When soldiers get their hands on the Army’s new rifle, it will be known as the M7, the Service said.
More than five years in the making, the Next Generation Squad Weapon will replace the M4 rifle that all soldiers carry.
Army officials said during a conference last April that Sig Sauer would make the weapons. About 40 of the rifles are projected to roll out later this year.
Originally dubbed the M5, the Army changed course after learning Colt Industries makes a 5.56-mm carbine rifle known as the M5, according to a news release from the Army’s Project Manager Soldier Lethality program located at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ.