produced the M915 at the Scranton facility.

In early 1999 employees at Lone Star Ammunition Plant received the TEAM Award from the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center. The award was in recognition of outstanding performance and exceptional customer support in achieving Type-Classification Low-Rate Production of the M915 105mm DPICM Cartridge. Type-Classification is the Army's method for identifying the degree of acceptability of an item for its intended mission. It represents culmination of the development effort and is the point at which the decision is made to enter the production phase of the life cycle.