Page "M16 rifle" Paragraph 21

Replacement of the M16 family has been proposed at various points, and its longevity is in part due to a series of failures in projects meant to replace it, driven largely by the requirement for a significant improvement.

Immediately after the introduction of the M16, the Marine Corps sought to adopt the Stoner 63.

Although they found it superior in most ways, it was still at an early stage of development ; the Marines chose the technically inferior but mature M16.

The Advanced Combat Rifle program in the 1980s produced weapons that were superior in some ways, but none improved upon the M16 series enough to replace it.

It was also potentially going to be replaced by the SABR, from the OICW project.

The weapon system originally planned by the OICW project was put on hold around the turn of century, in favor of a simpler new 5. 56 mm rifle project that offered less far-reaching improvements.

The resulting XM8 rifle was also intended as a potential replacement for the M16 family.

However, this program too ran into problems around 2004 – 05, and was put on hold in favor of an open competition for what became known as the OICW Increment 1.

( Increment 2 is the standalone XM25 Individual Airburst Weapon System, and Increment 3 is the XM29 OICW, a weapon that combined the earlier two increments.

) This competition was subsequently put on hold in the summer of 2005 to take into account input from other services ; then the competition was cancelled in October 2005.