Army takes control of the M4 TDP

[Slater]

Be interesting to see what happens with different manufacturers waiting in the wings:


http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/07/army_carbine_070609w/

[dwhitehorne]

Interesting article. It would be nice for some competition to do for the carbine/rifle market like it has for the polymer 45 market. David

[CaptainDooley]

Nice article. It'll be interesting to see where it leads.

[Sry0fcr]

I'm sure someone here has an idea about the Army's updated requirements are...

[Outlander Systems]

I got ten bucks on the SCAR becoming the new SI Carbine.

[dewatters]

It is a bit of an exaggeration to say the Army has control of the TDP. As of July 1, the Army merely gained limited license rights to use the M4 TDP to second source production, as an extension of the 1967 licensing agreement for the M16. For the next few decades, the Army will have to pay 5% in royalties to Colt for every M4 procured from second sources. (My sources disagree as to whether royalty payments will end on December 24, 2037 or December 31, 2050.) The TDP will remain Colt proprietary data, and any second source M4 contractor will no doubt be required to sign non-disclosure agreements just as they do for the M16.

This is not the end of Colt's current .mil contract for the M4. The current contract allows new delivery orders to be placed to the end of calender year 2010. As it now stands, the current delivery orders stretch production out to Spring 2011.

[Slater]

A Hesse M4A1? :D

[dewatters]

The companies receiving second source M4 contracts will only be able to use the Colt M4 TDP to supply the US government. Whether or not the US government can then turn around and export these carbines is a matter of the 1967 license agreement and subsequent amendments. Certainly, FN-made M16 are being contracted by the US Army on behalf of the Iraqi military.

The non-disclosure/non-use agreements for accessing the TDP will forbid the other companies from using Colt's proprietary data for commercial sales. Once their military contract ends, the company will be required to be destroy all of the TDP information provided to them.

The following link provides the US Army's standard non-disclosure/non-use agreement for contractors accessing the M16 TDP:

https://aais.ria.army.mil/AAIS/Solinfo/Standard_Attachments/Colt-M16_Non_Disclosure_Agreement.doc

[Iraqgunz]

I think we need to merge this thread with the other. :)