{"id":17913,"date":"2018-05-08T01:38:58","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T01:38:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/05\/08\/armys-next-squad-weapon-will-fire-a-never-before-seen-ammo-combination\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:43:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:43:16","slug":"armys-next-squad-weapon-will-fire-a-never-before-seen-ammo-combination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/off-duty\/gearscout\/2018\/05\/08\/armys-next-squad-weapon-will-fire-a-never-before-seen-ammo-combination\/","title":{"rendered":"Army\u2019s next squad weapon will fire a never-before-seen ammo combination"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">INDIANAPOLIS \u2015 The Army\u2019s plan for a new squad automatic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2017\/04\/18\/special-operations-command-is-looking-at-a-new-6-5-mm-round-for-its-sniper-rifle\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">rifle <\/a>will bring a type of ammunition combination, from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2017\/05\/25\/chief-the-army-has-developed-a-bullet-that-penetrates-5-56-mm-resistant-body-armor\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">bullet <\/a>to casing, that\u2019s never seen the battlefield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Army Lt. Col. Andrew Lunoff, product manager for the service\u2019s small caliber<a href=\"https:\/\/www.americangrit.com\/2018\/01\/24\/m27-solve-small-arms-problems-army-marines\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" style=\"\" target=\"_blank\"> ammunition <\/a>program, said that the round currently under consideration is the 6.8mm caliber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lunoff was speaking on a panel on intermediate caliber development at the annual National Defense Industrial Association Armaments Systems forum here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 6.8mm round is the offspring of a project formerly known as the Enhanced Rifle Cartridge Program that put together Special Operations Command, the Army Marksmanship Unit and Remington Arms to create an alternative to the 5.56mm round currently in use across the force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That size ammo falls in the sweet spot the Army is looking for, with all the good characteristics of the heavier 7.62mm but with more lethality and accuracy \u2014 and coming in at an automatic 10 percent weight savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2017\/05\/07\/new-rifle-bigger-bullets-inside-the-army-s-plan-to-ditch-the-m4-and-5-56\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/arm-rifle-1.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">New rifle, bigger bullets: Inside the Army&#8217;s plan to ditch the M4 and 5.56<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Soldiers could see a new rifle and larger round in a few years.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But work doesn\u2019t end with the projectile, which hasn\u2019t been officially named as the caliber but is the basis for much of current testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lt. Col. Loyd Beal III, product manager for the Army\u2019s crew served weapons program, said the requirements to lighten the load will mean not just a new projectile for increased lethality, but a new case to carry that bullet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe requirement is going to drive us to a new type of ammunition,\u201d Beal said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to have to be lighter. You can\u2019t just go out and get a brass type, which pushes us to a polymer or some type of steel or something I don\u2019t even know about yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beal added that while there has been a lot of promise in the development of Cased Telescope Ammunition, advances in other configurations give the Army a menu of options for developing the cartridge combination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3540\" height=\"2360\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/762mm-ammo-belted.62mm20ammo.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-37155\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/762mm-ammo-belted.62mm20ammo.jpg.jpg 3540w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/762mm-ammo-belted.62mm20ammo.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/762mm-ammo-belted.62mm20ammo.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/762mm-ammo-belted.62mm20ammo.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/762mm-ammo-belted.62mm20ammo.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/762mm-ammo-belted.62mm20ammo.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3540px) 100vw, 3540px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The intermediate caliber development is a simultaneous project with the Army\u2019s plan to make the replacement for the Squad Automatic Weapon, known as the Next Generation Squad Automatic Rifle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The NGSAR program, officials said, will inform not only a new machine gun, but it will soon follow with a new carbine for individual soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2017\/10\/08\/the-armys-next-generation-squad-weapon-could-change-the-way-you-fight\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"214\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ARM-AUSA-weapons.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">The Army\u2019s Next Generation Squad Weapon could change the way you fight<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Army researchers are digesting the results of a two-year study that took a comprehensive look at how to build the rifle, ammunition and fire control system together, in order to build the next generation of small arms.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the round is developed, Lunoff outlined the Army\u2019s priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First is a combat round, followed soon after by a blank round for training. Those are near-term goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Next, the service will need reduced range training rounds, tracer rounds, drill ammunition for weapon cycling, combat tracers and short range \u201cpaintball\u201d type training rounds for close-quarter shooting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SOCOM snipers will see barrel changes as early as next year to the commercially available 6.5mm round that will increase range, lethality, accuracy and reduce recoil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prototypes of the intermediate caliber for the NGSAR program are expected to be ready for testing by late 2019, early 2020, with the rifle being fielded to units by 2022, Beal said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Army\u2019s plan for a new squad automatic rifle will bring a type of ammunition combination, from bullet to casing, that\u2019s never seen the battlefield.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":37149,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":69,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[69,17],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3393],"class_list":["post-17913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gearscout","category-off-duty"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"JHT4RSHU2BGW3A7ARFVQB3JYJI","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-army\/2018\/05\/08\/armys-next-squad-weapon-will-fire-a-never-before-seen-ammo-combination\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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