Next Generation Squad Weapon Program

The Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) program is a United States military program created in 2017 to replace the M4 carbine, M249 SAW light machine gun, M240 machine gun; their associated cartridges; and to develop small arms fire control systems for the new weapons.[1][2]

Seven defense manufacturers competed in the program, with five attempting to design and produce the weapons; two attempting to create and supply fire control optics.[3] The U.S. Army officially announced the winners in early 2022; SIG Sauer to produce the XM5 rifle and XM250 squad weapon, Vortex Optics to produce the XM157 fire control system,[4] and Winchester produce the custom ammunition cartridges designed by SIG Sauer.[5][6][7] The program was expected to cost $10 million in the first year of production, and $150 million the next.[6][7][8]

History

The SIG XM5, the winning assault rifle submission for the NGSW program.

The NGSW program began in 2017, after the U.S. Congress began testing the M4 and the 5.56×45mm NATO round for modern-day effectiveness. They concluded that the M4 carbine was still favored by troops and also performed well under stress. Feeding issues and other problems were fixed by using different ammunition types and magazines. Still, the M4 had difficulty penetrating the types of bulletproof vests used by Russian and Chinese troops, especially at longer ranges. Pressure to develop a new weapon also arose from military programs created by other countries, such as Russia's Ratnik program. Congress began looking for replacements for the M4 and the 5.56mm round.

Several earlier Army attempts to replace the M4 failed due to lack of funding, poor submissions, or re-evaluation of tactics and requirements.[9][10] These included the Objective Individual Combat Weapon program, the Special Purpose Individual Weapon program, and the Advanced Combat Rifle program (not to be confused with the Adaptive Combat Rifle).

The program follows the Army and U.S. Air Force's Modular Handgun System program and Russia's Ratnik effort.

Program components

Weapons

In 2017, the U.S. Army issued requirements for prototype Next Generation Squad Weapon submissions.[11][1][2] The program's rifle requirement, referred to as NGSW-R, was required to use a 6.8mm round, among other requirements. The program's support weapon, referred to as NGSW-AR, was required to be no longer than 35 in (890 mm); no heavier than 12 lb (5.4 kg), including attachments; able to suppress targets out to 3,900 ft (1,200 m) and accurately fire on targets out to 2,000 ft (610 m); and able to make use of small arms fire-control systems.

On April 19, 2022, after 27 months of prototyping and evaluation, the Army announced that SIG Sauer was awarded the NGSW program contract, and would produce the replacements for the M4 carbine and M249 SAW for the next 10 years.[12] The new rifle, designated the XM5, is based on the company's SIG MCX SPEAR rifle, while the new machine gun (Army designation: XM250), is based on the company's SIG MG 6.8 belt-fed gun.[13]

The company was awarded a small initial production order, worth $10.4 million, for about 25 rifles, 15 automatic weapons, and a “large quantity” of ammunition so the weapons could be tested and the production line fine-tuned.[14]

A U.S. Army press release stated the new weapons would "provide significant capability improvements in accuracy, range and overall lethality. They are lightweight, fire more lethal ammunition, mitigate recoil, provide improved barrel performance, and include integrated muzzle sound and flash reduction."[15]

Selected:

SIG Sauer: SIG MCX SPEAR rifle (XM5) and SIG MG 6.8 (XM250) belt-fed machine gun with custom 6.8×51 SIG FURY brass-steel hybrid cartridges.

Rejected:

LoneStar Future Weapons & Beretta USA: RM-277R bullpup rifle and RM-277AR machine gun with True Velocity .277 TVCM polymer-cased cartridges.[16][17][18][19]
PCP Tactical: Desert Tech MDR[20] rifle and machine gun with PCP Ammunition 6.8mm polymer case-metal cartridges.[21]
FN-America: HAMR rifle and EVOLYS machine gun with Federal Cartridge Company cartridges.[22][23][24]
Textron Systems: Textron CT System rifle and LSAT light machine gun with Olin Winchester CT 6.8mm polymer-cased telescoped cartridges.[25]

Fire control systems

The program also included the development of new fire control systems for small-arms weapons. Two companies entered the competition: Vortex Optics and L3Harris Technologies, both of whose submissions utilized integrated fire control systems using laser rangefinders, direct view optics, digital overlays, and ballistic calculation systems, as per NGSW program requirements.[26] In late January of 2022, the U.S. Army selected Vortex Optics to produce the systems.[26][27]

Ammunition

The NGSW weapons will use government-issued 6.8mm general-purpose projectiles with vendor-designed cartridges. In January of 2022, Winchester was awarded a contract to produce the ammunition. In April 2022, the U.S. government chose SIG Sauer's hybrid metal cartridges over True Velocity's polymer-cased round.[15]