The American M249 machine gun has been in service with the US Army since 1984. More about this weapon will be discussed in the article.
General information
The light machine gun was originally developed in Belgium by FN Herstal and is called the FN Minimi. The designers wanted to bring to life the idea of a machine gun with a replaceable type of feed chambered for 5.56×45 mm caliber. The name Minimi perfectly matches the functionality of this weapon: it is light and elegant. To this day, this model is one of the most popular on the world market.
For the US Army, a sample marked M249 SAW has been implemented. The last three letters are translated as "saw", which is how the cannon was nicknamed in the ranks of the military. In fact, the abbreviation - Squad Automatic Weapon - stands for "platoon automatic weapon".
A bit of history
During the Second World War, cartridges appeared that were superior in power to standard pistol ammunition, but fell short of rifle ammunition. They are called "intermediates". Many designers have an interest in this type of ammunition. And, as a result, the first samples of weapons began to appear. In the USSR, the Degtyarev machine gun (RPD-44) was manufactured, which was further developed andwas transformed, and was subsequently replaced by the PKK.
Western design bureaus thought in the same way. In Germany, Heckler & Koch created the HK21, in the UK, the L86 LSW, and in Belgium, the Steyr AUG LMG. The decision to create a cannon chambered for an intermediate cartridge was quite justified: this is an opportunity to bring weapons to uniformity in terms of equipment, the method of ammunition supply, the main spare parts and methods of training in their possession.
In a combat situation, such a product makes it possible to conduct heavy suppression fire using a minimum amount of manpower. However, most design bureaus were limited to the production of heavy machine guns for the corresponding combat missions. The lower infantry units (like support, supply or support platoons) were still armed with submachine guns, which were not designed to perform tasks involving prolonged firing. And these units were not equipped with machine guns due to the specifics of the armed forces: preference was given to lightweight weapon models.
However, the Belgians decided not to rest on their successes and set themselves the goal of developing a light machine gun for the lower army units with an interchangeable barrel and belt feed.
American direction
Very successfully, in 1970, the US government announced a competition for the creation of a platoon automatic weapon (SAW). The decision was due to the failure and inconvenience of operating the M14 in the jungles of Vietnam.
The creation of the American machine gun M249 did not come immediately. But this thought was prompted by the opinions of war veterans who had to fight in urban conditions. It was believed that in battles in a confined space, the rate of fire, rather than accuracy, plays a large role. At that time, the United States considered the idea of creating a machine gun chambered for 6 × 45 mm, but the post-war financial crisis forced the idea to be postponed.
Difficult choice
Test samples of the "Belgian" began in 1974. At the time, the competitors for the title of SAW were:
- an advanced version of the M16, marked XM106 - was offered by the US Marine Corps;
- model XM248 from the Ford Aerospace Division, which was a revision by Rodman's laboratory of the XM235 machine gun;
- XM262 sample from Heckler-i-Koch (Germany).
There is reason to believe that the Americans leaned towards samples of their own production, based on patriotic considerations, but due to the fact that Belgian weapons (FN FAL and FN MAG) were increasingly in demand on the world market (while interest to American models was on the decline), there were more and more supporters of European machine guns in the US government.
Belgian victory
As a result, the crisis dragged on so much that the choice of a candidate for the title of SAW was postponed until 1979. By this time, the prototype of the future FN Minimi had undergone a number of changes in accordance with the wishes of the US military: a replaceable type of power was implemented - both frommachine-gun belt, and from a box magazine.
"Rodman's Sample" safely left the race, since with each revision, not the wishes of the customer were taken into account, but the advice of the military, which did not always benefit the weapon. As a result, subsequent improvements completely ruined the initiative to create a purely American machine gun model.
But the model from the Heckler-and-Koch company took an honorable second place, but unfortunately, according to the results of the competition, there are no consolation prizes.
FN Minimi was declared the winner and began to be produced in the states under the M249 marking. The machine gun (photo below) is still in service with the US Army. But the Marine Corps at the end of the twenty-first century received a version of the German automatic rifle from Heckler-and-Koch.
Features
The M249 SAW light machine gun is made in Southern California. Due to a number of difficulties identified when trying to adapt the product for cartridges of other calibers, mass production was only established by the beginning of the nineties.
The main differences from the Belgian original are mainly related to the technological aspects of serial production. If the Minimi is produced both with a folding butt and with a permanent one, then the American M249 SAW machine gun is produced with a folding one.
The external differences of the M249 machine gun are the presence of a shield over the barrel, which is responsible for thermal insulation. Folding bipods have been added to the design, and mounting of the product on a tripod is also provided. There are mounts for mounting the sight, andalso a gun belt. Includes interchangeable barrels, buffer, grips and sights, as well as a separate stock.
