BIG MOVES FOR SMALL ARMS SYSTEMS


The NGSW program was established to meet emerging threats with increased lethality and replace the M4A1 and M249 as well as the legacy optics used by the close combat forces.


Technologies and Sheltered Wings Inc., which does business as Vortex Optics, a fixed-amount other-transaction agreement for prototyping as part of the NGSW program.


MTA RAPID PROTOTYPING In May 2020, the NGSW team started a comprehensive rapid prototyping competition to determine and select the best value solution to replace the M4A1 and M249 and the legacy rifle combat optic and machine gun optics. Te NGSW team and competing industry partners were guided by a tiered capabilities


matrix, developed by the Soldier Lethality Cross-Functional Team. Te tiered capabilities matrix, a non-JCIDS document, was critical to define a series of prioritized requirements to inform the competition. Te tiered capabilities matrix requirements approach allowed industry to use trade-space analysis when prototyping systems to optimize systems for the warfighter. A trade-space analysis conducts an analysis to prioritize trades on system capabilities based on technology performance, schedule and cost. Te tiered capabilities matrix added flexibility for the cross-functional team and NGSW team to work with industry to rapidly design a Soldier-centric system. Industry had a broad- tiered approach with flexibility and trades not generally present in a traditional capabilities development document.


Te objective for the NGSW team was to incorporate Soldier feedback early and often to ensure operational relevancy, increase Soldier acceptance and accelerate prototyping of the weapon systems. Te prototype Soldier touch point events included close combat force Soldiers from 10th Mountain, 82nd Airborne, 101st Airborne, 75th Ranger Regiment as well as the participants from the United States Marine Corps, Special Operations Forces and the Army Marksmanship Unit. Te team also included the new equipment training teams from U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command early in the process to provide a head start with system familiarization and training. In total, 691 Soldiers, Marines and special operators conducted over 5,000 hours of testing to inform the NGSW program through the first phase of prototyping. All collected test data was transparent to the vendors, which allowed continued iterative prototyping to improve future designs.


LIVE FIRE


A Soldier fires the SIG Sauer rifle prototype during mobility testing at Fort Drum, New York, in August 2020.


At the conclusion of initial weapons and ammunition prototype testing, the NGSW team made a strategic decision to sepa- rate decision points for the fire control from the weapons and ammunition. Modifying the acquisition strategy was ultimately


88 Army AL&T Magazine Winter 2023


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