> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.adriadefense.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Austria Seeks 40 Million 5.56mm Rounds for Armed Forces - URL: https://www.adriadefense.com/austria-seeks-40-million-5-56mm-rounds-for-armed-forces/ - Published: 2026-08-27T07:48:03.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-27T07:48:03.000Z - Description: Austria is seeking 40 million 5.56mm rounds for its StG 77 rifles, alongside a separate tender for 300,000 .338 Lapua Magnum sniper rounds. - Author: AdriaDefense Desk - Tags: Austria, Ammunition, Industry, Defense Industry Austria is seeking 40 million rounds of 5.56mm ammunition for the Austrian Armed Forces, with deliveries planned at 10 million rounds annually from 2028 through 2031\. The procurement covers M855/SS109 ammunition for the StG 77 service rifle and comes alongside a separate tender for 300,000 .338 Lapua Magnum sniper rounds. The Austrian Ministry of Defense is conducting the 5.56mm procurement through a negotiated procedure with prior notice. The current deadline for participation is August 31, 2026, according to Austria's federal procurement portal. The tender does not divide the 40 million-round requirement into lots. Austria has not disclosed an estimated contract value or identified a preferred supplier in the publicly available notice. ## Austria plans 10 million 5.56mm rounds annually The procurement covers the 5.56mm M855/SS109 cartridge used with Austria's StG 77, the Austrian designation for the Steyr AUG family of rifles. The Austrian Armed Forces plan to receive 10 million rounds in each of four years: 2028, 2029, 2030 and 2031\. The contracting authority classifies the procurement as an ammunition supply contract under CPV code 35330000. The size and delivery structure indicate a multiyear requirement rather than a single ammunition delivery. The tender does not specify how the ammunition will be divided between training, operational stocks and reserves. Austria continues to operate the StG 77 while modernizing parts of its small-arms inventory. The 5.56x45mm NATO rifle has served with the Austrian Armed Forces since 1977, while newer StG 77 configurations have received updated optics and accessories. The ammunition requirement is also larger than another 5.56mm procurement launched by Austria earlier in 2026\. That procedure sought 15 million 5.56mm blank cartridges for the StG 77, divided into deliveries of 5 million rounds in mid-2027, mid-2028 and mid-2029. ## Separate tender seeks 300,000 .338 Lapua Magnum rounds Austria is simultaneously seeking 300,000 8.6mm sniper cartridges identified in the procurement documentation as .338 Lapua Magnum Ball Sniper ammunition. The Ministry of Defense published that procurement on August 14, 2026, with participation requests due by October 6\. The ammunition is intended for delivery to the Austrian Armed Forces ammunition facility at Großmittel. No estimated contract value has been published for the .338 Lapua Magnum procurement. The latest tender follows a separate Austrian requirement for 150,000 .338 Lapua Magnum armor-piercing cartridges. That earlier procedure sought delivery during the fourth quarter of 2026 and had a participation deadline of February 10. Taken together, the two .338 Lapua Magnum procedures cover 450,000 sniper cartridges, although they represent different ammunition types and separate procurement processes. ## Small-caliber ammunition demand grows across Europe Austria's procurement comes as European governments expand ammunition inventories and reassess domestic and regional production capacity. The trend extends beyond artillery ammunition. France, for example, selected an FN Herstal-led consortium in 2026 to establish domestic production of 5.56x45mm and 7.62x51mm ammunition, with planned annual capacity of 75 million rounds from 2029. Central and Eastern Europe already hosts a significant small-caliber ammunition manufacturing base, including producers in the Czech Republic, Poland and other regional markets. [AdriaDefense overview of CEE ammunition producers](https://www.adriadefense.com/whos-who-in-cee-artillery-ammunition-the-four-big-producers/) Austria's 40 million-round tender therefore represents a notable supply opportunity in the European small-caliber ammunition market, although the procurement documents reviewed by AdriaDefense do not identify potential bidders. The acquisition forms part of the wider Austrian Armed Forces modernization effort under Aufbauplan ÖBH 2032+. Austria's 2026/2027 national defense report states that implementation of the plan is continuing, although personnel and budget constraints are causing some programs to proceed at a reduced pace or on delayed schedules. ## Austria ammunition procurement: key questions ### How much 5.56mm ammunition is Austria buying? Austria is seeking 40 million rounds of 5.56mm M855/SS109 ammunition for the StG 77\. Planned deliveries are 10 million rounds annually from 2028 through 2031. ### Is Austria also buying sniper ammunition? Yes. A separate procurement seeks 300,000 .338 Lapua Magnum Ball Sniper cartridges, with participation requests due by October 6, 2026\. Austria previously launched another procedure covering 150,000 .338 Lapua Magnum armor-piercing rounds. ### How much are the ammunition contracts worth? Austria has not disclosed an estimated contract value for the 300,000-round .338 Lapua Magnum tender in the published notice. The reviewed 5.56mm procurement notice also does not provide a contract value. ### When will Austria receive the 40 million 5.56mm rounds? The procurement schedule calls for 10 million rounds in each year from 2028 through 2031.