SIG's Next Generation Weapons Appear at Home of 101st Airborne

The Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapons program is rolling right along, with the SIG Sauer-produced firearms making an appearance at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

The base, home to the iconic "Screaming Eagles" of the 101st Airborne Division, will be the first to field operational units with the new guns under current plans, and Campbell brass appeared on the firing line to get a feel for the new hardware.

U.S. Army Fort Campbell Command Sgt. Maj. Chad Stackpole fires a Next-Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) Machine Gun during a weapon familiarization demonstration, Sept. 25, 2023, at Fort Campbell, Ky. (Photo & caption: Kayla Cosby/U.S. Army)

U.S. Army Fort Campbell Garrison Commander Col. Christopher Midberry fires a Next-Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) Machine Gun during a weapon familiarization demonstration, Sept. 25, 2023, at Fort Campbell, Ky. (Photo & caption: Kayla Cosby/U.S. Army)

The NGSW program uses SIG Sauer's XM-7 rifle to fill the role currently held by the M4 Carbine series, while the SIG XM250 light machine gun will replace the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. Vortex has been tapped to make the M157 Fire Control optics system to be used by both. The NGSWs share a new hybrid 6.8x51mm cartridge, a more intermediate-sized round that will be the replacement for the long-serving 5.56 NATO that has been on the frontlines since Vietnam. SIG last week announced an expansion of its Arkansas ammunition facility, largely to support the new round.

"The move to 6.8mm improves the probability of hitting a target, increases resistance to wind drift, and enhances performance against personnel and battlefield barriers," said Communications Director Bridgett Siter of the Soldier Lethality Cross-Functional Team at Fort Moore. "The NGSW weapons make the CCF [Close Combat Force] Soldier more lethal and survivable."

As outlined by Soldier Systems Daily, Company A of the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, a historic unit that has been part of the 101st since World War II, will begin a Limited User Test with the NGSW platforms this week, comparing them to legacy systems. The Army plans to have the 101st's 1st Brigade be the first unit fully equipped with the NGSW, likely sometime early next year.

The Army similarly picked the 101st to be the inaugural unit to first field the SIG-made M17 pistol as part of the Modular Handgun System, in 2017.

As previously detailed by Guns.com, the Army's objectives for the program, at least as it currently stands, is for almost 250,000 weapons and FC units:

M7 Rifle (NGSW-R): 111,428
M250 Automatic Rifle (NGSW-AR): 13,334
M157 Fire Control (NGSW-FC): 124,749

The NGSW is only expected to be used by soldiers in the Army's active (COMPO 1) and reserve (COMPO 2) close combat force – identified as infantrymen, cavalry scouts, combat engineers, combat medics, special operations troops, and forward observers. Army spokesmen in 2022 said other units and specialties will continue to use legacy small arms. "For example, the company supply sergeant will continue to carry an M-4 or another weapon, not the Next-Gen Weapon."

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