One of a handful of companies competing for the Army’s sub gun contract has released a submission that it says meets the requirements for the first-in-a generation type of gun program.
Angstadt Arms recently posted a statement on its website, subsequently reported by The Firearm Blog, that the company is vying for the contract with its SCW-9, which includes a collapsible PDW-style stock and accepts Glock 9mm magazines.
“The SCW-9 was designed to meet the strict requirements of the U.S. Army Sub Compact Weapon program," the company said. “At just 14.7-inches long and 4 lbs., the SCW9 provides greater lethality than pistols and much greater concealability over standard rifles.”
With a rate of fire of 1,110 rounds per minute, the SCW-9 is capable of accurately engaging threats with a high volume of lethal force,” according to the company release," Angstadt added.
RELATED
Submachine guns have long been used in the US military, dating back to at least World War II.
But they fell out of favor with rank-and-file soldiers for their lack of range. But special operations forces — especially on security details or counterterrorism operations — have kept them in the arsenal for their high-capacity punch in a small package.
The SCW-9 has been tested in both 5.56mm and .300 Blackout calibers, company officials said.
It has ambidextrous controls, including charging handle, safety and magazine release.
The 4-inch barrel and suppressor adapter and collapsible stock meet the size requirements of the Army request.
But Angstadt is just one of six companies selected to submit prototypes for the program. The list includes Global Ordnance, Trident Rifles, B&T USA, Shield Arms and Sig Sauer.
Sig Sauer won the contract last year to supply all services with their first new, service-wide sidearm replacement in nearly four decades with the M17 9mm handgun. The company also received purchase orders from special operators back in July, which included the MPX, its current submachine gun offering.
First revealed in May with comments from Lt. Col. Steven Power, product manager of Soldier Weapons for Program Executive Officer-Soldier, the sub gun program received offerings from a dozen companies.
That notice was pulled and reposted later this past summer, and the Army accepted only half the number of submissions and refined their requirements.
Those requirements included a “highly concealable [Sub Compact Weapon] system capable of engaging threat personnel with a high volume of lethal force while accurately firing at close range with minimal collateral damage.”
The sub gun must be optimized specifically to fire a 147-grain 9mm and include 20- and 30-round magazines. And it has to fire at a rate of 60 rounds per minute for five minutes with no cookoff.
The six companies had to submit 15 each of their prototypes for testing in mid-October.
If selected, the winning company could be asked to manufacture up to 350 initially, and possibly as many as 1,000 of the sub guns, depending on Army requirements.
Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.
