The US Department of Defense has awarded Winchester a cost-plus contract to carry out a manufacturing study to produce tracer projectiles for the US Army’s new family of 6.8mm weapons. The development will take place at the Lake City Ammunition Plant which Olin Winchester operates on the US Army’s behalf.

Winchester & LCAP @ TFB:

• Winchester Delivers Historic First Lake City Army Ammunition Shipment
• Winchester Awarded NGSW Ammunition Manufacturing Facility Design Contract
• Winchester Assumes Full Control of Lake City Army Ammunition Plant
• US Army Awards Winchester Contract to Run Lake City Ammunition Plant

Back in May Winchester were awarded a $15 million cost-plus contract to design a new manufacturing facility for the NGSW ammunition. The earlier contract was intended to kick start the preparations for mass production of the ammunition to feed the new weapon systems. Lake City has previously provided the 6.8mm GP projectiles for the NGSWs but in the future, it will become the prime production hub for the Army’s various 6.8mm ammunition needs.

In April, shortly after the US Army announced that SIG Sauer won the Next Generation Squad Weapons competition Brigadier General Boruff, Joint Program Executive Officer, Armaments and Ammunition, noted that the Army would be seeking a family of projectiles and rounds for the new weapons including tracer, blank, inert training rounds and a reduced range variant.

Here’s Winchester’s announcement of the contract:

Winchester, the largest manufacturer of small caliber ammunition for the U.S. military, announced that the U.S. Army has awarded the company a $9 million cost-plus contract to complete a manufacturing study in support of tracer projectile production for the 6.8mm Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) program.

Work will be performed at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (LCAAP) in Independence, Missouri, the United States’ only government-owned, contractor-operated small caliber ammunition production facility.

“Winchester is very excited to begin executing this critical 6.8mm NGSW tracer ammunition study at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant,” said Brett Flaugher, President of Winchester.

“With the goal of improving soldier capability, this groundbreaking work will utilize new tracer technology to create robust production processes and enable the transition of prototype trace technology into fielded NGSW tracer ammunition. This NGSW tracer ammunition produced at Lake City will equip the future American Warfighter and help maintain the safety and defense of our nation.”