New Rifle for US Units

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The US Marine Corps is interested in the Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) as a potential option for ground-combat units.

The NGSW program is an iterative, prototyping effort to develop squad-level lethality to combat proliferating threats.

Army Futures Command is evaluating three prototype designs for the NGSW, which includes automatic rifle and rifle variants designed to fire a special 6.8mm projectile, capable of penetrating enemy body armor at ranges well beyond the current M855A1 5.56mm round.

According to military.com, the Army plans to select a final design for both weapons from a single company in the first quarter of 2022 and begin fielding them to an infantry brigade combat team in the first quarter of 2023.

Regarding coordination with the Army, Lt. Gen. Smith, head of Marine Corps Combat Development Command and deputy commandant for Combat Development and Integration said: “Right now, we are in step, coordinating closely with everything from the Modular Handgun System all the way up to the Next Generation Squad Weapon with the Army.”

Smith added he has not seen anything so far about the NGSW that would have to be changed to make it suitable for the Marine Corps as a naval-focused force.