The Army has announced that it plans to give gun makers the opportunity to build 6.8mm prototypes for the service's effort to replace its M249 squad automatic weapon and M4/M4A1 carbine. The release date of the much-anticipated Prototype Opportunity Notice, or PON, for the Next Generation Squad Weapon program "is currently estimated to be January 2019," according to a draft PON. Read more in this Military.com story.
Army to Seek Prototypes for M4/M249 SAW Replacements in Early 2019
![Perseverance Mars rover collecting a sample from a rock called "Bunsen Peak"](http://images03.military.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_large/public/2024-04/ApNewsroom_NASA_Mars_40344.jpg?itok=VDgDNyaU "This photo provided by NASA shows the Perseverance Mars rover collecting a sample from a rock called "Bunsen Peak" using a coring bit on the end of its robotic arm on March 11, 2024. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU via AP)")
