Interesting news item.
Army Futures Command announced last week that troops from the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, have received the Army's next-generation rifles and light machine guns chambered in a new 6.8mm round. These new weapons are replacing the decades-old M-4 and M-16 battle rifle platforms.
Military Times reports soldiers from 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell were handed XM7 Next Generation Rifle and XM250 Next Generation Automatic Rifle ahead of training in April.
Produced by firearm maker Sig Sauer, the XM7 is a 6.8×51mm gas-operated, magazine-fed assault rifle that replaces the M-4 carbine for close combat fighting. The XM250 is a 6.8×51mm gas-operated, belt-fed light machine gun that replaces the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, or SAW. Both rifles are chambered in 6.8×51mm, a new round for the Army that will increase range and improve lethality against the most advanced body armor used on the modern battlefield. ...
There had been a lot of bitching about the lethality (or non-lethality) of the 5.56x45. Old grunts preferred the .308 Win (~7.62x51) of the M-14. So 6.8x51 is a compromise. Larger round, more oomph in powder charge.
Expect more bitching from the enlisted ranks, even though it is possible that the brass got this right.
1 comment:
The 6.8 is a good round, and there are good reasons for this move. There are also tradeoffs. The rifle is heavier, in order to absorb the extra "oomph," and the ammunition is also heavier. This will increase user fatigue as operations drag on.
That is a potential concern because we have introduced women to the infantry, but the thorough studies performed by the USMC and the tri-service UK military show that they already suffer from degraded performance versus all-male units over fatigue issues, as well as injuries (especially knee injuries) that come from long-term wear and tear in the field. In addition to the women, it's getting harder to find young men who meet the physical fitness standards.
So yes, a better rifle. Yes, they probably got this one right. But also, yes, there are issues that will come up.
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