MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE — Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Inc. has unveiled the Squad Support Rifle System (SSRS), its entrant into the U.S. Army’s Precision Grenadier System (PGS) Program, at this year’s Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
As a part of Barrett’s continued commitment to delivering innovative, battle-proven solutions for U.S. and allied soldiers, the SSRS is designed to meet the evolving needs of modern combat.
Barrett has teamed with MARS Inc., an innovative tech start-up and finalist in the U.S. Army’s xTechSoldier Lethality competition. This strategic collaboration brings together two innovators in soldier lethality systems to develop a next-generation 30mm support rifle.
“We are excited to be working with Barrett, the world’s premier soldier weapons manufacturer, to mature our 30mm Support Rifle System for the U.S. Army’s PGS Program,” Michael Merino, President of MARS Inc, said. “Together, we’re developing a solution that will greatly enhance the soldier’s ability to engage a wide range of battlefield threats.”
The SSRS will offer soldiers an advanced counter-defilade capability and the ability to defeat Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and dismounted soldier targets. Designed for the U.S. Army’s upcoming PGS solicitation expected in FY2026, Barrett will head a team of industry-leading partners to develop a cutting-edge system optimized for lethality and soldier safety.
“Barrett will bring together a team of innovative partners to deliver a PGS solution that incorporates unique technologies optimizing lethality and soldier safety,” Bryan James, CEO of Barrett, said. “The SSRS is a key part of our expanded product line, offering new capabilities that enhance the effectiveness of allied forces on the battlefield.”
The U.S. Army announced the launch of the PGS program during an industry day event at Picatinny Arsenal in August. As a part of this initiative, Barrett’s SSRS is positioned to play a critical role in shaping the future of soldier weapons systems.
Attendees of the AUSA Annual Meeting are invited to visit the Barrett booth #3615 to view a model of the MARS xTech demonstration system and learn more about Barrett’s vision for the future of soldier lethality.
I’ve probably mentioned this before with the FN entry, but I wonder how close these 30mm grenades are to the Honeywell/ATK rounds first developed in the early 1970s for the Army’s Future Rifle System.
While at Rock Island Arsenal, George L. Reynolds worked on underbarrel 30mm launcher designs ranging from single-shot to multi-shot. After retiring from the Army and starting Knox Engineering, he developed a stand-alone, multi-shot 30mm launcher that ATK marketed into the early 1990s.
One step closer to Warhammer 40k Bolters
If one of the design team happens to have a tan complexion and long dark hair… ?
So an XM25 Mk2?
Yes, my thought exactly
Looks really cool. Having come of age when OICW / XM25 was billed as ‘the future’, it will be nice to see that future finally arrive.
Hopefully they are able to design good lethality into these 30mm projectiles; videos from Ukraine showing drone dropped VOG17 30mm grenades have shown very good effectiveness, but these grenades are ~270-280g, likely much heavier then what the PGS will fire if it is pursuing high velocity.
The US is currently developing an enhanced M433E1 40mm that is ~25% heavier than a standard 40x46mm, and features the addition of tungsten fragments, adding further weight to the importance of grenade weight.
Perhaps miniaturized fuses can help offset some of the reduction in grenade size.
So I get that this thing needs vent holes for the barrel, but why is the handguard not set up with M-LOK holes instead? This just looks like a missed opportunity.
Also, I wonder if they could put an ‘M4 buffer tube’ styled extension off the back of it in lieu of that stock, so that the end user can configure the weapon to their needs and use a sling with it. The one QD attachment point they have built in the ‘stock’ leaves much to be desired as far as placement goes. If they have to do their stock, then it needs to have three non-rotational QD’s like the Hogue ‘overmolded’ stocks.