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Beretta may not have attended this year’s Shot Show but their announcement during the industry’s biggest event will echo through 2022 and beyond. Early this week Beretta announced a unique partnership with True Velocity to bring a commercial variant of the RM277 bullpup. Now, consumers will be able to own both of the final submission to the Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) program. This is a major win for the consumers and the market as a whole.

The RM277 is currently vying to be the U.S. Army’s next service rifle as apart of the NGSW program. Originally, General Dynamics had partnered up with Beretta on the initial NGSW submission. Throughout the evolution of the program General Dynamics divested to True Velocity and Lone Star Future Weapons, with Lone Star taking the lead role on RM277 bullpup.

SIG SAUER and True Velocity are waiting to hear whose rifle and machinegun will reign supreme. It is also an exciting prospect for a average consumer to have the ability to own both the RM277 and the SIG MCX-Spear.

Below, is the press release from Beretta announcing the partnership with True Velocity.

Press Release

True Velocity and global weapon manufacturer Beretta USA announced on Wednesday a strategic partnership in support of potential weapon production stemming from the U.S. Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon program.

True Velocity subsidiary LoneStar Future Weapons is the prime contractor in the team’s bid for the NGSW program, which is designed to replace the U.S. Army’s currently fielded 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge and the M4 carbine and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon that fire it. Beretta USA will assist LSFW and True Velocity with the production, assembly and testing of key components of the RM277 rifle and automatic rifle submitted as part of the team’s bid for NGSW. Both weapons are configured to fire True Velocity’s proprietary 6.8TVCM composite-cased cartridge.

In addition to supporting True Velocity in weapon production for NGSW, Beretta USA will also take a leading role in the development of a variant of the RM277 intended for sale to international allies of the United States, as well as a semi-automatic variant of the RM277 rifle intended for civilian sale in the U.S. commercial market. Beretta Defense Technologies (BDT), the alliance of Beretta group companies focused on serving global military and law enforcement customers, will also explore other applications and chamberings of the 6.8TVC commercial cartridge in its extensive firearm portfolio.

“With the addition of Beretta USA as a strategic partner, True Velocity further enhances its ability to deliver true next-generation weapons and ammunition not only to our customers in the U.S. Department of Defense, but also to our international allies and the domestic commercial market,” said True Velocity Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Boscamp. “Combining Beretta USA’s rich history of delivering high-quality, rugged, reliable weapons with True Velocity’s innovative approach to advanced weapon and ammunition development puts us in an optimal position to lead the global modernization of small arms and ammunition.”

Francesco Valente, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of Beretta USA said: “We are very excited to be part of the True Velocity team in bringing such revolutionary technology to market. We have provided the M9 pistol to the DoD for over 35 years and now look forward to putting our US design and manufacturing facility and resources to work on this innovative program to increase our warfighters’ capabilities.”

“We look forward to working with True Velocity and Beretta USA on the development of a complete system centered on the RM277 to support the mission of the US soldiers and their allies”, added Carlo Ferlito Vice President of Beretta Defense Technologies.

True Velocity’s proprietary composite-cased 6.8TVCM ammunition delivers enhanced lethality, increased effective range, and an unmatched reduction in weight. The LoneStar Future Weapons RM277 weapon offers maximum lethality in a compact, lightweight package capable of stable and accurate automatic fire, long-range effectiveness and reduced recoil. Paired together, the resulting weapon system meets or exceeds all NGSW requirements.

What are your thoughts on a commercially available RM277? Would you purchase one? Do you think the RM277 will win the NGSW contract? Let us know in the comments below.

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