Summary
The FN Minimi (short for French: Mini Mitrailleuse; "mini machine gun") is a Belgian 5.56mm Squad Automatic Weapon, or SAW developed by Fabrique Nationale (FN) in Herstal by Ernest Vervier. First introduced in the late 1970s, it is now in service in more than 75 countries. The weapon is currently manufactured at the FN facility in Herstal and their U.S. subsidiary FN Manufacturing LLC. The Minimi is a SAW that fires from an open bolt. It is an air-cooled weapon that is capable of fully automatic fire only. It can be belt fed or fired from a magazine. The Minimi is configured in several variants: the Standard model as a platoon or squad support weapon, the Para version for paratroopers and the Vehicle model as secondary armament for fighting vehicles.
The M249 light machine gun (LMG), formerly designated the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) and formally written as Light Machine Gun, 5.56 mm, M249, is the American adaptation of the Belgian FN Minimi, a light machine gun manufactured by the Belgian company FN Herstal (FN). The M249 is manufactured in the United States by the local subsidiary FN Manufacturing LLC in Columbia, South Carolina and is widely used in the U.S. Armed Forces. The weapon was introduced in 1984 after being judged the most effective of a number of candidate weapons to address the lack of automatic firepower in small units. The M249 provides infantry squads with the high rate of fire of a machine gun combined with accuracy and portability approaching that of a rifle.
The M249 is gas operated and air-cooled. It has a quick-change barrel, allowing the gunner to rapidly replace an overheated or jammed barrel. A folding bipod is attached near the front of the gun, though an M192 LGM tripod is available. It can be fed from both linked ammunition and STANAG magazines, like those used in the M16 and M4. This allows the SAW gunner to use a rifleman's magazines as an emergency source of ammunition in the event that he runs out of linked rounds.
M249s have seen action in every major conflict involving the United States since the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989. Due to the weight and age of the weapon, the United States Marine Corps is fielding the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle with plans to partially replace the M249 in Marine Corps service.The Mark 48, or Mk 48, or Maximi is a lightweight belt-fed machine gun, firing 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of ammunition. It is manufactured by Fabrique Nationale Manufacturing, Inc., a division of FN Herstal based in the United States. The Mk 48 has been developed in conjunction with the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), which has adopted the weapon and started its fielding process, beginning with special operations units.
Powers and Stats
Tier: 9-C, higher with piercing damage | 9-C, higher with piercing damage
Key: FN Minimi and its variants, M249 machine gun and Mk 46 machine gun | Mk 48 machine gun
Name: FN Minimi, M249 light machine gun, M249 Squad Automatic Weapon/SAW (formerly), Mk 46 machine gun | Mk 48 machine gun, Maximi
Origin: The Real World
Age: In service for 35 years (First designed in 1976, it went into service in 1984)
Classification: Light machine gun
Wielders: Various countries around the world
Attack Potency: Street level (Firepower is over 1700 J), higher with piercing damage | Street level (Uses 7.62x51mm NATO rounds, which are this powerful), higher with piercing damage
Speed: Supersonic+ (Muzzle velocity for the Para variant can hit 866 m/s, while normal variants can easily hit 915-925 m/s) | Supersonic (Uses STANAG 2310 7.62x51mm NATO rounds, which has an average muzzle velocity of 823 m/s)
Range: Hundreds of Meters (300-1000 meters with proper sighting adjustments) | Hundreds of Meters (800 meters of effective range)
Weaknesses: Can overheat if used for too long without stopping
Discussions
| Discussion threads involving FN Minimi/M249 light machine gun |