Perhaps the next generation rifle for the U.S. Army may just trace its origins to a garage located in Colorado Springs. According to media reports, the U.S. Army has ordered a prototype version of the FDM L5 Caseless Rifle.

The garage-based company, Forward Defense Munitions (FDM) is owned by Martin Grier and he may just be in the cusp of producing the future rifle for the U.S. Army. The FDM L5 Caseless Rifle allows the soldier to five rounds at once using an electric actuator firing system. The five vertically stacked bores are encased in a single block of steel to keep them together.

It is even lighter than the M4 rifle, as it weighs 6.5lbs, compared to the M4 which weighs 7lbs.  Since it does not use a traditional system of using heavy bolt carrier group to cycle and instead uses an electronic firing system, it is lighter than the M4. According to Popular Mechanics, the FDM L5 fires 6mm rounds which is the round that the U.S. Army is looking into to have a better penetration power as compared to the 5.56mm.

Theoretically, the FDM L5 can shoot 250 rounds per second, which means a lot of firepower that whoever is at the receiving end may just wish he/she is somewhere else.

Here is how the company describes their new firearm technology:

The L5 is the world's first functional 5-bore, single barrel rifle.

The L5's Electromagnetic / Transverse Camshaft action is efficient, safe, and reliable. The battery-powered action can fire upwards of 15,000 shots per battery charge.

Complete with picatinny rails, the L5 can be easily accessorized with standard, commercially-available gear.

FDM's charge block ammo comes pre-loaded straight from the factory, which obviates the need to load individual rounds, saving vast amounts of time by passing that duty on to the manufacturer. This profoundly increases the effective sustained rate of fire for forces wielding the L5.

To prevent overheating, each block is ejected after use, along with any heat that would otherwise be held in a chamber. The blocks are precisely guided into position, moving only 1/2-inch, minimizing the probability of jamming. 

The L5 Rifle, coupled with charge block ammunition, represents an entirely new firearm class and addresses the prevalent and dangerous problems of reloading, overheating and jamming, which are inherent to the design of currently deployed firearms.

If the FDM L5 gets the nod for more testing, the U.S. Army soldiers might bring some serious power in a serious package. Just imagine a squad having the firepower of a platoon. It can be a game change in the battlefield.