This will replace the SCAR-H

Special operators are getting a new rifle that can fire both 7.62mm and 6.5mm Creedmoor rounds as a replacement for the MK17 SCAR-H Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle-Heavy, according to U.S. Special Operations Command.

The MK24 Mid-Range Gas Gun-Assault features a “quick-change swappable barrel” that allows the weapon to fire both kinds of ammunition, said Navy Cmdr. Joe Vermette, a spokesperson for U.S. Special Operations Command. Special Operations Command, or SOCOM, expects to begin receiving the MK24 from LMT Defense later this fiscal year, which runs until Sept. 30.

Chambering the 6.5mm Creedmoor round gives the MK24 a range of more than 1,200 meters, and the new rifle has less recoil than the FN SCAR, in use by the U.S. military as the MK17.

Special Operations Command began fielding the MK17 in 2009, with units deployed to Afghanistan heavily utilizing the high-powered rifle in the years since. In the decade and a half since, SOCOM has been looking for a new weapon that can fit specific operational needs. 

In August 2025, LMT Defense, in Eldridge, Iowa, was awarded a “10-year indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract” of up to $92 million for Mid-Range Gas Gun-Assault kits, spare parts and accessories, new equipment training, and engineering change proposals.

The version of the MK24 that LMT has shown publicly has a 14.5-inch barrel along with ambidextrous controls.The weapon weighs 9.2 pounds without its magazine or accessories.