Speaking of the 6.8mm round, SoldierTech also looks at the Barrett M468, which is the weapon being used by those Army Special Forces in Afghanistan. I have to agree that it is the odds-on favorite to replace the M-16/M-4 in 5.56mm, but disagree with Eric Daniel of Military.com on his argument that the military may not want to change because it has so much 5.56 inventory on hand.
I see this in no way affecting the services’ decision to move to a new main battle rifle. The implementation of the 6.8 can be done in stages. Basic recruits and state-side soldiers could still use 5.56-chambered weapons, while those deployed abroad and in combat would use the new, more lethal 6.8-chambered rifles. Also, non-deployed Guard and Reserve units could still field the M-16/5.56. As the replacement made its way down from the deployed active duty troops to the non-deployed Guard and Reserve troops, any excess 5.56 inventory could be sold to allies which still utilize the round. Israel, the United Kingdom, and Australia readily spring to mind. I simply don’t see an inventory issue being the deal-killer in adopting the 6.8mm round.
Posted by retrophisch at January 6, 2005 11:25 PM | TrackBack