The earliest award date was Textron in December 2017:
Quote:
|
The Small Arms Ammunition Configuration (SAAC) study, completed in 2017, identified potential weapon system approaches that can address the operational needs. To investigate potential technologies that support these approaches, the U.S. Army Contracting Command – New Jersey (ACC-NJ) on behalf of U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC), awarded on 05 December 2017 a competitive Department of Defense Ordnance Technology Consortium (DOTC) Initiative 17-01 INIT 1407 to AAI Corporation doing business as Textron Systems Unmanned Systems through agreement W15QKN-14-9-1001 under Section 815 Prototype OTA authority, pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 2371b. This DOTC initiative is for the development and fabrication of advanced lightweight small caliber cartridge prototype ammunition and the development and fabrication of a functional prototype weapon system capable of firing this ammunition. In addition, ACC-NJ on behalf of Project Manager Soldier Weapons (PM SW), issued a competitive PON under Section 815 OTA authority, pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 2371b, and awarded on 25 June 2018 six fixed amount, prototype OTAs to the following:
|
file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/DRAFT_NGSW_PON.pdf
Going by the very first award data they have until May 2020 to adopt one of the prototypes before they are pushing back the original timeline. The intention is to finish the work as quickly as possible.
They are actually slightly ahead of their intended schedule which goes to show the resolve to replace anemic 5.56mm for our warfighters. Surprising that a Government program would be ahead of schedule.
