NEWINGTON, N.H., (April 20, 2022) – SIG SAUER is honored to be awarded the Next Generation Squad Weapons System (NGSW) Contract by the U.S. Army after a rigorous 27-month testing and evaluation process.
“The U.S. Army is taking a bold step toward command of the 21st-century battlefield and SIG SAUER is immensely proud to be the selected provider for this historic revolution in infantry weapons. The fielding of the SIG SAUER Next Generation Squad Weapons System will forever change the dynamic of military engagement for America’s warfighters with American innovation and manufacturing,” began Ron Cohen, President and CEO SIG SAUER, Inc.
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The SIG FURY Hybrid Ammunition (6.8 Common Cartridge), SIG-LMG (XM250), SIG MCX-SPEAR Rifle (XM5), and SIG SLX Suppressors meaningfully advance soldier weapons technology to meet the emerging requirements of the U.S. Army.
The SIG 6.8×51 FURY Hybrid Ammunition uses a patented lightweight metallic case designed to handle pressures higher than conventional ammunition, resulting in dramatically increased velocity and on-target energy in lighter weapons.
The SIG-LMG lightweight belt-fed machine gun and SIG MCX-SPEAR Rifle are purpose-built to harness the energy of the SIG FURY 6.8 Common Cartridge Ammunition enabling greater range and increased lethality while reducing the soldier’s load on the battlefield. Both the SIG-LMG and MCX-SPEAR deliver significant weapon and technology advancements to the soldier and provide a solution for battlefield overmatch in comparison to the current M249 and M4/M4A1.
The U.S. Army’s procurement of the NGSW System marks the beginning of an era where combat weapons are coupled with a suppressor as standard issue equipment. The SIG SLX Suppressors are designed to reduce harmful gas backflow, sound signature, and flash. SIG SLX Suppressors feature a patented quick-detach design for easy installation and removal.
“We commend U.S. Army leadership for having the vision to undertake this historic procurement process to deliver a transformational weapon system to our warfighters. This award is the culmination of a successful collaboration between SIG SAUER and the U.S. Army, and we look forward to the continuing partnership,” concluded Cohen.
SIG SAUER is a company that is driven by innovation and we are proud to offer the advancements of the NGSW System in the SIG 277 FURY Hybrid Ammunition (the commercial variant of the SIG 6.8×51 FURY Ammunition round), SIG MCX-SPEAR Rifle, and the SIG SLX Series of Suppressors available to the consumer. For more information about these products visit sigsauer.com.
Army Announces 2 New Rifles for Close-Combat Soldiers
April 20, 2022 | By C. Todd Lopez, Department of Defense
The Army recently awarded a contract to manufacturer Sig Saur for two new Soldier weapons: the XM5 rifle and the XM250 automatic rifle. For Soldiers involved in close-quarters combat, the XM5 will eventually replace the M4/M4A1 carbine rifle, while the XM250 will replace the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon.
Additionally, both new rifles will use the new 6.8mm common cartridge family of ammunition as well as a new fire control system.
“We should note that this is the first time … in 65 years the Army will field a new weapon system of this nature: a rifle, an automatic rifle, a fire control system, and a new caliber family of ammunition,” Army Brig. Gen. Larry Q. Burris, the Soldier Lethality Cross-Functional Team director, said.
The new system also arrived much quicker than anticipated, Burris said.
“This is revolutionary, and we arrived at this point in record time because we leveraged middle-tier of acquisition rapid fielding authorities to enable speed and flexibility in defining requirements,” he said.
Burris said the Army was able to do in 27 months what might otherwise have taken anywhere from eight to ten years.
It’s expected that the first unit of soldiers involved in close-quarters combat will be equipped with the new system in the fourth quarter of 2023, Burris said. Soldiers involved in close-quarters combat include 11B infantrymen, 19D cavalry scouts,12B combat engineers, 68W medics, and 13F forward observers.
“The fielding of the weapon is based upon ammunition production,” Burris said. “As the vendor is able to produce ammunition, and then Lake City ultimately comes on, what we don’t want to do is field a capability to a unit where we don’t have training ammunition or contingency ammunition, if required. That’s what drives the fielding of the weapons.”
Brig. Gen. William M. Boruff, the program executive officer, Joint Program Executive Office, Armaments and Ammunition, said the new 6.8mm ammunition will initially be produced by Sig Saur, but that the Army will eventually take over production of ammunition at Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Missouri. After that, Sig Saur will become a second-source provider of the new ammunition.
“We already have started preparing the site for the new building,” Boruff said. “The new building will be stood up in Lake City Army Ammunition Plant and it will start producing around 25/26. We’ll work with Sig Saur. We’re clearing some space now at the Lake City facility to start production.”
When the time comes, Boruff said, the Army will have enough of the new ammunition to begin fielding the new rifles.
“The capability increase that these weapons provide over the M4 and the M249 is what’s really exciting,” Col. Scott Madore, the project manager for Soldier Lethality, said. “It’s a significant change: the way it fires, the way, when you apply the fire control — which was previously awarded back in January — when you apply that to these weapons systems, it improves or increases the probability of a for the individual soldier. It reduces aim error, and it’s a game-changer. That’s really what excites me about these two systems as we saw them go through testing.”
Burris also said that in addition to improved accuracy, the new system also provides greater energy on the target.
The XM5 weighs about two pounds more than the M4 it will replace, Madore said, while the XM250 weighs about four pounds less than the M249.
The initial ten-year contract with Sig Saur allows for up to 250,000 weapons to be purchased, but that allows for other services, such as the Marines, to also be fielded the weapons if they express interest.
For the Army’s close-combat and special operations forces, about 120,000 weapons will be needed.
The new rifles will be paired with the XM157 Fire Control system, which will increase accuracy and lethality for the close-combat force. The XM157 integrates, among other things, a variable magnification optic, backup etched reticle, laser rangefinder, ballistic calculator, atmospheric sensor suite, compass, visible and infrared aiming lasers, and a digital display overlay.
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