The link has a 1:25 video.

https://www.armytimes.com/news...Early%20Bird%20Brief

The Army’s next machine gun could fire caseless ammo — and one of these companies might build it

by Todd South 17 hours ago

The replacement for the Army’s 5.56mm Squad Automatic Weapon could be an entirely new type of light machine gun that fires not only a different caliber round, but caseless ammunition.

That’s because one of the five companies recently awarded contracts to produce a weapon prototype by this time next year has been building weapons to fire that type of ammo for the past 14 years.

A notice posted Thursday included the identities of the five companies:

AAI Corporation Textron Systems in Hunt Valley, Maryland.
FN America LLC.in Columbia, South Carolina.
General Dynamics-OTS Inc.
PCP Tactical, LLC. in Vero Beach, Florida.
Sig Sauer Inc. in Newington, New Hampshire.

The companies were awarded a contract to provide a prototype for the Army’s Next Generation Squad Automatic Rifle, or NGSAR. The light machine gun is the first planned major overhaul of small arms in decades.

Based on the notice, it appears that FN America has been granted an award to provide two prototypes, while the other four companies will provide a single prototype.

Those prototypes will help the Army decide what’s possible given their extensive requirements for the new weapon. There will then be an open competition following those submissions, where more companies can try to get in on the weapon that will utlimately replace the M249 SAW and influence the M4 replacement, as well.

It is also the first weapon of its type that could mean a dramatic shift in all small arms, with follow-on changes planned for an individual carbine that will likely incorporate the machine gun changes, officials have said.

Current efforts include work on a lighter machine gun that fires a government-designed 6.8mm round, which falls between the lighter 5.56mm and heavier 7.62mm used in heavy machine guns. But submissions can include other calibers, so long as they meet accuracy and lethality requirements for the new weapon, officials have said.

In the Textron release, the company says the prototype will be based on their cased-telescoped weapons and ammunition portfolio. The company has designed both a carbine and light machine gun variant, which have been displayed publicly in recent years.

The NGSAR will be an “intermediate caliber, high-velocity, magazine-fed system,” according to the release. It will weigh less than 12 pounds with ammunition that weighs 20 percent less than the traditional brass case ammo.

The weapon will be at most 35 inches long and be able to fire 60 rounds per minute for 15 minutes without a barrel change.

Accuracy matters too. A shooter must be able to hit standard targets at 50 meters while standing, with three- to five-round bursts at least 70 percent of the time.

The companies also received awards for advanced weapons and fire control technologies, for the Next Generation Squad Weapons Technologies, the umbrella program for advancing small arms, and for the fire control capability.

Wayne Prender, vice president of Applied Technologies & Advanced Programs at Textron Systems, told Army Times Thursday that he couldn’t discuss details of their fire control submissions configuration. But he did talk about some of the capabilites they plan to provide.

“We’re offering up a solution set, day/night system optics with a laser range finder, integrated ballistic computer for computation of the target,” Prender said.

Last year Textron unveiled a 6.5mm carbine using their ammunition. The NSGW program aims to use an intermediate caliber, likely in the 6mm range, such as their 6.8mm ammunition development.

But Prender said he couldn’t discuss details of the caliber submission for the weapon prototype.

Army leaders have said that advancements will come in stages and initial fire controls will be a part of the first fielded system, but that improved fire controls with additional upgrades will be incorporated into the system.

It will probably run into the same problems as other attempts at caseless.


Namely, cases are an excellent heat sink that remove a significant amount of heat from the weapon.

Any gains in weight reduction will be offset by the water cooling that will be necessary to keep such a machine gun running.

Thermodynamics will not be denied.


Host of other problems as well.

Clearing a misfire. Exposure of caseless cartridges to moisture, oils, solvents. Fragility of the ammunition.


I will believe it when I see it.

Nice to see them pushing the boundaries of small arms technology, but I don’t see this as an easy proposition.

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
Nice to see them pushing the boundaries of small arms technology, but I don’t see this as an easy proposition.

Yep. It just seems to me that there are so many easier places to cut weight. What is a combat loadout? 210 rounds?

That works out to about 3 pounds of brass. This is for the SAW replacement so I'm not sure how much belted ammo is standard that guys carry to support the SAW.

Brings up an interesting question, how are you going to belt caseless ammo?

A carbon fiber wrapped barrel and maybe some titanium in the receiver could get you close to those weight savings. Figure out a way to shave some weight from the radios, body armor, etc... and leave the critical weapon systems alone.

Yeah, I’m not sure what a SAW gunners loadout is but my understanding is an M4 / M16 standard can be 7 mags (but it depends who / what unit we are talking about).

Maybe the generals learned that you can’t have yet another competition without making it all futureistic and stuff, now that the Army wants a swanky command in hipster Austin TX. Get to be wined and dined by the industry, then pretend to shoot some newish guns. Sounds awesome!

ETA - when it comes to Carbon Fiber wrapped barrels, I’ve been told the one issue they have is sustained rapid semi and full auto fire. Just what I heard from some guys working on them a couple years ago, they could have figured out a solution.

I was a low speed, high drag combat engineer, and load out was 210 in mags, bandoliers as required. Don’t know what the infantry usually carried, but it may have been more.

Then again, I was in when we only trained to fight the Ruskkies. The current army and current T/O-T/E are probably way different than my day.

I find it interesting that the Army is considering the .277 bore as its standard. I would’ve thought the .284 would get the nod.

I've been hearing this for so many years, that I expect it around the same time as our flying cars.

Phased plasma rifle in 40 watt range.

I think Daisy tried this in the 1960s ...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daisy_V/L

M41A1 Pulse Rifle might fit the bill, although its in 10MMx24 caseless, standard light armor piercing round, with a 30MM Grenade Launcher.

What would be the benefit of a caseless round (other than not having to police up brass)?

This just seems like a complicated solution looking for a problem.

I know next to nothing about caseless ammo, but wouldn't one need to worry about getting them wet or operating in more humid environments?

quote:

Originally posted by IndianaBoy:
Thermodynamics will not be denied.


Host of other problems as well.

Clearing a misfire. Exposure of caseless cartridges to moisture, oils, solvents. Fragility of the ammunition.


I will believe it when I see it.

This.

quote:

What would be the benefit of a caseless round (other than not having to police up brass)?

Weighs less and takes up less space. Maybe it's cheaper in quantity given that you save yourself the cost of the brass case.

quote:

Originally posted by Il Cattivo:

quote:

What would be the benefit of a caseless round (other than not having to police up brass)?

Weighs less and takes up less space. Maybe it's cheaper in quantity given that you save yourself the cost of the brass case.

Also, some schmuck at the pentagon will get a promotion for making that weight and cost savings, while some poor dogfaces will die in the field when the platform fails due to being subjected to reality.

Problems handling the ammo won't be worth the weight savings. Mark my words.

The concept's worked for years - if Remington can do it, anyone can. Making it "handleable" by whoever transports it, the shooter and the firearm seems to be the main hang up.

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
M41A1 Pulse Rifle might fit the bill...

Thompson's in .45acp?

There is only one answer:

"The weapon will be at most 35 inches long and be able to fire 60 rounds per minute for 15 minutes without a barrel change."

I hope that's a typo!