Army Tests New Rifle, Automatic Rifle in Extreme Weather
Soldiers at the Cold Regions Test Center in Fort Greely, Alaska, where temperatures dipped to 35 degrees below zero last month, tested the Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) XM7 rifle and XM250 automatic rifle in various mission-oriented tasks under conditions one might experience in the Arctic.
Testing began in earnest in late January after a week of foundational new equipment training to familiarize the Soldiers with the weapons, which will be fielded, beginning this year, to members of the Close Combat Force, which includes infantry Soldiers, cavalry scouts, combat engineers, forward observers and combat medics.
The NGSW system includes the two weapons, an advanced fire control and a 6.8 mm family of ammunition.
The NGSW team, which comprises the Soldier Lethality Cross-Functional Team (SL CFT), Program Executive Office Soldier, Joint Program Executive Office Armaments & Ammunition and industry partners, worked with a team from the Army Test and Evaluation Command to see how the extreme cold might affect the performance of the weapons, the ammunition, the fire control and power supplies.
Testing wrapped up Feb. 9, and results will be made available to Army senior leaders soon. Read more