XM7 rifle
| XM5 | |
|---|---|
 The XM5 rifle, based on the MCX Spear | |
| Type | Assault rifle[1] |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2022–present |
| Used by | United States Army |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 2019 |
| Manufacturer | SIG Sauer |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 8.38 lb (3.80 kg) 9.84 lb (4.46 kg) (with suppressor) 1.4 lb (0.64 kg) (loaded 20-round magazine)[2] |
| Length | 34.1 in (866 mm) 36 in (914 mm) (with suppressor)[3] |
| Barrel length | 13 in (330 mm) 15.3 in (389 mm)[4] (with suppressor) |
| Caliber | .277 Fury (6.8×51mm Common) |
| Action | Short-stroke gas-operated piston, rotating bolt[5] |
| Feed system | 20-round detachable box magazine |
The XM5 is the U.S. Army variant of the SIG MCX Spear, a 6.8×51mm (.277 in), gas-operated, magazine-fed, assault rifle[1] designed by SIG Sauer for the Next Generation Squad Weapon Program in 2022 to replace the M4 carbine. The XM5 features a free-floating reinforced M-LOK handguard for direct accessory attachment onto the "negative space" (hollow slot) mounting points.
History
In January 2019, the United States military began the Next Generation Squad Weapon Program to find replacements for the M4 carbine and M249 light machine gun. In September 2019, SIG Sauer submitted its designs.[6] The XM5 is designed to fire the 6.8×51mm (.277 in) SIG Fury cartridge in response to concerns that improvements in body armor would diminish the effectiveness of common battlefield rounds such as the 5.56×45mm NATO (used in the M4 and M249) and 7.62×51mm NATO.[1][7][8] Army Times describes this as an "intermediate caliber 6.8mm cartridge".[1] The ballistics of the .277 Fury indicate that it is likely a fully powered cartridge as it has higher chamber pressure, velocity and energy[9] on target than 7.62×51 mm NATO.[10]
On 19 April 2022, the United States Army awarded a 10-year contract to SIG Sauer to produce the XM5 rifle, along with the XM250 automatic rifle, to replace the M4 and M249, respectively;[11][12] these model numbers are the next numbers sequentially to the weapons they are to replace. The first batch of 25 XM5s and 15 XM250s are planned to be delivered in late 2023. The Army plans to procure a total of 107,000 rifles and 13,000 automatic rifles for close combat forces including infantrymen, cavalry scouts, combat engineers, forward observers and combat medics; there are no plans initially to issue the weapons to non-combat soldiers. The contract has the capacity to build additional weapons should the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Special Operations Command choose to be included.[13]
The XM5 weighs 8.38 lb (3.80 kg), or 9.84 lb (4.46 kg) with a suppressor, and has a basic combat load of 140 rounds in seven 20-round magazines weighing 9.8 lb (4.4 kg). Compared to the M4A1 weighing 6.34 lb (2.88 kg) unsuppressed with a basic combat load of 210 rounds in seven 30-round magazines weighing 7.4 lb (3.4 kg), the XM5 weighs about 2 lb (0.91 kg) more and a rifleman carries roughly a 4 lb (1.8 kg) heavier load with 70 fewer rounds.[2][4]
Operational testing of the XM5 rifle, XM250 automatic rifle, XM157 Fire Control Optic platform agnostic unit and the 6.8×51mm ammunition squad weaponry is to begin in 2024 and does not guarantee actual widespread future issue.[14]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d South, Todd (2022-04-19). "Army chooses Sig Sauer to build its Next Generation Squad Weapon". Army Times. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
The intermediate caliber 6.8mm cartridge falls between the 5.56mm, which is in the M4 and the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, and the 7.62mm round in the M240 machine gun.
- ^ a b Beynon, Steve (2 May 2022). "How Well Do the Army's New Guns Perform? That's Classified, But Soldiers Will Carry More Weight, Less Ammo". Military.com. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022.
- ^ Moss, Matthew (16 May 2022). "US Army Shares Details on Next Generation Squad Weapons". The Firearm Blog. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022.
- ^ a b Reinsch, Michael (13 May 2022). "NGSW signifies an evolution in Soldier lethality". US Army. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022.
- ^ Popenker, Maxim. "SIG Sauer NGSW-R MCX Spear XM5 assault rifle (USA)". Modern Firearms. Archived from the original on 4 June 2022.
- ^ Moss, Matthew (2022-04-19). "SIG Sauer Wins US Army Next Generation Squad Weapon Contract". Overt Defense. Archived from the original on 2022-04-20. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
- ^ Schogol, Jeff (2022-04-19). "Army selects Sig Sauer to produce Next Generation Squad Weapon and ammo". Task & Purpose. Archived from the original on 2022-05-31. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
- ^ Mizokami, Kyle (2022-04-21). "The Army's Next-Gen Infantry Weapons Will Be More Lethal and More Accurate". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on 2022-05-31. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
- ^ Langston, Jay (20 December 2019). "277 SIG Fury: SIG Sauer Unveils New Caliber with Hybrid Case Design". Archived from the original on 14 June 2021.
- ^ "277 SIG FURY [277 SIG FURY]" (PDF). SAAMI. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 May 2022.
- ^ Beynon, Steve (2022-04-19). "Army Picks Its Replacement for the M4 and SAW". Military.com. Archived from the original on 2022-05-20. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
- ^ U.S. Army Public Affairs (19 April 2022). "Army awards Next Generation Squad Weapon contract". US Army. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Smith, Todd (20 April 2022). "Army expects Next Generation Squad Weapon to get to its first unit by next year".
- ^ Parsons, Dan (2022-04-20). "Here's Everything We Now Know About The Army's New Squad Rifles". The War Zone. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
External links
