M250 Automatic Rifle
OEM: SIG Sauer
First Produced: 2022
Status: Active
Role: Next Generation Squad Weapon automatic rifle
Primary Operator: U.S. Army (close-combat forces)
OEM Website: sigsauer.com
The M250 is the automatic-rifle half of the Army's Next Generation Squad Weapon program, designed to replace the 5.56mm M249 Squad Automatic Weapon in close-combat formations. It is chambered in the same 6.8x51mm Common Cartridge as the XM7 rifle, firing a high-pressure round engineered to defeat modern enemy body armor at ranges where 5.56mm has lost effectiveness.
SIG Sauer won the NGSW contract in 2022 after a multi-year flyoff against Textron and General Dynamics, with fielding to Infantry, Cavalry Scout, Combat Engineer, and Special Operations formations beginning in 2023. The M250 is paired with the XM157 fire-control optic from Vortex, which integrates a variable zoom, laser rangefinder, and ballistic computer into the sight itself.
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