GenDyn receives ammunition, munition system orders

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Oct. 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. military has given more than $113 million in contracts to General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems for ammunition and munition systems.

The first contract, from the U.S. Marine Corps System Command, is for the Mission Payload Module -- Non-Lethal Weapon System (MPM-NLWS), which provides counter-personnel and graduated-response options for scenarios involving crowd control, access or area denial, convoy operations or direct-threat engagement.

The system is mounted and allows operators to selectively vary the intensity of MPM-NLWS munitions' effects to match operational requirements.

The contract is worth $26.5 million and is to completed by May 2016.

The U.S. Army Sustainment Command, Rock Island, Ill., awarded General Dynamics a $31 million contract for the first production option of a five-year indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for 40mm L/60 HEI cartridges, which are fired from the 40mm M2A1 cannon for air-to-surface engagements. Supply of the high-explosive, incendiary cartridges is to be completed by the fall of 2015.

The company announcement indicated that some -- if not all -- of l/60 HEI cartridges are for Canada.

The Army Sustainment Command awarded General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems several 20mm and 30mm production contracts worth more than $55 million.

"These contract awards demonstrate our commitment to meeting the evolving needs of U.S. warfighters with responsive and affordable munition solutions," said Tim Bagniefski, vice president of marketing and business development for General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems. "Both the MPM-NLWS and the 40mm L/60 ammunition awards represent long-term opportunities to provide new products to domestic and international customers."