Textron NGSW entry

[simonrichter]

I just wondered what might be so superior about this gun to even consider it as the next standard rifle for the Army?

the cartridges appear to be so fat that the magazine holds only 20, the system appears to be quite complicated, and I'm not even talking about adopting a non NATO standard round no other Western country uses... I see the logistic benefit in lighter ammunition, but that could be achieved with conventional rounds using polymer instead of brass as well, couldn't it? Or the system SIG Sauer has submitted, with the hybrid metal casing seems much more pragmatic and potentially less problem-ridden to me...

Anybody 2c to throw into the ring?

 

[44 AMP]

You're looking at an engineering team's conceptual dreams with a long way to go to becoming reality and a long, long way to go before becoming a practical, useful functional reality.

Right now, it exists "in prototype form" but no mention was made of a "working prototype". Or anything beyond the concept of the ammo.

Looks to me like the perfect new "improved" system to charge the Pentagon $13-20,000 per unit, 10,000 units min contract, when they haven't yet built one that works... Ammo, not included...

No idea what it will weigh, the only thing given at this point it the caliber (bullet diameter) approximate weight of the bullet and a required velocity spec of 3,000fps.

Aside from the totally unproven ammo concept, what bothers me is the addition of a moving chamber and the additional parts needed to work it.

When it comes to an infantry rifle, as a former Small Arms Repairman, I can tell you with assurance that more complex mechanisms are rarely a good thing.

Based on the description in the link, the moving chamber, its spring(s) and cam tracks ADDED TO the more standard parts needed for a semi/full auto weapon are a maint. nightmare waiting to happen.

I'd say built one or a few, and test them with actual firing to see what they are, and what they and the ammmo do and don't do in the real world not an engineer's programs screen.

Then build a few dozen and give them to real infantrymen and have them play with them and see what happens. I'd give odds things will happen that the engineers never thought about.

What if the lightest they can make it turns out to be 8kg? So many "what ifs" at this point its all guesswork, and a glowing press release about the new design & concepts replacing ANYTHING in the near future are just PR hype.

My personal opinion of these test programs is that they are the Army's way of giving some officers a job that keeps them out of the way of the people who have real work to do, and should they actually come up with something useful, that's just a bonus.

 

[simonrichter]

While most of what you said is exactly my point, it is already a practical prototype! It's one out of three that made it into the ongoing selection trials.

 

[ballardw]

Please reference the MBT-70 program. Lots of ideas, some even made it into the M1 tank program.
Some of these are way more "idea mills" than anything else. Not long ago wasn't it supposed to the AICW with a 20mm rocket with look-down detonation to shoot behind wall-like barriers?

From, dare I say Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Individual_Combat_Weapon

Live fire demonstrations of the AICW VX3 took place in the summer of 2005.[3]

The weapon was not intended to enter service, but rather as a concept demonstration to "generate ‘advance-thinking’ within the ADF about the future of small arms".[1] As such, development of the AICW ceased following successful final demonstrations and the completion of the CTD program.

I can just imagine the handling characteristics from bolt going front/back at the same time the chamber is moving up/down and the affect on accuracy. Which I suspect would make the squad automatic weapon version very unpopular at further than SMG ranges.

 

[ballardw]

I watched the video of the weapon at https://taskandpurpose.com/military-tech/army-next-generation-squad-weapon-training-video/ above.

The bit firing prone and full automatic showed a lot more body position adjustments than I ever saw an M-60 gunner making from a bipod supported position. So some of the ergonomics may be questionable. Or is this recoil sensitivity of young whippersnappers?

 

[Shadow9mm]

I watched the video of the weapon at https://taskandpurpose.com/military-tech/army-next-generation-squad-weapon-training-video/ above.

The bit firing prone and full automatic showed a lot more body position adjustments than I ever saw an M-60 gunner making from a bipod supported position. So some of the ergonomics may be questionable. Or is this recoil sensitivity of young whippersnappers?

I was thinking really bulky, questionable ergonomics is probably the right term.

 

[simonrichter]

so do y'all think the whole project won't bear any fruits at all pr that the - more conservative - SIG Sauer entry will make it?