The Dutch Army is set to procure a further fifty Barrett .50 BMG M107A1 anti materiel rifles. The purchase is being made through TBM – Technisch Bureau H.A. Muller, Barrett Firearms Manufacturing’s sales representative in the Netherlands.

The contract notice does not give a great deal of detail but states the procurement includes fifty M107A1 rifles and transport cases but there is no mention of optics, suppressors and other ancillary accessories. The Royal Netherlands Army’s special forces unit, the Korps Commandotroepen (KCT), already have a number of Barretts in service. The Dutch Korps Mariniers have also been using the .50 BMG M107A1 since 2009, with rifles seeing action in Afghanistan.

Barrett .50 BMG M107A1 (Barrett)

The Dutch Ministry of Defence chose not to put the contract out to tender and negotiated the procurement directly without prior publication of a notice, instead confirming a sole source contract had been agreed on the 14 November.

The Dutch procurement follows the news that the New Zealand Defence Forces will be purchasing both M107A1 anti materiel rifles and .338 Lapua Magnum calibre Multi-Role Adaptive Design (MRAD) sniper rifles. These will be in service with both the New Zealand Army and also the New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS).