The first unit equipped is scheduled for early 2024. The light machine gun will retain its M250 designation. Former Gen. Scott Miller joins Sig Sauer as the company fields an M4 carbine replacement under the Next Generation Squad Weapon program. 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. Soldiers, special operators and Marines in the near future will carry a first-of-its kind rifle and light machine gun. 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. Costs of merger would be "prohibitive" and the risks to the commissary and exchange benefits are "unacceptable." The Italian base is being used as a transit point for the evacuees, according to the Navy. Load More