NGSW prototype. Click to see full-size image
The U.S. 75th Ranger Regiment, Green Berets and other U.S. special operations ground forces will receive the conventional Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW).
“We are an enthusiastic supporter of the Army’s 6.8mm Next Generation Squad Weapons,” Col. Joel Babbitt, of Program Executive Officer Special Operations Forces Warrior, told Military.com recently. “We expect there will be Next Generation Squad Weapons in our formations as soon as we can receive them via fielding.”
The US Army is in the final stages of evaluating NGSW prototypes. They are being developed by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Inc., Textron Systems and Sig Sauer Inc.
The weapons’ purpose is to replace the 5.56mm M4A1 carbine and the M249 squad automatic weapon in infantry and other close-combat units.
M4A1. Click to see full-size image
Click to see full-size image
If there’s no issues and delays, the Army modernization officials will choose both weapon replacements, hopefully from the same company, by Q1 of 2022, and then they will already be delivered to troops a year later.
PEO SOF Warrior is working with the Army to become part of the NGSW fielding plan at some point over the five-year, future-year defense plan, Babbitt said.
The US Special Operations Forces Command hasn’t always approved of conventional Army weapons programs. An example is the XM25 Counter-Defilade Target Engagement System, which was known as the Punisher.
During an operational assessment, elements of 75th Ranger Regiment refused to take XM25 with them for a raid on a fortified enemy compound in Afghanistan, according to unnamed sources.
The Rangers found the XM25 too heavy and were also concerned that the limited basic load of 25mm rounds was not enough to justify taking an M4A1 carbine out of the mission.
XM25 Punisher. Click to see full-size image
It appears, however, that the NGSW has involved special operations forces in all evaluations.
“Our operators have been in from the beginning on the soldier touch points, and we have been working very closely with [Program Executive Office] Soldier all along,” Babbitt said. “Our operators … are providing feedback to help make the weapons better.”
The NGSW’s auto rifle variant is so promising that PEO SOF Warrior may not go forward with a separate effort to develop a light machine gun chambered for 6.5mm Creedmoor, he added.
6.5mm Creedmoor. Click to see full-size image
“We have currently put our 6.5mm Creedmoor lightweight machine gun on hold pending the results of the Next Generation Squad Weapon,” Babbitt said.
The Next Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW) Program is an iterative, prototyping effort, using Middle Tier Acquisition Authority, to develop squad-level lethality to combat proliferating threats, informed by Soldiers to be operationally relevant.
The NGSW prototyping effort consists of the Rifle (NGSW-R) and Automatic Rifle (NGSW-AR) with a common 6.8mm cartridge and Fire Control (NGSW-FC) between the two systems.
The first prototype test is supposed to have ran in spring 2020, but there is no information on the matter, and it will serve as a “diagnostic test” to inform the vendors on their current performance and feed another design iteration. The second prototype test, beginning in January 2021, will inform a selection team on the performance of these systems.
Though the specifics are competition sensitive, the NGSW-R, NGSW-AR, NGSW-FC, and the 6.8mm ammunition will be compatible with all the currently fielded enablers, while providing an open Adaptive Soldier Architecture (ASA) to integrate with developing enabler programs.
The three contractors selected in 2019 — Sig Sauer, General Dynamics-OTS and Textron Systems — are expected to deliver 38 prototype rifles and 28 prototype automatic rifles along with 660,000 rounds of ammunition for testing and soldier evaluations next year, according to budget documents.
Click to see full-size image
In total, over the next five years, the Army plans to buy a mix of more than 120,000 new light machine guns and rifles.
In total, the procurement numbers show that only around a quarter of the 485,000 active-duty soldiers might get a chance to carry the weapon.
At the same time, the service is developing an advanced fire control system for the new 6.8mm rifle and automatic rifle. It’s intended to go far beyond optics currently used by soldiers on their light carbines and rifles.
The Army wants the unit to include a variable-powered optic for short and long range shooting, an integrated range finder, ballistic calculator and digital display capable of providing an adjusted aim point, according to budget documents.
And procurement for those fire control systems give a hint at how quickly the inventory of NGSW will accumulate. They want to buy nearly 4,000 next fiscal year, doubling that number for 2023 and 2024 until by fiscal year 2025 they’ve purchased a total of 121,773.
Army officials are asking for $111 million to continue prototyping the NGSW in the Fiscal Year 2021 budget request. The initial funding that the program received back in Fiscal Year 2020 was for $35.8, so for 2021 the Army is asking more than twice the amount, since it appears to be a promising program.
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A big mistake to ditch the FN minimi, it has superior quality and reliabilty. The new weapon system will be inferior and thats a 100%.
So you have access to the program and know this? Plz do enlighten us on how will it be inferior?
