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This Army chose a replacement weapon for the service’s venerable M-4 carbine, which has been the standard weapon used by combat units in Iraq and Afghanistan for several years.
After 27 months of prototyping and evaluation, the New Hampshire-based Sig Sauer Won a $20.4 million contract to manufacture and deliver two Next Generation Squad Gun (NGSW) variants – the XM5 rifle and XM250 Automatic Rifle – and a family of 6.8mm common cartridge ammunition, Army Officials said late Tuesday.
The XM5 Rifle will replace the M4 carbine, while the XM250 Automatic Rifle will be the planned replacement for the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW).
“Both guns provide significant capability improvements in accuracy, range, and overall lethality. They’re lighter, fire more lethal ammunition, reduce recoil, provide improved muzzle performance, and include integrated muzzle blast and flash reduction.” Army officials said in a statement.
Other military services will be able to acquire the NGSW system. There may be an option for foreign military sales in the future. The new 6.8mm ammunition includes multiple types of tactical and training rounds that improve accuracy and are more deadly than both the 5.56mm and 7.62mm ammunition used for the M-4 and SAW. Army officials said.
The XM5 and XM250 will use the XM157 Fire Control system, integrating a number of technologies such as increased magnification scope; laser range finder; ballistic calculator and other systems, Army officials said.
This Army studied three competing prototype systems before selecting Sig Sauer.
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