Squeeze Up Pennies For New Rifle

[Nemo]

This one will be a real killer.

Nemo


https://www.foxnews.com/us/us-army-to-release-major-upgrades-to-decades-old-assault-rifles

Army
Published 4 hours ago
Last Update 20 mins ago
By Bradford Betz | Fox News
New US Army assault rifle with power of a tank
What's in store for a planned US Army assault rifle that is expected to debut in 2022.

A new Army assault rifle will tear through any body armor with the pressure of a battle tank, strike from unprecedented ranges, and withstand the rigors of weather, terrain and soldier use, Army Chief of Staff. Gen. Mark Milley told The Military Times.

The new 6.8mm rifles, which are expected to be in use by 2022, will offer major improvements in capabilities over the decades-old M16 and M4 weapons, the Army claims.

The “Next Generation Squad Weapon program,” is an Army initiative but has had input from Marines and special operations forces, according to The Times. Milley has described it as “better than any weapon on earth today, by far,” and a “pretty impressive gun.”

The so-called Next Generation Squad Automatic Rifle (NGSAR) will "weigh less, shoot farther, and pack more punch than the service’s existing infantry weapons," Col. Geoffrey A. Norman told Task & Purpose.

The goal, Norman said, is to equip soldiers with rifles that fire "a small bullet at the pressure equivalent to what a tank would fire."

Norman cited the Army’s shift from the urban environments of Iraq and Syria to the open terrain of Afghanistan and "near-peer threats like Russia."

“For the past 10 or 15 years, we’ve been really focused on the requirement of lethal effects against unprotected targets,” Norman said. “Now we’re looking at near-peer threats like Russia and others. We need to have lethal effects against protected targets and we need to have requirements for long-range lethality in places like Afghanistan, where you’re fighting from mountaintop to mountaintop over extended ranges.”

The upgrades in soldiers’ weaponry will necessarily require changes in training, Army spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Ophardt told The Times.

[Erick]

The new 6.8 round is an incremental improvement nothing else, while stronger than 5.56mm it is still ballistically not up to the 7.62x51 ( which has its own disadvantages such as weight).
And it weighs about halfway in between the two.

There have been attempts before to field it and they have come to naught.

Its really an in-betweener between 5.56 and 7.62x51 nothing all that special about it.

Now 6.5 Creedmore on the other hand has been quietly and quickly entering Army inventory as a Sniper round and is fielded right now.
Its also an inbetweener but with emphasis of flatter trajectory over 7.62x51

The article is hyperbole by the acquisitions shop that is in charge of development.

Sorry 

[Nemo]

But I could have my own home tank!!

Nemo

[Erick]

But I could have my own home tank!!

Nemo

That would be the most fun

[Erick]

Also let me add a bit more.

I am convinced the design attempt (and its an attempt) to have small arms weapons system that can penetrate near peer body armor is misguided.

Why?

Most hits in combat are against extremities anyway even when controlling for Level IV armor because it will only cover a small portion of the body.

Its a lot of effort for a dubious capability that will result in heavier ammo and heavier barrels (IF they achieve it) and modern ceramic level IV armor can stand up to 30-06 AP... Are they seriously suggesting they will produce  a practical assault rifle with practical (reliable, affordable and lightweight) ammo that can do this?

Instead think of something approaching a "50 cal Assault" rifle 

It's not realistic and there simply is not huge advance in powder science that has happened (or can be predicted) that would allow this advertised performance w/o prohibitive penalties.

My prediction:
It will come for naught and will be quietly dropped just like all other initiatives to "dramatically" improve on the M16/M14 gun/ammo system.

Lets face it for the time being small arms development has plateaued and it will take a breakthrough in chemistry (powders) and metallurgy (barrels to handle the much larger pressures) together to jump to the next level.

neither of which are on the horixon right now.
So dont worry.
A quality AR15 will still be a competitive small arms system for your son or perhaps even grandson to bear.

[Erick]

PS: The improvement the Army has achieved by turning the M855 round into the M855A1 is already straining barrels to the point of wearing out in a third the time... if reports can be believed.

What they did with the M855A1 is basically create a Magnum  M855. ..since the rest of the gun is the same as before predictable results follow.
And the M855A1 is only purchased for very select units for these expense generating reasons.
For a country that is structurally approaching bankruptcy I dont expect any major breakthroughs in small arms technology in my lifetime.

[Deathstyle]

So basically a bunch of taxpayer money has been spent to pretty much conclude rifles should go the "40. S&W" route which won't happen anyways because logistically it'll be a pain in the ass for very little improvement. 

[Kbop]

sounds like we'll be able to buy em  up cheap.

[gadget99]

Yeah......

I call BS on this one to.

This would require a massive advancement across the board in all of the applicable technology.

Is it possible? "Shmaybe" In the future. Is it probable? Not with the current state of technology.

 

[CJS06]

Ugh, this crap comes up in the "news" every 6-8 weeks.  The 6.8 has been the focus of the new experimental case-less technology.  Yes the 6.5 CM has made its way into the inventory in very very small numbers to select units, far from Army wide.

If you hold your breath waiting for his to come about I just have to warn you that no amount of CPR is gonna help you.  Just wait approx another 6 weeks and there will be another slightly different, but very similar story about the new greatest round ever that the Army is adopting.

[Nemo]

Its a lot of effort for a dubious capability that will result in heavier ammo and heavier barrels (IF they achieve it) and modern ceramic level IV armor can stand up to 30-06 AP... Are they seriously suggesting they will produce  a practical assault rifle with practical (reliable, affordable and lightweight) ammo that can do this?

Instead think of something approaching a "50 cal Assault" rifle 

OK, so I have time to really save up for the new 50 cal ninja style one?  But will probably be expensive so I better start sooner and save more!

Nemo