The Army conducted 20,000 hours of soldier testing, 100 technical tests and the firing of more than 1.5 million rounds of ammunition

By Kris Osborn, President, Warrior

The US Army’s now-arriving XM7 Next-Generation Squad Weapon is receiving favorable reviews from soldiers who say the weapon is a generational leap beyond the M4 Carbine it is replacing. 

The new weapon can reportedly break through body armor, a key requirement for the rifle based on US Army soldier experience in Afghanistan wherein existing 5.56 rounds were not able to penetrate body armor. 

Therefore, while there are many advantages to the configuration of the rifle, to include ergonomic adjustments, the largest margin of difference appears to be range and lethality related to the ammunition. The new weapon is based on a “gas-operated, magazine-fed SIG MCX-Spear,” according to War History Online.  The XM7 fires a much newer 6.8 x 51mm NATO round, able to fire through body armor from farther distances. This new round is called the Common Cartridge which can operate with an effective range of 600 meters, roughly twice that of the 5.56. 

XM7 Close Combat Rifle

Along with vastly improved range and lethality, the XM7 is also designed to be compatible with advanced optics, suppressors and fire selectors, paired with next-generation fire-control systems. 

SIG Sauer won a 10-year deal with the Army to replace both the M4 and the M249, and the technological steps forward seem quite significant, perhaps in large measure because the Army spent many years upgrading the M4 with improve performance capabilities through efforts such as the M4 Product Improvement Program (PIP).  Given this, there was likely a high bar set through the PIP program, and the XM7 reportedly seems to succeed as a paradigm changing weapon. 

XM7 Optics & Suppressors

The War History Online essay describes the XM7 as a “gas-operated, semi-automatic rifle, it has a fully modular design that allows soldiers to adapt it to various mission profiles with ease. Along with being compatible with several types of optics and suppressors, its fire selector allows operators to switch between different modes. When paired with the weapon’s advanced fire-control systems, troops are better able to engage threats in combat environments,” the essay says. 

The XM7 is also reportedly ambidextrous, meaning it can support both right and left-handed operators, an adjustment which includes a M-LOK handguard for additional protection. The new rifle also includes what’s called a short-stroke piston system that allows for peak performance in more difficult or auster combat conditions. 

XM7 vs M4A1 PIP

The XM7 is reported to be heavier than the M4 and generate more recoil, yet US Army soldiers with the 101st airborne overwhelmingly praise the new weapon and say it offers much improved combat support for infantry. The intent of the Army is to use the XM7 as a closer-in combat rifle for infantry, calvary and combat medics, the War History Online adds.  It appears the improvements with the XM7 far exceed enhancements added in the PIP effort, which transitioned existing M4s into a heavier, more lethal M4AI variant. 

An Army weapons developer involved in the PIP project said “The heavier barrel is more durable and has greater capacity to maintain accuracy and zero while withstanding the heat produced by high volumes of fire. New and upgraded M4A1s will also receive ambidextrous fire control,” an Army statement on the PIP from several years ago said.

XM7 vs M4 Carbine

The Army’s new gas-operated, magazine-fed XM7 assault rifle is at the center of debate within the military community, a reality which has inspired some critics to favor the upgraded legacy M4 Carbine. The Army's SIG MCX Spear is a weapon designed by SIG Sauer which was chosen for the service’s Next Generation Squad Weapons program designed to replace the legacy M4 Carbine

After awarding an XM7 production contract to Sig Sauer in 2022 to produce, as many as 107,000 new rifles for close combat forces including infantry, cavalry, scouts, combat engineers, forward observers and combat medics. The weapon will not be issued to non-close-combat forces, Army statements indicate. 

Army weapons developers emphasize that the development of the XM7 resulted from extensive soldier “touchpoint” tests where the weapon was assessed, tested and fired at targets. Soldiers evaluated the weapon for ease of use, rate of fire, ergonomic variables and precision-attack. Soldier touchpoints, Army weapons developers explained, resulted in several design changes before the weapon entered more extensive production. 

XM7 Extensively Tested

An Army essay on the XM7 from March, 2023 said the Army conducted 20,000 hours of soldier testing, 100 technical tests and the firing of more than 1.5 million rounds of ammunition.  The XM7 is  now going through what the Army called Product Qualification Tests in preparation for formal delivery and operational use of the new weapon.  

The Army essay quotes a soldier with the 75th Ranger Regiment saying “I absolutely would take this weapon to combat in a heartbeat. It is light, functions very well, has an awesome load system, and is easy to handle and engage targets with.”

Following this, the Army plans formal “operational testing” in 2024 to “assess natural environments and airborne qualifications.”  Although the contract is specific to the Army, it includes options for the US Marine Corps and Special Operations Community to join. 

Advances in enemy body armor resulted in the XM7 firing ammunition chambered in a 6.8X51mm (.277) SIG Fury cartridge, due to concerns that legacy or standard 5.56X45mm ammunition was losing effectiveness against cutting edge enemy body armor defenses.  The new .277 SiG Fury is engineered with higher chamber pressure, velocity and lethality. 

While handling, weight, maneuverability and accuracy are always important for a weapon, there are several additional features of great relevance to soldiers, particularly those engaged in close quarter combat. The weapon should not be too long, as soldiers in Close Quarter Combat will need to maneuver quickly in narrow areas and switch between rooms and close-in walls. Close combat soldiers will also be “clearing” areas, meaning they will need to attack quickly and disperse while going through doorways and narrow entryways.  Of equal significance, soldiers will need to make sure the weapons do not jam, something which reportedly happened more than desired with the M4 Carbine the XM7 is replacing.  Moving into the future, perhaps the most important thing is that the weapon has likely been built with the technical infrastructure such that it can be upgraded as new performance enhancing technologies arrive. 

Portions of this essay also appeared in 1945

Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Master's Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.