It’s really getting serious, the search for the replacement of the M4 rifle by the U.S. Army. Last June, they put out an RFI for a 7.62mm Interim Combat Rifle. The RFI was not a commercial solicitation by the U.S. Army, but the RFI is mainly for planning purposes and the submissions for the RFI will serve as the basis for a more commercial bidding in the future.

The U.S. Army has been looking for a replacement of the M4, and are keen on getting a 7.62mm standard issue rifle as recent advances in body armor amongst potential enemies make the 5.56mm ammo used by the M4 ineffective.

Now fast forward to August, they have put out a solicitation for a 7.62mm Interim Combat Rifle and from the submissions, will whittle down the number to 8 rifles for testing and evaluation:

The Army has identified a potential gap in the capability of ground forces and infantry to penetrate body armor using existing ammunition. To address this operational need, the Army is looking for an Interim Combat Service Rifle (ICSR) that is capable of defeating emerging threats. The Government has a requirement to acquire a commercial 7.62mm ICSR to field with the M80A1 Enhanced Performance Round (EPR) to engage and defeat protected and unprotected threats. The ultimate objective of the program is to acquire and field a 7.62mm ICSR that will increase Soldier lethality.

The Government intends to award a maximum of eight (8) Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs), procuring seven (7) weapons from each Offeror for test and evaluation purposes. The Government reserves the right to award less than eight (8) OTAs or to make no OTA awards. Offerors may submit more than one (1) proposal; however, each proposal must be separate and distinct from one another. Each proposal shall include a bid sample, proposal and system safety assessment report. Once the test and evaluation is concluded, the Government may award a single follow-on Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) based contract for the production of up to 50,000 weapons. This estimate is subject to change.

All interested Offerors are required to submit a bid sample, proposal, and system safety assessment report. The weapon system bid sample (one (1) weapon), along with proposal and a system safety assessment report, shall be delivered no later than 1500 Eastern Daylight Time Wednesday 6 September 2017 . The one (1) bid sample weapon shall include enough magazines to support the basic load of 210 rounds, one (1) cleaning kit, one (1) suppressor, one (1) specialized tool kit (if required) and one (1) commercial manual.

Photo: Heckler & Koch HK417

The entries should be “Commercial Off The Shelf” (COTS) rifles which means that these are already existing rifles available commercially. They will not accept customized or modified rifles. We do not know how many will be able submit entries as they are looking into a rifle that can be fired in semi and full auto, folding back-up iron sights, ability to readily to take in weapons accessories which means rail systems, and ambidextrous controls.

The first rifles that come to mind are the Heckler & Koch HK417 and the FN Herstal SCAR-H/MK17. Other rifles that we can think of are mainly more optimized as Designated Marksman Rifles such as the H&K M110A1, KAC M110 and the LMT LM308MWS but can be out of the running as these are semi-firing rifles. The M14 Enhanced Battle Rifle EBR can be one entry too.

It will be interesting to follow this development and if ever the U.S. Army finally deploys a 7.62mm rifle as the standard issue, how it will affect the purchasing decisions of its allies such as those in NATO. The French have just adopted the HK416 which is a 5.56mm weapon and the German Bundeswehr are looking to replacing the G36 rifle. Will the trend be with going to the 7.62mm once the U.S. Army fully commits to it? We’ll find out soon.

Top Photo: Army Special Operations Forces (ARSOF) soldier with SCAR-H in Afghanistan (U.S. Army photo by U.S. Army Pfc. Codie Mendenhall)