Tactical and technical characteristics
The M249 light machine gun weighs only 6.85 kg. The total length is 1040 mm, while the barrel length is 465 mm.
As mentioned above, a replaceable type of food is used:
- machine-gun belt for 100 or 200 rounds;
- 30 round magazine designed according to the NATO Standardization Agreement (STANAG).
The rate of fire of the product is from 700 to 1150 rounds per minute, while the bullet fired from the barrel develops speed up to 975 meters per second. Installation of a diopter sight is provided. The maximum firing range is very impressive - 3600 meters, while the sighting range is from 600 to 800 meters if the bipod is laid out. The range may vary depending on the shooting at single or group targets, respectively. When shooting from a tripod, the numbers are higher - from 800 to 1000 meters for the same reasons - depending on the type of targets.
The principle of operation of the M249 machine gun is very trivial - the removal of pore gases and the movement of the butterfly valve.
Military conflicts
M249 was used in a number of local conflicts, for example:
- US expansion into Panama in 1989 to restore democratic order and protect American citizens.
- The well-known war in the Persian Gulf from 1990 to 1991.
- Bosnian conflict 1991-1995
- Kosovo conflict, initiated by the Albanians,demanding the independence of Kosovo (1998-1999).
- The conflict in Afghanistan, which officially lasted from 2001 to 2014.
- During military clashes in Iraq between March 2003 and December 2011.
- Of course, the military conflict in Syria against the terrorist organization ISIS, which began in 2011 and continues to this day.
Operational Literacy
The M249 machine gun is still in service with the US Army, and there are no plans to abandon it. Nevertheless, over the entire period of operation of the product, a number of “misfires” were identified, which some attribute not to factory defects, but to the inept hands of the operator.
For example, back in 1970, a malfunction appeared during tests, which consists in jamming the mechanism when a cartridge is fed into the chamber when food is supplied through the magazine. Another - when using the M249 in desert conditions (Iraq and Afghanistan), is the rapid failure of the weapon barrel due to overheating.
Among experienced military men, there is an opinion that such a problem occurs for beginners who like to show off and shoot long bursts from such an "attractive" weapon.
Retired officers with a grin recall the "craftsmen" who at one time managed to fire two hundred rounds from the barrel and thought they could replace the barrel, use up a couple more tapes and put the old barrel back. It must be remembered that if a difficult combat situation requires such shooting, you should stock up on many spare barrels forM249. Moreover, they are not issued on receipt to each soldier, they are not allocated according to the norm along with dry rations and uniforms. In combat conditions, you will have to disassemble other people's machine guns in order to bring your own into proper condition.
Producing countries
The FN Minimi machine gun has been adopted by many countries around the world, but is manufactured under license (in addition to Belgium), only in Australia, Greece and, of course, the USA. In addition to the SAW version for America, there are options with a shortened barrel for paratroopers and special forces. However, the model does not come as a result of a deep modernization of the M249 machine gun. Para is exactly the marking for the Belgian FN Minimi.
Domestic response
As part of the "Soldier of the Future" project, domestic designers developed a project for the RPK-16 machine gun. The brainchild was presented to the general public as part of the presentation "Army-2016". The product was conceived as a worthy answer to Western "mastodons" such as FN Minimi and Ultimax 100.
RPK-16 is designed with an interchangeable type of feed for caliber 5, 45 x 39 mm, capable of using cartridges from magazines from AK-74 or RPK-74. Concern "Kalashnikov" has developed a drum for 96 rounds specially for this product. The new brainchild of domestic designers has every chance to oust the FN Minimi from the world market.
And it also provides for the installation of an elongated barrel, as well as aimed shooting from the RPK-16. The new weapon has already been nicknamed the "machine gun-rifle" due to its technical features. It is this highlight that is planned to compete withUltimax 100.
Weapons results
Technological progress does not stand still. New types of weapons are replacing the old ones, the most famous examples are on the shelves of museums. Perhaps the RPK-16 will outshine world manufacturers with its performance and then the M249 machine gun will find its home in the museum.
New types of weapons are invented every day, and to counter them, new types of armor appear that can resist these weapons. The answer is not long in coming - there will definitely be a new gun capable of penetrating this armor.
War is also constantly changing, local conflicts are becoming more violent and unpredictable, so new weapons adapt to the realities of combat. Weapons models that are most in demand all over the world are exported to customer countries that need them. Often the model is adapted to the needs of specific units of the country. This was the case with the FN Minimi, which was marked M249 SAW.
New types of weapons serve as ideas for implementation in popular culture. But they often lead to incorrect information about the names of specific samples. For example, the erroneous marking of the M249 Para machine gun can be found in the online game Warface. In fact, the model is not the M249, but the Belgian original - FN Minimi Para.
Let all local conflicts and wars remain only elements of games, but in real life, let peace reign!
