The contract of the century for Verney-Carron. This arms manufacturer from Saint-Étienne signed on Monday a framework contract worth 36 million euros for the supply of small-caliber weapons to Ukrspecexport, a Ukrainian state company. This amount is equivalent to several years of turnover for this bicentennial company whose reputation in the hunting weapons sector is international.
Verney-Carron is committed to providing 10,000 assault rifles (VCD 15), 2,000 precision rifles (VCD 10) and 400 grenade launchers (LP 40), Verney-Carron details in a press release. Delivery in batches will begin at the beginning of 2024 and will last over ten months, specifies the gunsmith, who will now have to “adapt its production tool to the volumes involved.”
The Famas call for tenders
This contract also realizes the ambition of the SME in the defense sector. In 2014 and 2018, the company responded to the tender of the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) to replace the Famas assault rifle as well as the FRF2, the precision rifle used by the French army since 1986. Its request was rejected. for financial reasons.
These two weapons, which were presented at the Eurosatory exhibition, are inspired by the American AR-10 and AR-15. Tested by soldiers, they met their expectations in addition to being made in France. But compared to the financial weight and production capacity of German manufacturers, the French SME did not have much weight.
To be eligible, companies had to have a turnover of at least €50 million. At the time, Verney-Carron’s only reached 15 million euros. The contract was finally won by the German company Heckler & Koch with the HK416 (assault rifle) and the HK417 for precision shooting. Since 2022, Cybergun has invested €7 million in the company to expand its production capacity.
Source: BFM TV
