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Early attempts at lighter, plastic-cased cartridge designs failed to meet military standards, but recent technical advances by a few bold companies have prompted the Army and Marine Corps to launch new efforts to test polymer-cased ammunition for infantry units.

In early January, the Corps announced it plans to invest up to $10 million in polymer-cased .50 caliber ammo to test in the "Ma Deuce" M2 machine gun, a potent weapon used by both Army and Marine mounted combat units.

The Army's role in the Joint Lightweight Ammunition Integrated Product Team is to find a lightweight-cased replacement for brass-cased 7.62x51mm, the caliber used in Army and Marine M240 machine guns and some sniper weapons.

"The ultimate goal is to replace brass-cased ammunition for all 7.62mm ammunition in the Army," Becky Leonard, spokeswoman for the Joint Program Executive Office for Armaments & Ammunition at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, told Military.com.

The Army's Next Generation Squad Weapon Effort

The Army is also evaluating lightweight-cased 6.8mm ammunition for its Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) effort, which is designed to replace the M4A1 carbine and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon with more potent weapons that significantly lighten ammunition weight.

Early attempts at lighter, plastic-cased cartridge designs failed to meet military standards, but recent technical advances by a few bold companies have prompted the Army and Marine Corps to launch new efforts to test polymer-cased ammunition for infantry units. In early January, the Corps announced it plans to invest up to $10 million in polymer-cased .50 caliber ammo to test in the "Ma Deuce" M2 machine gun, a potent weapon used by both Army and Marine mounted combat units. The Army's role in the Joint Lightweight Ammunition Integrated Product Team is to find a lightweight-cased replacement for brass-cased 7.62x51mm, the caliber used in Army and Marine M240 machine guns and some sniper weapons. "The ultimate goal is to replace brass-cased ammunition for all 7.62mm ammunition in the Army," Becky Leonard, spokeswoman for the Joint Program Executive Office for Armaments & Ammunition at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, told Military.com. The Army's Next Generation Squad Weapon Effort The Army is also evaluating lightweight-cased 6.8mm ammunition for its Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) effort, which is designed to replace the M4A1 carbine and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon with more potent weapons that significantly lighten ammunition weight.

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[–] • 1 pt

Why all the focus on replacing brass casings? Why not replace lead bullets with brass if they want lighter ammo? Too expensive? How about FMJ polymer or ceramic core bullets?