Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW): The US Army’s New Super Rifle?
By
Steve Balestrieri
Published
36 seconds ago
The US Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW), will soon begin its next round of testing. The US Army is looking to replace the M4 Carbine, M249 SAW, and M240 machine gun as well as the 5.56x45mm and 7.62x51mm rounds with a more lethal cartridge with a longer range. The US Army wants infantry and Special Operations units to field a new weapon starting in 2023.
NGSW: A History
The NGSW program began in 2017 after the military decided through lessons learned from U.S. troops in combat in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and other places that the 5.56 cartridge needed to be replaced as it was too light, especially with the improvements made by our adversaries in body armor protection.
The amount of equipment and associated weight that each operator carries into battle is ever-increasing. Therefore, having an advanced weapons system that is much lighter is a definite consideration.
The requirements for the replacement NGSW Rifle were simple, it had to fire the improved 6.8mm ammunition projectile.
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/01/next-generation-squad-weapon-ngsw-the-us-armys-new-super-rifle/