Textron receives further funding for CT development

Textron Systems Unmanned Systems’ Light Armaments team will continue to develop lightweight, Cased-Telescoped (CT) weapons and ammunition, having received further funding for the work from the US Defense Ordnance Technology Consortium and the US Army's Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center.

The two-year $5.7 million contract will see the team develop a CT carbine, as well as 7.62mm CT ammunition and a machine gun operating mechanism. The CT ammunition is designed with a plastic casing to significantly reduce weight while retaining the performance of conventional ammunition.

The Textron Systems Light Armaments team developed the 5.56mm CT Light Machine Gun under the Lightweight Small Arms Technologies (LSAT) programme. Providing up to a 40 percent, or 20lb, weight reduction over current technology, the LSAT Light Machine Gun and 5.56mm CT ammunition have been demonstrated at Technology Readiness Level 7. According to the company they improve lethality and reliability. 

Building on this work, the team has created a family of lightweight, 5.56mm CT weapons. This includes a compact Light Machine Gun with a quick-change, 12-inch barrel and folding buttstock, developed for close-quarters applications, as well as the operating mechanism for a carbine variant. The team also has developed a caseless ammunition design, which aims to provide even greater weight reduction versus current technology. 

The company intends to leverage prior designs to extend CT weapon and ammunition technologies to additional calibres and weapon configurations on the new programme.