General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products has won a contract to develop a next generation .50 caliber machine gun for the US Army.

The initial US$9m contract will see the company begin to develop the gun and its components.

General Dynamics says the gun will have significantly less recoil, be lighter and easier for soldiers to carry and has the potential to increase accuracy and lethality.

General Dynamics Armament Senior Programme Manager Robert Cavoretto says the gun represent a “new generation of weapon systems”.

“It offers unprecedented mobile lethality to warfighters, giving them the critical edge,” he says.

The initial contract is for development, but not production of the gun.

By staff writer