Rheinmetall to produce MK281 MOD3 40mm practice ammunition for USMC

The US Marine Corps (USMC) has placed a production order with Germany-based military technology group Rheinmetall for the development and delivery of MK281 MOD3 40mm practice ammunition.

Under the contract, the company will manufacture and supply the 40mm x 53mm MK281 MOD3 high-velocity practice day / night marking cartridges to the USMC.

While the initial order volume is valued at $25m, the order’s total value amounts to $59m.

The new ammunition batch will be manufactured in Camden, Arkansas. It will be shipped from American Rheinmetall Munitions (ARM).

Ammunition production is scheduled to begin by the third quarter of next year and the annual delivery volume is expected to reach up to 700,000 cartridges.

Fired from an MK19 40mm machine gun, the MK281 is a non-dud producing, non-toxic training cartridge that uses advanced target marking technologies for both day and night training.

Rheinmetall has eliminated unexploded ordnance and range fires from the design of the cartridge, specifically to reduce customer costs.

In addition, MK281 enables users to practice fire-and-manoeuvre operations in a safe, dud-free environment.

Based in Stafford, Virginia, ARM is a Rheinmetall subsidiary that manufactures and delivers high-performance practice and service ammunition for US Military and law enforcement customers.

In February, the company received two new multi-million-dollar contracts from the US Military for the supply of day and night capable 40mm x 46mm practice cartridges and the MK24 MOD0 flash-bang grenade to the USMC and US Navy respectively.