Sig Sauer has been picked by the Army to make replacements for the service’s growing older M4 rifle and M249 Squad Automated Weapon, however it can seemingly take practically a decade for models to begin seeing the brand new weapons. And protection officers are holding many main particulars near the chest in regards to the weapons that greater than 100 thousand troopers will haul everywhere in the world.
The brand new weapons would be the XM5 Rifle, set to exchange the M4; and the XM250, which is changing the SAW. They are going to be renamed the M5 and M250 as they make their solution to their first Army unit close to the top of 2023.
Army officers have touted the efficiency of Sig Sauer’s weapons and ammunition, however particulars are scarce on probably the most fundamental metrics of why these weapons could be higher for front-line troops.
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The brand new weapons are supposed to be issued solely to front-line troops: infantry, cavalry scouts, fight engineers, medics, ahead observers and particular operations, Brig. Gen. Larry Burris Jr., director of the Future Soldier Lethality Cross Practical Group, advised reporters throughout a press convention Wednesday.
In all, that’s about 121,000 troopers. The Army is ready to purchase 107,000 of the brand new rifles and 13,000 machine weapons for these combat-arms troops throughout the energetic responsibility and the Nationwide Guard.
But it surely might be practically a decade, possibly longer, till all of these troops are issued these contemporary weapons. That’s principally because of the Army having to construct a brand new facility to provide the brand new 6.8mm ammunition. Each the M4 and SAW used 5.56mm, and this would be the first time in additional than 60 years the service has transitioned to a brand new ammunition for its major weapons. Sig Sauer will produce ammunition till the Army can get its personal facility working — anticipated to occur round 2026 — to mass-produce the brand new spherical.
In the course of the press convention on the Pentagon, it was unclear whether or not the brand new ammo might penetrate Stage IV physique armor, which is a standard-issue protecting physique armor for U.S. troops and could be anticipated to be worn by future adversaries, given the Army’s refocus to coaching for standard warfare.
“I can not get into the specifics of what functionality [the ammo will] present,” Burris advised reporters. “But it surely does present larger vitality in opposition to protected and non-protected targets. But it surely’s a a lot larger functionality.”
Officers additionally declined to reveal the vary at which each weapons can have interaction targets. The M4, the Army’s present standard-issue rifle, can successfully have interaction targets at 500 meters. The SAW can suppress at roughly 800 meters. Something much less might be a devastating blow to Army fight ways and capabilities in comparison with potential adversaries.
Officers additionally declined to reply Army.com’s query about how a lot every of the weapons weighs. A soldier have to be able to touring lengthy distances on foot, so even minor additions to the burden they carry will be crushing.
Army.com held every of the weapons. The brand new rifle weighed significantly greater than the M4 with none attachments and appeared way more cumbersome, elevating questions on how simply troops can maneuver their weapons in autos and different tight situations — akin to city fight. The SAW’s alternative was noticeably lighter.
The preliminary fielding will likely be small. It is a part of Sig Sauer’s preliminary $20.4 million contract, which buys solely about 40 weapons — sufficient to arm a platoon of troopers. For comparability, the Army spent no less than 4 occasions that fielding train gear for its new health check. That first wave of cash for Sig Sauer can be being put towards logistics to get mass manufacturing up and working. It’s unclear which unit will get the preliminary batch of weapons.
In 2026, when the Army has its ammunition plant up and working, combat-arms models will begin seeing the brand new weapons, based on officers. However there isn’t any concrete timeline.
There isn’t any plan to situation the brand new weapon to non-combat arms troops, who will stick to the M4 and SAW for no less than the remainder of the last decade.
— Steve Beynon will be reached at Steve.Beynon@army.com. Observe him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.
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