Aquaterro has received its first purchase order for the new Sidearm Weapon System (SWS) under the Australian Defence Force Land 159 Program.
The $30 million order comes after engineering analysis, testing, and evaluation since contract award in October 2022. This effort enables the weapon system to be introduced into service with the ADF and confirms Aquaterro as the largest participant supplier of weapon systems under Land 159.
Aquaterro is an Australian owned, medium-sized company that has grown over 30 years under the same ownership, to become one of Australia’s largest providers of individual equipment, including small arms and munitions, to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and police customers around Australia. Aquaterro employs 50+ people and has delivered over $150m worth of equipment to Defence over the past 7 years, via Land 125’s Tiered Combat Helmet (Team Wendy EXFIL) and Night Vision Goggle Mount (Wilcox G24) contracts.
The new ADF SWS comprises the SIG P320 X-Carry Pro, SIG ROMEO2 Red Dot Sight, and SIG FOXTROT2 Weapon Light. Aquaterro was also selected to supply the new Personal Defence Weapon System (PDWS) into Land 159, consisting of the SIG MCX, ROMEO4T Optic, JULIET4 Magnifier, and SIG Suppressors. These items are completing their test and evaluation processes prior to a procurement decision.
“We are thrilled that these systems are now lined up for production at SIG’s manufacturing facilities, and our team is prepped and ready for their arrival and clearance into Australia. The extensive testing and evaluation conducted for the ADF program confirms the products have met the rigorous requirements of the ADF, and we can’t wait for them to begin to arrive at our facility in Melbourne towards the end of this year,” said Aquaterro Founder and CEO, Graeme Bulte.
“We are proud of the combined work of our team and with the solid support from SIG, which is aiming to provide these weapons on budget and substantially ahead of schedule”.