US Army orders more M249s over next five years
US Army Contracting Command has ordered an undisclosed quantity of M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) light machine guns from FN America, in a five-year contract worth $78.71 million.
‘Work locations and funding will be determined with each order,’ the DoD noted on 22 September.
The US Army intends to replace the 5.56mm M249 with the Next Generation Squad Weapon – Automatic Rifle (NGSW-AR) design, which will fire larger (6.8mm) rounds to provide increased range, stopping power and body armour penetration. This will give soldiers more lethality in battlefield engagements.
FN America had proposed a solution for the NGSW-AR requirement in 2018, but it was unsuccessful.
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