Sig Sauer awarded 10-year Next Generation Squad Weapon contract from U.S. Army

On April 19, 2022, the U.S. Army announced that after 27 months of prototyping and evaluation, the winner of a 10-year firm-fixed-price follow-on production contract would be Sig Sauer, Inc. The company has been tasked to manufacture and deliver two Next Generation Squad Weapons, the XM5 rifle & the XM250 automatic rifle as well as the 6.8 Common Cartridge Family of Ammunition.

Courtesy of Sig Sauer.

The $20.4 million contract will put XM5s and XM250s in the hands of tens of thousands of soldiers and will become the standard replacement for the M4/M4A1 carbine rifle and the M249 SAW.

Both rifles will be paired with the XM157 fire control by Vortex Optics. The XM157 fire control came to fruition from a similar 10-year production contract with the U.S. Army and is fascinating by itself. It integrates a variable magnification optic (1-8x30), a backup etched reticle, laser rangefinder, ballistic calculator, atmospheric sensor suite, compass, Intra-Soldier Wireless, visible and infrared aiming lasers, and a digital display overlay.

The XM157 by Vortex Optics.

For more info on the XM157 and its development, check out this Vortex Nation podcast.

The Army has also made the decision to switch from 5.56 mm ammo to 6.8mm ammo, after a long search for a cartridge better designed for penetrating body armor. Both firearms will fire Sig 6.8x51 FURY Hybrid ammunition which has been designed to handle higher pressures which will result in significantly increased velocities and on-target energies.

SIG 6.8x51 FURY Hybrid Ammunition by Sig Sauer. Courtesy of Sig Sauer.

"The new ammunition includes multiple types of tactical and training rounds that increase accuracy and are more lethal against emerging threats than both the 5.56mm and 7.62mm ammunition," an Army spokesperson said in a press release.

According to Sig, each weapon will also be coupled with a Sig SLX suppressor as standard issue which could speak volumes in the long run on the advancement of hearing protection legislation.

Sig Sauer has made available to the consumer a variant of the XM5 (the MCX-Spear rifle), the 6.8 FURY round (Sig 277 FURY Hybrid ammunition), and the Sig SLX series of suppressors as well as a hefty MSRP. Overall, great look for Sig Sauer.