U.S. Ordnance

U.S. Ordnance’s new plant is a 68,000-square-foot (6,300 m²) facility where product research, development, manufacturing and testing take place. A U.S. government representative is on site to witness and verify specific procedures in the production and testing of the weapons, and ensure all the required standards are met.

All the products that U.S. Ordnance develops are per NATO specifications.

The company ensures that all of its Mk43 and M2 improvements are backwards compatible and that its M2 spares and components interchange with those from Maremont Corp. and Saco Defense.

U.S. Ordnance Research and Development personnel put the company’s weapon systems through drop testing and environmental testing like mud, ice, heat and water immersion to ensure they will continue to perform even in the harshest environments.

U.S. Ordnance has CNC machining centers and screw machines,[3] which are used to machine the various parts that make up each weapon. Other machinery includes high-capacity barrel production and Mil Standard plating equipment.

The company also uses a magnetic particle inspection machine for detecting surface and subsurface irregularities in the metal of its weapons.

In February 2006, much of the M60 production tooling (owned by the U.S. Army) was transferred from General Dynamics at Saco to U.S. Ordnance.[4][5]

U.S. Ordnance’s ISO 9001:2008 inventory control and storage process guarantees that only approved components and materials are used on its weapon systems.

Finished components are phosphated in-house using a U.S. government-certified Mil-Spec process. It involves application of manganese, which protects the steel surfaces from corrosion.

U.S. Ordnance also puts its weapons through a cold treatment. Called cryo for short, the process involves cooling the steel to approximately minus 300 degrees Fahrenheit, which increases the martensite content in its crystalline structure. This ultimately hardens and strengthens the metal.

U.S. Ordnance uses cryo to relieve stresses in tooling and weapon materials, to increase the weapons’ service life and help resist wear.

U.S. Ordnance workers assemble and complete 100% of the company’s weapon systems in-house. All U.S. Ordnance packaging conforms to the military preservation, packing, and marking requirements of the current Mil Standard. UID and RFID marking are done as required.

Each weapon undergoes high-pressure testing and magnetic particle inspection. The company has an on-site shooting range, where personnel proof-fire every weapon for functionality and accuracy.

The quality assurance team checks all materials and parts. They inspect the material certifications, heat treat and test reports, and also perform dimensional testing on all of the parts to ensure they comply with the technical drawings.

Each weapon has a unique serial number, which means that all of the raw materials that went into making each one can be traced to their origins.

Once a weapon system is completed, tested and receives final Quality Assurance approval, it is packaged, labeled and marked according to the current Mil Standard.

Some of the government contracts U.S. Ordnance has fulfilled include the following:

• Under contract, U.S. Ordnance supplied 15 M60E3 machine guns along with 15 spare barrels to the Philippines in June 2005 as an FMS sale.[4]
• U.S. Ordnance fulfilled a purchase order from the U.S. Army in September 2007 for 173 M60D Enhanced machine guns along with spare parts. Provided as aid to the Philippines, they were delivered in 2008.[6]
• Between November 2004 and May 2009, U.S. Ordnance fulfilled the following orders for foreign allies: 3,196 M60E4/MK 43 machine guns, 2,337 spare barrels, 341 conversion kits and 367 accessory kits.[7]
• In September 2008, U.S. Ordnance received a contract from the U.S. Army for M2HB (859) M2HB machine guns, (859) spare barrels and (859) basic accessory kits. It fulfilled this FMS contract, whose end user was the Afghan National Army.[8]
• In April 2009, U.S. Ordnance received a 5-year, indefinite-quantity contract from the U.S. Army for M60E4/Mk43 machine guns to support foreign military sales. The first three orders under this contract totaled 2,217 M60E4s, 1853 spare long barrels and 309 conversion kits, plus parts and accessories.[7]
• On June 9, 2010 TACOM-RI contracted (50) each M60D Enhanced Machine Guns [9]
• The contract number is W52H0909D0135 and FMS customers can now order from this contract until 2014.[6]
• In July 2009, U.S. Ordnance was awarded a one-time, 20 percent, small business set-aside, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) type contract with four ordering periods, under which orders will be placed for the M2 .50 caliber Flex machine gun, NSN: 1005-00-322-9715, Part Number: 8401485. The contract number is W52H0909D0249 and delivery order 0001 obligates the one-time, 20 percent small business set-aside guaranteed minimum quantity of (548) M2 machine guns. The grand total maximum ordering quantity over the four ordering periods against all awarded contracts is 40,000 each. Contract Expiration Date is August 31, 2012.[10]
• In August 2009, U.S. Ordnance received a 4-year, indefinite-quantity contract from the U.S. Army for M2HB, M2A2 (QCB) and M48 machine guns to support foreign military sales. There have been four delivery orders under this contract totaling (475) M2HBs, (475) spare barrels and (475) basic accessories, (252) M2A2 quick change barrels, (80) M48 weapon systems, plus parts and OCONUS training. The end users were the Colombian Army, Colombian Navy, and the Iraq National Police. The contract number is W52H0909D0270, and FMS customers can now order from this contract until August 2012.[11]

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