New Army "Caliber Configuration Study"

[LRRPF52]

LDAM is supposed to replace .50 BMG in the anti-personnel role, which means it will be using ammo significantly bigger and heavier than 7.62mm. Also remember that before Afghanistan, 7.62mm MGs were not carried by infantry squads (in fact, the British Army is reportedly considering pulling them back into a support role, leaving the section with nothing but 5.56mm).

BA excepted, an increasing number of armies seem to be looking for lightweight 7.62mm MGs at section level, while keeping the heavy 7.62mms back in the support role. I envisage CLAWS - and the GPC - replacing all of the 5.56mm weapons and also the lightweight 7.62mm MGs and DMRs. LDAM would replace the heavy 7.62mm and the .50 cals in the support role.



It would provide a common cartridge for all soldiers with rifles (except snipers), and for all soldiers carrying portable MGs, leaving only the heavier support weapons in a significantly larger calibre.



Seems to me it doesn't...

In the US Army Infantry, 7.62 NATO Medium Machine Guns are at the Platoon Level in the Weapon's Squad, but your gun teams often are tasked to the Squads depending on the mission. You have 3 Rifle Squads (each with 2 SAW per), and a Weapon's Squad, with (2) 3-man Gun Teams.



We might initiate an offensive operation where the Gun Teams are in the support element on the support-by-fire position with good fields of fire and overwatch on an objective, while the assault element moves onto and seizes that objective during the initial stages of the attack. Once security has been established, the SBF will either collapse onto the objective, or maintain overwatch for the assault element to withdraw (raid).

There really is no way to make this GPC concept work, unless you can get match-or-exceed 7.62x54R performance from the same weight as the current 5.56 NATO space-weight profile, and that isn't going to happen. No NATO Army is looking for a one-size fits all solution here, because it simply isn't realistic. The Army Caliber Configuration study seems to be addressing the weight penalties of the larger calibers, and finding lighter weight solutions to them.

The next logical step is replacement calibers for .50 BMG, and possibly 7.62 NATO. 5.56 NATO is one of the strengths in the system, not a weakness.