Advanced Combat Rifle program

The Advanced Combat Rifle program was the U.S. Army's search for a rifle replacement during the 1980s.

History

The search for an Advanced Combat Rifle (ACR) began in February 1986, the project originally going under the name of Advanced Individual Weapon System (AIWS for short). During Phase I, with the decision to seek new rifle design for adoption in about 1995. Multi-million-dollar contracts were awarded to six companies; AAI Corporation, Ares, Inc., McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems, Colt, Heckler & Koch, and Steyr-Mannlicher. The designers were given free hand within broad limits of weight and size, the primary stipulation being that the rifle had to give 100% improvement in first round hit probability over the then-current M16A2 rifle.

The prototypes developed were:

• H&K G11
• Steyr ACR
• Colt ACR
• AAI ACR
• ARES-Olin AIWS
• McDonnell Douglas AIWS

The McDonnell Douglas and Ares, Inc. weapons were cut from the list before Phase II was started.

The ammunition developed were:

• 4.92×34mm
• 5.56×45mm SCF
• Several duplex rounds of various calibers including 5.56x45mm Duplex
• 5.56×25mm AAI AIWS
• 5.56×45mm Flechette
• 5.56×47mm Flechette
• 5×44mm ARES
• 5×54mm ARES
• Hughes Lockless of various calibers and loadouts including 5.56×30mm Hughes Lockless

The Hughes Lockless and ARES rounds were cut out before Phase II when their guns, McDonnell Douglas AIWS and Ares-Olin AIWS, were disquilified, respectively.

Eventually, in 1989, four finalist candidate weapons were tested in Phase III, from Heckler & Koch, Colt, AAI Corporation, and Steyr. Testing was prolonged and expensive, and at the end of it the U.S. Army decided that while all the candidate prototypes showed merit, none of them provided the quantum leap in performance that was desired. The U.S. Army Infantry School issued a report asserting that the M16A2, as a weapon, had already reached its peak, and that the only way to improve first-hit probability was to use an explosive warhead. The program was ended in April 1990, because of it, also leading to the dawn of the Objective Individual Combat Weapon Program.

The various weapon designs in the ACR program are worthy of study, because they suggest the way that the next generation of rifles might go, as and when the armies of the world show sufficient interest.

See also

• Flechette
• Multiplex ammunition
• Caseless ammunition
• Telescoped ammunition
• Hughes Lockless

External Links

• Docdroid PDF Advanced Combat Rifle program