M249 light machine gun

Light Machine Gun, 5.56 mm, M249
M249 Para equipped with an ACOG scope
TypeLight machine gun
Squad automatic weapon
Place of originBelgium / United States
Service history
In service1984–present
Used bySee Users
Wars
Production history
Designed1976
ManufacturerFN America
Unit costUS$4,087[2]
ProducedLate 1970s–present
VariantsSee Variants
Specifications
Mass
  • 7.5 kg (17 lb) empty
  • 10 kg (22 lb) loaded with 200 rounds
Length40.75 in (1,035 mm)
Barrel length
  • 465 mm (18.3 in)
  • 521 mm (20.5 in)
Cartridge5.56×45mm NATO
ActionGas-operated long-stroke piston, opened rotating bolt
Rate of fire
  • Cyclic: 850 rounds/min
  • Rapid: 100 rounds/min
  • Sustained: 50 rounds/min[3]
Muzzle velocity915 m/s (3,000 ft/s)
Effective firing range
  • 700 m (2,300 ft) (point target, 465 mm barrel)
  • 800 m (2,600 ft) (point target, 521 mm barrel)
  • 3,600 m (11,800 ft) (maximum range)
Feed systemM27 linked disintegrating belt in a 100- or 200-round soft pouch
STANAG magazine
SightsIron sights or Picatinny rail for various optical sights

The M249 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon),[4][5][6] formally the Light Machine Gun, 5.56 mm, M249, is the United States Armed Forces adaptation of the Belgian FN Minimi, a light machine gun manufactured by FN Herstal (FN).

The M249 SAW is manufactured in the United States by the subsidiary FN Manufacturing LLC, a company in Columbia, South Carolina (FN America), and is widely used in the U.S. Armed Forces. The weapon was introduced in 1984 to address a lack of sustained automatic fire capability at the squad level. The M249 SAW combines the rate of fire of a machine gun with the accuracy and portability of an assault rifle.

The M249 SAW is gas operated and air-cooled. It features a quick-change barrel (allowing the operator to rapidly replace an overheated or obstructed barrel) and a folding bipod attached to the front of the weapon (an M192 LGM tripod is also available.) The M249 SAW is normally belt-fed, although it is technically compatible with STANAG magazines (such as those used in the M16 and M4.)

The M249 SAW has seen action in major conflicts involving the United States since the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989. In 2009, the United States Marine Corps selected the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle to partially replace the M249 in USMC service.[7]

In 2022, the U.S. Army selected the SIG Sauer XM250 to replace the M249 SAW.

  1. ^ Moss, Matthew (July 11, 2023). "How a Ukrainian Furniture Company Started Producing Ammo Belt Boxes for Ground Troops". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Military Analysis Network-1999 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ LIGHT MACHINE GUN M249 SERIES (PDF) (Field Manual). Headquarters, Department of the Army. May 2017. pp. 100–101. FM 3-22.249.
  4. ^ Boe, David (August 1, 1997). "Mission Continues" (PDF). The Talon. Vol. 3, no. 31. Eagle Base, Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina: 1st Infantry Division (Task Force Eagle) Public Affairs Office. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 22, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2013. Sitting atop the platoon leader's HMMWV, the 20-year-old soldier mans a Squad Automatic Weapon and monitors traffic at the crossroads.
  5. ^ Lewis, Jack (September 12, 2007). Ken Ramage (ed.). The Gun Digest Book of Assault Weapons (7th ed.). Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. pp. 14, 74, 156, 245. ISBN 978-1-4402-2652-6. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2013. When it comes to machine guns, FNH USA is turning out copies of the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) that has been in the US military inventory for several decades.
  6. ^ "FN® M249 SAW". FN America. Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  7. ^ Lamothe, Dan (July 2, 2010). "Conway eyes additional testing for auto-rifle". Marine Corps Times. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved July 2, 2010.