{"id":80120,"date":"2026-06-03T14:03:04","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T14:03:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2026\/06\/03\/socom-wants-to-revive-legacy-m4-carbine-with-hypervelocity-cartridge\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T17:27:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T17:27:29","slug":"socom-wants-to-revive-legacy-m4-carbine-with-hypervelocity-cartridge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/industry\/techwatch\/2026\/06\/03\/socom-wants-to-revive-legacy-m4-carbine-with-hypervelocity-cartridge\/","title":{"rendered":"SOCOM wants to revive legacy M4 carbine with \u2018hypervelocity\u2019 cartridge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With so many services <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/02\/27\/why-the-marine-corps-is-choosing-the-m27-rifle-over-the-armys-m7\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/02\/27\/why-the-marine-corps-is-choosing-the-m27-rifle-over-the-armys-m7\/\">adopting new weapon systems<\/a>, Special Operations Command wants to breathe new life into the legacy M4 carbine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a new <a href=\"https:\/\/sam.gov\/workspace\/contract\/opp\/b1a57529aa574e8ba220e0311434733e\/view\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">solicitation<\/a>, SOCOM is asking for a new M4 upper receiver capable of firing \u201cemerging hyper velocity ammunition\u201d modeled after the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/06\/01\/not-just-a-gun-new-socom-rifle-allows-barrel-swapping-and-cartridge-changes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/06\/01\/not-just-a-gun-new-socom-rifle-allows-barrel-swapping-and-cartridge-changes\/\">SOCOM<\/a> said the Hypervelocity Improved Carbine, or HICAR, program will \u201cleverage the performance benefits of current and future experimental hypervelocity rounds\u201d and called it \u201cvital to addressing future capability gaps on the battlefield.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When fired out of a standard-issued M4, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/2025\/10\/14\/next-generation-squad-weapon-continues-fielding-seeing-upgrades\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/2025\/10\/14\/next-generation-squad-weapon-continues-fielding-seeing-upgrades\/\">military<\/a> cartridge known as M855A1 has \u201ca recognized effective range of approximately 300 meters,\u201d but SOCOM wants the new upper designed to fire hypervelocity ammunition known as M855A1+. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis weapon system will allow an operator to effectively engage targets at extended distances while maintaining the portability and ergonomics of a lightweight carbine,\u201d the solicitation says, adding the desired effective range is \u201c600 meters and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe goal is to integrate advancements in material science and weapon design to provide operators with a technically superior individual weapon system,\u201d SOCOM adds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the solicitation, SOCOM says M855A1+ is loaded to 82,000 pounds per square inch. That measurement refers to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rifleshootermag.com\/editorial\/critical-factors-affecting-rifle-chamber-pressure\/83492\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">amount of pressure generated<\/a> to push the bullet out of the casing. While more pressure results in greater velocity, it can also damage a firearm not designed to handle it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last month, SOCOM said it will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/06\/01\/not-just-a-gun-new-socom-rifle-allows-barrel-swapping-and-cartridge-changes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">begin fielding<\/a> the MK24 Medium Range Gas Gun Assault rifle, which is part of a family of squad weapons chambered in 6.5mm Creedmoor and .338 Norma Magnum, before the end of this fiscal year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also, both the Army and Marine Corps have been shifting away from the M4 with the adoption of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/video\/2024\/10\/02\/next-generation-squad-weapons\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">Next Generation Squad Weapons<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/02\/27\/why-the-marine-corps-is-choosing-the-m27-rifle-over-the-armys-m7\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle<\/a>, respectively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the HICAR program, white paper submissions are due June 8 and SOCOM will host pitch meetings Sept. 15 and 16. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During testing, the M4 uppers will fire 600 rounds of primarily M855A1+ and some M855A1. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The elite command asked vendors to double the effective range of the M4 platform with the Hypervelocity Improved Carbine program. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":111300,"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":149,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,149,16,26,67],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3385],"class_list":["post-80120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-techwatch","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-air-force"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"RNYQAM5RNNGZLH3DH5Q5PQOQR4","arc_canonical_url":"\/industry\/techwatch\/2026\/06\/03\/socom-wants-to-revive-legacy-m4-carbine-with-hypervelocity-cartridge\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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