Last year, USSOCOM’s Directorate of Procurement released a solicitation for the Suppressor Upper Receiver Group, however they canceled the program before it was completed. The requirement was a bit too ambitious for the state of the art.
Despite this, SURG isn’t dead. As updates made on the FedBizOpps page from February of this year shows, USSOCOM’s DoP regrouped, rewrote the requirement, and reissued it, with the latest amendment released on March 1st.
As a reminder: “The SURG weapon upgrade of the M4A1 Lower Receiver Group will allow the Warfighter’s weapon to be optimized for continuous suppressed use.” Interestingly, there’s no requirement, at least on the open to the public side, that the upper feature an integral suppressor, just that it is suppressed.
Several companies have licked pieces of the challenge, but not the whole thing as an integrally suppressed upper which can not only handle the M855A1 cartridge but also remain cool enough under use to meet the program’s objectives.
It remains to be seen whether the revitalized requirement will bear an issued product, or will phase out, due to an overly ambitious requirement, like the first time.
Visit www.fbo.gov to view the entire requirement.
The heat has to go somewhere. I just don’t see anyway of it working for continuous fire. 60-90 rounds maybe, but not continuous.
Of course they could make a water cooled uppers similar to a Vickers machine gun. Maybe with a back pack with the pumps, radiators, and fan.
My thinking as well. I doubt they want a Vickers type URG for the M4.
NSN# 8415-01-092-0039, Aramid mitten?
The PC industry makes a lot of use of closed loop water cooling systems. I wonder if something like that could be adapted to a rifle?
PC water-cooled systems are also not exactly designed to be constantly moved around and subject to abuse.
Supposedly OSS’s flow-through suppressors don’t generate/retain heat as badly as normal cans do. Maybe the solution lies in using some kind of can technology like that.
Disclaimer: I only own normal cans, never used an OSS can.
“The SURG may include a folding replacement buttstock if it does not require use of the buffer tube for functionality(O)”
Looks like they may be looking for the MCX.
“The SURG equipped M4A1 shall not present a safety hazard to the operator if fired with bore and suppressor full of water (T).”
It may be difficult for a DI upper to meet this requirement.
My bet is the Sig MCX, especially in light of the new USSOCOM PDW requirement. Sig’s on a roll what with XM17 and all.
MLOK called out by name in the performance spec., para. 3.4.3.d.