It was announced on Friday that Uncle Sam will be giving Colt Defense and FN America a $212 million joint contract to furnish the U.S. Army with rifles!
The contract, which as mentioned is worth $212,000,000, is a firm-fixed-price multi-year contract for M4 and M4A1 carbines for the “Army and others,” and has an estimated completion date of Sept. 24, 2020.
Apparently, a total of six bids for the job were received and Colt and FN came out on top.
Details on the deal were sparse and it’s not exactly clear how the money will be split up between the two manufacturers, but it has to be great news for both, well, specifically Colt, which has struggled to make ends meet and recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
More on the M4 from Army-Technology.com:
The M4 carbine is a compact variant of the M16A2 assault rifle. Manufactured by Colt Defense, the M4 is a preferred weapon for the US Armed Forces and 21st century war-fighters.
The weapon delivers superior performance and accuracy for the joint coalition forces conducting the most challenging combat missions. The performance of M4 has been proven across the world in military operations, including combat actions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The US Army has acquired a total of 500,000 M4 carbines since the M4 series was introduced in 1993. The M4 was also exported to the US allied forces and Nato nations as part of foreign military sales (FMS) packages.
Colt saved from bankruptcy AGAIN by the US Gov’t. It doesn’t matter that there are far better companies making far better products, nor that there are many “new” companies making AR style weapons and doing fine, fiscally speaking. Colt suffers from poor business practices, and always will as long as the Gov’t keeps bailing them out. High prices for inferior products makes for a short business life for most companies, but not Colt. Must be nice.
I agree tthat Colt suffers from bad business practices, but how do you figure that Colt produces a inferior M4? Colt produces some of the best ARs on the market. Just like FN does, Colt uses Cold Hammer Forged barrels which is the bread and butter of any rifle. Colts Civy M4, the LE6920 is priced at about $850 and $950. There are no bells and whistles, but it shoots every time
Just how much of the current M-4 inventory needs to be replaced on an annual basis?
I would imagine this will include re-furbishment of current inventory as well?
Or is the Government simply going to destroy the 500,000 it currently has?
Please provide follow up to the questions you have “provoked”.
the colt m16A1 up to the m-4 have been junk from day one.it left a lot of americans dead on the battlefield.
I don’t know about Colt M16’s/M4’s “leaving a lot of Americans dead on the battlefield” but they did indeed leave a lot of enemy combatants that way. A lot has changed since 1965 Vic,
Colt gets thrown another government bone to chew while other more efficient operations eat cake. Who in the Colt operation is so connected politically that they can sucker the tax payers while suckling at the government teat once again…