Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1333129
by soldiers must be limited. Even if recoil criteria will be met, due the physics it will be still more powerful than 5.56 NATO. Somehow, for the US Army it will be back to the 1950s. From whatever the reason was, most of the countries since that time moved to intermediate rounds and assault rifles. The advantages of such an approach are undeniable and this can be confirmed by any one who was shooting in dynamic scenarios. Less recoil impulse increases the accuracy, increases the rate of fire and (for military users) allows more effective suppressing fire. Lighter weapons and ammunition increase mobility and lethality. Ditching these factors will not be easy and will definitely have consequences for infantry. And not only in the United States, but also in NATO as the NGSW may set a new standard in the whole organization. Use of "smart" optics will enable soldiers to effectively use the significantly increased lethality and range of new powerful rounds and its capability to defeat armor pro- tected threats will be invaluable. The question is how the NGSW armed soldiers will be able to fight against lightly armed low-impulse firearms in the close distance? The other is, how quickly will be the NGSW-resistant lightwe- ight body armor developed and the whole advantage will be gone? It seems that these questions might be answered even sooner than we could expect and the most demanding challenge for the NGSW will not be a field testing but the real life and technology advancements. FIREARMS