M249 light machine gun

Light Machine Gun, 5.56 mm, M249
M249 Para fitted with Trijicon ACOG and RFI collapsible stock
Type	Light machine gun
Place of origin	Belgium (Minimi) United States (M249)
Service history
In service	1984–present
Used by	See Users
Wars	Invasion of Panama Gulf War Unified Task Force Bosnian War Kosovo War War in Afghanistan Iraq War Syrian Civil War Iraqi Insurgency
Production history
Designed	1976
Manufacturer	FN Herstal
Unit cost	US $4,087
Produced	Late 1970s–present
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Weight	7.5 kg (17 lb) empty 10 kg (22 lb) loaded
Length	40.75 in (1,035 mm)
Barrel length	465 mm (18 in) 521 mm (21 in)
Cartridge	5.56×45mm NATO
Action	Gas-operated, open bolt
Rate of fire	Sustained rate of fire: 100 RPM Rapid rate of fire: 200 RPM Cyclic rate of fire: 800 RPM
Muzzle velocity	915 m/s (3,000 ft/s)
Effective firing range	700 m (770 yd) (point target, 465 mm barrel) 800 m (870 yd) (point target, 521 barrel) 3,600 m (3,940 yd) (maximum range)
Feed system	M27 linked disintegrating belt, STANAG magazine

700 m (770 yd) (point target, 465 mm barrel)

The M249 light machine gun (LMG), formerly designated the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW), and formally written as Light Machine Gun, 5.56 mm, or the .223 military rnd. The 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 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 heavy volume 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.