{"id":32036,"date":"2018-08-13T19:38:01","date_gmt":"2018-08-13T19:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/08\/13\/socom-is-buying-this-new-suppressed-upper-receiver-group-to-make-its-troops-quieter-and-deadlier\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:01:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:01:54","slug":"socom-is-buying-this-new-suppressed-upper-receiver-group-to-make-its-troops-quieter-and-deadlier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/off-duty\/gearscout\/2018\/08\/13\/socom-is-buying-this-new-suppressed-upper-receiver-group-to-make-its-troops-quieter-and-deadlier\/","title":{"rendered":"SOCOM is buying this new suppressed upper receiver group to make its troops quieter and deadlier"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

U.S. Special Operations Command is working with the same company building the Army\u2019s newest handgun<\/a> to upgrade the M4A1 rifles<\/a> commonly used by its joint-service operators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of July, SOCOM announced it had awarded Sig Sauer a contract for its suppressed upper receiver group, or \u201cSURG,\u201d to pair with the M4\u2032s lower receiver. The five-year, indefinite-delivery and indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract is worth $49 million, according to a U.S. Defense Department announcement<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The SURG is an upgrade to the current M4A1 Carbine \u2014 itself a fully automatic version of the M4 Carbine<\/a> \u2014 that went into service in 1994, according to Sig Sauer\u2019s press release<\/a>. The majority of the work for the contract will be performed in Newington, New Hampshire, and is expected to be completed by July 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The SURG program was ongoing for the past few years as it worked to produce a weapon for SOCOM operators that cuts the noise from a fired round more efficiently, with fewer problems than what can be provided by simply adding a suppressor and threaded barrel to a standard upper receiver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the competitors, Sig Sauer alone provided a suppressor that withstood the stress and torture requirements set by SOCOM for firing specifications, vibration, sound and temperature requirements to ensure soldier safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Suppressed Upper Receiver Group, according to Soldier Systems. (SoldierSystems.net)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe requirements set by DOD for the SURG procurement demanded significant improvements in reliability, thermal characteristics, and durability that went well above anything we are currently seeing in the industry,\u201d said Ron Cohen, President and CEO of Sig Sauer, Inc, in a company statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe worked very hard to develop the MCX SURG System to specifically meet and exceed the DoD requirements,” he added. “I am extremely proud that our hard work paid off, and endured the stringent and demanding military testing requirements, to ultimately gain the confidence of DoD to support their operations in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t