As much as the Army likes to gripe about M-16A2–designed by a U.S. Marine–and its derivative M-4, it seems unhappy that the Senate is re-competing the M-4 against other weapons. Although the M-4 has no particular deficiencies–other than the preference of many operators for a larger round–there have been many technological advances in weaponry since its design.
The M-4 is a carbine version of the M-16A2 service rifle, which was designed by a U. S. Marine and introduced for service in the 1980’s as the world’s longest-range standard issue service rifle. It has since been matched by at least two other service rifles, and the M-4 was later introduced as a specialized close-combat version. The M-4 has become immensely popular in military units because most combat takes place closer than M-16’s 800-plus-yard range.
