FN America arms a large portion of the military. They produce my beloved M240 medium machine gun, M16s, M4s, M249s, and more. They are now aiming to arm American soldiers with a Precision Grenadier System (PGS). The US Army launched the PGS Program as part of its increased lethality plan for the future of the US Army. The FN PGS-001, as it is currently called, is FN’s entry into the program.
Barrett has also entered the program. Barrett has been a lot more open with its design, and it even showed up at SHOT Show 2025. FN is a bit more secretive with its design. It seemed to have only shown up at AUSA 2023. There isn’t much known about this precise system, but we know little about the PGS requirements.
The FN America PGS-001 and the Precision Grenadier Program
The system must weigh less than 14.5 pounds and be 34 inches long or less. It must also have an effective range of at least 500 meters.
The Contracting notice states, “The PGS will be a man-portable integrated weapon system that enables precision engagements to destroy personnel targets in defilade and in the open with increased lethality and precision compared to the legacy M203/M320 grenade launchers.”
It continues, “The PGS will provide overmatch to comparable threat grenade launchers in near-peer formations in future operating environments (jungle, urban, woodland, subterranean, desert, day/night/obscured). The PGS is envisioned to consist of a weapon, a fire control, and a suite of ammunition that enables the user to engage targets in defilade/cover, hovering UAS targets, conduct door breaching, engage close combat targets, and light armored targets.”
A Multipurpose System
This thing will have to be a multipurpose system that provides various options for a grenadier to engage multiple targets. 14.5 pounds sounds like a lot, but the XM7 will weigh almost 10 pounds, so weight isn’t a concern with Big Army. From the contract listing of the PGS-001, we can gather that it will likely have an HEDP round, a buckshot round for close quarters and door breaching, and even a drone engagement cartridge.
These are steep demands, but this idea isn’t new. The Army tried this type of program with the OICW and, later, its evolution, the XM-25. The idea of a precision grenade launcher has been kicking around for decades. The counter-defilade capabilities translate to air burst cartridges, which allow grenadiers to quickly engage targets hiding behind cover, in trenches, and more.
The FN PGS-001
The FN PGS-001 looks more like an assault rifle than a grenade launcher. Its overall layout resembles an assault rifle from G.I. Joe or a 90s Marvel comic. The FN PGS-001 features a SCAR-like look, with what appears to be a folding and collapsing stock and what appears to be a cheek riser.
The PGS-001 has a massive optics rail across the top of the gun and will likely use a computer fire control-style optic like the XM157. You’ll need some means to program grenades for air burst, and a smart optic could do so.
The PGS-001 features a handguard that appears to have M-LOK slots and a modular design. In front of that handguard sits a massive muzzle device. The brake design looks like it came off a .50 BMG rifle. This will likely help reduce recoil but might significantly increase volume and muzzle flash.
The PGS-001 appears to be a semi-auto design. It’s magazine-fed, with a charging handle placed above the barrel. It’s unclear what the size of the grenade is, but I’m guessing they are 30mm. That seems to be the sweet spot for range and firepower potential the Army wants. I wouldn’t be shocked if they were 25mm, but I can’t say for sure.
Throwing Nades
The Precision Grenadier System is an excellent weapon for the average infantry squad. It addresses the issues with the standard 40mm grenades and will provide nearly 150 meters more range than the classic 40mm grenade launcher. Will the PGS-001 win? It remains to be seen, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen an Army project, and I thought it was a fantastic idea.
