Brügger & Thomet

B&T AG

Company type	AG
Industry	Defence
Founded	May 1991 (1991-05)
Founder	Karl Brügger, Heinrich Thomet
Headquarters	Thun , Switzerland
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Karl Brügger (CEO)
Products	Firearms, Ammunitions, Accessories, Clothing
Services	Import, export, trade, manufacturing
Number of employees	100
Website	www.bt-ag.ch

B&T AG is a Swiss manufacturer specializing in the design, engineering and manufacturing of small arms, sound suppressors and accessory items. The company is 100% privately owned and is registered in Thun, in the Canton of Bern.

Overview

B&T AG was established in 1991 and first began developing suppressors for the Swiss commercial and police market. B&T developed the ROTEX-III suppressor for the HK GmbH and the G36 in service with the Bundeswehr. Since then the product line has expanded to include a full line of suppressors for all calibre of weapons from .22 pistols to .50 cal. sniper rifles. Presently B&T is the OEM supplier to most of Europe’s small arms producers. This included but is not limited to HK Gmbh, FN Herstal, Haenel, Glock mbH, Accuracy International, Beretta Defense and CZ. B&T presently has the broadest line of suppressors in the industry covering all performance expectations. The most recent product is the RBS suppressor line which was specifically designed to reduce the amount of gas that is expended from the ejection port. This suppressor reduces as much as 50% of the gases from the ejection with the same reduction in sound and flash as other suppressors. The name Brügger & Thomet is no longer used and was changed in 1997 when the company was restructured. Today, the company is known only as B&T AG; and is fully Swiss certified ISO 9001 : 2015 Quality Management, ISO 14001 : 2015 Environmental Management, ISO 45001 : 2018 Management systems for occupational safety and health protection. As of 2021 B&T AG has 100 employees with in house R&D, engineering, testing and manufacturing capabilities.

In 2001 B&T negotiated with Steyr Mannlicher AG to buy all the drawings, tools, dies, patents and parts of the SPP/TMP SMG. After making over twenty engineering changes to the original design; in 2004 B&T introduced the MP9 PDW/SMG. This product went on to be adopted by many European police and military units and the Swiss Armee as the MP14. In 2006 as a response to the dangerous public order situation B&T introduced the 40mm GL06 Less Lethal Launcher and 40mm SIR (Safe Impact Round) public order munition. This product went on to be adopted by the la Police Nationale, Gendarmerie, Prisons and the Armee in France. It was also adopted in many other countries and the most recent by the US Department of Homeland Security Border Patrol. In 2011 B&T introduced the APC9 to replace other existing aging SMG’s that have been in service since the 1960’s. The weapon went on to be adopted by several European Police Agencies and eventually the APC9-K was adopted by the US Army as the next generation SCW (Sub-Compact Weapon). This adoption was noteworthy because it was the first time since 1943 that the US Army adopted a SMG of any type (NSN: 1005-01-679-7146). The USAF followed in the procurement and as of today the an “M” designation process is ongoing and is expected 2021. The initial $2.6 million contract includes 350 subcompact weapons (SCW) with an option for additional quantities of up to 1,000 SCWs, with slings, manuals, accessories, and spare parts.[4] In 2019 B&T Introduced the APC9-PRO. This version of the APC9 has several new feature such as non-reciprocating charging handle, choice of handgrip and the ability to use B&T, Glock and SIG320 magazines.

US Production

In 2016 B&T began production of B&T weapons in Tampa Florida. It is called BT USA and it is responsible for the entire US market for law enforcement, military, US Federal government and civilian sales. BT USA is independent of B&T AG and operates under US law.

Social

B&T is a socially and environmentally conscience company. It’s electric infrastructure is powered by a large array of solar panels and produces a significant reduction on the factory’s carbon footprint. B&T meets or exceeds all Swiss environmental standards.

During the 2020-2021 COVID crisis B&T structured the production as not one B&T employee lost even one hour or one day of work. B&T’s corporate philosophy is that, “We don’t have 100 employees but we support 100 families with the work we provide.”

Controversies and Criticism

A version of the B&T APR308 produced under license in the Ukrainian was used by Ukrainian security forces against the Ukrainian people during the Euromaidan demonstrations. Evidence of their use by Yanukovych regime's snipers are documented in photos and video recordings.[7][8][9] In 2009, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) approved B&T’s “know-how transfer for the manufacture of small arms to a Ukrainian company,” a SECO spokeswoman confirmed to the Swiss Sonntags Zeitung . In addition, individual parts for the manufacture of around 30 to 50 sniper rifles were also shipped from Thun to the Ukraine. These rifles that were purchased to provide protection during the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship. In an interview of Ukraine expert Levgen Vorobiov conducted by Sonntags Zeitung. Vorobiov concludes that Viktor Yanukovych had used Euro 2012 in a targeted manner to upgrade the security forces.[10] Karl Brügger, managing director of B&T quote: "We can assure you that all exports of weapon parts or licenses have been approved by the SECO." Brügger had no comment on the use of their weapons.[11]

In 2018/2019 the French police used the GL06 launcher during the 2018/2019 Yellow vests movement. Some demonstrators received serious injuries during the riots.[12] In a statement on B&T website, the company denied it's culpability in the injuries, citing that the impact munition used were not produced by B&T but produced by an unknown third company. This could "increase the risk of injury considerably and makes the launcher less accurate".[13][14]

List of firearms produced by B&T

• KH9
• USW-P
• USW-SF
• VP9 - integrally-suppressed bolt-action pistol
• MP9/TP9 - submachinegun, revised release of Steyr TMP
• APC9/10/40/45 PRO - submachine gun, available in various calibers
• GHM9 - semi-automatic pistol carbine, even more streamlined version of APC SMG.
• APC223/556 - 5.56mm Assault Rifle
• APC308 - 7.62mm Battle RIfle
• APR308/338 - bolt-action rifle, available either .308 Winchester or .338 Lapua Magnum.
• SPR300 - integrally-suppressed bolt-action rifle
• GL06
• SPC9 Carbine. This weapon is produced in semi-automatic only.

References

Notes

Sources

• Berne cantonal commercial register entry (CHE-107.409.603)

External links

• Official website