#DepartmentOfDefense

Winchester Ammunition have been awarded a contract modification by the US Department of Defense for continued production of 5.56x45mm, 7.62x51mm and .50 caliber ammunition. The work is set to be carried out at Winchester’s Oxford, Mississippi facility. Oxford is Winchester Ammunition’s primary facility for the production of military caliber ammunition. It opened in 2011 and also produces rimfire ammunition. Unlike the Lake City Ammunition Plant, which Winchester runs on behalf of the Department of Defense, Oxford is a privately owned facility. Winchester were also recently awarded a $15 million cost-plus contract to design a new manufacturing facility for the NGSW ammunition.

Federal Ammunition have announced that they have been awarded a 3-year contract with the Defense Ordnance Technology Consortium. The contract will cover the development of new ammunition and ammunition technology with enhanced lethality.

Last month we reported that SIG Sauer had been awarded a major contract to provide the US Army’s new Direct View Optic (DVO) which will be used on the current M4A1 carbine, replacing the venerable ACOG. An award notice valued at $77,168,400 was posted in September.

Winchester Ammunition have confirmed that they have been awarded a substantial $38 million contract to provide frangible 9mm ammunition for close-quarter battle and indoor/outdoor CQB training. The firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract awarded by the Department of Defense, on behalf of NSWC Crane, also has the option of of an expansion up to a value of just over $62 million.

Earlier this week we reported that Hornady have introduced a brand new round, the 6mm Advanced Rifle Cartridge or 6mm ARC. Barrett, Hornady and OSS have now confirmed that they have partnered to provide the US Department of Defense with a new rifle chambered in 6mm ARC.

The US Army is set to receive a new batch of .50 calibre M107 long range sniper rifles with the Department of Defense announcing the contract award on the 28th November. The near $8 million dollar order will see Barrett Firearms provide between 700 and 800 rifles.These are likely destined for the Army and possibly for foreign military sale.

The Department of Defense has selected four companies to manufacture NATO spec ‘commercial off the shelf carbines’ for sale to the US’ international allies. Colt, Daniel Defense, FN and Remington have all been selected to produce the M4 spec carbines. Each of the companies will compete to win batch contract awards within the larger $28,482,840 contact.

In March of 1963, a man named Lee Harvey Oswald purchased an M38 Carcano rifle and some quantity of ammunition from Klein’s Sporting Goods in Chicago. Oswald would later use this rifle and ammunition (or so the official narrative goes) to assassinate the then- President of the United States John F. Kennedy on November 22nd, 1963, in Dallas, Texas.