SIG SAUER XM5 Rifle and XM250 Automatic Rifle to Replace US Army M4/M4A1 Carbine and M249 SAW by 2023! – (DR): An online tactical technology and military defense technology magazine with

By David Crane david (at) defensereview (dot) com Photo(s) Credit(s): SIG SAUER May 9, 2022 The US Army is replacing its AR-15/M16-based M4/M4A1 Carbine with the new SIG SAUER XM5 Rifle after a roughly 65-year run, and its M249 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) with the new SIG SAUER XM250 after, well, a shorter run, beginning in late 2023. The new contract also calls for replacing the Army's 5.56mm NATO (5.56x45mm NATO) ammo with the new SIG 6.8x51mm FURY Hybrid ammo that the Army claims will increase range, accuracy and lethality. This is of course the culmination of the Army's Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) program, which SIG SAUER has now won over General Dynamics and Textron Systems. According to the Army, "both weapons provide significant capability improvements in accuracy, range, and overall lethality [presumably due to the 6.8mm round(s) sustaining supersonic flight over a greater distance than the legacy 5.56mm round(s), combined with the new XM157 …