Corps Moves To Replace M249

[livvy]

Corps Moves To Replace M249

Staff report
Posted : Saturday Jan 3, 2009 8:01:21 EST

The Corps has awarded four contracts to three companies to produce prototypes of the 5.56mm Infantry Automatic Rifle, which is slated to supplant the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, or SAW, according a Dec. 26 Marine Corps Systems Command announcement.

The three firms will compete for a contract that could be worth up to $27 million. The firm selected will manufacture from 4,476 to 6,500 rifles.

The three companies are:

• FN Herstal of Herstal, Belgium.

• Heckler and Koch Defense of Ashburn, Va.

• Colt Defense of West Hartford, Conn.

Colt received two contracts because it has two candidate weapons sufficiently different to warrant separate evaluations, according to SysCom.

more...



http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/01/marine_rifle_010109w/%2e

[tomreedtoon]

1. So what's wrong with what they have now?

Wasn't good enough? Did Dubya contract the current weapon out to the Chinese? What???

[Angleae]

2. From what I understand, no. It has issues.