XM250

The XM250 is the U.S. military designation for the SIG LMG 6.8, a 6.8×51mm (.277 in), gas-operated, belt-fed light machine gun designed by SIG Sauer for the U.S. Army's Next Generation Squad Weapon Program in 2022 to replace the M249 light machine gun. The XM250 light machine gun features a free-floating reinforced M-LOK handguard for direct accessory attachment onto the "negative space" (hollow slot) mounting points. The XM250 began to be fielded in March 2024.

History
In January 2019, the United States military began the Next Generation Squad Weapon Program to find replacements for the M4 carbine and M249 light machine gun. In September 2019, SIG Sauer submitted their designs. The XM250's design is an offshoot of the MG 338 which SIG was also developing for SOCOM. The XM250 light machine gun and XM7 rifle were designed to fire the 6.8×51mm SIG Fury cartridge in response to concerns that improvements in body armor would diminish the effectiveness of common battlefield rounds such as the 5.56×45mm NATO (used in the M4 carbine and M249 light machine gun) and 7.62×51mm NATO.

On 19 April 2022, the United States Army awarded a 10-year contract to SIG Sauer to produce the XM250 machine gun, along with the XM7 rifle, to replace the M249 light machine gun and M4 carbine, respectively. The names were chosen as the next numbers sequentially to the weapons they will replace (the rifle was originally designated the XM5, but was later changed to XM7). The first batch of twenty-five XM7s and fifteen XM250s were planned to be delivered in late 2023. In total, the Army plans to procure a total of 107,000 XM7s and 13,000 XM250s for close combat forces. The contract has the capacity to build additional weapons should the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Special Operations Command choose to be included.

The XM250 light machine gun weighs 13 lb, or 14.5 lb with a suppressor. It has a basic combat load of 400 rounds in four 100-round pouches weighing 27.1 lb. Compared to the M249 light machine gun weighing 19.2 lb unsuppressed, with a basic combat load of 600 rounds in three 200-round pouches, weighing 20.8 lb, the XM250 light machine gun weighs about 4 lb less and a gunner carries roughly a 1 lb heavier load with 200 fewer rounds. The barrel on the XM250 light machine gun is not considered to be a quick-change barrel and the stock is collapsible but non-folding.

The XM250 light machine gun was delivered to soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division and 75th Ranger Regiment in September 2023 for user tests. 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division officially began fielding it in March 2024.