#GeneralDynamics

True Velocity have confirmed delivery of their final shipment of over 625,000 rounds of their 6.8mm hybrid ammunition for the U.S. Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon program. True Velocity shared a photo of the shipment on pallets about to leave the factory with some of the production team posing next to it.

True Velocity have announced that they have supplied the US Army with 170,000 rounds of their polymer cased 6.8mm TVCM ammunition. The delivery was made in May in support of the US Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon first phase of prototype testing.

It has been 11 months since the US Army awarded three OTA contracts as part of its Next Generation Squad Weapon program. Despite the uncertainty around the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the program remains on track and set to begin its next major phase. TFB had the pleasure of speaking with Lt. Col. Jason Bohannon, Product Manager – Next Generation Weapons, and Matthew Walker, Capabilities Developer, Soldier Lethality Cross Functional Team at U.S. Army Futures Command, to discuss the program, the weapons and the challenges ahead.

Today’s photo of the day comes from General Dynamics-OTS who are current contenders in the US Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon program. The photo was shared on General Dynamics Ordnance  & Tactical Systems twitter page earlier this year. It features their NGSW – Automatic Rifle prototype with engineers from Williston, Vermont, talking operators over the new weapon during the filming of GD-OTS’ impressive marketing video for their NGSWs. We’ve looked at GD-OTS’ RM277 in more detail here.

This year’s SHOT Show was the first to have models representing all three of the US Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon program prototypes. While SIG had actual prototypes on display (which TFB got our first look at back in September at DSEI 2019) both Textron and General Dynamics had models on display at their partner booths.

TFB’s Matthew Moss did an excellent article about the RM277 – General Dynamics’ Next Generation Squad Weapon and in today’s Photo Of The Day we will follow up with some more speculations.

The United States Army is on track to select a defense contractor in 2020 for its Next Generation Squad Weapon. Defense contractors General Dynamics, SIG Sauer, and the Conglomerate Textron have been narrowed down as the three finalists for next year’s contract award. The United States Army is making the requirement for a “smart rail” system to be equipped on the weapon. This technology is a communication and power interface between digital technology and the physical gun.

General Dynamics have closely guarded their Next Generation Squad Weapon prototypes, despite my best efforts they stuck to their guns and saved the big reveal for this year’s AUSA Exposition in Washington, D.C.There have been murmurings that their submission would be a bullpup for sometime and it has now been confirmed, meet the General Dynamics RM277.

True Velocity has published a press release confirming that their 6.8mm composite-cased ammunition has been selected to the next phase of the US Army’s NGSW program as the cartridge of General Dynamics’ firearm submissions. Moreover, they showed their actual NGSW cartridge. As my colleague Matthew Moss noticed, the press release also revealed an interesting fact that Beretta is a partner of General Dynamics in this project.

TFB have been closely following developments in the US Army’s Next Generation Small Arms Program and it has been a while since we heard any major developments. On the evening of the 29th August, however, the Army Contracting Command posted an award notice for the NGSW program that signals progress in selecting the US Army’s next rifle and automatic rifle.

In the late 1970s, while designing the GAU-8 Avenger for the A-10 Warthog, General Dynamics developed a smaller NATO friendly counterpart.  The GAU-12 Equalizer would incorporate similar design features while using the slightly smaller 25mm ammunition.  A small but notable step down from the 30mm ammo used in the GAU-8 Avenger. Using five barrels instead of the GAU-8’s seven, the smaller lighter cannon saw more diverse use.  

Composite munitions manufacturer True Velocity has announced their partnership with General Dynamics – Ordnance & Tactical Systems in working to win the US Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon system program. Back in July 2018, TFB reported that General Dynamics was one of five manufacturers to be awarded prototype development contracts as part of the Next Generation Squad Automatic Rifle program.

Today we’re taking a closer look at the General Dynamics GAU-19.  

A confidential source has revealed to TFB the current contestants that have passed the most recent phase of the Next Generation Squad Automatic Rifle Competition (NGSAR). This phase is less of an actual competition between small arms prototypes but more of a theoretical feasibility of design concepts before any trials progression ensues. Results from this recent Prototype Opportunity Notice (PON) showed that out of ten industry contestants, only six were advanced to the next stage of the competition. These six companies are in order of most successful: Aircraft Armaments, Inc. Textron (AAI Textron), PCP Tactical (a division of PCP Ammunition), Sig Sauer, General Dynamics Ordnance & Tactical Systems (GT-OTS), and two entries from FN America (labeled as Lightweight and Adaptive).

General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GDOTS) brought their .338 Norma Magnum caliber Lightweight Medium Machine Gun (LWMMG) to the 2017 Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual meeting, giving TFB the chance at a closer look at this much-anticipated long range weapon.