FN America has confirmed in a Press Release that they have been chosen to produce two prototypes for the Next Generation Squad Automatic Rifle program (NGSAR).

TFB’s Matthew touched on the subject recently, where the US Army said they has identified five potential contestants for prototype development.

Weight reduction is a focus. Machine Guns and weight reduction is a bit of a contradiction, one part of the idea is for them to be heavy and reliable. But unless you’re John James Rambo and have to carry the firearm and all the ammunition, I think the average soldier is going to like the idea of less weight all day long.

FN HAMR

One of the firearms is confirmed as the FN HAMR, which TFB covered recently. If you read the article it might not be a coincidence as we read these news, and understand how things have developed.

FN HAMR

The other firearm is going to be an undisclosed (and perhaps undeveloped) Lightweight Machine Gun.

You can find FN’s current line of Machine Guns here, it may contain some ideas.

The Press Release below:

FN DOWN-SELECTED TO PRODUCE TWO PROTOTYPE OPTIONS FOR U.S ARMY NEXT GENERATION SQUAD AUTOMATIC RIFLE PROGRAM

(McLean, VA – July 16, 2018) FN America, LLC is pleased to announce that the company has been awarded contracts to produce two prototypes under the Prototype Opportunity Notice (PON) 1 for the U.S. Army’s Next Generation Squad Automatic Rifle program, commonly referred to as NGSAR.

The company can confirm earlier speculation that one of the submissions is a lightweight machine gun and the other is the FN HAMR™, a heat adaptive modular rifle.

The Army has specified a need for a prototype rifle weighing less than 12 pounds, including a 20-percent reduction in weight of ammunition and fire control unit.

To deliver against the two awarded contracts, FN has partnered with industry-leading organizations such as Federal Cartridge Company (FCC) to utilize emerging technologies to enhance lethality of FN’s NGSAR contenders and offer a complete systems solution.

Throughout history, FN has played a pivotal role in designing and delivering machine guns to the U.S. military, including the FN M249 SAW, and is poised to deliver a solution that is truly next generation.

For more information on FN Americas’ military product line check www.fnamerica.com.