U.S.
Two contractors to compete for $383 million in M16 rifle orders for Afghanistan, Iraq, others
Stars and Stripes
April 30, 2020
Marine Corps Pfc. Tyler Nelson fires an M16A4 rifle while wearing an M50 gas mask during a marksmanship training course on Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, Dec. 3, 2019. Colt and FN America will compete to supply M16A4 rifles to Afghanistan, Grenada, Iraq, Lebanon and Nepal, the Pentagon announced. (Jackson Dukes/U.S. Marine Corps)
Marine Corps Pfc. Tyler Nelson fires an M16A4 rifle while wearing an M50 gas mask during a marksmanship training course on Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, Dec. 3, 2019. Colt and FN America will compete to supply M16A4 rifles to Afghanistan, Grenada, Iraq, Lebanon and Nepal, the Pentagon announced. (Jackson Dukes/U.S. Marine Corps)
A Marine fires an M16A4 rifle during training at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, March 13, 2020. Colt and FN America will compete for a $383 million contract to supply M16A4 rifles to Afghanistan, Grenada, Iraq, Lebanon and Nepal, the Pentagon announced. (Micha Pierce/U.S. Marine Corps)
Colt and FN America will compete for each order of a $383 million dollar contract to supply M16A4 assault rifles to Afghanistan, Grenada, Iraq, Lebanon and Nepal, the Pentagon said.
The fixed-price $383 million contract for Foreign Military Sales will be handled by the U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, a statement said Tuesday. The contract’s estimated completion date is April 28, 2025.
The contract could include up to 215,000 rifles, a September bid notice said.
Colt’s Manufacturing Co., based in West Hartford, Conn., and FN America, a subsidiary of Belgium’s Fabrique National Herstal based in Columbia S.C., were selected to compete for each order of the contract.
The M16A4, the fourth generation of the Vietnam-era M16 series, is equipped with a full-length Picatinny rail for mounting optics and other devices, a removable carrying handle and other upgrades. It is chambered for the 5.56 mm NATO round and has been offered to several U.S. allies in Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere.