Small Caliber and Infantry Weapons
Picatinny is the focal point for all services for management oversight and planning for small arms. Their vision for the future is to develop a rifle with air burst capability; integrated, advanced electronic sighting; and increased range. Their goal is to put these improved weapons into the hands of every infantryman as soon as possible.
Examples of Small Caliber and Infantry Weapons Being Developed and/or Fielded by Picatinny
The M14 Rifle was designed primarily for semiautomatic fire. The magazine fed, gas operated shoulder weapon had an effective range of 500 yards, used a standard NATO 7.62mm cartridge in a 20-round magazine and was the standard Army infantry rifle until replaced by the mass fielding of the M16 5.56mm rifle in 1966-1967. At one time the standard rifle for the Marines, the M14 is now used primarily in the Competition in Arms program, or for drill and ceremonial purposes.
Dissatisfaction with performance features of the M14 led the Army to look for a replacement. The M16, developed commercially, appeared to fit the bill after Picatinny militarized it for use by U.S. forces. The special enhancements were Picatinny's charge and included the addition of a chrome plated barrel and chambers to prevent erosion and pitting when used in certain environments. Picatinny also proposed a series of other product improvements for Army use, which resulted in the weapon that has become the standard issue rifle of the U.S. Army. The M16 is a lightweight weapon capable of firing a burst of small caliber bullets with a controlled dispersion pattern.
Succeeding the M16, the M16A2 semiautomatic rifle is the standard by which all military rifles of the future will be judged. This variant of the M16 fires a three-round burst in semiautomatic operation. The system incorporates an adjustable rear sight that corrects for wind and elevation, a heavier barrel with 1-in-7 rifling, and a muzzle compensator to prevent muzzle climb during semiautomatic operation. Picatinny also designed a heavier, stiffer barrel with a (1-in-7) twist to fire NATO standard ammunition and hand guard and receiver rails that provide mounting surfaces for ancillary devices.
The 1980s and 1990s saw a change of mission in the Services to focus more on peacekeeping and special operations.
These changes led to downsizing and out of necessity, the arms room concept was born. Under this plan, weapons
could be tailored to fit specific mission requirements. A later iteration of the M16, the M16A4, features this
"modular weapons system" capability, which successfully integrates enhancements such as night vision and optical
equipment into the rifle to improve hit probability under combat conditions. Over 3.5 million M16s of all types
have been produced and fielded over the years.
The M4/M4A1 5.56mm Carbine is a variant of the M16A2 rifle. It is lightweight, gas operated, air-cooled, magazine fed, selective rate and shoulder-fired with a collapsible stock. The M4 provides the individual soldier, operating in close quarters, the capability to engage targets at extended range with accurate and lethal fire. It achieves over 80 percent commonality with the M16A2 Rifle and will replace all M3 .45 caliber submachine guns and selected M9 pistols and M16 rifle series.
Picatinny's new Lightweight Family of Weapons (LFW) program will assure battlefield superiority for the Objective Force Warrior. This effort will complement both the highly lethal Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW) and Objective Crew Served Weapon (OCSW). The LFW included a carbine, automatic rifle and a medium machine gun and will offer significantly reduced weight over weapons not to be replaced by OICW/OCSW in the Objective Force. This family will lighten the soldier's load, provide improved battlefield mobility and reduced logistics burden to maximize operation utility, sustainability and survivability, while maintaining current levels of performance to assure the Objective Force Warrior's battlefield superiority.
The Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW) represents the next generation Infantry weapon system for the U.S. Armed Forces and will replace selected M16 Rifles, M4 Carbine and the M203 Grenade Launchers. The OICW's high explosive air-bursting will be capable of defeating both exposed and defilade targets (targets that are taking cover behind structures, terrain features and/or vehicles) this represents a new capability which current individual weapons can not effectively provide the user. The OICW is expected to be in the hands of the user beginning in the year 2007.
The M79 Grenade Launcher was designed to fire a 40mm grenade more accurately than when fired from a rifle grenade launcher. It was used extensively during the Vietnam War, giving U.S. troops the capability to engage enemy point targets to 150 meters and area targets to 350 meters. It was designed as a close support weapon for the infantry and was intended to bridge the gap between the maximum throwing distance of a hand grenade and the closest range of supporting mortar fire. The M203 was designed and procured as the replacement for the M79 grenade launcher.
