It’s been a long time coming, but the United States Military is one step closer to replacing the 5.56 NATO as the chambering of choice for duty weapons. And with the replacement firearms already having been designed, now it’s time to create the perfect ammunition. That’s where Winchester comes in. The long-time manufacturer is conducting a study for tracer rounds for the 6.8mm ammo the guns will use.
Winchester released a press statement on the matter:
Winchester, the largest manufacturer of small caliber ammunition for the U.S. military, announced that the U.S. Army has awarded the company a $9 million cost-plus contract to complete a manufacturing study in support of tracer projectile production for the 6.8mm Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) program.
Work will be performed at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (LCAAP) in Independence, Missouri, the United States’ only government-owned, contractor-operated small caliber ammunition production facility.
Brett Flaugher, President of Winchester, said:
Winchester is very excited to begin executing this critical 6.8mm NGSW trace ammunition study at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant. With the goal of improving soldier capability, this groundbreaking work will utilize new tracer technology to create robust production processes and enable the transition of prototype trace technology into fielded NGSW tracer ammunition. This NGSW tracer ammunition produced at Lake City will equip the future American Warfighter and help maintain the safety and defense of our nation.
Army Times reported on the NGSW and related ammunition:
The Next Generation Squad Weapon rifle and automatic rifle variants, chambered in 6.8 mm, mark the first substantial change to U.S. military small arms since the adoption of the M16 in 1964.
They went on to explain the reason for the caliber change:
The 5.56 mm was too light and could not deliver lethal effects consistently past 300 meters. The 7.62 mm shot farther but fell off in accuracy and energy on target compared to newer rounds. But a simple switch to 7.62 mm for everyone was not in the offing.
The heavier round in legacy weapons was too heavy and put up too much recoil to ensure accurate fire from all shooters.
Developers dipped into the past by selecting a 6 mm-range caliber, which was used by the U.K. and Japanese militaries in the early 20th Century.
For civilian shooters, the 6 mm is comparable to the .270 caliber round commonly used in North American deer hunting.
It will be interesting to see how Winchester proceeds with the development of the 6.8mm tracer rounds. According to sources, the military hopes to be fielding these weapons within the 2023 calendar year.
What do you think? Share your thoughts on the new guns and ammo in the comments section.
