Exactly the point I was making in that post. They have to invent new bullshit that looks good in press releases and on an OER instead of using a pragmatic, inexpensive, easily developed solution.
That whole world lives in a bubble of their own doublespeak and circle jerking about future weapon systems but the Army as a whole is still fielding 20+ year old M4's, SAWs, etc with optics and accessories that are similarly old.
Hell, M16A2's are still issued in some areas. A2's!
So they'll spend millions on this shit just like the LSAT that went nowhere but generated some neat bullet comments for a few career research officers and guys like me will still be carrying rifles that have receivers and other parts that are older than we are... and I'm in my mid 30's.
Since the trend always seems to be towards a larger caliber―I have always suspected that the .30-caliber is the 'holy grail' of these pursuits―I guess that I'll never understand why the .mil does not just go with the .300 AAC Blackout, or its ballistic twin, the 7.62x39 and have it all done with. Yeah, sure 'fatter' bullets are not all 'long and snaky' like the slender ones (.224 through .270) are for the same weight, but let's not kid ourselves...'fatter' rifle bullets make a better 'terminal' impression.
There, I said it.
''Politics is for the present, but an equation is for eternity.'' ―Albert Einstein
Full disclosure per the Pistol-Forum CoC: I am the author of Quantitative Ammunition Selection.
From TFB in the past, "The RFP linked above specifies that the .264 USA be capable of producing 2,875 ft/s with a 107gr lead-cored Sierra HPBT from a 16.7″ barrel, or 2,657 ft/s with a 123gr Sierra from the same length. Also mentioned is a .277 USA, producing 2,527 ft/s with a 135 gr Sierra, but much less is known about this cartridge."
.300 BO is a niche round. It does what it does well but is unsuitable for a general purpose service round.
Read the requirement. The .MIL is concerned about punching through body armor at distance. Some of our "near peer" opponents issue armor comprable to ours and even third world opponents are wearing plates now.
Armor aside, at rifle velicoties the difference between a .264 and a .30 bullet are irrelevant.