The US Army orders 167,195 M4 and M4A1 carbines.

The U.S. Army has announced plans to procure 167,195 M4 and M4A1 carbines, according to a notice posted by the Army Contracting Command on March 22, 2019.

A U.S. Army Ranger fires an M4 carbine during close quarter marksmanship qualifications at a range on Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif., Jan. 25, 2014 (Picture source: US DoD)

The period of performance of the contract(s) will be for 5 one-year ordering periods to cover FY20-FY24 Army and Department of Defense (DoD) M4/M4A1 Carbine requirements, said in a statement. For reference, the M4 carbine is a shorter and lighter variant of the M16A2 assault rifle. The US Army has acquired a total of 500,000 M4 carbines since the M4 series was introduced in 1993.