The US Army has a new target and it's due to be seized next month. But unlike the usual suspects of military forces, these subjects did not violate the law - in fact, they're one of the government's subject for protection: animals and nature.
The Department of Defense are currently in an effort to develop biodegradable ammunition that eventually turn into plants.
The empty shells from fired bullets and ammunition contain components that do not completely biodegrade after a hundred or more years. During such time, a tree could already be an enormous line of defense against natural disasters as effects of climate change.
This initiative will allow for future proving grounds and training grounds worldwide to become a haven for green trees more than green tanks and camouflage uniforms.
Military Trained To Fire Bullets With Seeds
They opened a solicitation in the Small Business Innovation Research program's website for "Biodegradable Composites with Embedded Seeds for Training Ammunition" in November last year and is due for February 8 this year.
In an effort to combat the problems arising from the waste materials left from empty shells of the bullets used in training, the government is seeking proposals from business that can manufacture bullets with biodegradable components.
Currently, the components in the training rounds take hundreds or more years to biodegrade with some posing risks to the environment where they are left off. These ammo are used for training not only in the United States proving grounds but also in other military training camps around the world.
Joint-Forces In Developing Biodegradable Ammo
The winning contractor will be joining forces with the the US Army Corps of Engineers' Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL).
As stated in the proposal, the bioengineered seeds that only germinate until they have touched the ground have already been developed and demonstrated by the CRREL.
These seeds will be embedded to the biodegradable composites.
The winning contractor will be going through phases of developing the process or producing the biodegradable composites, manufacturing prototypes to demonstrate feasibility for industrial use and shall produce prototypes for ballistic examinations.
The final phase is to the coordination between the contractor and the PEO Ammunition and other ammunition prime contractors for transitioning to use of Army training.
The joint effort to revolutionize training rounds into less hazardous weapon - the fact this ammo could still kill doesn't completely remove the risks - by growing environmentally friendly plants that remove soil contaminants and consume the wastes of this project.
To submit a proposal, visit the open solicitation from the Department of Defense.