Just look at the M14 being ditched for the M16… FN makes the most reliable weapons in the western world, thats just a fact. If it aint FN its automatically inferior, aside from that the Minimi has a perfect design. You know what saved the M16/M4? That FN took over production for the military from Colt. They still stamp a Colt logo on it for a feel good measure, but its made by FN, thats why failure rates went down while reliabilty increased. Quality… I rest my case. FN FTW.
i can tell you have no idea what you are talking about but i will decunstruct your arugments one by one sir. 1.”Just look at the M14 being ditched for the M16…” it was a doctrinal shift from a battle rifle to a assult rifle also the M14 was obsolete even by 1960’s standars it was heavy its fullauto setting was useless it was actually less reliable then the AR10 and AR15 platforms the ony thing it had over the M16(AR15) was power and that was due to it beeing a battle rifle if compared to the AR10 its inferior in evry way.
2.”FN makes the most reliable weapons in the western world, thats just a fact. If it aint FN its automatically inferior, aside from that the Minimi has a perfect design.” that is extremely debatable the P90 F2000 and SCAR dont have a very good track record for beeing reliable,also i will just drop this on a direct copy paste from wiki on why the FN minimi is far from perfect “As part of the US military’s M249 Product Improvement Program (PIP), the M249 was updated with: a new synthetic stock and modified buffer assembly, a single-position gas regulator, a so-called birdcage type flash hider/compensator from the M16A2, a polymer barrel heat guard, and a folding carry handle. As a result, the weapon’s weight increased to 7.47 kg (16.5 lb). Many of the PIP upgrades were later incorporated by FN for the Minimi.” yea i can see how “perfect” it was it was infact so perfect it needed to incorperate the US changes.
3.”That FN took over production for the military from Colt. They still stamp a Colt logo on it for a feel good measure, but its made by FN, thats why failure rates went down while reliabilty increased.” ok this is just pulling shit out of you ass at this point you do realise that the M16/M4 are made by 8 diffrent companys and FNH USA started making them in 1991 due to the fact colt culd not keep up with orders on its own along with bushmaster and later US Ordinance…the M16’s issues wheir solved in the later years of vietnam in the early 70’s…you know 20 years before FNH even started making them…
you are an idiot i rest my case.
India has ordered sig saucer from the usa which is a pretty reliable gun , atleast better than the fake chinese ak 47. We have also made a joint defence pact with russia in which they r gonna manufacture ak 56 with indian defence companies.We have also ordered Negev guns from Israel. :D
Dumbass illiterate cunt learn some English motherfucker, all your posts are incoherent crap. What are you a ten year old retard from some shithole? India has some AK-103 and will get the new Russian AK-203 you dumb fuck ROFLMAO! AK-56 is Chinese Norinco you dumb arsehole..
The Type 56 is a Chinese 7.62×39mm rifle. It is a variant of the Soviet-designed AK-47 (specifically Type 3) and AKM rifles.
I apologize for this imposter. India used its own rifles, the INSAS assault rifle which is the standard infantry weapon of the Indian Armed Forces. The rifle will be replaced with new co-manufactured Russian Ak-203 which is high quality and more suited for our requirements.
Piss Pot PP, what is a Negev gun and Sig Saucer LOL ROFLMAO! anything like Martian made Ak-56 :) and in a saucer you drink tea you IDIOT!
SAUCER: While in the Middle Ages a saucer was used for serving condiments and sauces, currently the term is used to denote a small plate or shallow bowl that supports a cup – usually one used to serve coffee or tea.
Stop making real Indians look like fools with your ignorance, and stop claiming to be Indian as you know nothing about India.
Why bother commenting? since you are oblivious to anything Indian ;D
If it is anything like the M-16, then more lost wars :) Americunt weapons are shit like their cars.
tell me what exactly is shit about the M-16 (and at the same time plz tell me what is so bad about US automotive technilogy). If you refere to the poor reliabuilety of the M16 in vietnam that was caused by beurocrats in washingtong fucking up badly by cheaping out on improper ammo and not suplying cleaning kits.
The US forces have a problem because all their new weapon designs are chosen by washingtub lobbyists. The deeper the pockets, the better the kickbacks. That system will ultimately result in inferior everything.
Of course grunts will be told differently and have to find out the pitfalls for themselves whilst in combat. However, everyone is happy back in washingtub, and is what matters. Keeping their gravy train rolling with conflicts everywhere accept america, keeps the MIC in luxury and privilege.
US weapons are overpriced and too complex to win any asymmetrical or convention war and that is the reason the US has never won any war. Russian weapons are proven from Vietnam to Afghanistan as reliable and cost effective.
I hope that it doesn’t become necessary to implement it. I’m beginning contingency planning for bringing in an off planet defense force light recon ship with an ET specops team for use in pushing back an omnicide effort against our species.
.30-06 dangerous lifeform, antimaterial rifle
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