The US Army put new arms into operation and in service, with the US soldiers receiving the first M7 rifles and SIG Sauer M250 submachine guns.

The company in question had won the tender announced by the US Army for the Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) program.

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As the US Army said in a statement, officers of the famous and historic 101st Airborne Division became the first soldiers to receive the new 6.8 mm caliber new-generation rifles and submachine guns. This month, they will begin intensive training aiming to familiarize them with the new type of weapons and ammunition.

M7-type rifle

M250 submachine gun

It is recalled that companies such as General Dynamics and Textron Systems had participated in the US Army’s tender, however SIG Sauer was the one that earned the trust of the competent agencies and US Army personnel regarding the effectiveness and reliability of the M7-type rifles, which will replace the M4-type rifles, and the M250-type submachine guns to replace the M249s.

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It is noted that all other branches of the US Army, except for specific infantry, reconnaissance, engineer and special operations units (for which the NGSW is intended), will continue to use M4 rifles for decades to come, while it appears that the Marines will also get a significant number of SIG Sauer’s new guns.

In 2017, SIG Sauer was also awarded the supply of the M17 and M18 pistols to the US Army, replacing the popular Beretta M9 after three decades of service.

Since then, the company undertakes the provision of the vast majority of small arms intended for use into close combat.

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