Textron To Develop Squad Automatic Rifle Prototype For Army BCTs
BY Herschel Smith
6 years, 4 months ago
The US Army has awarded a new contract to aerospace and defence manufacturing firm Textron Systems to develop a functional prototype for the Next Generation Squad Automatic Rifle (NGSAR) programme.
Textron’s prototype could be used to replace the army’s light machine gun, the M249 squad automatic weapon (SAW), in the Brigade Combat Teams (BCT).
The scope of the contract involves the development and delivery of a new system demonstrator, which would be based on Textron Systems’ current portfolio of Cased-Telescoped (CT) weapons and ammunition.
The company intends to produce a high-velocity, magazine-fed system of an intermediate caliber.
A new automatic rifle with a new ammunition from a manufacturer who has no history making guns. I’m sure this will work out well.
On July 17, 2018 at 12:54 am, Dan said:
History is replete with multiple examples of military contracts being awarded to people and companies based NOT on ability but upon favoritism, nepotism or bribery. This is without doubt another example of that phenomenon.
On July 17, 2018 at 6:09 am, Ray said:
No QC barrel. No belt feed. An M16 basic platform. Basically a giant leap back 100 years to the BAR or Lewis Gun with none of their strong points.
On July 17, 2018 at 8:14 am, Frank Clarke said:
Favoritism, plainly, but that’s an old song. They were playing that tune when the F-16 was chosen over the F-20. The fix was so obvious that DoD had to forbid Northrop selling the F-20 even to our allies who were then flying F-5s and T-38s, country cousins to the F-20. Sad but not entirely unexpected.
On July 17, 2018 at 2:17 pm, scott s. said:
This cased-telescoped ammo is interesting concept. I have no way to evaluate the feasibility of this. In their prior work they seemed to be pushing a 6.5 mm “low drag” bullet. AAI is mainly known as a UAV builder. Curious why they got into the ammo business.
On July 17, 2018 at 2:39 pm, Herschel Smith said:
“Curious why they got into the ammo business.”
Money. Why anyone would try to sell stuff to the military. Big money.
I predict failure.
On July 17, 2018 at 4:19 pm, bob sykes said:
I hope you mean failure in the sense that they fail to produce a weapon, and not failure in the sense that a company gets overrun.
On July 17, 2018 at 6:43 pm, Gryphon said:
I think that Cased-Telescoped Ammo has some interesting Mechanical Advantages in regards to Size and Weight (if it uses a Composite Case) that may lend some Usefulness if combined with a Weapon that also is a “Clean Sheet” Design… Unfortunately, the MIC is no longer Capable of accomplishing what needs to be left to Individual Experimenters.
IMO, This ‘Concept’ has Failed from the Start for two Reasons; First, a Magazine-Fed SAW goes back to the BAR (a Very good Gun, except for the Weight) and Second, if it uses a Non-Current (anything other than 5.56 or 7.62) Caliber, what does this do to the Squad’s Ammo Loadout? And the Logistics Train in general? You might as well go back to the M-14 System, where the SAW gunner had one that was Selective Fire, the Rifleman a Semi, and the DM one with a Scope… Same Ammo, Same Gun, Same Magazines.
Oh, Wait, Silly Me! the Objective is to $ell the Army on a New Caliber, and then from there, $ell them a New Rifle/Carbine!
On July 17, 2018 at 8:39 pm, Jeffersonian said:
Sounds like somebody has a factory in somebody’s district.
On July 18, 2018 at 7:00 pm, Gryphon said:
p.s. Anyone remember the “Tround Gun” ? It was a regular Brass Cartridge pressed into a Nylon Case that was a Round-Edged Triangular Profile, and was actually Sold in a Revolver Version (as I recall).
This System, using a Rotary Feeder from a Hopper, demonstrated Gatling-Rates of Fire from a Single-Barrel Weapon. Were the Case to be a Composite Material, the Brass could be Eliminated. THIS is the kind of Innovation that the Army (should be looking for, but Won’t get it from the ‘military-industrial complex’ in the present Time.