The Army will test its new rifle and light machine gun in extreme environments this summer — from hot and cold to mud and “salt fog,” according to a Tuesday press release. The announcement added that the new equipment will continue to trickle out to line units and is expected to undergo airborne testing sometime next year.
The XM7 Rifle and XM250 Automatic Rifle, designed by Sig Sauer, are set to replace the M4A1 Carbine and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon within the next decade. Sig was awarded the contract for the initiative, called the Next Generation Squad Weapons, or NGSW, program, in 2022.
The Army, Sig Sauer and soldiers assigned to test the equipment “feverishly” worked to get the new pieces fielded, according to the release, concluding more than 100 technical tests, 20,000 hours of operation, and 1.5 million rounds of fresh 6.8mm ammo fired through the new weapons.
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In addition to the extreme environment testing, the weapons' ability to handle malfunctions and blank firing will be assessed in what the service is calling Production Qualification Testing, or PQT.
“The soldier touch point allowed the program and Sig Sauer the opportunity to solicit direct soldier feedback on the systems post-contract award and inform simple design changes to improve the weapons before going into Production Qualification Test and Operational Tests in…
