Army Times: Carbine Competition in FY09?

[rbernie]

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/army_carbine_day_111108w/

Gun makers to show M4 competitors

By Matthew Cox - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Nov 11, 2008 11:44:34 EST

Gun makers from across the country will display their top carbines for Army officials in Washington, D.C. Thursday with the hope of replacing the service’s M4 carbine.

So far, 19 small arms companies have signed up to participate in the Army-sponsored industry day at the Doubletree Hotel in Crystal City, said Col. Doug Tamilio, Program Executive Office Soldier’s project manager for Soldier Weapons.

The event is the result of a “request for information” the Army put out in August to assess what the U.S. small arms industry is capable of producing.

This is the first step toward a carbine competition the Army intends to open next year after Colt Defense LLC, the company that makes the M4, turns over the weapon’s technical data rights in June 2009. When that happens, the Army will have the opportunity to make major improvements to the M4 or buy a new carbine.

Secretary of the Army Pete Geren is scheduled to speak at the opening of the event, which “is designed to enable industry to showcase what is achievable in terms of carbine technology to ultimately allow the Army to develop a higher fidelity carbine to meet future soldier validated requirements,” Army spokesman Lt. Col. Martin Downie said in written statement.

The M4 is the Army’s primary individual weapon. For more than a year, it has been the subject of increased scrutiny by lawmakers on Capitol Hill concerned about whether soldiers have the best available weapon.

 

[JImbothefiveth]

Will the results be made public?

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Wow

ultimately allow the Army to develop a higher fidelity carbine

so it will have a 500 watt speaker system.......


to meet future soldier validated requirements

and it will vaporize cities and planets with no recoil.

Interesting.

 

[Eightball]

next year after Colt Defense LLC, the company that makes the M4, turns over the weapon’s technical data rights in June 2009.

Whoa, what? Can someone explain this line to me?

And, is there a list of the contender's options?

 

[Gord]

Hooray, yet another "bolt some stuff onto an M4 and win a $60m paycheck" contest that will ultimately come to naught.

 

[rbernie]

Can someone explain this line to me?

Colt currently has the Technical Data Package (TDP) and IP/market rights to the M4 carbine, as granted to them by the contract that caused it to be designed and manufactured. When the contract ends, the TDP becomes available to the next bid winner.

 

[HorseSoldier]

Whoa, what? Can someone explain this line to me?

Colt has been the sole source contractor for the M4 for a while -- ironically, they got that thrown that contract bone back when FN underbid them on the M16. Colt got the much smaller M4 carbine contract for political reasons, then pretty much won the lottery when years later the Army decided that the M4 would become the primary service weapon over the M16.

As part of their sole-source status, they developed and owned the TDP for the M4.

Edit to add -- Ooops. Conceptual double-tap. What rbernie said.

 

[Frog48]

Whoa, what? Can someone explain this line to me?

Basically, right now M4 clones are reverse-engineered from a Colt.

In June 2009, the Army will be allowed to share the technical specs with manufacturers other than Colt, thus eliminating some hassle.

In reality, it wont make much difference, since the M4 clones are pretty darn good copies. I cant think of anything that Colt's military contract competitors havent "figured out" already, such as LMT.