When Picatinny teamed the M203 Grenade Launcher with the M16A2 rifle, it gave a single infantryman more firepower than an entire infantry platoon with artillery support had in the Civil War. The lightweight, compact, breech loading, pump action, single shot launcher is capable of firing 40mm grenades when equipped with the M203. It consists of a hand guard and sight assembly with an adjustable metallic, folding, short-range blade sight assembly, and an aluminum receiver assembly which houses the barrel latch, barrel stop and firing mechanism. The launcher also has a quadrant sight attachable to the M16A2 carrying handle, used when precision is required out to the maximum effective range of the weapon. The M203A1 has a short barrel for airborne applications and a quick release mechanism to allow the user to tailor the weapon to individual missions.
The MK19 MOD 3 was an evolution of the Navy developed MK19 (1963) and the 40mm MK19 developed in 1966. Early versions of the MK19 were neither reliable enough nor safe enough for use by the military. Improvements were made and the gun was employed with some success in Vietnam but it was not until the third iteration, however, when the MK19 MOD 3 was completely redesigned, that it was finally adopted by the Army. Picatinny was responsible for the improvements that made its adoption possible. The MK19 MOD 3 will be used within the tactical environment for defense, retrograde, patrolling, rear area security, military operations on urbanized terrain (MOUT), and special operations. It is designed to deliver accurate, intense, and decisive firepower against enemy personnel and lightly armored vehicles.
In keeping with support of continuous ammunition and system improvements for current crew served weapons,
Picatinny's weapons experts are developing the next generation, the Objective Crew Served Weapon (OCSW). It will be one of Picatinny's new Lightweight Family of Weapons (LFW). This highly lethal, lightweight, two-man portable, weapon system combines revolutionary 25mm airbursting munitions with a full solution, day/night target acquisition and fire control system. The OSCW system will dramatically increase the warfighter's capability and provide revolutionary overmatch lethality. The OCSW is user friendly and easy to assemble, disassemble, use and maintain. It will be a fully interoperable, lethality component block upgrade to Land Warrior. Its lethality plus reduced size and weight enhance survivability and sustainability.
Picatinny planned to retire the .50 caliber weapon as the Army adapted to the Bradley fighting vehicle, but still had thousands in stock.
Engineers decided to adapt advanced armor penetrating capabilities and the Saboted Light Armor Penetrator (SLAP) ammunition developed by
the Marine Corps in the 1980s to extend the life of the weapon. The .50 M903 SLAP cartridges, along with the .50 M962 SLAP Tracer (SLAPT) cartridges answered the demand for higher performance cartridges capable of defeating thinly skinned armor vehicles at ranges of up to 1,500 yards. The increased penetration capabilities, short flight time and lower ballistic drop provide a significant improvement to the .50 M2-Heavy Barrel user.
The XM141 Bunker Defeat Munition (BDM) is a shoulder-fired weapon system that provides the warfighter with a highly effective method for defeating field fortifications such as earth and timber bunkers, breaching masonry walls and defeating lightly skinned armored vehicles. These capabilities make it ideal for use in an urban environment. It requires no maintenance, no dedicated gunner or crew and is air deployable in both palletized and individual jump pack configurations. The munition can mount a variety of night sights providing full night firing capability. Rounds produced for the munition are kept in a depot until drawn upon for contingency operations.
Picatinny has been able to rapidly respond to over twenty urgent operation requests for Non-Lethal (NL) Munitions since 1995 because of the expertise that resides among our engineers and technicians. These munitions provided the U.S. Army with capabilities that filled the capability gap between "show and force" and lethal fire in peacekeeping missions. Picatinny has proactively provided critical non-lethal armament solutions needed by U.S. soldiers to enhance their effectiveness in peacekeeping missions. This ability to urgently field required material capabilities has led to its selection as the organization to field standard Non-Lethal Capability Sets to the U.S. Army.
Picatinny is a leader and innovator in the Green Ammunition Program. So much so that its approach has been adopted across the board by the Department of Defense. The objective is to redesign ammunition components and their manufacturing processes to eliminate heavy metals (lead, barium and antimony) and remove other hazardous/toxic materials from the production processes. The benefits are notable both environmentally and militarily. Training can now be conducted in places where it was once prohibited, which ensures continued user training and readiness. Fewer pollutants are entering streams and ground water so the need for reporting obtaining permits is reduced. Production can continue uninterrupted which may not have been the case if hazardous materials were used.
NATO Standardization - Because of Picatinny's expertise in small caliber munitions, a close mutually beneficial relationship has developed with NATO. This is especially true in the area of material standardization in which the goal is to make all ground combat munitions interchangeable and interoperable among allies. Basically, any country that develops a new munition and wants to standardize it has to do so through Picatinny.
| 
Products
