The Expeditionary Warfare section at Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division, who deal with weapons procurement for the US Special Operations Command, have published a Combined Synopsis/Solicitation seeking a Crew Served Weapons Optic or CSWO for various machine guns currently in use.

The solicitation from NSWC Crane clarifies the desire for new optics:

Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane has a requirement for Crew Served Weapons (CSW) Optic for currently fielded Mounted Machine Guns (MMG). Currently fielded MMG include The M2A1 (.50 caliber Machine Gun (MG)), M240 (7.62mm MG) and MK44 (7.62mm with six rotary mounted barrels firing 3000 rounds per minute). A CSW optic is necessary to allow an operator to quickly bear his CSW on target, identify, classify, and initially engage out to the performance of the host weapon platform.

U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Justus B. Kree, a machine gunner with Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, sights in through an advanced combat optical gunsight attached to a M240 Bravo machine gun, MArch 2018 (USMC/Lance Cpl. Ana Madrigal)

Each Crew Served Weapons Optic (CSWO) package must include the following items:

• Soft Carrying Case
• Commercial Battery for Operation
• CSWO User Manual
• Quick Reference Guide
• Lens Cloth
• Lanyard
• Mounting Hardware

The parameters and features of the optic type desired have not been specified whether they are magnified or reflex sights or if they have any night vision requirements. These requirements have not yet been made available to the public. The tender is a fixed price, indefinite-quantity contract.

The contract’s minimum quantity is 200 while the maximum number that can be expected to be ordered in on tender is 1,500 optics. A minimum of 10 can be ordered per Delivery/Task Order tranche while a maximum of 750 can be expected. The solicitation is aimed at small businesses with a size standard of 500 employees or less. Interested vendors have until 14th February, 2020 to respond to the solicitation with a submission and bid. Delivery of the first lot of Crew Served Weapons Optic will take place 60 days after the award of the contract.

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