Enter the M1002

by Wakeland Kuamoo and Paul Valenti “Train as you fight and fight as you train.” This philosophy has been the cornerstone of military training for many years. Our tankers who fire 120mm tank ammunition know how important this philosophy is for mission success and, at times, even their very survival. In line with that philosophy, our ammunition developers and fielding teams have developed another tool for our tankers to train as they will fight. Feedback from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) soldiers and Marines has clearly shown the importance of 120mm tank ammunition to defeat hostile forces. M830 high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) rounds and M1028 canister rounds have been widely used in combat and are key force multipliers for our tank crews. During armor unit training, the M831A1 target practice-tracer (TP-T) round provides a realistic substitute for the M830 service HEAT round. Additionally, M1028 canister rounds have been approved and made available for our tankers to fire during training prior to movement into theater. The employment and successful use of the M830A1 multipurpose antitank (MPAT) round against various targets in Iraq has shown that it is more than capable of carrying the fight to the enemy. Unfortunately, a training round for the M830A1 MPAT did not exist, which would support the train-as-you-fight concept — that is, not until now! The Program Manager-Maneuver Ammunition Systems (PM-MAS) and the U.S. Army Research and Development Engineering Center, both located at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, in conjunction with other Government agencies and U.S. industry partners, developed and began fielding a training round for the M830A1 (MPAT), namely the M1002 target practice, multipurpose-tracer (TPMP-T) round. The M1002 replicates the M830A1 tactical round in length and weight. This similarity is critical to allow the tanker to become familiar with the feel and handling of the MPAT round. The nose of the M1002 has a plastic ring, which can be turned by the loader during gunnery exercises to simulate the ground and air selection capability found on the M830A1 round, although the M1002 is only intended for ground mode training. The combustible cartridge case and aft cap are similar to other 120mm cartridges. As with other training rounds, the M1002 is easily identifiable as a training round by its blue-colored projectile and white lettering. The introduction of this new round does require a unique M1002 ballistic solution to support live-fire accuracy. All M1A2SEP and active duty M1A1 tanks already contain the appropriate firing solution. The M1A2SEP tank crewmen must select “MPAT” on the ammunition select unit and then select “ammunition sub-designation M1002” on the gunner’s control and display panel (GCDP). M1A1 tank crewmen (with the appropriate ballistic solution on the tank system) must select “MPAT” on the ammunition select unit and then select “ammunition sub-designation number 1” on the computer control panel (CCP). The computer correction factor for the M1002 is azimuth right .10 and elevation is up .55. M1A1 tanks in the U.S. Army National Guard will have the M1002 solution implemented into their fire-control systems in the near future. To verify which M1A1 tank units in National Guard have the appropriate solution, follow ammunition information notice (AIN) 77-08. Tanks that do not have the M1002 ballistic solution should not fire this round until their systems have been properly updated. U.S. Army Field Manual (FM) 3-20.12, Tank Gunnery (Abrams), provides the table for the employment of M831A1 training practice-tracer (TP-T) rounds against various targets. The M1002 will also be used against similar targets and requires no change to current scenarios. Fielding this round will take several years as the stockpile is built-up to support the entire armor force. As this fielding moves forward (starting in FY09), the M831A1 TP-T will continue to be used, for a period of time, by various armor and cavalry units. During the initial fielding phase, M1002 rounds will be shipped to the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, California. These rounds are intended to assist heavy rotational units in increasing their skills on handling and employing the MPAT round prior to deploying. During FY13, the M1002 will be fully fielded to the armor force and the remaining M831A1 rounds should be near full expenditure. As previously mentioned, the M831A1 TP-T round was designed to support training replication of the M830 service HEAT metal-piercing-tracer (HEAT-MP-T) round. Final expenditure of the M831A1 will coincide closely to the ending service life of the M830 round. Once this occurs, and the M830 is no longer available for combat, there will be no further need for the M831A1 training round. The M1002 will be fully fielded by then and used along with the M865 target practice, cone stabilized, discarding sabot-tracer training sabot round to support tank gunnery requirements “Train as you fight and fight as you train;” 120mm tank ammunition continues to support this philosophy — enter the M1002. Wakeland Kuamoo is currently working as a contractor, Large Caliber Ammunition, Training and Doctrine Command Capabilities Manager-Heavy Brigade Combat Team, Fort Knox, KY. He received an A.A. from Pikes Peak Community College and a B.S. from University of Louisville. His military education includes Basic Noncommissioned Officers Course, Advanced Noncommissioned Officers Course, Master Gunners Course, and Air Assault Course. During his career, he has served in various duty positions, to include senior armor trainer, Bosnia and Herzegovina; chief, Master Gunner Branch, Fort Knox, KY; first sergeant, A Company, 2d Battalion, 35th Armor, Fort Carson, CO; senior armor trainer, Technical Assistance Field Team, Republic of Yemen; and division master gunner, 2d Infantry Division, Korea. Paul Valenti is currently the item manager for the 120mm M1002, Office of the Project Manager for Maneuver Ammunition Systems (OPM-MAS), Pictanny Arsenal, NJ. He received a B.S. from Rutgers University and an M.S. from Stevens Institute. He has served in various positions, to include project leader, for the 120mm M865, U.S. Army Research and Development and Engineering Center, Picatinny Arsenal; and engineer on the 120mm M865 program, Army Research and Development and Engineering Center, Picatinny. 48 — May-June 2009