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Gun makers to show M4 competitors

Gun makers from across the country will display their top carbines for Army officials in Washington, D.C. Thursday with the hope of replacing the service’s M4 carbine.

So far, 19 small arms companies have signed up to participate in the Army-sponsored industry day at the Doubletree Hotel in Crystal City, said Col. Doug Tamilio, Program Executive Office Soldier’s project manager for Soldier Weapons.

The event is the result of a “request for information” the Army put out in August to assess what the U.S. small arms industry is capable of producing.

This is the first step toward a carbine competition the Army intends to open next year after Colt Defense LLC, the company that makes the M4, turns over the weapon’s technical data rights in June 2009. When that happens, the Army will have the opportunity to make major improvements to the M4 or buy a new carbine.

Secretary of the Army Pete Geren is scheduled to speak at the opening of the event, which “is designed to enable industry to showcase what is achievable in terms of carbine technology to ultimately allow the Army to develop a higher fidelity carbine to meet future soldier validated requirements,” Army spokesman Lt. Col. Martin Downie said in written statement.

The M4 is the Army’s primary individual weapon. For more than a year, it has been the subject of increased scrutiny by lawmakers on Capitol Hill concerned about whether soldiers have the best available weapon.