Last month the Army awarded SIG SAUER a contract to build its next generation squad weapons, the XM5 rifle and XM250 machine gun. Both firearms are built around a uniquely designed new cartridge SIG calls the 277 SIG FURY. It’s a “hybrid” design that combines a traditional brass case with a steel base to handle the high pressures the 6.8×51 round will produce.
While SIG will manufacture the new ammo for the Army, so will Winchester at Lake City. Now the Army has awarded Olin Winchester a contract to design the new production facility at Lake City so it can supply the ammo the Army will need for decades to come.
Here’s Olin Winchester’s press release . . .
Olin Winchester LLC, the largest manufacturer of small caliber ammunition for the U.S. military, today announced that the U.S. Army has awarded the company a $15 million cost-plus contract for the design of the Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) ammunition manufacturing facility.
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 honored to have been awarded this NGSW ammunition manufacturing facility design project at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant,” said Brett Flaugher, President of Winchester. “The ultimate design will incorporate best practices, key learnings, and stakeholder input to create a state-of-the-art production facility which delivers the U.S. Army an optimal manufacturing solution for NGSW ammunition. The NGSW ammunition produced at Lake City’s new facility will equip the American Warfighter for success on the battlefield for generations to come, helping to ensure the nation’s security and defense.”
Lake City recently announced a recruitment campaign aimed at hiring its Next Generation workforce.
“These skilled individuals will form the crucial first generation of the Winchester NGSW ammunition production team at Lake City,” said Mr. Flaugher. “This team’s focus will be to ensure every round of 6.8mm ammunition produced at Lake City is Warfighter ready.”
And if you think the Army will be dumping all of its M4’s, M249’s, or M240’s any time soon, think again . . .
For the second time in two months, Oxford-based Olin Winchester has been awarded a contract to provide ammunition for the U.S. Army.
An announcement was made Friday that the company has been awarded a $51.8 million modification to a contract W52P1J-21-C-0016 to manufacture 5.56 mm, 7.62 mm and .50 caliber ammunition.
The additional ammo under the contract extension will be manufactured in Winchester’s Oxford, Mississippi plant.