January 04, 2011
The United States Department of Defense recently announced that Winchester® Ammunition has been awarded a $43.4 million award from the U.S. Army for .50 caliber SLAP ammunition.
"Winchester has a proud tradition of providing dependable ammunition to our military and law enforcement agencies," said Dick Hammett, president of Winchester Ammunition. "We are truly honored that the U.S. Army has selected Winchester ammunition to use in its mission of protecting and defending the United States."
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SLAP stands for Saboted Light Armor Penetrator and is designed to defeat lightly armored targets. The .50 caliber SLAP ammunition was first used in 1990 during Operation Desert Storm.
It uses a reduced caliber, heavy metal (tungsten) .30 inch diameter penetrator wrapped in a "plastic" sabot of .50 inch diameter, which is much lighter in weight than normal ball .50 caliber ammunition.
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The velocity of SLAP ammunition can also be increased in an original M2 Machine Gun to construct a very fast round with a flat trajectory to enhance impact on the target.
According to U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill., "half of the work will be done at the company's plant in East Alton, Ill."
The contract is to be completed by 2016.
