XM7 rifle

The XM7, previously known as the XM5, is the U.S. Army variant of the SIG MCX Spear, a 6.8×51mm (.277 in), gas-operated, magazine-fed assault rifle designed by SIG Sauer for the Next Generation Squad Weapon Program in 2022 to replace the M4 carbine. The XM7 features a free-floating reinforced M-LOK handguard for direct accessory attachment to slotted hole mounting points. The XM7 began to be fielded in March 2024.

History
In January 2019, the United States Army 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 its designs. The SIG Sauer MCX-SPEAR (the rifle's commercial designation) is chambered in the 6.8×51mm (.277 in) SIG Fury cartridge in response to concerns that improvements in body armor would diminish the effectiveness of ammunition such as the 5.56×45mm NATO (for the M4 and M249) and 7.62×51mm NATO (for M240). Army Times describes this as an "intermediate caliber 6.8mm cartridge".

On 19 April 2022, the Army awarded a 10-year contract to SIG Sauer to produce the XM7 rifle, along with the XM250 light machine gun, to replace the M4 carbine and M249 light machine gun, respectively. Originally the rifle was designated XM5, as the next number sequentially for the weapon it will replace. In January 2023, the Army announced it would change the name of the rifle from XM5 to XM7 to avoid a trademark conflict with Colt's M5 carbine.

The first batch of 25 XM7s was planned for delivery in late 2023. The Army may order 107,000 rifles over the succeeding decade for close combat forces including infantry, cavalry scouts, combat engineers, forward observers and combat medics. There are no plans to issue the weapons to non-close combat soldiers. The contract has the option to build additional weapons should the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Special Operations Command choose to be included.

XM7s were delivered to the 101st Airborne Division and 75th Ranger Regiment in September 2023 for user tests. Operational testing of the XM7 rifle, XM250 light machine gun, and XM157 Fire Control Optic was scheduled to begin in 2024 (at which point it would become the M7) but widespread distribution was not assured.

In March 2024, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division began fielding the rifle.

Design


The XM7 rifle weighs 8.38 lb, or 9.84 lb with a suppressor. It uses SR-25 pattern magazines that hold 20 rounds in a box magazine. An optional 25-round box magazine is also available. The proposed combat ammunition load for each soldier will be 140 total rounds, distributed across seven 20-round magazines, in total weighing 9.8 lb. Compared to the M4A1 carbine weighing 6.34 lb unsuppressed, with a basic combat load of 210 rounds in seven 30-round magazines, in total weighing 7.4 lb, the XM7 rifle weighs about 2 lb more and each soldier carries roughly a 4 lb heavier load with 70 fewer rounds.