SIG Sauer Wins US Army Next Generation Weapon Contract

The US Army announced Sig Sauer, Inc won the production contract to manufacture and deliver two Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) variations (the XM5 Rifle and the XM250 Automatic Rifle) and new high tech 6.8-millimeter ammunition. 

Sig Sauer won the 10-year contract to produce the weapons after the XM5 Rifle and the XM250 Automatic Rifle went through 27 months of prototyping and evaluation by the military service. 

An initial delivery order on the contract is worth $20.4 million for weapons and ammunition. The contract will include accessories, spares, and contractor support. It also allows other Department of Defense services and foreign militaries to purchase the new weapons. 

The XM5 Rifle replaces the M4/M4A1 carbine, and the XM250 Automatic Rifle replaces the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. 

Both are lightweight and extremely accurate, chambered in new 6.8-millimeter ammunition. 

Before this announcement, we already knew the service selected a winner of the NGSW on April 3 following text within the DoD FY23 budget request by weapon system that the Army expected to procure 29,046 NGSWs in 2023. But at the time, the contractor who won the award wasn’t mentioned. 

SIG Sauer is the winner, beating out General Dynamics – OTS and Textron Systems as the Army will begin to field these battlefield rifles in 2023.