Page "Special Purpose Individual Weapon" Paragraph 15

In 1969, the Army started the Future Rifle Program, and invited AAI to enter against General Electric's Dual Cycle Rifle, a derivative of the Springfield SALVO design.

( Springfield had closed in 1968.

) Additional entries with multiple flechettes or bullets (" micro-caliber ") were also entered, mirroring the original SALVO tests of the 1950s.

However, the program came under attack by the United States Congress as a waste of money, and was forced to scale back.

Testing finally began in 1974.

The AAI design never managed to fire more than six bursts before jamming.

A possible entrant was the French designed VFIW assault rifle.