Frag Out! Magazine
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and repeatable – these factors are increasing the shot-to-shot precision and potentially decrease the cost of the rounds. Ac- cording to some speculations, one of the trialed versions was able to accelerate the 8.7g XM1186 projectile up to 1067 m/s. This means that muzzle energy was 4545J and the 124J/mm2 which is like .338 Lapua Magnum ammunition. The design of the NGSW rifles itself was enforced by the unique shape of casing and lack of rim. It is a far development of the AIWS (Advanced Individual Weapon System) rifle by Ares Inc. firearms engineering company from the late 1980s. The sys- tem consists of a vertically moving cartridge chamber where the empty case is being extracted by the next round loaded to the chamber. In case of jam, the so-called ramrod allows for the manual extraction of case. This solution allows to decrease the overall weight of the weapons internals and the reduction of the most problematic phase of recoil action, smash of the mech- anism of the rear of the upper receiver. System provides more control over the firearms firing powerful rounds even in full au- tomatic. The elimination of the case extraction phase increases the reliability of the firearms. Theoretical rate of fire is around 600 rounds per minute. The outcome of implementation is clearly visible on the vide- os with Textron System rifles during shooting. The recoil forces are definitely higher than in 5.56 NATO rifles (one of the reasons might be lack of any vertical grips or handstops under the rifles) but the weapon seems to be more controllable in fully automatic than heavier 7.62 NATO battle rifles with less powerful rounds. The LMT suppressor increased the recoil reduction but Textron also tested the multi-functional "smuzzle" muzzle device devel- oped by US Army Research Laboratory as a hybrid of suppressor and muzzle break, which could decrease the recoil even more. Textron Systems NGSW-R is fed from 20-round box magazines but increased capacity magazines are currently in development. In the latest variant of rifle, all the controls are doubled and fully ambidextrous and their placement is similar to AR-15/M4. The potential problem for users might be the front forward location of the ejection port – in one of the videos, the shooter involun- tarily puts fingers inside. Contrary to the current trends, Textron NGSW-AR proposal is belt-fed. Since 2018, the Maryland-based Textron Systems has been supported by Heckler & Koch. Their NGSW proposals are most innovative but also precarious. Intriguingly, the concept is not to- tally new. The rifle and the ammunition are developed from the LSAT/LSAS program. Both US and Swedish army tests results confirmed improved precision, ergonomics and reliability over the M249 SAW. The technical performance bar set by NGSW re- quirements is definitely higher, only time and tests will show if Textron will be able to confirm successful laboratory tests in the field. 50 www.fragoutmag.com