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SIG SAUER and Aquaterro Announce Landmark Small Arms Agreement for Australia

SIG SAUER, Inc. of Newington, NH, USA, and Aquaterro of Melbourne, VIC, Australia; have announced an agreement to manufacture, assemble, upgrade, and support of small arms platforms and capability systems for the duration of the Capability Life Cycle. This landmark agreement is a demonstration of commitment by both SIG SAUER and Aquaterro to the Australian Defence Force. For the first time, the Australian Defence Force will be able to access the best, modular, integrated firearms solutions quickly, delivering small arms overmatch to Australia’s future soldiers, sailors, and airmen.

SIG SAUER is synonymous with industry-leading quality and innovation which has made it the brand of choice amongst the U.S. Military, the global defense community, and law enforcement.

In 2017 SIG SAUER was chosen for the highly coveted U.S. Army’s Modular Handgun System with the P320-based M17. This contract, worth $580 million U.S. Dollars (AUD $800m) was awarded to the P320-M17 for its unrivaled modularity, unmatched capability, and indisputable quality, and cemented the P320-M17 into the historical record of the world’s most innovative firearms. In 2018 the P320 X-Carry was selected by the Danish Ministry of Defence as their standard service pistol covering the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Special Operations Command as it outperformed the competition throughout their rigorous and stringent testing process.

The SIG MCX and MPX rifle platforms are the most sought after, modular, close quarters/PDW and urban tactical rifles in the world today. In July 2018 the SIG MCX Virtus Rifle System was awarded the Suppressed Upper Receiver Group (SURG) award by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for the existing M4A1 Carbine. The MCX SURG System will upgrade, and optimize military weapons for continuous, suppressed use on the battlefield. SIG SAUER is currently competing for the U.S. Army’s Next Generation Squad Automatic Rifle program that is intended to replace the M249 Minimi.

Aquaterro is the leading provider of operational, tactical, and safety equipment to government, military, and commercial end users in Australia and the Australasian Region. Aquaterro is a current contract holder and provider to Land 125 and Land 53 and the exclusive provider of systems and lifecycle support for SIG SAUER small arms integrated weapons to all Australian agencies.

The strategic partnership between SIG SAUER and Aquaterro will be further enhanced by Aquaterro’s new purpose-built facility (due to open in Q1 2019), and expanded highly-skilled workforce in South Eastern Melbourne. This expansion enables Aquaterro to offer turn-key, vertically integrated capability solutions for the Capability Streams sought by Land 159, Land 4108, and Land 1508, ensuring a qualitative edge to Australia’s warfighters.

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19 Responses to “SIG SAUER and Aquaterro Announce Landmark Small Arms Agreement for Australia”

  1. Linz says:

    Not that the ADF are a major SIG user?

  2. Mick says:

    I sense a Sig P320 in our future.

    • Linz says:

      Even if the ADF adopted a SIG pistol to replace BHP MkIII…how many would that involve?
      Mind you, you do hear stories of dramatically increasing the number of pistols carried.
      Could be SIG are planning a major push in LEO for rifles & pistols. That would support a drive into the expanding Aust civilian shooting market.

  3. Jeff says:

    Like any good press release I am left 5% informed, 95% clueless.

    Which small arms? Who is going to manufacture them and where? When will they be fielded?

  4. Tac Doc says:

    “SIG SAUER is synonymous with industry-leading quality and innovation which has made it the brand of choice amongst the U.S. Military, the global defense community, and law enforcement.”

    Correction. Sig PREVIOUSLY WAS synonymous with quality.

    Not mentioned, that multiple federal, state, and local, agencies who adopted the P320 platform have already abandoned it and are pursuing legal action against Sig for delivery of consistently malfunctioning/non functional firearms. Also not mentioned, that Sig has suggested these issues are user error, before attempting to replace multiple parts, and suggesting the pistols be cleaned every 200 rounds. Even with multiple factory suggested modifications, part replacements, weapons maintenance accommodations, and even visits by Sig engineers, they can’t get the weapons to function properly. Sig has abandoned all quality control in an effort to get these contracts & agency buy in. They may want to save some funds for the avalanche that’s about to fall on them.

    • SSD says:

      “Not mentioned, that multiple federal, state, and local, agencies who adopted the P320 platform have already abandoned it and are pursuing legal action against Sig for delivery of consistently malfunctioning/non functional firearms. “

      I find your claim questionable. You are going to need to list them.

  5. Dave says:

    Sig has replaced HK in the hive of haters online and at gun shows. HK doesn’t hate anyone and treats people fine. Sig makes a lot of great guns. MCX is awesome and works. The MPX is the MP5 of the 21st century. The 320 actually works, and news flash-it passed government drop tests. The -30 degree drop when density altitude is XYZ and it’s Tuesday on the last leap year test fell outside all gov testing procedures. Sig still designed a fix and recalled all the guns, on their dime.

  6. Ton E says:

    “The 320 actually works, and news flash-it passed government drop tests.”

    The Army initially discovered the drop issue then SIG quietly fixed their handguns over the course of a year.

    • SSD says:

      The Army has no record of that happening.

      • Ton E says:

        “During drop testing in which an empty primed cartridge was
        inserted, the striker struck the primer causing a discharge.
        SIG SAUER implemented an Engineering Change Proposal
        (ECP) to correct this deficiency by implementing lightweight
        components in the trigger group mechanism. This fix may
        have contributed to the splintering of two triggers during the
        IOT&E.”

        The government discovered the issue so the statement that it passed all govt testing is false.

      • Ton E says:

        That came from the government report you posted about sometime ago.

  7. Uncle Dan says:

    What would be really great was if the citizens of that big island could actually own and use modern SIG long guns and sidearms like free men.