The U.S. Army is ending its reliance on the M16 and M4 family of weapons with the adoption of the XM7 rifle which opens up a new chapter in infantry firepower. The XM7, designed under the Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) program, is a mere successor to the current rifles but symbolizes the Army’s pledge to keeping pace with the changing nature of war and holding a technological advantage over the adversary in the field.
Production of the 5.56mm cartridge has been limited to some extent over a long period, which has been acknowledged by many. Soldiers in Afghanistan and other theaters of operation found themselves in situations where they were outgunned or exposed due to the inability of the existing weapons to perform directly into body armor or at long distances.
It is true that M16, first widely used in the 1960s, was lauded for its light weight and high rate of fire, and M4 boosted up mobility, but neither of them fully satisfied the demand of today’s more complicated combat environments.
XM7 came to solve the problems mentioned earlier. The new rifle based on the SIG MCX-Spear platform shoots the new 6.8x51mm cartridge. The design is made for quick changes in mission scenarios. It sports a gas-operated piston system, magazine-fed design, ambidextrous controls, and a free-floating M-LOK handguard for accessory attachment. The concept of the rifle’s modularity and reliability was pretty much thought out to be ready in difficult conditions and allow soldiers to perform their tasks well.
The XM157 Fire Control just another one of the great complements to the rifle; is the ”smart scope” that provides the combination of a ballistic calculator, rangefinder, and a digital display making the shooter’s task easier and quicker even under pressure environments.
Perhaps the ammunition is the most significant innovation. The 6.8x51mm round—known in commercial terms as the .277 SIG Fury—was intended to be the one that could defeat contemporary body armor while also increasing the effective range by a large margin compared to the 5.56 NATO.
The case is made of both steel and brass and can resist pressures of up to 80,000 psi which allows the high muzzle velocities to be kept even when the barrel through which the projectile exits is only 13 inches long, like it is in the XM7. This feature alone is what elevates the firearm to a new level in the arenas of close and medium-range battles and compels the opponents to re-think their defensive strategies.
The are several comments from the troops that got the chance to try the XM7 out including paratroopers of the 101st Division that it is precise, feels good in the hands, and delivers a powerful impact. Yet the rifle has also been a talking point. The recoil when fired with a suppressor is just over nine pounds making it heavier than the M4 and only 20 rounds of standard loading capacity could be held in its magazine which is less than half the M4’s 30 rounds. One side is saying that the lethality of the rifle is enough to offset the limited ammo and on the other side, they are concerned that long firefights could end with not enough ammo left for the soldiers.
The first reaction to the appearance of the XM7 is going to be the changes in tactics and gear that are already happening because of it. The armor-piercing facets of the rifle have made the companies that make the protective gear devise new solutions that are tougher and with the heavier both of the rifle and ammunition, the soldier’s mobility, endurance, and logistics have become a thing that commanders are trying to figure out. Commanders are re-thinking how much ammo a soldier should carry and if tactics have to change to make the trade-offs work.
The Army’s plan is to introduce the XM7 alongside the XM250 machine gun to buy over 100,000 rifles and create a new production line for that caliber. The two weapons went through the same trials under extreme conditions such as -40 degrees cold and 122 degrees hot to qualify their performance in severe environments.
In the end, the XM7 is nothing short of a new arsenal—the philosophy behind it is also new. The Army has become a fan of few, larger-caliber, more precise, smarter optics, and easier-to-adapt platforms like this which provide the soldier with a big advantage. While weight, magazine size, and tactics-related arguments will still be going on, it seems that another aspect of the story has already come to light: the way the Army has changed its view on small arms and the future of infantry combat is one of those things.
