Barrett and MARS were chosen to develop a 30mm grenade rifle system for the Army, offering advanced targeting and firepower to replace legacy launchers under the Precision Grenadier System program.
Firearms maker Barrett and firearms research and development company MARS have been selected to produce the United States Army’s new 30mm grenade rifle system.
The service announced this week that the Barrett and MARS teams won the xTech Soldier Lethality competition. The competition called for the design, build, test, and demonstration of a platform supporting the US Army’s Precision Grenadier System (PGS) program.
The MARS, Inc. 30mm Support Rifle System (SRS) beat out the PGS-001 system presented by FN America.
The US Army launched the competition in June 2023, calling for entrants to develop “solutions” that could aid soldiers in engaging “threats with greater accuracy, speed, and impact to support the Army’s lethality mission,” the Army Innovation Programs Office explained earlier this month.
The PGS will replace the older M203 and M320 grenade launchers currently employed by the US military.
What Is the xTechSoldier Lethality Competition?
The xTechSoldier Lethality competition was initiated as part of the Army xTech Program, which is overseen by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology. It called for identifying advanced technologies from “nontraditional innovators” while expanding and strengthening the Army’s innovation pipeline.
The competition focused on sourcing a PGS that could deliver “accurate, long-range firepower through advanced optics and laser rangefinders,” and allow warfighters to “engage targets behind cover, at far distances, and in close-quarters battle.”
It called for a man-portable, shoulder-fired, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, integrated armament system complete with weapon, ammunition, and fire control that could destroy targets from defilade and counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) or drone targets at close range.
Participants in the competition were offered $315,000 each in cash prizes, and more importantly, a potential $2 million follow-on funding opportunity.
“Army customers have embraced xTech as a way to do broad market research,” said Dr. Matt Willis, director of the Army Innovation Program, which includes xTech. “This capability is compelling in being able to move quickly, pivot our focus and areas, and get critical solutions in front of Army leaders.”
The competition selected the two finalists after over a year and a half of technology pitches, including offerings from Colt and Northrop Grumman. Each delivered “lightweight, shoulder-fired 30mm grenade launchers capable of neutralizing targets within 500 meters in under three seconds.”
Why Did MARS Work with Barrett Firearms?
MARS collaborated with Barrett Firearms to develop the weapon systems, utilizing Barrett’s experience with weapon design and manufacturing and MARS’s research and development capabilities. Additional partners included Precision Targeting and AMTEC Corporation, which provided further insight into developing the 30mm grenade rifle system.
“For decades, Barrett has changed the battlefield with revolutionary systems like the shoulder-fired semi-automatic .50 caliber Model 82 and its modern variants, as well as the MRAD MK 22—the world’s most accurate multi-caliber sniper rifle,” said Bryan James, Barrett CEO.
“These weapon systems are now supporting the US and more than 80 allied nations worldwide,” James continued. “With our focus now on the US Army’s PGS initiative, we are committed to delivering another game-changing advantage: a system with Programmable Air Bursting counter-defilade and counter-UAS capabilities designed to keep our troops safe and ensure mission success.”
The US Army will likely next award a contract to MARS and Barrett to manufacture the SRS. The platform will undergo field testing before full-rate production (FRP) begins, and the service has yet to identify which unit(s) will test it.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Spc. Michael Schwenk.
