The new 30mm grenade rifle of the US Army

The U.S. Army has announced that the MARS Inc, BARRETT team has been selected as the winner of the xTech Soldier Lethality competition.  In six months, this team of agile businesses were able to design, build, test, and demonstrate the effectiveness of a new 30mm grenade rifle system in support of the Army’s Precision Grenadier System (PGS) requirement.  PGS is a soldier portable, shoulder fired, semi-automatic, magazine fed, integrated armament system (weapon, ammunition, fire control) that enables rapid, precision engagements to destroy personnel targets in defilade and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) targets at close range.  Both companies are proud to have the opportunity to provide this unique capability to the U.S. and allied war fighters.

“For decades, BARRETT has changed the battlefield with revolutionary systems like the shoulder fired semi-automatic .50 caliber Model 82 and its modern variants, as well as the MRAD MK 22 — the world’s most accurate multi-caliber sniper rifle,” said Bryan James, BARRETT CEO. “These weapon systems are now supporting the U.S. and more than 80 allied nations around the world. With our focus now on the U.S. Army’s PGS initiative, we are committed to delivering another game changing advantage: a system with Programmable Air Bursting counter defilade and Counter-UAS capabilities designed to keep our troops safe and ensure mission success.”

The xTech program was an incredible demonstration of the strength and capabilities of the BARRETT team to collaborate with likeminded companies to achieve what many thought unachievable in the given timeframe. As part of that journey, BARRETT worked closely with small business innovator MARS Inc to bring their technology to life, AMTEC Corp to develop an entirely new family of 30mm shoulder fired munitions, and Precision Targeting to provide a fire control system customized for the AMTEC ammunition. This new ammunition family will have the full spectrum of capabilities required to achieve the US Army’s mission to provide overmatch on the modern battlefield. This includes, Programmable Air Bursting High Explosive (HE), Proximity Fuzed and Point Detonating HE, as well as a Close Quarter Battle Round.

“This award highlights not only our technical capabilities, but the power of partnership, agility, and a shared mission,” said Ryan Krantz, BARRETT Vice President of Business Development & Sales. “We’re proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the U.S. Army to deliver the next leap forward in soldier lethality.”