The M249 light machine gun is a machine gun which is the U.S. version of the Belgian FN Minimi light machine gun, used by the United States and Lebanon. The main use of this weapon is to provide cover fire for other soldiers in a squad (or group of soldiers). The gun uses 5.56 NATO caliber ammunition.
| Machine Gun, 5.56 mm, M249 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Squad automatic weapon/Light machine gun |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1984-Present |
| Used by | United States armed forces Lebanon[1] |
Overview
changeThe M249 was made because a lot of the squadrons of the U.S. Army did not have fully automatic weapons. It has seen action in every war that the United States has been in since 1989.
Replacement
changeIn the U.S. Marines, the M249 is due to be replaced by the German M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle.[source?]
References
change- ↑ Al-Balaa, Nadine; Nina Akel Khalil (15 January 2010), قائد الجيش أشاد بدقة التنفيذ والتنسيق (in Arabic), Lebanese Armed Forces, archived from the original on 30 June 2011, retrieved 15 January 2010
