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U.S. Army Puts Out An RFI For A 7.62mm Interim Combat Rifle System

Gungho Cowboy

Firearms manufacturers! Start your engines! The U.S. Army are exploring options for a 7.62mm rifle as they are considering a new weapon that can fire at longer ranges and be able to penetrate present day body armour. The U.S. Army is said to have developed a 7.62mm round that can do just that but will need a rifle to fire that round and be ready to be mass produced for issuance to the troops.

A new Request for Information (RFI) was released by the US Army’s Program Manager for Individual Weapons for an Interim Combat Service Rifle (ICSR) that can fire the 7.62x 51mm round. It will be interesting which manufacturer will submit their candidates for scrutiny as based on the specifications posted at FBO.gov:

DESCRIPTION: This announcement constitutes an official Request for Information (RFI) for an Interim Combat Service Rifle (ICSR). The U.S. Army, Army Contracting Command - New Jersey at Picatinny Arsenal is conducting a market survey on behalf of Product Manager Individual Weapons to identify potential sources for a combat rifle system.

This Request For Information (RFI) is for planning purposes only and should not be construed as a Request for Proposal or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any services or hardware. Your response to this RFI will be treated as information only. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of contractor submission of responses to this announcement or Government use of such information. No funds have been authorized, appropriated, or received for this effort. The information provided may be used by the Army in developing its Acquisition Strategy, Performance Work Statement and Performance Specification. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or to otherwise pay for the information submitted in response to same. The information provided herein is subject to change and in no way binds the Government to pursue any course of action described herein. The U.S. Government is not obligated to notify respondents of the results of this survey.

Desired Attributes of Interim Combat Service Rifle:

  • The rifle must be a Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) system readily available for purchase today. Modified or customized systems are not being considered. 
  • Caliber: 7.62x51mm 
  • Available barrel lengths, to include 16 and 20 inch barrels, without muzzle device attached.  
  • Muzzle device capable of or adaptable to auxiliary devices for: 
    • Compensation of muzzle climb 
    • Flash suppression 
    • Sound Suppression
  • Fire Control: Safe, Semi-automatic, and fully automatic capable. 
  • All controls (e.g. selector, charging handle) are ambidextrous and operable by left and right handed users 
  • Capable of mounting a 1.25 inch wide military sling 
  • Capable of accepting or mounting the following accessories. 
    • Forward grip/bi-pod for the weapon 
    • variable power optic
  • Detachable magazine with a minimum capacity of 20 rounds 
  • Folding or collapsing buttstock adjustable to change the overall length of the weapon 
  • Foldable backup iron sights calibrated/adjustable to a maximum of 600 meters range 
  • Weight less than 12lb unloaded and without optic
  • Extended Forward Rail

Further details of the RFI can be read at the FBO website, especially if your company is interested in presenting a proposed ISCR.

It will be interesting which companies will submit entries, and the usual suspects will be there. Airsoft players can probably name the usual brands: Heckler & Koch, FN Herstal, Sig Sauer, Smith & Wesson, LMT... the list can get longer and most likely they would prefer a company that has manufacturing operations in the United States which most have.

Remember that the U.S. Army's RFI mentioms it that it should be a COTS product (Commercial-Off-The-Shelf) which means a ready to go battle rifle that can take some minor modifications to meet the requirements and the production equipment ready to go. No prototype or new concepts will be included.

The big question will be: will the M4 be finally be replaced? But officials say not every soldier will need a 7.62mm rifle so the M4 will still find a place in the overall scheme of things. Definitely, many would welcome the need for a hard hitting round that can travel longer and give an advantage to the U.S. soldier.

 

All photos here by Master Sgt. Michel Sauret, U.S. Army.

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