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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
TypeAssault rifle[1][2]
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service2022–present
Used byUnited States Army
Production history
Designed2019
ManufacturerSIG Sauer
Specifications
Mass8.38 lb (3.80 kg)[3]
9.84 lb (4.46 kg) (with suppressor)[4]
Length36 in (914 mm) (with suppressor)
Barrel length13 in (330 mm)[5]
Cartridge6.8×51mm (.277 in)
ActionShort-stroke gas-operated piston, rotating bolt[6]
Muzzle velocity915 m/s (3,002 ft/s)
Feed system20-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] 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 to slotted hole mounting points. The XM7 began being fielded in March 2024.[9]

History

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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] The SIG Sauer MCX-SPEAR (the rifle's commercial designation) is chambered in the 6.8×51mm (.277 in) SIG Fury cartridge in response to concerns that improvements in body armor would diminish the effectiveness of ammunition such as the 5.56×45mm NATO (for the M4 and M249) and 7.62×51mm NATO (for M240).[1][11][12] Army Times describes this as an "intermediate caliber 6.8mm cartridge".[1]

U.S. Army Fort Campbell Garrison Commander Col. Christopher Midberry aims an XM7 Next-Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) during a weapon familiarization demonstration, 25 September 2023, at Fort Campbell, Ky.

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 carbine and M249 light machine gun, respectively.[13][14] Originally the rifle was designated XM5, as the next number sequentially for the weapon it will replace.[15] In January 2023, the Army announced it would change the name of the rifle from XM5 to XM7 to avoid a trademark conflict with Colt's M5 carbine.[16]

The first batch of 25 XM7s was planned for delivery in late 2023. The Army may order 107,000 rifles over the succeeding decade for close combat forces including infantry, cavalry scouts, combat engineers, forward observers and combat medics. There are no plans to issue the weapons to non-close combat soldiers. The contract has the option to build additional weapons should the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Special Operations Command choose to be included.[15]

XM7s were delivered to the 101st Airborne Division and 75th Ranger Regiment in September 2023 for user tests.[17] Operational testing of the XM7 rifle, XM250 light machine gun, and XM157 Fire Control Optic was scheduled to begin in 2024 (at which point it would become the M7)[16] but widespread distribution was not assured.[18]

In March 2024, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division began fielding the rifle.[9]

Design

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Soldiers from Training and Doctrine Command with an XM7 rifle (near) and XM250 light machine gun (far).

The XM7 rifle weighs 8.38 lb (3.80 kg), or 9.84 lb (4.46 kg) with a suppressor. It uses SR-25 pattern magazines that hold 20 rounds in a box magazine.[7] 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 carbine 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 rifle 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.[3][19]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d South, Todd (19 April 2022). "Army chooses Sig Sauer to build its Next Generation Squad Weapon". Army Times. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2022. 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. ^ Baca, Nathan (July 18, 2022). "The US Army's new assault rifle coming to local gun stores". WUSA. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  3. ^ a b 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". Military.com. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022.
  4. ^ Moss, Matthew (16 May 2022). "US Army Shares Details on Next Generation Squad Weapons". The Firearm Blog. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022.
  5. ^ "The Next Generation Has Arrived". SIG Sauer. 19 January 2022. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  6. ^ Popenker, Maxim. "SIG Sauer NGSW-R MCX Spear XM5 assault rifle (USA)". Modern Firearms. Archived from the original on 4 June 2022.
  7. ^ a b "LANCER SYSTEMS L6SCM – Lancer Systems". Lancer Systems. Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  8. ^ a b "The Sig Sauer M5 NGSW Rifle a/k/a The MCX Spear". The Firearm Blog. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023 – via Youtube.com. [SIG] runs 20 and 25-round [6.8] Lancers in [the SPEAR] currently, but... any 7.62 [NATO] magazine interfaces with it.
  9. ^ a b Lehrfeld, Jonathan (2024-03-29). "101st Airborne first Army unit to field Next Generation Squad Weapons". Army Times. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  10. ^ Moss, Matthew (19 April 2022). "SIG Sauer Wins US Army Next Generation Squad Weapon Contract". Overt Defense. Archived from the original on 20 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  11. ^ Schogol, Jeff (19 April 2022). "Army selects Sig Sauer to produce Next Generation Squad Weapon and ammo". Task & Purpose. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  12. ^ Mizokami, Kyle (21 April 2022). "The Army's Next-Gen Infantry Weapons Will Be More Lethal and More Accurate". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  13. ^ Beynon, Steve (19 April 2022). "Army Picks Its Replacement for the M4 and SAW". Military.com. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  14. ^ "Army awards Next Generation Squad Weapon contract". U.S. Army. 19 April 2022. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022.
  15. ^ a b Smith, Todd (20 April 2022). "Army expects Next Generation Squad Weapon to get to its first unit by next year". Army Times. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  16. ^ a b South, Todd (18 January 2023). "New name selected for Army's Next Generation Squad Weapon". ArmyToday.com. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  17. ^ South, Todd (20 December 2023). "Army to field new rifle, machine gun and optic in 2024". Army Times. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024.
  18. ^ Parsons, Dan (20 April 2022). "Here's Everything We Now Know About The Army's New Squad Rifles". The Drive. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  19. ^ Reinsch, Michael (13 May 2022). "NGSW signifies an evolution in Soldier lethality". U.S. Army. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022.
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