Brügger & Thomet
Encyclopedia
Brügger & Thomet AG is a licensed Swiss
defense
supplier specializing in the design and manufacturing of firearms and tactical components such as sound suppressors
and rail systems
. The company is located in Thun
, Switzerland. B&T consists of a trading and manufacturing division. The trading division works mainly to supply the domestic law enforcement and military market, representing global companies in the industry such as Heckler & Koch
, Aimpoint, Surefire
and others. The company is also involved in the import and export of other war material including small arms, ammunition, and related accessories.
known as the MP9
submachine gun
and a civilian semi-automatic model called the TP9. This would later be accompanied by the 7.62mm APR308 sniper rifle
and the long-range APR338 version chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum. The most recent product is the GL-06
40 mm grenade launcher
. B+T is also a parts supplier for many other major manufacturers.
The firm's production facility consists of 14 CNC workstations and nine conventional workstations for prototyping work. B&T also supports an in-house testing facility.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
defense
Arms industry
The arms industry is a global industry and business which manufactures and sells weapons and military technology and equipment. It comprises government and commercial industry involved in research, development, production, and service of military material, equipment and facilities...
supplier specializing in the design and manufacturing of firearms and tactical components such as sound suppressors
Suppressor
A suppressor, sound suppressor, sound moderator, or silencer, is a device attached to or part of the barrel of a firearm which reduces the amount of noise and flash generated by firing the weapon....
and rail systems
Rail system (firearms)
Rail systems are small pieces of metal put on any given surface on a gun to allow attachment of some sort of accessory. On them you can attach everything from laser sights to scopes and R.I.S systems. They make the mounting and dismounting of these artifacts significantly easier...
. The company is located in Thun
Thun
Thun is a municipality in the administrative district of Thun in the canton of Bern in Switzerland with about 42,136 inhabitants , as of 1 January 2006....
, Switzerland. B&T consists of a trading and manufacturing division. The trading division works mainly to supply the domestic law enforcement and military market, representing global companies in the industry such as Heckler & Koch
Heckler & Koch
Heckler & Koch GmbH is a German defense manufacturing company that produces various small arms. Some of their products include the SA80, MP5 submachine gun, G3 automatic rifle, the G36 assault rifle, the HK 416, the MP7 personal defense weapon, the USP series of handguns, and the high-precision...
, Aimpoint, Surefire
Surefire
SureFire, LLC. is a Fountain Valley, California company whose primary products are flashlights, headlamps, weapon mounted lights and laser sights. In addition, Surefire also manufactures knives, sound suppressors, Picatinny Rails and batteries. The company is a major supplier of flashlights to the...
and others. The company is also involved in the import and export of other war material including small arms, ammunition, and related accessories.
History
Brügger & Thomet AG was established in May 1991 by Karl Brügger and Heinrich Thomet to produce suppressors for the domestic Swiss market. Some time after, Heinrich Thomet withdrew from the enterprise and sold his company shares to Mr. Brügger who remains the sole owner of B&T today. Mr. Brügger is also directly involved in the technical aspects of the company's product development and has his input in every design the company manufactures.Manufacturing
The manufacturing branch specializes in the design and production of firearms, suppressors and modular accessory mounts for wide array of small arms. The company also owns an extensive collection of almost 500 different types of firearms that it uses for reference in developing new products. In 2004, Brügger & Thomet started to produce its own line of complete weapons, beginning with a revised variant of the 9mm Steyr TMPSteyr TMP
The Steyr TMP is a select-fire 9x19mm Parabellum caliber machine pistol manufactured by Steyr Mannlicher of Austria. The Magazines come in 15, 20, or 30 round detachable box types. A suppressor can also be fitted...
known as the MP9
Brügger & Thomet MP9
The Brügger & Thomet MP9 is a machine pistol designed and manufactured by Brügger & Thomet of Switzerland. The MP9 is a selective-fire 9x19mm Parabellum caliber machine pistol. It uses 15, 20, 25, 30 round transparent polymer detachable box magazines...
submachine gun
Submachine gun
A submachine gun is an automatic carbine, designed to fire pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I , but the apex of its use was during World War II when millions of the weapon type were...
and a civilian semi-automatic model called the TP9. This would later be accompanied by the 7.62mm APR308 sniper rifle
Sniper rifle
In military and law enforcement terminology, a sniper rifle is a precision-rifle used to ensure more accurate placement of bullets at longer ranges than other small arms. A typical sniper rifle is built for optimal levels of accuracy, fitted with a telescopic sight and chambered for a military...
and the long-range APR338 version chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum. The most recent product is the GL-06
Brügger & Thomet GL-06
The GL-06 grenade launcher is a stand-alone shoulder-firing non-lethal weapon intended for military and police applications. The GL-06 was developed in response to a recent request from the police force of a leading European nation which sought to obtain a non-lethal weapon for anti-riot...
40 mm grenade launcher
Grenade launcher
A grenade launcher or grenade discharger is a weapon that launches a grenade with more accuracy, higher velocity, and to greater distances than a soldier could throw it by hand....
. B+T is also a parts supplier for many other major manufacturers.
The firm's production facility consists of 14 CNC workstations and nine conventional workstations for prototyping work. B&T also supports an in-house testing facility.