General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products (GDATP) has introduced its newly developed, advanced lightweight medium machine gun (LWMMG) at the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Joint Armaments Conference, being held in Seattle, US.
GDATP vice president and general manager of armament systems Steve Elgin said the LWMMG is an inexpensive weapon and provides .50 calibre range firepower at the same size and weight of the existing 7.62mm machine guns.
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"Weighing in at 24lb and featuring a fully collapsible stock, the LWMMG offers superior mobility and portability in both mounted and dismounted operations," Elgin added.
"The LWMMG is a well-designed machine gun ideally suited to provide long-range lethality to US and allied forces."
Equipped with quick-change barrel technology, the LWMMG has a firing rate of 500 rounds a minute at a maximum range of 5,642m, filling the current operational gap between the .50 and 7.62mm rounds.
LWMMG is chambered in a .338 Norma Magnum (NM) cartridge to provide increased accuracy and lethality up to 1,700m, offering advantage in both extended and close-in fighting missions.
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By GlobalData"By employing the larger .338 NM round, the LWMMG delivers twice the range and dramatically increases lethality above the 7.62 round," Elgin added.
"In addition, the LWMMG goes beyond providing suppressive fire and gives warfighters the ability to attack point targets at significantly extended ranges."
Apart from use by dismounted infantry and ground based vehicles, the gun can also be deployed as the armament system on helicopters and littoral crafts.
The gun has been developed by the company in more than one year, following a self research and development programme to help identify needs not currently met; it is designed for low-cost production and greater efficiency at the small unit level, where weight and lethality are critical aspects.
