Next Generation Squad Weapon

The SIG XM7, the winning assault rifle submission for the NGSW program

SIG XM250, the winning automatic rifle with inserted ammunition belt

In 2017, the U.S. Army issued requirements for prototype Next Generation Squad Weapon submissions.[6][1][2] The program's rifle requirement, referred to as NGSW-R, was required to use a 6.8mm round and be able to utilize small arms fire-control systems. 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); able to accurately fire on targets out to 2,000 ft (610 m); 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.[10] The new rifle, designated the XM7, is based on the company's SIG MCX Spear rifle, while the new automatic rifle, designated the XM250, is based on the company's SIG MG 6.8mm belt-fed gun.[11]

The company was awarded a small initial production order, worth $10.4 million, for about 25 rifles, 15 automatic rifles, and a “large quantity” of ammunition so the weapons could be tested and the production line fine-tuned.[12]

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."[4]

Selected:

• SIG Sauer: SIG MCX SPEAR rifle (XM7) and SIG LMG 6.8 (XM250) belt-fed machine gun with custom 6.8×51 SIG FURY brass-steel hybrid cartridges.

Rejected:

• LoneStar Future Weapons and Beretta USA: RM-277R bullpup rifle and RM-277AR machine gun with True Velocity .277 TVCM polymer-cased cartridges.[13][14][15][16]
• PCP Tactical: Desert Tech MDR[17] rifle and machine gun with PCP Ammunition 6.8mm polymer case-metal cartridges.
• FN-America: HAMR rifle and EVOLYS machine gun with Federal Cartridge Company 6.8mm cartridges.[18][19][20]
• Textron Systems: Textron CT System rifle and LSAT light machine gun with Olin Winchester CT 6.8mm polymer-cased telescoped cartridges.[21]
• VK Integrated Systems: XR-68 rifle and machine gun with Bachstein Consulting 6.8mm cartridges.[22]
• Cobalt Kinetics: MARS Inc. rifle and machine gun with Cobalt Kinetics 6.8mm cartridges.[23]

Vortex Optics XM157 platform agnostic fire-control system

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.[24] In late January 2022, the U.S. Army selected Vortex Optics' offering, designated the XM157 fire-control system.[24][25]

NGSW weapon proposals used proponent designed cartridges with government-issued 6.8mm general-purpose projectiles. This allowed each proposed weapon and cartridge to be designed together to meet the performance requirements. In January 2022, Winchester was awarded a contract to produce the ammunition. In April 2022, with the selection of the MCX Spear, SIG Sauer's hybrid metal cartridge would become the new cartridge subsequently referred to as 6.8x51mm Common Cartridge by the U.S. Army.[4]