Turkmenistan Acquired the Latest American M7 Rifles and M250 Machine Guns

In Turkmenistan, American M7 rifles and M250 machine guns chambered for the new 6.8×51 mm cartridge—developed by SIG Sauer for the U.S. Army’s rearmament program—were publicly displayed for the first time.

The new small arms were spotted on service members during a parade in Ashgabat on September 27, marking the 35th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s independence. Official Turkmen media confirmed the parade and the display of new weapons, but did not specifically mention the M7 and M250 in their written reports.

The appearance of these systems is noteworthy because they are among the newest American small arms models, which have only recently begun to be delivered to U.S. Army combat units.

SIG Sauer developed the M7 and M250 as part of the Next Generation Squad Weapon program, designed to replace the primary small arms of the U.S. Army’s frontline units.

In 2022, SIG Sauer was awarded a ten-year contract to produce them, and in May 2025, the U.S. Army officially granted both systems standard-issue status.

The M7 rifle is based on the SIG MCX Spear platform and was intended to gradually replace the M4A1 carbines in frontline combat units.

The M250, in turn, is a light, belt-fed machine gun intended to replace the 5.56-mm M249 SAW. Both systems use the same 6.8×51 mm cartridge, which delivers significantly more energy than the 5.56×45 mm cartridge traditionally used in Western infantry weapons.

The new ammunition has become a key element of the U.S. rearmament program: it is expected to increase effective range and perform better against targets wearing modern body armor.

M7 already succeeded by a new model in the U.S. Army

Meanwhile, the U.S. Army itself is already adjusting its plans regarding the M7.

In 2026, following feedback from service members, the U.S. Army began transitioning to a shorter and lighter variant of this system—the XM8. The new version is approximately 9 centimeters shorter and more than 450 grams lighter than the M7, while retaining the 6.8×51 mm cartridge.

In the budget request for fiscal year 2027, the U.S. military has already focused its rifle procurement specifically on the XM8, while purchases of the M250 continue.

Therefore, the M7’s arrival in Turkmenistan came at an unusual time: the system only began entering service with the U.S. Army a few years ago, but the U.S. military is already transitioning to its more compact version.

Turkmenistan is modernizing its diverse arsenal

The parade marking the 35th anniversary of independence also showcased several other new systems recently delivered to Turkmen security forces.

Among them, official media named the Point Blank, ThunderB-VTOL, SkyStriker, Orbiter-2B, and CW-15D strike and reconnaissance drones, as well as the new FK-2000 anti-aircraft missile and artillery system.

At the same time, Turkmenistan’s armaments traditionally come from many suppliers. The parade featured Soviet and Russian T-72M, T-90S, BMP-2D, BMP-3, and ZSU-23-4 Shilka vehicles; 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled guns; Smerch multiple rocket launchers; Mi-17V-5 and Mi-24P helicopters; and Su-25 attack aircraft. Also on display were Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones, Cobra and Kirpi armored vehicles, Chinese FM-90, KS-1A, FD-2000, and FK-2000 air defense systems, as well as Israeli unmanned systems such as the SkyStriker, Orbiter-2B, Point Blank, and ThunderB-VTOL. Italian equipment included Iveco M65 armored vehicles, C-27J Spartan transport aircraft, M-346 aircraft, and helicopters.