[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 113 (Tuesday, June 12, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27313-27314]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-12587]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army


Notice of Opportunity To Seek Partners for a Cooperative Research 
and Development Agreement and Licensing Opportunity for Patent No. 
9,303,932 B1, Issued April 5, 2016 Entitled ``Firearm With Both Gas 
Delayed and Stroke Piston Action''

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMRDEC) is seeking 
Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) partners to 
collaborate in transitioning firearm with both gas delayed and stroke 
piston action into commercial and/or government application(s). 
Interested potential CRADA collaborators will receive detailed 
information on the current status of the project after signing a 
confidentiality disclosure agreement (CDA) with AMRDEC.
    Under the CRADA, further research, development and testing will be 
conducted to further refine the principles and prototypes. Based on the 
results of these experiments a refined fully functioning firearm action 
could be designed and manufactured. The developed principles and 
designs might be further modified for other uses outside of the 
firearms industry.

DATES: Interested candidate partners must submit a statement of 
interest and capability to the AMRDEC point of contact before July 13, 
2018 for consideration.

ADDRESSES: Comments and questions may be submitted to: Department of 
the Army, U.S. Army Research Development and Engineering Command, 
Aviation and Missile Research Development, and Engineering Center, 
ATTN: RDMR-CST (Ms. Wallace--Rm B300Q), 5400 Fowler Road, Redstone 
Arsenal, AL 35898-5000, or Email: [email protected].

[[Page 27314]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action 
can be directed to Ms. Cindy Wallace, (256) 313-0895, Office of 
Research and Technology Applications, email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Collaborators should have experience in the 
development and testing of firearms. The target end products include 
government and commercial applications and unique applications 
identified by the CRADA partner.
    The full CRADA proposal should include a capability statement with 
a detailed description of collaborators' expertise in the following and 
related technology areas: (1) Gas and/or blowback operated automatic 
firearms; (2) collaborators' expertise in successful technology 
transition; and (3) collaborator's ability to provide adequate funding 
to support some project studies is strongly encouraged. A preference 
will be given to collaborators who shall manufacture automatic or semi-
automatic firearms in the United States. Collaborators are encouraged 
to properly label any proprietary material in their CRADA proposal as 
PROPRIETARY. Do not use the phrase ``company confidential.''
    Guidelines for the preparation of a full CRADA proposal will be 
communicated shortly thereafter to all respondents with whom initial 
confidential discussions will have established sufficient mutual 
interest. CRADA applications submitted after the due date may be 
considered if a suitable CRADA collaborator has not been identified by 
AMRDEC among the initial by AMRDEC are expeditiously commercialized and 
brought to practical use. The purpose of a CRADA is to find partner(s) 
to facilitate the development and commercialization of a technology 
that is in an early phase of development. Respondents interested in 
submitting a CRADA proposal should be aware that it may be necessary 
for them to secure a patent license to the above-mentioned patent 
pending technology in order to be able to commercialize products 
arising from a CRADA. CRADA partners are afforded an option to 
negotiate an exclusive license from the AMRDEC for inventions arising 
from the performance of the CRADA research plan.
    Technology Overview. Most conventional high powered automatic 
firearms function using a variation of long, short piston or direct 
impingement gas operation. The locking/unlocking mechanisms used in 
these firearms require extensive machining and manufacturing costs. A 
solution for delaying case extraction without the use of elaborate 
locking mechanisms or heavy bolts would allow for a simpler design.
    By utilizing the principles of a gas delayed system to retain the 
bolt until safe extraction is possible and a stroke piston action to 
facilitate case extraction/ejection a simpler mechanism may be used for 
a high-powered automatic firearm. Two separate barrel ports, one near 
the chamber for the gas delaying function and the other near the muzzle 
for the stroke piston action, allow propellant gasses to act upon one 
piston. The piston is directly connected to the firearm's bolt via a 
linkage. Upon firing, the port near the chamber is utilized first 
causing gasses to hold the piston forward. Once propellant gasses reach 
the port near the muzzle the piston is forced rearward. The barrel port 
diameters will determine the forces acting upon the piston and bolt. 
Two prototypes of advancing design, detailed within the patent, were 
developed for initial testing and showed promising results.
    Publications. P. Jackson: ``Firearm with Both Gas Delayed and 
Stroke Piston Action,'' U.S. Patent 9,303,932 B1, April 5, 2016.

Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-12587 Filed 6-11-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 5001-03-P