M249 - Weapon Library

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M249
Mini-mitrailleuse

	Available Images
	Technical Data

	Manufacturer	FN USA
	Country Of Origin	United States
	Date Of Introduction	1982
	Caliber	5.56 x 45 mm NATO
	Feed System	Magazine or Belt
	Rate Of Fire	725 rounds per minute (belt), 1,000 (magazine)
	Weights	6.9 kg
	Length	1038 mm

More Information ^*

The M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (M249 SAW) is the United States military designation for a sub-family of the Minimi squad automatic weapon, or Mini-mitrailleuse, for "mini-machine gun". Both are 5.56 x 45 mm NATO light machine guns manufactured by Fabrique Nationale (FN) and its subsidiaries.

The Minimi is manufactured by Fabrique Nationale in Belgium, while the M249 is made by FNH USA, the American subsidiary of FN. The M249 was the winner of a competition carried out by the U.S. military in the late 1970s–early 1980s for a new squad automatic weapon. The Minimi has been adopted by many other countries since that time, especially among NATO members.

The M249 was one of many firearms fielded in the late 1970s, 1980s and 1990s that was part of the NATO adoption of a new smaller round. The Belgian cartridge (SS109), developed for use with the Minimi, was the winner of the competition for the new, standardized 5.56 mm round. In the United States, the M16A2 was adopted following the M249 as part of the move to this compatible, although different, round — firearms intended to fire the SS109 cartridge use a different rifling twist rate (1:7 inches) from the previous U.S. standard M193 5.56 mm cartridge.

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