SIG SAUER is extremely excited to announce the acquisition of General Robotics, one of the world’s premier manufacturers of lightweight remote weapon stations and tactical robotics for manned and unmanned platforms and anti-drone applications. Recently, the U.S. Army selected the SIG SAUER lightweight machine gun (XM250), automatic rifle (XM7), and high-pressure hybrid ammunition for the Next Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW) program, representing a historic step forward in weapons technology. The NGSW program is currently in the early stages of adoption and the U.S. Army will field the weapons at the squad level in 2023. In January 2023, a General Robotics PITBULL RCWS took part in a demonstration during SIG Range Day in Las Vegas. It was fitted on Polaris All Terrain Vehicle, which was also equipped with SIG SAUER’s XM250 machine gun.
Ron Cohen, President and CEO, SIG SAUER, Inc. said, “This acquisition will greatly enhance SIG SAUER’s growing portfolio of advanced weapon systems. The team at General Robotics is leading the way in the development of intuitive, lightweight remote weapon stations with their battle-proven solution. The combination of the General Robotics remote weapons station with SIG SAUER’s lightweight squad weapons and high-pressure hybrid ammunition will revolutionize small arms for military forces worldwide. This acquisition exponentially increases the capabilities of our lightweight weapon systems delivering transformative advancements in mobility, greater lethality and battle-tested force protection for today’s warfighters”
“General Robotics and all our employees are honored to join forces with global defense leader SIG SAUER to integrate our platforms into a single solution to support military units around the world,” concluded Shahar Gal, CEO, General Robotics.
General Robotics develops the latest version of its PITBULL Remote Control Weapon Station (RCWS), with enhanced AI-driven capabilities, which will enable armored vehicles and unmanned platforms to gain substantial improvement in situational awareness, response rate, and firepower. GENERAL ROBOTICS was established by Mr. Ehud Gal, who has vast experience developing advanced technologies for the Israel Ministry of Defense. Following an injury to Mr. Gals’ son-in-law, while serving in the Special Forces, Mr. Gal decided to embark on a private journey focusing on technologies to save lives of special forces – and General Robotics was born. Since then, GENERAL ROBOTICS has continuously developed systems to be sent into the most dangerous areas before humans are required to do so. Today, these systems are in operational use by special forces around the globe, including in the elite unit where Mr. Gal’s son-in-law had served.
The year was 1853 when three men, Friedrich Peyer im Hof, Heinrich Moser, and Conrad Neher founded a wagon company in Switzerland and entered the world of manufacturing innovative wagons and railway cars. Out of wagon wheels and train cars came the Prelaz-Burnand rifle, which won the military contract and redirected this company into building firearms, changing the entity and the name to Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft, also known as SIG. From there, this innovative firearm manufacturer went on to develop several weapons for military use. In the 1970s, this European-born company expanded into rifles once again by partnering with Hämmerli Target Arms from Lenzburg, Switzerland, and J.P. Sauer & Sohn, GmbH, of Eckernförde, West Germany, and hit the shores of the USA in 1985 as SIG ARMS, Inc. In 2007, this new American-based firm changed its name to Sig Sauer Firearms, subsequently moving to a new state-of-the-art headquarters and production facility in Newington, NH in 2014.
