Grendel as a Universal Infantry Cartridge

[Tony Williams]

When you take into account the general satisfaction with 7.62 performance, and combine that with the certainty that vehicle-mounted MMG's and Gatling guns will remain chambered for 7.62, it just seems to me that it's a losing proposition to argue for replacing 7.62 with an intermediate round.

As I see it, if they won't add a third caliber to the system, and they won't replace 7.62, the only feasible option left to get an intermediate round for LMGs is to replace 5.56 (even though that would mean giving up the advantages that you like about the smaller cartridge for use in carbines).

Or do you know of another alternative?

Neither the US or UK army are willing to admit officially that the 5.56mm has any lethality issues within its effective range, but they accept that it's not suitable for long-range fire so needs to be supplemented by 7.62mm. This is a problem for dismounted troops - especially carrying MG ammo - because 7.62mm ammo weighs twice as much as 5.56mm and the troops are already carrying far too much stuff. Furthermore, for the sections to be carrying two calibres rather than one is also a disadvantage - they can't exchange ammo, and it means that only those armed with 7.62mm can engage at long range.

So the main selling points for a new cartridge will IMO be to replace 7.62mm in portable guns for dismounted infantry while saving a substantial amount of weight, and to standardise on one calibre for such troops.

7.62mm would remain in use for a long time in vehicle mounts, but that doesn't matter since they have their own ammo supply line. 5.56mm would probably hang on in more of a PDW role in lightweight carbines in non-infantry units. But the idea is that the line infantry would only carry weapons in the new calibre.