Colt Defense
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Firearms manufacturing |
| Predecessor | Colt's Manufacturing Company, Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Headquarters | West Hartford, Connecticut , United States |
Key people | Gerald R. Dinkel (President and CEO) |
| Products | Small arms for military and law enforcement, including M4 Carbine platform weapons, M16 rifle, M45 MEUSOC CQBP pistol |
| Parent | New Colt Holding Corp. (after 2013 merger) |
| Website | www |
Colt Defense LLC and its subsidiaries operate as a U.S.-based designer and manufacturer specializing in small arms for military and law enforcement, with its headquarters located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The company's heritage traces back to Colt's Manufacturing Company and Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company, which have been supplying small arms to the United States Government and international clients since 1847.
History
In 2000, Colt expanded by acquiring the Canadian firearms manufacturer Diemaco, later rebranding it as Colt Canada in 2005.
The year 2002 saw Colt's Manufacturing Company, Inc. undergo restructuring that resulted in the creation of Colt Defense, a separate entity dedicated to serving military, law enforcement, and security sectors. While U.S. Government contracts represented 57% of total net sales in 2010, this figure declined to 33% during the first three quarters of 2011, primarily due to a decrease in M4 carbine orders from the U.S. military coupled with growth in foreign government purchases.
Gerald R. Dinkel was named president and CEO on October 14, 2010, taking over from William M. Keys, who continued his role as chairman.
In 2013, a merger between Colt Defense and New Colt Holding Corp. unified the development and sales of firearms under the Colt brand. Facing financial challenges, Colt Defense filed for bankruptcy on June 15, 2015, with reported assets and liabilities ranging from $100 million to $500 million. The company successfully emerged from bankruptcy protection in January 2016 following a court-approved reorganization plan.
The Canadian subsidiary Colt Canada Corporation, formerly Diemaco, functions as the Canadian government’s Center of Excellence for small arms and remains the exclusive provider of the C7 rifle and C8 carbine to Canada's military forces. Colt operates manufacturing plants in both West Hartford, Connecticut and Kitchener, Ontario.
Products
As the original manufacturer of the M16 rifle after acquiring rights from ArmaLite, Colt offers an extensive "Family of Weapons" built around the M4 Carbine platform. This product range features a heavy barreled rifle (HBAR), sliding stock carbines (M4 & ACC-M), a personal defense weapon equipped with a folding-collapsible stock (SCW), a piston-driven carbine (APC), a Commando M4 variant with a 10.5-inch (26.7 cm) barrel, an infantry automatic rifle (IARTM), a 9mm submachine gun, along with the 40mm M203 grenade launcher.
In July 2012, Colt was awarded a five-year Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract by the U.S. Marine Corps for up to 12,000 M-45 MEUSOC Close Quarter Battle Pistols (CQBP), which are based on an updated version of the classic M1911 pistol design.