USSOCOM Announces Industry Day to Kickstart Search for New Machine Gun

United States Special Operations Command have kickstarted their Lightweight Machine Gun-Assault (LMG-A) program with the announcement of an Industry Day to be held in November.

USSOCOM have long had a requirement for a LMG-A, ostensibly to replace the 7.62x51mm Mk48 which has been in service since 2003, but the procurement process had seemingly been put on pause for a number of years. In the meantime USSOCOM have focused on the selection of a .338 NM-chambered Lightweight Machine Gun-Medium, which according to Department of Defense budget documents is set to be selected at the start of Q3 2025 with initial fielding to begin in 2026.

Now an industry day for the LMG-A is to be held 19-20 November 2024, at the SOFWERX Facility in Tampa, Florida aimed solely at manufacturers. The announcement of the event said:

“USSOCOM will hold an Industry Day to obtain input from industry to further refine the Government requirements documentation, Performance Specification (P-Spec), as well as identify the marketplace for interested vendors for the Lightweight Machine Gun-Assault (LMG-A) under NAICS Code 332994, Small Arms, Ordnance, and Ordnance Accessories Manufacturing.”

USSOCOM defines the LMG-A as a weapon which “​​will extend the range of suppressive fire capability out to 1500m.” The LMG-A will also be capable of “6.0 MOA (T) / 3.0 MOA (O) at 100 yards firing 7.62mm NATO ammunition and USSOCOM TDP 6.5CM ammunition.” USSOCOM is also interested in the capability of LMG-A candidates to be able to be adapted to chamber “calibers such as 6.8x51mm high pressure ammunition (U.S. Army Technical Data Package) and the .264 Lightweight Intermediate Caliber Cartridge (.264 LICC) via caliber conversion kits.”

The desired LMG-A will be select fire, ambidextrous controls and a swappable cocking handle, weigh no more than 12.75kg empty, mount a QD-locking suppressor, have MLOK and Picatinny mounting systems and chamber 7.62x51mm and 6.5 Creedmore. Further performance and operation characteristics of the weapon system were laid out in the Industry Day announcement:

a) The LMG-A shall be capable of firing in fully automatic and semi-automatic firing modes.b) The LMG-A shall have an ambidextrous safety selector that prevents the weapon from being fired when the trigger is depressed and the weapon is on SAFE (T), capable of charging the weapon when the weapon is on SAFE (O).c) The LMG-A shall be capable of firing 7.62x51mm NATO family of belted ammunition to include training munitions, and USSOCOM TDP 6.5 Creedmoor belted ammunition via left-hand feed.d) The LMG-A shall have AMR not to exceed 6.0 MOA (T), 3.0 MOA (O) at 100 meters (109 yards) when firing 7.62 NATO ammunition.e) The LMG-A shall be equipped with quick-change barrels in assault and standard configurations.f) The LMG-A shall be capable of being suppressed, while reducing the signature of the weapon in flash, ground disturbance, sound, and gas blowback. The suppressor shall not modify the rate of fire by more than 10% (T) or 2% (O).g) The LMG-A suppressor shall be of a quick-detach, lockable design, and minimize Point of Aim/Point of Impact shift when mounted or dismounted.h) The LMG-A shall have a two-position, non-reciprocating charging handle that is operable and moveable to both the left and right-hand side of the weapon.i) The LMG-A shall have a user-adjustable bipod that is rapidly deployable/stowable and provides tension and lockup upon loading.j) The LMG-A buttstock shall have an adjustable for length (T), collapsable (T) side folding (O), and adjustable cheek riser (O) that does not interfere with the function of the weapon.k) The LMG-A shall have a maximum overall length with bipod attached, buttstock, and barrel (with suppressor) of 49.0 inches (T) less than or equal to 44.0 inches (O). Sights and other accessories will not be included in the weight requirement.l) The LMG-A shall weigh no more than 17.0lbs (T), 12.75lbs (O).m) The LMG-A shall have Mil-STD-1913 rails, with numbered slots at the 12 o’clock position with a minimum of 8.50 inches aft of the feed tray cover for optical sights.n) LMG-A shall have M-LOK attachment points at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions on the forward handguard to support the attachment of accessories and enablers.o) The LMG-A shall have a rate of fire between 500-750 rounds per minute (T=O).p) The LMG-A shall minimize felt recoil across all firing modes.q) The LMG-A shall have a single mounting point for DoD-common weapons mounts.r) the LMG-A shall have a mounting point for common ammunition carrying boxes or soft pouches.

Intriguingly, the requirement for a quick-change barrel may rule out FN’s light assault machine gun, the EVOLYS, unless a variant with a quick change barrel has already been developed. While the requirement for “8.50 inches aft of the feed tray cover for optical sights” may prove a problem for weapons like Knight’s Armament Company’s Light Assault Machine Gun and SIG’s XM250 with quick-change barrel (if anyone has examples and a ruler handy, let me know). Heckler & Koch’s new HK421 has a top feed cover which is railed but extended all the way to the rear of its receiver so it remains to be seen if this aligns with USSOCOM’s desired design characteristics. 

Vendors interested in attending the event at SOFWERX have been asked to submit a white paper and proposal. Vendors are expected to bring either a working weapon system or a prototype-mock up.