US Army Acquisition Chief Says Sig Sauer Addressed Issues With NGSW Prototypes

The U.S. Army’s acquisition chief said recent tests of the Next Generation Squad Weapon prototypes showed improvements related to problems that contributed to a fielding delay.

Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, shared that NGSW contractor Sig Sauer applied changes to the weapons to address fume and accuracy challenges identified in early developmental testing. Bush, a past Potomac Officers Club speaker, added that while the enhancements led to “great progress on all the challenging areas,” the Army is not yet claiming that all issues have been addressed.

Under the 10-year NGSW contract awarded in April 2022, Sig Sauer was tasked to produce the new XM7 rifle, the XM250 automatic rifle and the 6.8mm cartridge. The Army originally envisioned that the NGSW weapons would be delivered to soldiers by the end of the fiscal year 2023, Breaking Defense reported Wednesday.

The NGSW contract requires Sig Sauer to develop the weapons and ammunitions, as well as provide accessories, parts and support services, to the Army, other U.S. military services and Foreign Military Sales partners. The XM5 and the XM250 will replace the M4/M4A1 carbine rifle and the M249 Squad Automatic rifle, respectively.

The Army selected Sig Sauer after a 27-month prototyping and evaluation effort involving three prototype systems. The service determined that the company’s solutions offered enhanced accuracy, range and lethality.