Shaped Charges - M2A4 15lb & M3A1 40lb

The purpose of this Sources Sought announcement is to identify interested sources for the production of shaped demolition charges. This announcement is in support of on-going market research performed by the U.S. Army Contracting Command - Rock Island to determine interest in a planned Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 procurement for the 15 lb. and 40 lb. Shaped Demolition Charges. The U.S. Government (USG) anticipates awarding an Indefinite-Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with 5, 12-month ordering periods on a firm-fixed-price basis.

Item Descriptions:

Shaped demolition charges’ primary use is for boring holes in earth, metal, masonry, concrete, and paved and unpaved roads. When the charge is detonated, the explosive is converted to compressed gas. The gas exerts pressure in the form of a shockwave. The main charge converts the shaped liner into a high-speed jet charge, which penetrates the target. The M2A4, 15 lb. Shaped Demolition Charge penetrates reinforced concrete to a depth of about 3 feet, with the diameter of a hole tapering from about 2.75 inches at the mouth. The M3A1, 40 lb. Shaped Demolition Charge penetrates reinforced concrete to a depth of about 5 feet, with the diameter of a hole tapering from 3.5 inches at the mouth.

M2A4, 15 lb. Shaped Demolition Charge (NSN: 1375-01-023-7994, DODIC: M420)
The M2A4 consists of at least 10 lbs. of Composition B, which is loaded using a melt-pour process. It also contains a 48-gram Composition A-3 booster charge. The explosive charge is enclosed in a molded fiberglass container with a glass cone liner and a tin-plated steel closing cap. The shaped charge assembly also has a carrying strap made of cotton webbing and a detachable molded fiberglass 6-inch standoff. Each charge with the standoff is packed in a fiberboard box with foam cushions. The fiberboard box is placed in a barrier bag. Four (4) charges are packed in a wooden box per drawing 9281170.

M3A1, 40 lb. Shaped Demolition Charge (NSN: 1375-00-088-6691, DODIC: M421)
The M3A1 consists of approximately 30.5 ± 1.5 lbs. of Composition B, which is loaded using a melt-pour process. It also contains a 48-gram Composition A-3 booster charge. The explosive charge is enclosed in a seam welded or drawn sheet steel container along with a formed 10-inch diameter steel conical shaped charge liner. The liner is assembled using a crimp in conjunction with an adhesive/sealant. Brackets for which to affix the cotton webbing carrying strap are spot welded to the container. A drawn brass detonator well is soldered to a tin-coated steel closing cap which is press fit into the container after loading. The shaped charge assembly includes a detachable welded three-legged steel stand. Finished assemblies are covered in a barrier material and packed in wooden boxes per drawing 7549165.

The Composition B and Composition A-3 will be provided as Government Furnished Material (GFM).

The manufacture of these shaped demolition charges requires special skills and facilities. Melt-pour loading of high explosives is a critical technology. Other critical skills include laboratory personnel, explosive operators, quality assurance, environmental, and research and development. Critical facilities include temperature-controlled cooling bays, melt-pour systems, and real time x-rays/x-ray technicians. X-rays are important to determine whether the melt-pour casting contains cracks, voids, porosity, or separation. Defects can cause malfunctioning of the charge. Charges will be subject to ASTM E1742/E1742M Radiographic Examination criteria.

The Contractor will be required to successfully conduct a First Article Test (FAT) and Lot Acceptance Tests on these items. The shaped demolition charges are procured to USG Technical Data Packages (TDPs). The entire TDPs will not be provided in support of this market research; however, top-level drawings and packaging drawings identified below are attached to this Sources Sought for interested sources to review. The drawings are Distribution Statement A, which means distribution is authorized for public release; distribution is unlimited.

Drawings provided:
Item    Top Drawing    Packaging Drawing
M2A4     8861565                9281170
M3A1     8858390                7549165

The USG anticipates soliciting by Request for Proposal (RFP) for the following projected FY 26-30 requirements:

FY                    40 lb. Shaped Charge    15 lb. Shaped Charge
USG FY26:                          0                                 2000
USG FY27:                          0                                 4000
USG FY28:                       1023                             2000
USG FY29:                       2000                             2000
USG FY30:                       2000                                 0

Responses:
Companies are invited to indicate their interest by providing the USG with the following information: a brief summary of the company's capabilities (a description of the facilities, personnel experience, quality system, and past relevant manufacturing experience). If a respondent does not have adequate resources (facilities, technical, manufacturing, personnel, etc.) available, then it must be able to demonstrate its ability to obtain those resources within 120 days after contract award. Any potential key subcontractors should also be addressed, by indicating which key component(s) or process(es) would be subcontracted, and providing a brief summary of potential key subcontractor’s capability to produce the component/perform the process. Industry respondents are also invited to indicate to the Government whether the shaped demolition charge requirements can be met by available commercial or non-developmental items. Respondents shall also address the feasibility of meeting the USG’s preferred lead-time of 180 days after award for FAT completion and FAT report submission, and 240 days after award for production deliveries to commence. Respondents are requested to provide minimum and maximum monthly production rates/quantities and identify the available capacity (if manufacturing resources are shared with other items/production lines).

The NAICS code for these items is 325920 with a small business size standard of 750 employees. Please indicate your business size in your response. Contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database from proposal submission through final payment of any contract resulting from a planned solicitation for the items. Contractors may obtain information on SAM registration by visiting https://www.acquisition.gov and reading FAR Subpart 4.11.

This Sources Sought announcement is for planning purposes only and shall not be construed as an official RFP or as an obligation on the part of the USG. Industry responses to this Sources Sought announcement will not represent binding offers, and the USG cannot accept an industry response to form a binding contract. The USG intends to use any information submitted in response to this request to finalize an acquisition strategy for the FY26 procurement action for these items. The USG will hold all information submitted in a confidential status.

Interested parties must submit a response no later than 5:00pm Central Daylight Time on May 1, 2026, to be considered in the finalization of the acquisition strategy for these items. Please email all submissions to Mr. Rihlen Mital, Contract Specialist, and Ms. Megan Kirby, Contracting Officer, at rihlen.m.mital.civ@army.mil and megan.m.kirby.civ@army.mil. All submissions shall be in either Microsoft Word or Portable Document Format (PDF). 

Please direct all questions pertaining to this announcement to the POCs identified herein. All responses to this Sources Sought must reference the subject “15 lb. and 40 lb. Shaped Demolition Charges”.