Compact But Powerful Machine Gun Sought

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A new US Army initiative aims to produce a smart, ultra-compact weapon design for specific missions. This discreet and easy-to-conceal weapon will also enable a soldier to be fast and agile to stop any threat. In spite of being light and small for a machine gun, ideally, it will not compromise on overwhelming firepower and accuracy. Yet its goal is to minimize collateral damage.

The “Sub Compact Weapon” would significantly boost the amount of firepower soldiers have at their fingertips to respond to a threat against individuals who are particularly attractive targets to terrorists, for example, according to foxnews.com. High-Risk Personnel – such as the Secretary of Defense or Chairman of Joint Chiefs for example – can be particularly attractive targets for enemy forces.

When someone is designated High-Risk Personnel, the military provides Personal Security Details. Soldiers defending HRP need to have the right weapons to defend and protect them whether it is a large, heavily armed force attempting a hostage taking, a few highly skilled enemies attempting assassination or any other sort of attack.

Earlier this year, the Army put out a bat signal to the tactical sector looking for an entirely new weapon. The Army asked for smart innovation to solve a need for a 9mm subcompact weapon that was fully automatic. Six companies were chosen to devise a prototype of this new weapon. The Sig Sauer Rattler was one featured weapon that drew crowds. The Rattler has already caught the eye of US Special Operations who purchased some earlier this year.

There are several features on the new Army weapon wish list. The new design will be fully automatic with the option for the user to select semi-automatic as well.

Soldiers are familiar with Picatinny rails on their weapons, used for accessories like scopes, for example, and the Army would like one on this new weapon as well.

In addition to the weapon itself, the Army expects potential new weapon makers to provide the accessories, e.g. suppressors and magazines.

The weapon must be compatible with 9×19 mm military grade ammunition. Opting for 9mm rounds rather than 5.56mm could assist in reducing overpenetration and thus collateral damage. If there is a situation where rapid fire against attacking enemy forces is required in a building populated by civilians, for example, then the 9mm rounds may not penetrate the walls. This reduces the likelihood that the civilian in a room next door being tragically hit by a bullet.

While pistols may not provide enough firepower to match the threat, rifles can provide better lethality but are not always ideal for maximum concealment. Army PSDs would be able to leverage these new sub compact automatic machine guns that are powerful while also extremely concealable – at least more so than current options.