Give me a MK 48!!

Pointman · 10-09-2009, 11:27 PM

Quote:

U.S. Army infantry units are fighting in the mountains of Afghanistan with a special operations forces machine gun that’s 30 percent lighter than the standard M240B but still packs the killing power of 7.62mm NATO.

Army weapons officials are fielding several hundred MK 48 MOD 1 machine guns in an effort to lighten the heavy loads ground forces, especially machine-gunners, struggle to carry over the country’s unforgiving terrain. The MK 48, made by FN Manufacturing LLC, was first adopted by Navy SEAL teams in 2000. The elite commando units needed a reliable 7.62mm machine gun that was light enough to carry on fast-moving raids and other special missions.

“It’s a great assault gun,” said Army Col. Doug Tamilio, the head of Project Manager Soldier Weapons, the command that overseas Army small arms.

At 18.26 pounds, the MK 48 is about nine pounds lighter than the 27.5-pound M240B. But the 550 MK 48s being fielded are not the beginning of a move to replace the Army’s beloved M240B, also made by FN Manufacturing, Tamilio said. It’s a short-term fix until next year when the Army begins fielding the lighter version of the M240B—the M240L.

The MK 48 fielding is intended to quickly “get something in the hands of soldiers to fight with in the mountains of Afghanistan,” Tamilio said.

New Machine Gun for Joes in Afghanistan

Booga · 10-10-2009, 12:44 AM

The original weapon being almost 30lbs must take quite the effort to haul. I'm going to guess the ammo just adds to that weight.

Still, it'd be nice if the rest of us got to play with this stuff too. Just not gonna happen in Washington state...

Jakey poo · 10-10-2009, 06:07 PM

It is quite a load to carry, but is typically dispersed between at least two soldiers. I'm glad to see that they are trying to get a lighter 7.62 into our hands, for the shear fact that the M249 in 5.56 just doesn't cut it.

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10-10-2009, 12:44 AM	#2
Booga Rifleman Joined: Aug 2009 From: WA Posts: 120	The original weapon being almost 30lbs must take quite the effort to haul. I'm going to guess the ammo just adds to that weight. Still, it'd be nice if the rest of us got to play with this stuff too. Just not gonna happen in Washington state...

10-10-2009, 06:07 PM	#3
Jakey poo Rifleman Joined: Feb 2009 From: Al Asad, Iraq Posts: 116	It is quite a load to carry, but is typically dispersed between at least two soldiers. I'm glad to see that they are trying to get a lighter 7.62 into our hands, for the shear fact that the M249 in 5.56 just doesn't cut it.