#XM250

Photo Of The Day and we take a look at some of the most modern hand-held firearms and gear available today. The location is Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), which is a major United States Army installation located in Harford County, Maryland, near the town of Aberdeen. Established in 1917, it serves as one of the Army's oldest active proving grounds, with a primary mission focused on the research, development, testing, and evaluation of weapons, equipment, and technology.

Photo Of The Day – To the horizon and beyond. Just the other day, I had the pleasure of unboxing a new rifle. The wait has been a long one, and the journey to pick it up as well, and my excitement was hard to hide. However, it must be close to nothing compared to what these soldiers are experiencing as they’re unpacking the Next Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW) system, in all its glory including optics and suppressors. 

Photo Of The Day and this image wins the Internet today. Just take a look at the heat coming out from the suppressor. Out with the 5.56 mm and in with the 6.8 mm! The image was taken during the U.S. Army Cold Regions Test Center, where a multiweek test of the Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) was staged earlier this year.

It’s because of images like these that TFB’s Photo Of The Day exists. Above you see a Ranger with the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, as he engages targets during squad live fire (blank iteration), while operationally testing the Next Generation Squad Weapon-Rifle (NGSW-AR) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

On 19 April the US Army announced the selection of SIG Sauer’s entries into the Next Generation Squad Weapons program. Despite an official announcement and a media event to unveil the weapons to the press, details on weight, loadout and capabilities have been scarce.

On 19 April, the US Army  announced that SIG Sauer had won the Next Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW) competition with its 6.8mm hybrid ammunition, MCX Spear and LMG-6.8 selected to equip the US Army’s close combat forces. The Department of Defense held a Media Round Table  event at the Pentagon discussing the NGSW program and how the newly selected weapon systems will be produced, procured, integrated and fielded.

We, here at TFB, have been closely following the US Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon program since it began back in 2018. Today, it has been announced that SIG Sauer have won the contract to provide both the NGSW-Rifle and NGSW-Automatic Rifle. An initial delivery order contract worth $20.4 million has been awarded. SIG’s MCX 6.8 Spear will be designated the XM5 Rifle and the LMG-6.8 belt-fed will be designated the XM250 – designations directly following on from the M4/M4A1 Carbine and M249 SAW which the new weapons will replace. SIG’s selection means that the US Army’s new 6.8mm round will be based on a hybrid metallic case, not the polymer-based design developed by True Velocity.