Lightweight, but heavy oomph: combat experience in Afghanistan, Iraq and other asymmetric conflicts is influencing the development of compact light machine guns that can dominate the 'mid-range battlespace'.

Summary

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Infantry: weapons

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Lightweight, but heavy oomph: combat experience in Afghanistan, Iraq and other asymmetric conflicts is influencing the development of compact light machine guns that can dominate the 'mid-range battlespace'.

In the early 1970s the engineers of Belgium's FN Herstal developed the Minimi, the world's first 5.56 mm light machine gun (LMG), in anticipation that Nato would adopt the 5.56 x 45 mm cartridge as a standard small arms calibre. Several Nato armies were planning to follow the example of the US Army and replace their 7.62 x 51 mm assault rifles with a smaller calibre weapon that would be lighter, thus enabling soldiers to carry more ammunition for the same basic load. Seeking to maintain ammunition commonality within the infantry section or squad, most armies also decided to acquire a ma...

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