Goodbye M4 and SAW: The Army’s Revolutionary Transition to the XM5 Rifle and XM250 Machine Gun
In a major effort to modernize its small-arms inventory, the U.S. Army has signed a 10-year, $20.4 million contract with Sig Sauer to introduce the XM5 Rifle and the XM250 Automatic Rifle. Announced in 2023, this deal will gradually replace the long-serving M4 rifle and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon as the Army’s standard-issue firearms.
FORT BENNING, Ga. – Soldiers of the 4th Ranger Training Battalion, Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade, demonstrate the U.S. Army’s newest weapon during a Rangers in Action Ceremony September 16, 2022, at Victory Pond, Fort Benning, Georgia. The XM5 Rifle will replace the M4/M4A1 carbine within the close combat force. 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. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick A. Albright, Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning Public Affairs)
The new weapons, which will fire the 6.8mm ammunition, are designed to provide soldiers with increased accuracy, lethality, and protection against emerging threats. As an Army spokesperson stated, “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.”
This comes after a 27-month-long evaluation period, in which other defense contractors, such as General Dynamics, were among those seriously competing to be the primary supplier for the Army of small arms. It was a clear decision to award the contract for these high-stake weapon systems to Sig Sauer because the company can meet the Army’s very demanding requirements.
The Vortex Optics XM157 Fire Control optic will eventually sport a home on both the XM5 and XM250. This high-tech optic will include laser rangefinder, ballistic calculator, visible and infrared lasers, and even a compass that give Soldiers very effective targeting capabilities.
Though the total number of weapons the Army now intends to buy during the 10-year contract is not definite, it has asked for 29,046 new weapons in its proposed budget for 2023. Approval of that request by Congress will need to come before the full transition gets underway.
US Marine Corps (USMC) Marine attending the Small Arms Weapons Instructor Course prepares to fire the 5.56mm M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) on the range at Marine Corps Base (MCB) Quantico, Virginia (VA).
Which is to say, the move to replace the M4 and SAW is a huge shift in the small arms strategy taken by the Army, indicative of the changing character of modern warfare and the necessity to arm soldiers with more capable and lethal weapons. As the Army moves forward, it’s going to be critical to make the transition smooth and effective, the kind that allows soldiers to easily adjust to a new set of firearms and thus maximize their application in operations on the battlefield.
CAMP KOREA VILLAGE, Iraq (May 15, 2007) – Sergeant Christopher L. Mc Cabe fires his rifle during monthly range training here May 15. The Marines and sailors of Detachment 1, Combat Logistics Battalion 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward), provide necessities and services to coalition forces throughout the area of operations. Mc Cabe, a Bellaire, Ohio, native, is the staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the maintenance section, Det 1, CLB-2, 2nd MLG (Fwd). (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Thomas J. Griffith)
It’s the most radical choice in U.S. Army small arms since the XM5 Rifle and XM250 Automatic Rifle prepared for the future as standard issue.
Related images you might be interested.
050323-F-9629D-056 Private First Class Michael Freise, 1st Battalion, 72nd Armor Regiment fires an M-4 rifle during a reflex firing exercise at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex, Republic of Korea on March 23, 2005. Soldiers from the 1-72nd supported 1st Squadron, 1st Calvary Regiment, deployed from Germany, during Reception, Staging, Onward movement, and Integration/Foal Eagle exercises (RSO&I/Foal Eagle). RSO&I is a complex multi-phase exercise conducted annually, tailored to train, test, and demonstrate United States and Republic of Korea (ROK) Force projection and deployment capabilities. Foal Eagle exercise runs simultaneously and trains in all aspects of Combined Forces Command’s mission. (U.S. Air Force Photo By: Staff Sgt. Suzanne M. Day)(Released)
050323-F-9629D-056
A shell casing flies out with a trail of smoke as U.S. Army Pfc. Michael Freise fires an M-4 rifle during a reflex firing exercise at the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex, Republic of Korea, on March 23, 2005. Freise is attached to the 1st Battalion, 72nd Armor Regiment, which is taking part in exercises Reception, Staging, Onward movement, and Integration/Foal Eagle. The annual, multi-phase exercise is tailored to train, test, and demonstrate U.S. and Republic of Korea force projection and deployment capabilities. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Suzanne M. Day, U.S. Air Force. (Released)A sniper with the 1/505 Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, sights potential enemy targets moving along the rooftop of a nearbye building during a cordon and search in Al Fallujah, Iraq, March 4, 2004. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Charles B. Johnson, U.S. Army. (Released)
