General Dynamics unveils new machine gun
General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products has unveiled a next-generation Lightweight Medium Machine Gun (LWMMG) at the Joint Armaments Conference in Seattle, US. The company believes the new weapon will close current operational gaps, according to a 16 May, 2012 statement.
General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products developed the weapon under its own research and development programme in just over one year. It is designed for ‘low-cost production and for maximum effectiveness at the small unit level, where weight and lethality are decisive factors’.
The company said that the LWMMG will close a ‘current operational gap, providing .50 calibre-like firepower in range and effect at the same weight and size of currently fielded 7.62mm machine guns’. The company stated that it also offers ‘a distinct advantage in both extended and close-in fighting by using the highly efficient .338 Norma Magnum cartridge for increased accuracy and lethality out to 1,700 meters, a distance currently gapped in the operational capabilities of warfighters.’
The LWMMG has a firing rate of 500 rounds per minute, a maximum range of 5,642 meters, and is equipped with quick-change barrel technology. In addition to use by dismounted infantry and on ground vehicles, the weapon can be used as the armament system aboard helicopters and littoral craft, providing greater range and effectiveness for those platforms.
More from Land Warfare
-
![Europe’s eastern flank moves on air defence radars with wider efforts also underway]()
Europe’s eastern flank moves on air defence radars with wider efforts also underway
Air defence radars have become more important assets in the past year with incursions in NATO countries on Europe’s eastern flank highlighting the need.
-
![Australia’s SM-2 land trial could reshape ADF medium-range air defence plans]()
Australia’s SM-2 land trial could reshape ADF medium-range air defence plans
The first ground launch of the SM-2 could offer Canberra a path to expand its missile defence capability by adapting systems already fielded across the ADF.
-
![New teams form to compete for British Army Land Rover replacement]()
New teams form to compete for British Army Land Rover replacement
The UK’s Land Mobility Programme Light Mobility Vehicle requirement is designed to replace the British Army’s ageing fleet of Land Rovers with a vehicle with a Gross Vehicular Mass of less than 3,500kg. It could be for as many as 6,000 vehicles.
