USSOCOM Family of Muzzle Brake Suppressors Contract Awarded to SureFire
Fountain Valley, CA-SureFire, LLC, manufacturer
of high-end illumination tools and tactical products, has been awarded its
largest suppressor contract to date. The $23.3 million contract, for an
indefinite quantity of sound suppressors, suppressor adapters, blank firing
adapters and training adapters, was awarded by officials of the Naval Surface
Warfare Center, Crane Division-the pri- mary solicitation center for U.S.
Special Operations Command-as part of the Family of Muzzle Brake Suppressors
(FMBS) contract.
The FMBS solicitation was the most comprehensive modern
suppressor evaluation conducted by the U.S. military to date. It focused on
criteria that subjected suppressor systems to prolonged testing on a variety of
firearms platforms. SureFire suppressors were chosen based on test criteria such
as: Reliability, Sound Reduction, Accuracy, Point of Impact Shift,
Endurance/Durability, and Op- erational Suitability. While these requirements
reflect the suppression needs for firearms including the MK13 sniper rifle, the
United States Marine Corps is already employing SureFire’s FA762SS suppressor
system on every M40A5 sniper rifle.
“From day one, SureFire’s commitment
has been to increase the safety and success of the war fighter and peacekeeper
by develop- ing products that exceed the standards for performance and quality,”
said Barry Dueck, Director of SureFire’s Suppressor Division. “Our suppressors
are no exception. We build these to enhance the operational capabilities of our
customers, knowing that their lives often depend on their equipment, and we’re
very pleased that USSOCOM will now have multiple models available to improve
their operational effectiveness.”
In 2001, the U.S. Department of Defense
used the term “Signature Reduction” as a working concept mandated by the Joint
Chiefs of Staff to focus on reducing the environmental sound, flash, and dust
signatures produced by a firearm. So when SureFire launched its suppressor
division in 2002, they focused on the Total Signature ReductionTM (TSR) of a
suppressed firearm. TSR not only addresses the environmental signatures, but
other key performance attributes such as point of impact shift (POI) and
repeatability, which historically were deprioritized in favor of sound
reduction. SureFire became the first manufacturer to address POI shift as a
primary concern and did so without degrading attributes like sound reduction and
accuracy.
Most suppressors cause a shift in a weapon’s POI when attached
or detached, requiring the operator to re-zero the weapon every time. With a
SureFire Suppressor, the Fast-Attach® mechanism locks the suppressor onto the
firearm in the same position every time, producing a negligible, repeatable POI
shift, if any at all. And SureFire Suppressors are as durable as the barrels
they’re mounted on, making fulltime suppressor use not only preferable but
practical.
The SureFire product selected for the FBMS contract is:For the
SOCOM M4/CQBR firearm: FH556-215A adapter & FA556-212-DE suppressor For the
SOCOM M4/CQBR firearm training and blank firing: BFA-FA556-212 &
TA-FA556-212 For the SOCOM MK13 firearm: FH762K05 adapter & FA762K-DE
suppressor For the SOCOM MK13 firearm training and blank firing: BFA-FA762K
& TA-FA762K
