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.
