True Velocity and LoneStar are teamed in a bid for the NGSW programme. (Photo: True Velocity)
True Velocity announced on 10 November that it is acquiring LoneStar Future Weapons — its team-mate in a bid for the US Army Next Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW) programme — in a ‘strategic acquistion’ worth about $84 million.
LoneStar will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of True Velocity parent company TV Ammo. True Velocity stated that the deal ‘allows the two companies to leverage substantial synergies and business efficiencies in the development and production of advanced weapons and ammunition for the Next Generation Squad Weapons programme and other forthcoming force modernisation contracts’.
True Velocity and LoneStar formed a strategic partnership for NGSW in April 2021, offering a semi-automatic rifle and an automatic rifle designed to fire the 6.8TVCM cartridge.
LoneStar assumed the prime contractor role from General Dynamics Ordnance & Tactical Systems and True Velocity continued to serve as a subcontractor responsible for the provision of its 6.8TVCM composite-cased cartridge.
Beretta (ammunition design) and Delta P Design (suppressors) are also part of the TrueVelocity team for NGSW.
The NGSW programme is expected to reach the vendor selection stage in January 2022.
The new artillery and howitzer factory pre-dates the emphasis on this capability from this month’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR). The first joint industry-government meeting outlined in the review took place this week.
Romania received its first Cobra MkII 4×4 light tactical armoured vehicles, ordered Abrams main battle tanks (MBTs) and VAMTAC light vehicles, and is set to invest billions-of-dollars in infantry fighting vehicles.
The Italian Army operates Pumas in 6×6 and 4×4 configurations but the platforms are ageing and numbers have fallen with obsolescence also being an issue. Any replacement is likely to have a focus on the involvement of local industry.
The VAMTAC (Vehículo de Alta Movilidad Táctico or High Mobility Tactical Vehicle) 4×4 by Urovesa is in service with or has been ordered by eight countries, the most recent being Spain this month and Romania last month.
Lockheed Martin’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) is a next-generation surface-to-surface missile with the solid rocket motor (SRM) provided by Northrop Grumman. The company is working to boost its SRM production capability.
The CV90 is in service with or ordered by ten countries. The agreement between six of these countries is designed to create commonality to provide economies of scale and a reduced training burden.
Connect with us on socials
