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US Army Selects 6 Companies For Sub Compact Weapon Prototype Opportunity

Late last week, the Army notified six companies that they were selected to participate in the Sub Compact Weapon Prototype Opportunity.

Those companies are:
Angstadt Arms
B&T USA
Global Ordnance, LLC
Shield Arms
SIG SAUER
Trident Rifles, LLC

It is important to note that the companies have been notified they were selected and it is still up to them to accept the Army’s offer to participate. So far, we don’t have verification that all of the contractual agreements have been executed.

The Weapons
Interestingly, Trident Rifles will also offer a weapon from Swiss manufacturer Brugger & Thomet along with B&T USA.


B&T APC9 SD

We fully expect the B&T offerings to be APC9 models (SD and K) and the SIG weapon to be an MPX derivative.


SIG MPX K

Two of the companies build AR-style 9mm Sub Guns; Angstadt manufactures the UDP-9, and Shield Arms makes the SA9K.


Angstadt UDP-9

Global Ordnance is the unknown, but word is that they may have an MP-5 variant.

The Requirement
While the requirement for a Sub Compact Weapon has been in the books for years, it finally got off to a somewhat rocky start earlier this year. Initially, the Army offered limited contracts to multiple companies (here and here) for evaluation samples. Then, the Army rescinded the offers and issued a Prototype Opportunity Notice.

According to the requirement, the Sub Compact Weapon is a highly concealable 9mm system capable of engaging threat personnel with a high volume of lethal force while accurately firing at close range with minimal collateral damage.

If you’re curious what the weapon will be used for, it’s because United States military operations take place worldwide and in all types of terrains as well as under every environmental condition. The Secretary of the Army and/or the Chief of Staff approves senior commanders and key personnel as High Risk Personnel (HRP). HRPs are authorized a Personal Security Detail (PSD), which are assigned to guard against outlined threats. To address this operational need, PSD military personnel require weapons with greater lethality than pistols that are more concealable than rifles.

The PON calls for delivery of 15 weapons within 30 days, with the purchase of 350 weapons at a time (if a solution is selected) up to 1,000 total weapons. Beyond the delivery of the initial prototypes there is no hard schedule.

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16 Responses to “US Army Selects 6 Companies For Sub Compact Weapon Prototype Opportunity”

  1. Joe says:

    I wonder if Trident is submitting the B&T P26?

    If a (much nicer) TEC-9 is selected, that would really make me giggle.

    • Hubb says:

      I love how B&T takes existing designs and improves them….

      P26 = TEC 9
      TP9 = Steyr TMP
      KH9 = Sites Spectre
      VP9 = Welrod

  2. Kyle Kata says:

    Noveske is out, LMT is out… It seems like this contract is written for SIG and everyone must know it. Of that list, it has to be SIG.

    lol at the APC9-SD, huge. Also, bad gun to integrate a can to. Works for the MP5 becsuse of the delayed blowback rollers. The APC9 has horrible port pop when supppressed.

  3. Chris says:

    Would Trident not submit a B&T MP9, considering it would have much shorter overall length? Or the USW-320, considering they’ve given SIG the M17 contract?

  4. kemp says:

    why is this requirement for 9mm in the first place?

    • Ton E says:

      Because 9mm is already in big Army’s supply chain.

      • Ed says:

        Spot on Ton E. They also probably didn’t want a mag-in-the-grip since FOB security may not be able to tell if it’s loaded or not. PSD for certain Flag officers traveling in AO would get constantly told to remove their mags while doing official duty. Army = ridiculousness

  5. Joe says:

    Because the army is cheap and lazy, thats why. they could just go with the P90 like the secret service, who by the way has excellent experience as a PSD and yet has not selected 9mm submachine gun

    • g258 says:

      other than the USSS ‘excellent experience’ in the PSD mission, nothing in this post is correct in 2018.

  6. Clint says:

    Has anyone ever seen the shield arms submission? Never even knew they made anything but magazine extensions and accessories.

    • Kyle Kata says:

      $10 it’s a straight blowback AR, nothing special at all. Angstadt seems to have that covered already.

      Maybe in a strange turn of events it doesn’t take Glock mags, or it has a folding stock adapter, or it’s tan, but nothing actually unique.

      • DB says:

        Kyle,

        I’ll take your $10 and I’ll raise you $1,000 you haven’t seen anything like it…
        If you decide to take this bet SSD can provide to you the IP and email this came from.

  7. JOEL COX says:

    SIG SAUER would be my choice. The rifle is light and the accessories, for it, are endless!

  8. mike says:

    The Shield is the best thing out there by a million miles. Its smaller, lighter, faster, accurate, and reliable! Shield Arms, check em out, its a small Montana company made up of X—R, SF, S and DF—guys who really know their business needs.