This is not the first time in recent memory that 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, has lost a weapon. The light machine gun will retain its M250 designation. Naval forces intercepted a boat in the Gulf of Oman smuggling thousands of assault rifles last week. The weapons are going to infantry, scouts, combat engineers and special operations. The new rifle and automatic rifle will fire a never-before-fielded 6.8 mm round. The data platform “will enable units to regularly assess weapons’ health, reduce failure rates, extend the lifetime of a weapon and optimize maintenance plans,” the company stated in a release. The rifle will replace both the Mk13 Mod 7 and the M40A6 sniper rifles. An unloaded XM5 rifle is two pounds heavier than an unloaded M4. But the XM250 is four pounds lighter than the M249 SAW. The weapon has an advanced optic, shoots 6.8mm and will replace the M4 carbine and M249 SAW. The rifle is for scouts, engineers and infantry squads. Load More