U.S. company General Dynamics was awarded two contracts from the Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command, Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center.

Under the two awards, collectively worth $66 million, General Dynamics will supply MK19 grenade machine guns. Officials say the belt-fed automatic weapon is designed to counter enemy vehicles.

"The MK19 is capable of firing up to 400 grenades per minute and can provide increased accuracy against a variety of targets, including lightly armored vehicles and dismounted infantry," Dean Gagnon, General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products Gun Systems senior program manager, said in a statement.

"The weapon's versatility makes it a prime choice of the U.S. Armed Forces as an essential weapon in both offensive and defensive operations."