The NIOA Group has taken up a tenancy at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey, stating that the company’s expansion into the United States Army’s Joint Centre of Excellence for ammunition and weapons demonstrates its commitment to play a key role in armaments supply to the US Army and its allies.
“Picatinny Arsenal is a vital US hub for defence innovation and collaboration. This strategic expansion comes at a crucial time and demonstrates NIOA’s long-term broader objective to strengthen allied defence capabilities," said Nioa.
“By establishing a stronger presence at Picatinny, NIOA hopes to facilitate closer collaboration with US government agencies to accelerate our contribution to global security.”
Picatinny Arsenal has a workforce of more than 6000 military, government and civilian personnel.
It includes key organisations such as Joint Program Executive Office Armaments and Ammunition (JPEO A&A), Project Manager Soldier Lethality and Combat Capability Development Command Armaments Center (DEVCOM-AC).
The move “inside the wire” at Picatinny signals NIOA’s intent to expand its reach in the US beyond the recent 100 per cent acquisition earlier this year of Tennessee-based Barrett Firearms.
Barrett is a key supplier to the US Army and Special Operations Command, with active contracts for its MK 22 Multi-Role Adaptive Design (MRAD) precision sniper rifle, and the M107A1 .50cal semi-auto anti-material rifle.
As well as its ownership of Barrett, NIOA has long-standing relationships with American companies such as General Dynamics, Northrup Grumman and Winchester through their operation of the Lake City ammunition plant, each of which also have tenancies at Picatinny.