ARMY AL&T
a risk-reduction measure that allowed flexibility to ensure capa- bilities would be delivered to the warfighter rapidly. Fire control represented a mature technology that had the potential to imme- diately increase Soldier lethality on legacy weapons. Separating the programs increased flexibility by enabling the Army to field fire control separately, which provided an opportunity to deliver early lethality capabilities to the force ahead of the weapons. Tis decision also enabled greater synchronization with the projected weapons and ammunition production schedule because the production lead times for the NGSW-Fire Control are greater than the weapons and ammunition.
A second round of weapons and ammunition prototype test- ing started in early 2021, which allowed the vendors to improve their design based on the feedback loop from the previous test- ing. Te Soldier touch point effort would occur concurrently with over 100 technical tests conducted by Army Test and Eval- uation Command. Te Soldier touch point schedule consisted of five events for the weapons and ammunition that focused on mobility, controllability and user acceptance. Te culminating event was a limited user experiment at Fort Bragg, North Caro- lina, where Operational Test Command executed the test events on behalf of the NGSW team. Tis event included nine squads of Soldiers, Rangers and Marines conducting live fire qualification, individual lanes, team live fires and a force-on-force situational training exercise. Te team planned and executed these events over a six-month timeline ensuring transparency of data collec- tion while analyzing emerging results from the Army Test and Evaluation Command technical testing. Fire control executed an equally rapid test schedule consisting of four Soldier touch point events focused on interoperability, shooter performance, target detection and user acceptance. Te results from all the Soldier touch points totaled over 20,000 hours of Soldier feed- back, which proved invaluable in shaping system designs. Tese Soldier assessments—technical test data from over 100 sub-tests, including 1.5 million rounds of 6.8 mm ammunition—was used to assess overall system performance and inform the selections.
TRANSITION TO AGREEMENT AND CONTRACT AWARD Following the conclusion of prototype testing, the Army acqui- sition executive approved the NGSW team to transition the program from MTA rapid prototyping authority into MTA rapid fielding for fire control and for weapons and ammunition. Te team also successfully executed source selection activities result- ing in an award for fire control, and weapons and ammunition. In January 2022, NGSW awarded Vortex Optics a 10-year follow- on production other-transaction agreement for fire control with
a ceiling of $2.7 billion. Tree months later, in April, the team awarded SIG Sauer a 10-year Federal Acquisition Regulation- based contract for weapons and ammunition production with a ceiling of $4.5 billion. Te team was not only successful in achieving the best value for the government, but also in ensur- ing favorable intellectual property rights to ensure Lake City had the ability to prepare for and manufacture ammunition stock- piles to the warfighter. For this rapid timeline from prototyping to award, the NGSW team was required to concurrently conduct test events, staff rapid fielding approval documentation and work to award contract to ensure a blistering pace required to main- tain the program schedule.
CONCLUSION Over the next year, the NGSW team will remain focused on this rapid process by conducting additional tests to ensure system performance and reliability leading to an operational test event and subsequent fielding. Rapid acquisition and opera- tional requirement development using MTA authorities are the true drivers for the rapid development of a comprehensive small arms system. Te fire control and weapons are currently synchro- nized to test and field as a system. Te end state is a system that provides increased lethality, range and accuracy while maintain- ing mobility by leveraging the most modern lightweight small arms technologies. Fielding is currently planned for 2023.
For mo re inf o rma t i on, go to : ht t ps : //
www.peosoldier.army.mil/Equipment/Equipment-Portfolio/ Project-Manager-Soldier-Lethality-Portfolio/Next-Genera- tion-Squad-Weapons-Program.
MAJ. JAMIN D. WILLIAMSON is an assistant product manager for Next Generation Squad Weapons, PEO Soldier at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey. He holds a J.D. from Florida Coastal School of Law, an M.S. in operational studies from the United States Army Command and General Staff College and a B.S. in political science from Indiana State University. He is an acquisition officer who previously served as an armor officer.
https://asc.ar my.mil
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