On Tuesday, July 23, 2024, the Polish Armament Agency published information about its intention to conduct preliminary market consultations regarding the acquisition of training and practice ammunition for 30-mm Mk 44 Bushmaster II autocannons.
Firing of the 30-mm Northrop Grumman ATK Mk 44/S Bushmaster II autocannon installed in the ZSSW-30 turret system of the Rosomak wheeled infantry fighting vehicle / Photo: General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces
The deadline for submitting applications to participate in the preliminary market consultations is August 30, 2024, which will be conducted in written form.
The purpose of the preliminary market consultations is to obtain information necessary to prepare the description of the subject of the contract for:
- 30 mm x 173 blank round,
- 30 mm x 173 training round without a tracer,
- 30 mm x 173 training round with a tracer.
The preliminary market consultations will specifically cover the following areas regarding the acquisition of ammunition:
- Assessment of the ability of the offered ammunition to meet the preliminary specified requirements, parameters, and functionalities defined in Appendix 1a and 1b.
- Specification of conditions related to the logistics support system and training.
- Estimation of acquisition, operation, and disposal costs of the ammunition defined in Appendix 2.
- Preliminary determination of ammunition acquisition timelines.
- Determination of the ability to ensure supply security, including the possibilities and conditions for transferring production and maintenance technology to entities in the domestic defense industry.
According to the appendices, the offered ammunition must be compatible with all versions of the ATK Mk 44 cannons. In the Polish Armed Forces, the Mk 44 Bushmaster II is used with Leonardo OTO Melara Hitfist-30P turret systems mounted on the Rosomak wheeled APC, and the Mk 44/S Bushmaster II is used in ZSSW-30 remote turret systems on the Rosomak wheeled infantry fighting vehicle, and in the future on the Borsuk IFV, the planned Heavy IFV, and possibly the next-generation Serwal wheeled APC.
The contracting authority expects cost estimates for the acquisition of 8,000, 12,000, and 30,000 rounds of ammunition, a minimum 2-year warranty with the possibility of extension for an additional 2, 3, and 5 years, and the cost of integrating ballistic data into the fire control system of the KTO Rosomak.
The blank ammunition must be compatible with the MK-15 link belt, while the plastic ammunition must be compatible with both the MK-15 link belt and the plastic (nylon) link belt.
Polish company Mesko (part of the Polish Armaments Group) offers 30 mm x 173 rounds with a TP-T tracer training projectile, which are intended for training with practice ammunition that has parameters corresponding to the ballistics of combat ammunition for the ATK MK 44 Bushmaster II cannon and other weapons designed for this ammunition.
Additionally, under a license from the Norwegian-Finnish company Nammo as part of an offset agreement, Mesko also produces 30 mm x 173 rounds with a multifunctional MP-T/SD projectile, sub-caliber rounds with a fragmenting core FAPDS-T, and training sub-caliber rounds with a tungsten core, fin-stabilized with a tracer APFSDS-T.
