France launches FAMAS replacement tender

Remigiusz Wilk, Warsaw - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
22 May 2014



France has launched its programme to replace the FAMAS as the French armed forces principle assault rifle in one of the biggest tenders for individual small arms in Europe.

The French procurement agency (the DGA), announced a tender on 16 May for 90,000 assault rifles, chambered in 5.56 mm x 45 NATO ammunition, under the Arme Individuelle Future (AIF) programme.

France no longer possesses the industrial capability to manufacture assault rifles after the Manufacture d'Armes de Saint-Etienne (MAS) factory closed in 2002 following the completion of FAMAS production in 2000. Accordingly, France will have to buy in a foreign design. Possible bidders include the Belgian FN Herstal FN SCAR-L, the Thales Australia F90, the German Heckler & Koch HK416A5, the Italian Beretta ARX160, and the Czech CZ 805 BREN.

France will be one of the first countries to replace its first generation 5.56 mm assault rifles with a new type of individual small arm. The FAMAS F1 rifle was introduced on 24 July 1979 after 10 years of development. The French armed forces possess about 400,000 FAMAS F1/G1 assault rifles, that will eventually be replaced by the AIF.

The DGA tender calls for 45,000 assault rifles (AIF standard) and 45,000 carbines (AIF courte), alongside accessories, including under-barrel 40 mm grenade launchers, maintenance kits, spare parts, training, and technical documentation.

Offers must be submitted for the tender by 26 June, with the DGA planning to sign a contract for the AIF programme in December 2016. Up to five bidders will be considered, and they are required to provide samples of both versions of their assault rifles, accessories, and ammunition at their own cost.

Manufacturing or assembly of the assault rifle, or its key elements, must take place within the European Union or the European Economic Area. The manufacturer is expected to deliver 16,000 assault rifles annually, and should have averaged EUR80 million (USD109 million) of revenue in each of the last three years.

The AIF standard variant is required to be capable of integration with components of the FELIN future soldier system and to be able to fire rifle grenades.

The French Army already operates some additional assault rifles, purchased as urgent operational requirements for use in Afghanistan. The first, was a purchase of H&K G36KV carbines, equipped with the AG40 grenade launcher for deployment as a squad support weapon. Additionally, more than 2,200 H&K HK416 and HK417 rifles have been purchased for the elite Brigade des Forces Speciales Terre (BFST) and the Commandement des Operations Speciales (COS) from 2008. French special forces also possess small numbers of the FN SCAR-L.

The tender also includes delivery of ammunition: 38 million 5.56 mm x 45 NATO training cartridges; and 92,000 40 mm x 46 NATO low velocity grenades; 51,000 dual purpose anti-personnel/anti-tank; 13,000 smoke; and 21,000 training rounds.



(466 words)

Janes