The Army's New Squad Rifle Could Do Everything (Or Be a Total Flop)

Caleb Larson

Security,

The Army needs a new gun to replace the M4 and M249 SAW. It might not be so easy.

The U.S. Army is looking for across-the-board replacements for the M4 and M249 SAW platforms with a pair of new rifles, the NGSW-R (for Rifle), and NGSW-AR (for Automatic Rifle). These replacements under development are to be lighter than their predecessors, hit harder, have a longer range, and be capable of penetrating body armor that the M4 and M249 SAW predecessors are not able to.

The Army has stipulated that all entrants in the NGSW competition should be chambered in an intermediate 6.8mm round. Aside from the diameter, the details of the round are up to the individual manufacturers. This would be a significant break from the US/NATO standard and fall in between the previous NATO 5.56mm and NATO 7.62mm rounds. The goal would be to field them by 2021.

The Army is looking for a dizzying amalgamation of electronics as well, including facial recognition and an electronic fire-control system. Yep, they’d need batteries.

General Dynamics & True Velocity

General Dynamics has partnered with True Velocity, a Texas-based ammunition manufacturer and is developing its NGSW contenders around the True Velocity’s composite polymer ammunition. According to True Velocity’s website, their polymer ammunition casing weighs 30 percent less than traditional brass casings.

Both of General Dynamics’s entrants in the NGSW program are bullpup designs, meaning magazines are loaded behind the trigger and action. Bullpups benefit from having a longer barrel and thus higher muzzle velocity and longer effective range than the current AR-based rifle designs all in a more compact package.