Army Awards First Submachine Gun Contract in over 50 Years to B&T

Last year, the U.S. Army submitted a request to the industry for what they termed a Sub Compact Weapon (SCW), to be issued to close protection teams. Specifically, the Prototype Opportunity Notice called for a “highly concealable [Sub Compact Weapon] system capable of engaging threat personnel with a high volume of lethal force while accurately firing at close range with minimal collateral damage.”

Six companies were selected for prototype testing. Everyone (us included) expected SIG SAUER to flatten the competition, as they have a dedicated team whose job it is to address solicitations like this, as well as a ready-made and debugged solution in the MPX lineup. It came as a surprise then, that when the announcement was made on April 1st, the gun the Army chose was made by the Swiss firm of B&T.

The contract award dollar amount to B&T USA LLC is $2,575,811.76 for the purchase of “350 SCWs, with an option for additional quantities of up to 1,000 SCWs, with slings, manuals, accessories, and spare parts.”

Let's take a look at the gun.

Based on the existing APC9 K Pro, the tiny subgun has a host of features tailored specifically to the Army requirements. For example, it has a collapsing stock, dual folding non-reciprocating charging handles and M-Lok slots on the handguard to accept aiming and illumination tools. It would seem the users wanted the gun to run suppressed for a substantial portion of its lifespan, as it was requested to be optimized around 147gr ammunition – B&T also gave it a threaded barrel with a tri-lug thread protector in order to maximize compatibility with existing suppressors. This model deviates from the existing catalog in its ability to accept AR15 pistol grips, and in its bolt design, which is adapted to strip rounds from not only B&T subgun mags, but also to work with Glock and SIG P320 pistol magazines.

We'll be getting hands on the Army's new toy in the next couple of weeks – stay tuned…

Visit B&T (formerly Brugger & Thomet) online at http://www.bt-ag.ch/site/eng/startseite, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BT.USA.ARMS/, and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/brugger_and_thomet/.

More from Brügger & Thomet

• Limited to 333 units, B&T announces a special SCW commemorating the Army Contract, it's worth a look.
• Not long later, the Miami Beach Police chose the APC9K as well.
• Way back in RECOIL 17, we got our hands on an APC223/556, an APC9/45, and a TP9. Here's the full article.
• In Recoil 45, we took a look at the B&T APC9K and compared it to the old-guard H&K MP5K in this Review.
• To see the the B&T APC9K in action, check it out on this Full Auto Friday on RECOILtv.
• For a more in-depth look at the APC9 Pistol, here's the RECOILtv Gun Room.
• Adaptable and Covert, the B&T Universal Service Weapon turns common pistols into tight-quarters CQB tools.