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U.S. Ordnance–Defense Systems and Manufacturing–often referred to as USORD is a
firearm A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...
s manufacturer located in McCarran, Nevada, 20 minutes outside
Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is th ...
. Since 1997, the Nevada corporation has designed, developed and manufactured military small arms, machine guns and replacement parts. U.S. Ordnance specializes in producing new, enhanced versions of the mature, combat-proven Mk43/
M60E4 The M60, officially the Machine Gun, Caliber 7.62 mm, M60, is a family of American general-purpose machine guns firing 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of M13 links. There are several types of ammunition approved for ...
and M2, making and testing them according to U.S. military technical specifications and instructions. U.S. Ordnance is the only manufacturer of the Mk43 machine gun. The company's primary weapon systems are the
M2HB The M2 machine gun or Browning .50 caliber machine gun (informally, "Ma Deuce") is a heavy machine gun that was designed towards the end of World War I by John Browning. Its design is similar to Browning's earlier M1919 Browning machine gun, ...
, M2A2 (QCB), the Mk43/
M60E4 The M60, officially the Machine Gun, Caliber 7.62 mm, M60, is a family of American general-purpose machine guns firing 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of M13 links. There are several types of ammunition approved for ...
, the M60D Enhanced and the
M16 The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-roun ...
/ M4/
M203 The M203 is a single-shot 40 mm under-barrel grenade launcher designed to attach to a rifle. It uses the same rounds as the older stand-alone M79 break-action grenade launcher, which utilizes the high-low propulsion system to keep recoil forces ...
, all of which are
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...
sanctioned. U.S. Ordnance sells these to governmental agencies in the U.S., including law enforcement and the military, and to federally approved foreign leaderships and militaries. It also facilitates training for its products. M2 and M60 machine guns are in service in more than (47) countries.


Capabilities

U.S. Ordnance’s new plant is a 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.


Development

All the products that U.S. Ordnance develops are per
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...
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.


Manufacturing

U.S. Ordnance has CNC machining centers and screw machines, 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.Jane’s Infantry Weapons, 04-Sep-2009


Inventory control and storage

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.


Surface treatments

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.


Cryogenic processing

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 Martensite is a very hard form of steel crystalline structure. It is named after German metallurgist Adolf Martens. By analogy the term can also refer to any crystal structure that is formed by diffusionless transformation. Properties M ...
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.


Final assembly

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.


Shooting/Testing

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.


Quality Control/Assurance

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.


Packaging

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.


Government contracts

Some of the government contracts U.S. Ordnance has fulfilled include the following: * Under contract, U.S. Ordnance supplied 15
M60E3 The M60, officially the Machine Gun, Caliber 7.62 mm, M60, is a family of American general-purpose machine guns firing 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of M13 links. There are several types of ammunition approved for ...
machine guns along with 15 spare barrels to the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
in June 2005 as an FMS sale. * 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.Jane’s Infantry Weapons, 17-Jan-2009 * 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.Jane’s Infantry Weapons 07-Sep-2009 * In September 2008, U.S. Ordnance received a contract from the U.S. Army for
M2HB The M2 machine gun or Browning .50 caliber machine gun (informally, "Ma Deuce") is a heavy machine gun that was designed towards the end of World War I by John Browning. Its design is similar to Browning's earlier M1919 Browning machine gun, ...
(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 Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia *Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity ** Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...
. * 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.The contract number is W52H0909D0135 and FMS customers can now order from this contract until 2014. * On June 9, 2010 TACOM-RI contracted (50) each M60D Enhanced Machine Guns * 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. * 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 2012.10-Guns, through 30 mm - (Archived) - Federal Business Opportunities: Opportunities
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Weapons


Heavy Machine Guns

*
M2HB The M2 machine gun or Browning .50 caliber machine gun (informally, "Ma Deuce") is a heavy machine gun that was designed towards the end of World War I by John Browning. Its design is similar to Browning's earlier M1919 Browning machine gun, ...
: .50 Cal, (12.7mm NATO) U.S. Ordnance is under a multi-year contract to supply M2HB machine guns to the U.S. military * M2A2 (QCB): .50 Cal, (12.7mm NATO) U.S. Ordnance’s M2A2 offers the proven performance of the existing M2HB machine gun but also features fixed headspace and timing. * M48: The U.S. Ordnance M48 Fixed (Turret Type) is a link belt-fed, recoil-operated, air-cooled, crew-served machine gun. U.S. Ordnance is under a multi-year contract to supply M48 machine guns to the U.S. military. * M2A2 Conversion Kit: This kit converts M2HB weapons into U.S. Ordnance M2A2 (QCB) systems. It can be done by an armorer at the customer location in less than 30 minutes per weapon, without complex tools or machinery. * M3 Tripod


Medium Machine Guns

* M60D Enhanced: (7.62 NATO) The M60D Enhanced is a mounted version of the standard M60E4/Mk43. It can be mounted on boats and vehicles, or as a pintle-mounted door gun in helicopters. * Mk43 Mod 0: (7.62mm NATO) The Mk43 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) features the latest improvements to the M60 Series machine guns. * Mk43 Conversion Kit: The U.S. Ordnance M60E4/Mk43 Conversion Kit upgrades any serviceable M60 receiver to the M60E4/Mk43 configuration. Upgrades can be performed at U.S. Ordnance or the customer facility after training by U.S. Ordnance staff. * M240


References


External links

* {{Official website, 1=http://www.usord.com
U.S. Ordnance About

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