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XM7 rifle

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"XM5" redirects here. For other uses, see XM 5 (disambiguation).
XM7
XM7 U.S. Army 6.8mm rifle
Type Assault rifle[1]
Place of origin United States
Service history
In service 2022–present
Used by United States Army
Production history
Designed 2019
Manufacturer SIG Sauer
Specifications
Mass 8.38 lb (3.80 kg)[2]
9.84 lb (4.46 kg) (with suppressor)[3]
Length 36 in (914 mm) (with suppressor)
Barrel length 13 in (330 mm)[4]
Cartridge 6.8×51mm
Caliber .277 Fury (6.8×51mm Common)
Action Short-stroke gas-operated piston, rotating bolt[5]
Muzzle velocity 1,200 m/s (3,937 ft/s)[6]
Effective firing range 600 m (656 yd)[6]
Feed system 20-round detachable SR-25 pattern box magazine[7]
25-round detachable SR-25 pattern box magazine[8] (optional)

The XM7, previously known as the XM5, is the U.S. Army variant of the SIG MCX Spear, a 6.8×51mm (.277 in), gas-operated, magazine-fed, assault rifle[1][9] designed by SIG Sauer for the Next Generation Squad Weapon Program in 2022 to replace the M4 carbine. The XM7 features a free-floating reinforced M-LOK handguard for direct accessory attachment onto the "negative space" (hollow slot) mounting points.

History[]

In January 2019, the United States Army began the Next Generation Squad Weapon Program to find replacements for the M4 carbine and M249 light machine gun. In September 2019, SIG Sauer submitted its designs.[10] SIG Sauer MCX-SPEAR is chambered in 6.8×51mm (.277 in) SIG Fury cartridge in response to concerns that improvements in body armor would diminish the effectiveness of currently used ammunition such as the 5.56×45mm NATO (used in the M4 and M249) and 7.62×51mm NATO.[1][11][12] Army Times describes this as an "intermediate caliber 6.8mm cartridge".[1] The ballistics of the .277 Fury indicate that it is likely a fully powered cartridge as it has higher chamber pressure, velocity and energy[13] on target than 7.62×51 mm NATO.[14]

On 19 April 2022, the Army awarded a 10-year contract to SIG Sauer to produce the XM7 rifle, along with the XM250 light machine gun, to replace the M4 and M249, respectively.[15][16] Originally the rifle was designated the XM5, as the names were chosen as the next numbers sequentially to the weapons they will replace,[17] but in January 2023 the Army announced it was changing the name of the rifle from XM5 to XM7 to avoid a trademark conflict with Colt's M5 carbine.[18]

The first batch of 25 XM7s is planned to be delivered in late 2023. The Army plans to procure a total of 107,000 rifles for close combat forces including infantry, cavalry scouts, combat engineers, forward observers and combat medics; there are no plans initially to issue the weapons to non-close combat soldiers. The contract has the capacity to build additional weapons should the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Special Operations Command choose to be included.[17]

Design[]

2022 09 16 Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade Rangers in Action demonstration and Graduation 200609-A-YH902-002

Army Rangers with XM7 rifles

The XM7 weighs 8.38 lb (3.80 kg), or 9.84 lb (4.46 kg) with a suppressor. It uses SR-25 pattern magazine that holds 20 rounds in a box magazine[7] and an optional 25-round box magazine is also available.[8] The proposed combat ammunition load for each soldier will be 140 total rounds, distributed across seven 20-round magazines, in total weighing 9.8 lb (4.4 kg). Compared to the M4A1 weighing 6.34 lb (2.88 kg) unsuppressed with a basic combat load of 210 rounds in seven 30-round magazines in total weighing 7.4 lb (3.4 kg), the XM7 weighs about 2 lb (0.91 kg) more and each soldier carries roughly a 4 lb (1.8 kg) heavier load with 70 fewer rounds.[2][19]

Operational testing of the XM7 rifle, the XM250 automatic rifle, and the XM157 Fire Control Optic platform agnostic unit and the 6.8×51mm ammunition squad weaponry is set to begin in 2024 and does not guarantee actual widespread future issue.[20]

