M4a1 Vs M16 - The Sig Sauer MCX SPEAR, a civilian version of its next-generation weapon, was selected by the Army in April 2022 as a replacement for the M4/M16 and SAW for close combat forces. (Zieg Sauer)

Soldiers, special operators and Marines will soon carry the first shotguns and light machine guns designed to overcome the firearms limitations of previous decades.

M4a1 Vs M16

M4a1 Vs M16

Next Generation Weapons Program The Pentagon is giving US troops a 6.8mm round after a 40-year search for an alternative to the 5.56mm round that the military has battled with for the past 65 years.

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US infantry units with 5.56mm rifles and light machine guns currently have the advantage. If these units engaged in firefights with the Russians, Chinese, or a large number of fighters led by Kalishnokov, they would lose in both range and kills.

Most of the world's potential adversaries carry 7.62mm weapons at 1,000 to 1,500 meters. The US units' deepest weapon ranges are between 800 and 1,100 meters. And only designated marksmen and wire gunners can reach these distances.

The Army expects the next-generation weapon to reach its first unit by next year. The unloaded XM5 rifle is two pounds heavier than the unloaded M4. But the XM250 is four pounds lighter than the M249 SAW.

With the new 6.8mm guns, every member of the team will be able to fire fewer rounds and deal more damage to targets than before - a heavier, yet more accurate and powerful weapon in close combat. Army officials fought back.

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This program is the first to produce a viable on-board weapon for mass production and the field. An as-yet unspecified Army unit is expected to receive the NGSW rifle and the NGSW automatic rifle XM5 and XM250, which will eventually be called the M5 and M250, in October 2023 or earlier.

The Army will select a new weapon system to replace the M-4 and M-249 among soldiers in the coming years.

Supplying troops in the Vietnam War and beyond with the fast and light 5.56mm rifle and the M16 fired more rounds with less recoil. But this change also meant that shooters could not consistently kill targets beyond 300 meters.

M4a1 Vs M16

Officials say the new 6.8mm round fills the gap between the 5.56mm and 7.62mm used by heavier troops for medium machine guns and older sniper rifles.

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Moving is not cheap. Over the next decade, the two versions of the weapon alone could cost $4.7 billion, while the NGSW fire control, or M157, advanced optics will cost another $2.7 billion, according to official documents. These dollar amounts are specific to tanks, jet fighters, or ships.

Army leaders have objected to limited funding for close combat forces in recent years, particularly given the disproportionate number of casualties and deaths some forces have suffered in combat.

Pictured is the Sig Sauer MCX SPEAR rifle, the civilian version of its new Next Generation Squad Weapon rifle. (Zieg Sauer)

Both weapons should reach the Army unit by 2023. But most melee forces will have to wait. Production jobs, annual budgets and training plans mean the Army's 120,000 close combat forces won't see a full weapons field for at least a few years or a decade.

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The Army's 11B Infantry, 19D Cavalry Scouts, 12B Combat Engineers, 68W Combat Medics and 13D Forward Observers are on the NGSW delivery list. The rest of the Army will continue to carry the M4 and M249 SAW for several decades to come, officials said.

Marines and Marines have participated in several test events, and corps officials said the service is monitoring the Army's program but has not yet decided whether to adopt the weapon system or ammunition.

The NGSW program sought an "intermediate caliber" projectile—heavier and longer-range than the 5.56mm, but lighter and more maneuverable than the 7.62mm.

M4a1 Vs M16

From there, the three semifinalists — Sig Sauer, Textron Systems and Lone Star Future Weapons — developed solutions in collaboration with General Dynamics. The winner, Sig Sauer, designed a traditional assault rifle with many ergonomic features and the feel of the existing M4.

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Program Executive Office-Soldier and the Army Future Command Cross Functional Team-Soldier Lethality initiated the NGSW program, with significant input from the Program Executive Office-Ammunition and Skills Center Lethality Unit.

