--- title: "The Army Is Finally About To Get Its Hands On Some Next-Generation Rifle Prototypes" description: "The Army has issued a formal call for industry partners to send in their prototypes for the Next Generation Squad Weapon program, a major step towards finally testing out a replacement for the M4 carbine and M249 squad automatic weapon" date: "2019-01-31" modified: "2019-01-31" authors: - name: "Jared Keller" job_title: "Former Managing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/jaredkeller/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-next-gen-rifle/" categories: - "Army" - "Guns" - "Military Branches" - "News" - "Tech & Tactics" - "Weapons" --- # The Army Is Finally About To Get Its Hands On Some Next-Generation Rifle Prototypes ![]() The Army has issued a formal call for industry partners to [send in their prototypes]() for the Next Generation Squad Weapon program, a major step towards finally testing out a replacement for the M4 carbine and M249 squad automatic weapon. On Wednesday, Army Contracting Command dropped a [formal]() Prototype Project Opportunity Notice calling on industry partners to send in two variants — the Next Generation Squad Weapon-Rifle (NGSW-R) and the Next Generation Squad Weapon-Automatic Rifle (NGSW-AR) —chambered in 6.8 mm ahead of a 27-month prototyping period. While the Army had previously issued a draft notice in October ahead of the formal PPON, the formal notice provides more details regarding what PEO Soldier engineers are looking for in the next-generation platform. Those details include: - "a flash hider, removable suppressor (with or without flash hider installed), and a tool for suppressor removal after firing or for maintenance" - a tactical carrying sling "with quick release attachments" - a fire control mechanism with positions for safe, semi-auto, and fully-automatic firing modes - resistance to extreme conditions ranging from environmental phenomena to CBRN contaminants - magazines that are interchangeable between both the NGSW-R and the NGSW-AR 2015 CAD concept of what NGSW might look likeU.S. Army/The Firearm Blog Like the Army's stab at a 7.62mm Intermediate Combat Service Rifle, the NGSW program hasn't been without drama. Several companies, including General Dynamics, Sig Sauer, and Textron Systems, [received]() separate Army contracts in July 2018. When the draft PON notice dropped the following October, some military observers suspected that the service was [rebooting]() the program entirely, a suspicion the Army [denied](). "This \[October draft NGSW PON\] does not impact the six contracts awarded to the five contractors on June 25, 2018," Army Contracting Command [told]() The Firearm Blog. "The new NGSW PON will not replace the Next Generation Squad Automatic Rifle (NGSAR) system demonstrator awards." Translation: the Army is casting a wide net for its next rifle. And with good reason! Indeed, the Army bailed on the ICSR program and even [declined]() to follow the Marine Corps' lead on adopting the M27 Infantry Automatic Weapons for a simple reason: It wants to engineer its own unique, effective rifle to accompany soldiers downrange for the foreseeable future, an effort that's likely getting a lot of input from the Close Combat Lethality Task Force that is [currently rethinking]() infantry combat. But that doesn't mean that the Army can't start testing those prototypes now: PEO Soldier chief Brig. Gen. Anthony Potts [told]() Military Times that the NGSW-AR should end up in soldiers' hands on the firing line for testing by summer 2019. ### SEE ALSO: The Army Wants To Try Out Next-Generation Rifle Prototypes Sooner Than You Think ### WATCH NEXT: The M4 Carbine In Slow Motion ## Author Jared Keller is the former managing editor of Task & Purpose. His writing has appeared in Aeon, the Los Angeles Review of Books, the New Republic, Pacific Standard, Smithsonian, and The Washington Post, among other publications. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Facebook]() [LinkedIn]() [Instagram]()