The Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) ammunition contract has been awarded to Winchester. Rifles are being manufactured by Sig Sauer and the necessary 6.8mm ammo will be manufactured by the legendary Winchester company. The production and use of the 6.8mm NGSW will offer improved ballistics in a relatively lightweight platform to the U.S. Army.
According to Winchester, they are now the biggest manufacturer of small caliber ammunition for the U.S. military. The awarding of this 6.8mm NGSW ammunition includes the manufacture, testing, and delivery of five million rounds. Ammunition will be manufactured at the well-known Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (LCAAP) located in Independence, Missouri. LCAAP is the only government-owned, contractor-operated small-caliber ammunition plant in the United States. It was first established in 1941 by Remington and has since grown to a 3935-acre facility.
Brett Flaugher, President of Winchester, said, “The award of Lake City’s first production order of the 6.8mm NGSW cartridge represents several years of hard work, dedication, and collaboration between Winchester, the U.S. Army, and industry partners. The Winchester team is honored to have been entrusted with the opportunity and responsibility of producing the ammunition which will keep our nation safe for years to come.”
The 6.8mm round is designed to produce impressive velocity in a lighter platform. It’s also a part of a shift where firearms will be issued with suppressors as a more standard feature. The original design of the cartridge was taken on by Sig Sauer and features a hybrid case with a steel base and brass upper portion. Its 2019 designation was the 6.8x51mm. There’s no word regarding whether the case design will change with Winchester taking over its production at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant.
In addition to this new contract for production at the military plant in Missouri, Winchester was recently awarded a military contract to study manufacturing tracer rounds for the same cartridge. Prior to that Winchester was also awarded a 15 million dollar contract related to the design and layout of the facility to produce 6.8mm.
Sources say they hope the NGSW and ammunition will begin being issued to the military later in 2023.
