NEWTOWN, Conn. -- On September 18, 2020, the U.S. Army Contracting Command (Detroit Arsenal, MI) awarded Lewis Machine and Tool (Eldridge, IA) a $17,031,520.00 firm-fixed-price contract (W56HZV-20-D-0107) to order 40mm M203/M203A2 grenade launchers and spare parts. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 18, 2025.

The Forecast International Weapons Group expects U.S. Department of Defense procurement of existing small arms designs to continue, albeit at a significantly reduced level averaging about 34,250 weapons per year. We believe the M4/M4A1 carbine will account for 80 percent of U.S. small arms procured during the forecast period.

The incessant budget crises in Washington continue to wreak havoc with U.S. DoD plans for small arms development and procurement. The status of next generation weapons programs remains, at best, in limbo.

Current U.S. DoD small arms procurement reflects a distinct short-term emphasis in response to an evolving threat environment abroad and the reality of dwindling funding at home. These simultaneous conditions effectively trump significant expenditures for the next generation of small arms.

In sharp contrast to the U.S. Army's erstwhile emphasis on fielding next-generation weapons systems under the Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW) and Objective Crew Served Weapon (OCSW) programs, the U.S. DoD is now forced to deal with a distinct waning of interest by the White House and Congress in the near term - with an inevitable negative impact on appropriations.

For now, the best the DoD can hope for is to maintain existing small arms already in the inventory and attempt modest improvements when it can secure funding.

Source: Forecast International
Author: D. Lockwood, Weapons Systems Analyst