The US Army seeks to integrate an intelligence platform on its next-generation squad weapons (NGSW) to enhance their performance and reduce operational costs.
American technology firm Armaments Research Company (ARC) has announced that a partnership agreement with NGSW developer Sig Sauer has been signed to modernize the cutting-edge weapon system.
As part of the deal, the Washington-based company will introduce its Internet-of-Things (IoT) full-stack technology to the US Army’s NGSW program.
IoT is a system of interrelated computing devices, digital machines, and objects with unique identifiers. It will be able to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.
According to ARC, its intelligence platform will provide crucial data on individual weapons, enabling units to regularly assess functionality and reduce failure rates.
The technology reportedly helps to extend the life of NGSW and optimize maintenance plans.
Pushing Boundaries
Earlier this year, the US Army announced that it had selected Sig Sauer over fellow finalist True Velocity to manufacture NGSWs and ammunition for its soldiers.
The weapons are expected to provide “significant capability improvements” with improved ergonomics, signature-suppressing capabilities, data power transfer, and new rail designs.
Although the service has already selected a vendor, ARC Chief Executive Officer Michael Canty said that the US Army continues to “push the boundaries” in seeking a modern, data-driven approach to ensure NGSW readiness.
“Our team is thrilled to partner with Sig Sauer to deliver this groundbreaking platform and refresh the Army’s weapons for the first time in several decades,” he explained.
“With tens of thousands of new weapons as data sources in the field, we can optimize equipment safety and reliability, ultimately harnessing this data to save lives.”
The first batches of NGSW will already include ARC’s round count and inventory management system, which will gather weapons data over the next several years.
