Artillery Weapons System

The LI 2220 - Weapons & Combat Vehicles under $5 million program is a Marine Corps procurement initiative under the Navy's FY 2026 budget request, focused on acquiring, upgrading, and sustaining a range of weapons and combat vehicles, each with a unit cost below $5 million. The program supports operational readiness and modernization across multiple categories, including mortars, infantry weapons, vehicle protection kits, and expeditionary firefighting equipment. Allocations support both new procurement and ongoing product improvements. This line item ensures that Marine Corps units are equipped with reliable, effective, and modern systems to meet current and emerging operational requirements.

Company and Battalion Mortars are a key component of this line item, with procurement and modernization efforts aimed at providing immediate indirect fire support to company and battalion-level units. These investments enhance both mounted and dismounted operations. Specific objectives include the procurement of lightweight mortar systems and associated components, as well as upgrades to sights, aiming devices, and fire control software. Hardware refreshes for the Lightweight Hand-held Mortar Ballistic Computer (LHMBC) are also targeted, ensuring increased accuracy and effectiveness of 60mm and 81mm mortar systems. Funding reflects an increase in procurement for improvements, supporting enhanced battlefield capabilities.

Family of Infantry Weapons Systems (FIWS) continues modernization and replacement efforts for individual and crew-served weapons. The program's goals include improving weapon capability, operation, maintainability, supportability, service life, ergonomics, and safety. FIWS also funds the replacement of Principal End Items (PEI) such as rifles that are no longer cost-effective to repair, as well as modernization of sniper systems and suppressors. The request reflects the completion of the Semi Auto Sniper System (SASS) Product Improvement Program (PIP) procurement, with ongoing support for other system upgrades to maintain parity with near-peer competitors and ensure readiness for operations in contested maritime environments.

Gunners Protection Kit (GPK) is designed to enhance the survivability of vehicle-mounted gunners, with upgrades and replacements for existing protection kits. The program includes the Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) Objective Gunners Protection Kit Version 2.0 (TOGPK 2.0) and the Reducible Height Gunners Protection Kit (RHGPK). TOGPK 2.0 addresses user concerns regarding workspace, TOW slew, and operator visibility, while providing protection against small arms fire and improvised explosive device (IED) fragmentation. RHGPK enables tactical vehicles to be stowed in lower vehicle areas of amphibious ships, supporting expeditionary operations. The budget continues support for production units, initial provisioning, and accessories, with additional funding for Ukraine-related procurement in prior years.

Family of Expeditionary Firefighting and Rescue Equipment/Tool Sets (FEFRETS) is focused on procuring and sustaining firefighting and rescue equipment for Marine Corps units. The program supports both tactical and garrison units, ensuring compliance with National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) standards. Procurement includes firefighter personal protective equipment (PPE), hydraulic extrication systems, pneumatic cutting tools, smoke ejection fans, hydrostatic test equipment, self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), flightline extinguishers, incident command kits, and hazardous material response kits. FEFRETS enables standardization and interoperability across Marine Corps units, enhancing the ability to protect lives and aviation assets in support of operational and contingency plans. The increase in funding is attributed to expanded procurement and standardization of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solutions.

The LI 2220 line item also reflects efforts to promote efficiency and align with administration policies, as evidenced by a reduction in advisory and assistance services in FY 2026, consistent with Executive Order 14222. Procurement history indicates ongoing collaboration with industry partners for sniper systems, suppressors, and Ukraine-related gunners protection kits. The program's multi-faceted approach ensures that Marine Corps units remain equipped with modern, reliable, and effective systems to support a wide range of operational scenarios.