The US Department of Defense has announced that Barrett Firearms Manufacturing has been awarded a near $50 million contract to produce their MRAD sniper rifle to fulfil US Special Operations Command’s requirement for an Advanced Sniper Rifle (ASR).

While not confirmed explicitly in the DoD announcement the procurement is almost certainly related to the ASR programme. US SOCOM issued a solicitation for the ASR back in November 2017, requiring a new a modular, multi-calibre bolt action precision rifle capable of engaging targets beyond 1,500 metres. The solicitation originally required that the rifle could chamber 7.62×51 mm NATO, .300 Norma Magnum, and .338 Norma Magnum, with these conversions able to be completed by the user.

The five year indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract is worth $49,936,300, with the new rifles set to be delivered by the Spring of 2024, probably to augment and replace the Remington Mk 21 Precision Sniper Rifle / Modular Sniper Rifle (MSR) currently in service.

Here’s the Department of Defense’s contract award announcement:

Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Inc., Christiana, Tennessee, was awarded an estimated $49,936,300, five-year, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract (H92403-19-D-0002) for the purchase of advanced sniper rifles in support of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $387,234 are being obligated at the time of award. The work will be performed in Christiana, and is scheduled to be completed by March 2024. The solicitation was posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website under “full and open competition” and six proposals were received. USSOCOM, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity.

The MRAD or Multi Role Adaptive Design was initially launched in 2010, it has an Aluminium monolithic upper receiver and a user-changeable barrel system, now available in a dozen calibres. It has a folding stock with AR15-like ergonomics in terms of pistol grip and safety.

Here’s Barrett’s promo video for the MRAD:

The MRAD has previously been procured, back in October 2017, by the New Zealand Defence Force and TFB also recently reported that the Department of Defense had agreed a contract for a version of the MRAD specifically chambered in the .300 PRC round from Hornady.

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