Trijicon Awarded New Marine Corps RCO Contract

Miles
by Miles
Learn more about Sergeant Daniel Vasselian (KIA Dec 23 2013)

Marine Corps Systems Command has announced that it has awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to Trijicon Inc, for a total cost of $8,169,996. This contract specifies that the optics will be the Trijicon 4x32mm Rifle Combat Optic (RCO) with the TA31 Bullet Drop Compensator reticle graduated for the trajectory of the M855 round. The award specifies that 28,092 RCOs will be built and completed by September of 2018. This contract further cements the use of the rugged and reliable fixed magnified Trijicon RCOs within the Marines for a number of years to come.

From the contract award description

Trijicon Inc.,* Wixom, Michigan, is being awarded $8,169,996 for delivery order M67854-17-F-1238 under a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (M67854-12-D-1000) for 28,092, TA31 rifle combat optics with M855 reticles. Work will be performed in Wixom, Michigan, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 28, 2018. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $8,169,996 will be obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Not specified is which weapon system these TA31 RCOs will have reticles for. The Marine Corps is going through a transitional period from having a force armed with M4s and M16A4s, to attempting to arm the entire force with M4 carbines. Unless this RCO contract is a scheduled overhaul of current RCOs that need to be completely replaced, then this contract is most likely purchasing RCOs for M4s to be newly issued within the Fleet Marine Force, Reserves, and recruit training depots. Equipment breaks and needs to be replaced, but we highly doubt that roughly 30,000 of the possibly 100,000-150,000 RCOs currently in service need to be completely replaced through this contract.

Learn more about Sergeant Daniel Vasselian (pictured above, KIA Dec 23 2013)

Miles
Miles

Infantry Marine, based in the Midwest. Specifically interested in small arms history, development, and usage within the MENA region and Central Asia. To that end, I run Silah Report, a website dedicated to analyzing small arms history and news out of MENA and Central Asia.Please feel free to get in touch with me about something I can add to a post, an error I've made, or if you just want to talk guns. I can be reached at miles@tfb.tv

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  • BeGe1 BeGe1 on Jul 24, 2017

    I'm actually a little surprised. Scuttlebutt was that they were gonna start putting dots on the RCO like they have on the SDO in order to standardize reticles.

    Guess that didn't happen.

    -----

    Looking back at this comment it probably seems like I'm saying adding the RMR to the top of the RCO like the SDO has...what I mean is that the rumor was that the new RCO was gonna start having a horseshoe/dot reticle instead of the chevron in order to make going between RCO and SDO easier.

    Either way, rumor was wrong...but still, I should correct myself anyway.

    • See 2 previous
    • USMC03Vet USMC03Vet on Jul 28, 2017

      @ItsDrazi It all common nautical language. Since he used my favorite naval term, scuttlebutt, I felt it appropriate.

  • Noob Noob on Jul 24, 2017

    ah defense procurment naming.

    Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight -> Rifle Combat Optic -> Enhanced Combat Optical Gunsight -> Improved Combat Optical Gunsight -> Objective Combat Optical Gunsight -> Interim Combat Optical Gunsight (the last staying in service for 120 years)

    • See 1 previous
    • Noob Noob on Jul 25, 2017

      @pun&gun Initial reports say it is hard to use in the mornings.

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