SACO — A military weapons manufacturer based in Saco has been awarded a $28.2 million contract to build quick-change barrel kits for machine guns, a device that allows soldiers to limit their exposure to enemy fire.

Karl Johnson, a spokesman for General Dynamics’ Armament and Technical Products division, confirmed Tuesday that the company has been authorized to build up to 12,000 kits at its plant in Saco.

Johnson said the quick-change kits allows soldiers engaged in combat to spend significantly less time changing and adjusting the barrels on their machine guns. Johnson said the U.S. Army cited the device as one of one of the best military inventions of 2011.

The announcement, which was made Tuesday by Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), comes just one month after General Dynamics announced it would be forced to lay off 50 employees at its facility in Williston, Vt. and 30 workers at its Saco facility.

Johnson said the new contract won’t change the company’s workforce reduction plans, which are being driven by a decline in demand for gun production, as well as weapons production contracts that are about to expire.

“We anticipated this work and it does not change the dynamics of our marketplace or the need to reshape the workforce,” Johnson said.