GD Awarded Contract to Develop Lightweight Machine Guns

(Charlotte, N.C., May 14, 2008) -- The U.S. Army Joint Munition and Lethality Life Cycle Management Command has awarded General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products a contract to develop a Lightweight .50 Caliber (12.7mm) Machine Gun (LW50MG) weapon system. The $9 million contract will fund development of the gun and system components such as the tripod, vehicle adapter assembly and Blank Firing Adapter (BFA). General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products is a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).

The LW50MG has significantly less recoil and is lighter than current weapons. It will be easier for warfighters to carry and will provide them with the potential for increased accuracy and lethality in combat.

Production and fabrication work will be performed at the General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products facility in Saco, Maine, with development work performed at the company's technology center in Burlington, Vt.

"Our Lightweight .50 Caliber machine gun represents a new generation of weapon systems," said Robert Cavoretto, senior program manager of General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products' gun systems. "It offers unprecedented mobile lethality to warfighters, giving them the critical edge. We are proud to work with the U.S. Army to develop this important technology for our country's current and future warfighters."

Source : General Dynamics

Recent News / Press releases from General Dynamics

• GD Awarded $16 M to Expand Fort Meade's IT Infrastructure [Defence] [ Tue 1 Jul 2008 ]
• GD Awarded $23 M for 155mm M795 Metal Parts Ammunition Production [Defence] [ Thu 26 Jun 2008 ]
• Gulfstream Signs $1.9 Bn Agreement with NetJets [Aerospace] [Aviation] [ Mon 23 Jun 2008 ]
• GD to Christen New Hampshire, US Navy's Most-Advanced Submarine [Defence] [ Thu 19 Jun 2008 ]
• GD Awarded $10 M Air Force Gateways Installation Contract [Defence] [ Tue 17 Jun 2008 ]
• GD Awarded $30 M Contract Modification for Submarine Work [Defence] [ Tue 17 Jun 2008 ]
• GD Awarded $67 M Modification to US Army RG-31 Mk5 Contract [Defence] [ Fri 13 Jun 2008 ]