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 South, Todd (2022-04-19). "Army chooses Sig Sauer to build its Next Generation Squad Weapon". https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2022/04/19/army-chooses-sig-sauer-to-build-its-next-generation-squad-weapon/. "The intermediate caliber 6.8mm cartridge falls between the 5.56mm, which is in the M4 and the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, and the 7.62mm round in the M240 machine gun." 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Beynon, Steve (2 May 2022). "How Well Do the Army's New Guns Perform? That's Classified, But Soldiers Will Carry More Weight, Less Ammo". https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/05/02/how-well-do-armys-new-guns-perform-thats-classified-soldiers-will-carry-more-weight-less-ammo.html. 
  3. ↑ Moss, Matthew (16 May 2022). "US Army Shares Details on Next Generation Squad Weapons". https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2022/05/16/us-army-shares-details-next-generation-squad-weapons/. 
  4. ↑ "The Next Generation Has Arrived". Sig Sauer. https://www.sigsauer.com/blog/now-shipping-the-incredible-new-mcx-spear-rifle. 
  5. ↑ Popenker, Maxim. "SIG Sauer NGSW-R MCX Spear XM5 assault rifle (USA)". https://modernfirearms.net/en/assault-rifles/u-s-a-assault-rifles/ngsw-r-sig-mcx-spear-2/. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Next Generation Squad Weapon-Rifle 6.8mm Assault Rifle". Army Recognition. https://www.armyrecognition.com/united_states_us_army_light_and_heavy_weapons_uk/xm7_ngsw-r_xm5_sig_mcx_spear_6.8mm_assault_rifle_data.html. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "LANCER SYSTEMS L6SCM – Lancer Systems" (in en-US). Archived from the original. Error: If you specify |archiveurl=, you must also specify |archivedate=. https://web.archive.org/web/20230415095034/https://lancer-systems.com/product/lancer-systems-l6scm/. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "The US Army’s new Service Rifle - The SIG SPEAR / NGSW XM5" (in en). Archived from the original. Error: If you specify |archiveurl=, you must also specify |archivedate=. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/GEf3ZlUkOCg. 
  9. ↑ Camacho, Mario Samuel (2022-09-27). "Will SIG Sauer’s XM5 Top the M4 Carbine?" (in en). Archived from the original. Error: If you specify |archiveurl=, you must also specify |archivedate=. https://web.archive.org/web/20221209103724/https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/will-sig-sauer%E2%80%99s-xm5-top-m4-carbine-205025. 
  10. ↑ Moss, Matthew (2022-04-19). "SIG Sauer Wins US Army Next Generation Squad Weapon Contract" (in en-CA). https://www.overtdefense.com/2022/04/19/sig-sauer-wins-us-army-next-generation-squad-weapon-contract/. 
  11. ↑ Schogol, Jeff (2022-04-19). "Army selects Sig Sauer to produce Next Generation Squad Weapon and ammo" (in en-US). https://taskandpurpose.com/military-tech/army-selects-sig-sauer-next-generation-squad-weapon/. 
  12. ↑ Mizokami, Kyle (2022-04-21). "The Army's Next-Gen Infantry Weapons Will Be More Lethal and More Accurate" (in en-US). https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a39774920/army-next-gen-infantry-weapons/. 
  13. ↑ Langston, Jay (20 December 2019). "277 SIG Fury: SIG Sauer Unveils New Caliber with Hybrid Case Design". https://www.tactical-life.com/gear/ammo/277-sig-fury-hybrid-case-design/. 
  14. ↑ "277 SIG FURY [277 SIG FURY"]. 23 September 2020. https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/277-Sig-Public-Introduction-Orig-2020-11-11.pdf. 
  15. ↑ Beynon, Steve (2022-04-19). "Army Picks Its Replacement for the M4 and SAW" (in en-US). https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/04/19/army-picks-its-replacement-m4-and-saw.html. 
  16. ↑ U.S. Army Public Affairs (19 April 2022). "Army awards Next Generation Squad Weapon contract". https://www.army.mil/article/255827/army_awards_next_generation_squad_weapon_contract.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Smith, Todd (20 April 2022). "Army expects Next Generation Squad Weapon to get to its first unit by next year". https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2022/04/20/army-expects-next-generation-squad-weapon-to-get-to-its-first-unit-by-next-year/. 
  18. ↑ South, Todd (2023-01-18). "New name selected for Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon" (in en). https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2023/01/18/new-name-selected-for-armys-next-generation-squad-weapon/. 
  19. ↑ Reinsch, Michael (13 May 2022). "NGSW signifies an evolution in Soldier lethality". https://www.army.mil/article/256697/ngsw_signifies_an_evolution_in_soldier_lethality. 
  20. ↑ Parsons, Dan (2022-04-20). "Here's Everything We Now Know About The Army's New Squad Rifles" (in en-US). https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/heres-everything-we-now-know-about-the-armys-new-squad-rifles. 

External links[]

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