After all, XM5 shooters forgo 70 rounds and carry 5 pounds more in guns, optics, and ammo compared to the M4. The XM250 light machine gun loses 200 rounds and adds 3.6 pounds net weight compared to the M249 saw load. The XM250 is a lighter gun, but the ammunition is heavier, and the new optic adds 2.6 pounds to the system.

Officials say the combined accuracy and efficiency of the weapon, ammunition and optics means fewer rounds are needed to hit and disable a target.

CFT-SL spokeswoman Bridget Seiter told Marine Corps Times that the system "provides a failure (overshoot) probability against the full range of target sets faced by close combat forces in current and future large-scale combat operations.

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"The effect achieved by the NGSW system on first-round hits can reach multiple shots in our current weapons," Seiter wrote.

Army Futures Command was limited in detailed communications with suppliers when selecting the prototype, said CFT-SL spokeswoman Bridget Seiter. The combination of bullet, powder and cartridge configurations and small items in the weapon can be customized as the Army integrates the bullet and weapon into production.

The caliber was used in small hunting circles and was a staple of small arms. This was a change that ended the use of the heavy, .30-caliber family ammunition that had become common in ground combat units during World War I.

M4a1 Vs M16

In the late 1950s, the M16 rifle, designed by Eugene Stoner, was first issued by the Air Force. The Army adopted the M16A1 in 1967 to replace the 7.62mm M14 rifle.

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Controversy revolved around the performance of light cartridges compared to heavy ones. Shooters said the lighter cartridges lacked "stopping power," a difficult metric to gauge the effectiveness of a shot.

But advocates pushed for a lighter charge that would add more shots and create a greater volume of gunfire. Leaders also saw a better opportunity as profits fell.

The Army has selected Sig Sauer to develop its next-generation assault rifle and assault rifle, both of which are shown here. (Zieg Sauer)

The US military, NATO, and at least 85 countries fielded the M16. Over the decades, many programs have attempted to replace the M16 and its later carbine variant, the M4.

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These included the Advanced Combat Rifle program of the early 1980s, the Objective Personal Combat Weapon, or XM29, of the early 2000s, and a later program known as the XM8 with optics.

Early in the war in Afghanistan, the US military complained about the limited range of the 5.56mm caliber, prompting the development and fielding of an improved version of the 5.56mm round in 2010.

Advances in body armor capable of withstanding the 5.56mm round eventually led researchers to begin researching small arms ammunition configurations.

M4a1 Vs M16

That research, which began in 2014 and was published in 2017, led the Army to choose to look for a replacement in the 6mm range.

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Initial experiments included .260 Remington, 6.5mm Creedmoor and .264 US cartridges, Army Times reported in 2017. But instead of going on the commercial circuit, the Army chose to produce its own projectile based on the work of engineers. and riflemen in the Army Rifle Division.

Issued to troops during World War II, the M1 Garand rifle was first produced in .30 caliber and .2760 caliber versions. Although the .276 performed better, the large stockpile of .30-caliber ammunition left over from World War I encouraged budget-conscious gunmakers to opt for the .30-caliber variant.

The Marine Corps has found its commercial niche in the M4 in recent years, at least for infantry and reconnaissance Marines. And it stuck with 5.56mm rounds.

In 2010, the Corps began production of the 5.56mm M27 infantry assault rifle to replace the SAW and M4.

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Marine and Special Operations Command units participated in the testing and evaluation of NGSW prototypes. The 10-year arms deal provided the Army with 120,000 rifles or assault rifles, with an option to sell another 130,000 to Marine Corps, SOCOM and foreign partners, officials said.

Marine Corps Systems Command spokeswoman Kelly Flynn said the corps "continues to evaluate the maturity, suitability and availability of NGSW solutions to meet our operational requirements," when asked about NGSW work and field plans.

The M27 IAR of the corps will reach its service life by 2031. Flynn said the Marine Corps has no further M27 replacements in the works other than overseeing the NGSW program.

M4a1 Vs M16

In addition to new calibers and gun designs, shooters will have more options. Although the military, Sig Sauer and the service are the main suppliers of ammunition

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