Negev light machine gun (LMG) has every sign of being a world class weapon, in the IMI tradition. While being a NATO-standard 5.56mm weapon, the Negev has a distinct weight advantage over its rivals.
Fully tested by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which assisted IMI during weapon development, the Negev is already in service. IDF plans call for adoption of the Negev by the army, air force and navy, to be put in service on helicopters, patrol ships and armored vehicles, and to replace its NATO-standard MAG machine-gun with the Negev. The final Negev version was introduced in 1995. Several samples entered the IDF for field-testing in 1996, and in 1997 massive production started.
One of the more important was the ability to have a weapon be used for a traditional SAW or use a quick change barrel to produce an extremely compact machine-gun. The weapon is available with a standard barrel or short barrel, with folding stock or without one. This flexibility has allowed the weapon to be used in a variety of roles such as traditional military applications or even in close quarters battle use.
The Negev can use the standard "soft assault drum" (a soft nylon bag) which stores 200 rounds of belted 5.56mm ammunition (2.7 kg) or 150 round soft assault drum (2.1 kg). As a redundancy feature, the Negev is also equipped to use Galil detachable box magazines of any capacity. An adapter kit is available for use with NATO STANAG (M16-type) magazines.
A three-position gas regulator controls the rate of fire and includes an off position for rifle grenade-launching capabilities. The Negev fires from an open bolt.
The Negev Commando is a shortened variant of the Negev LMG. It includes a 330mm barrel and omits the bipod for a forward handgrip. Otherwise it shares all features of the larger Negev LMG. The Negev Commando can be used in the role of an assault rifle as well as a light machine gun.
Caliber: 5.56 x 45 mm
Ammunition: SS109 / M855
Operation: gas, open bolt system
Locking method: rotating bolt
Feed belt, magazine: (Galil or M16)
Barrel: 6 grooves 1:7" twist
Weight (gr.)
LMG with barrel & bipod: 7600
Assault pouch with 150 rd:. 2100
Empty magazine (Galil): 320
Loaded magazine (Galil): 720
Dimensions (mm):
Overall length: 1020
With stock folded: 780
Barrel length: 460
Short barrel (optional): 330
Sight line radius: 440
Width: 60
Sights:
Front: post
Rear: aperture, drum adjustable:300 - 1000 m
Night: sight folding with tritium light
Firing Characteristics
Trigger pulling force (kg): semi-automatic: 6.0 automatic: 2.5
Muzzle velocity (m/sec): 915
Rate of fire (rd./min.): Position "1" (magazine) 700 - 850
Position "2" : 700 - 850
Position "3" : 850 - 1000
The Minimi light machine gun was developed by the famous Belgian company FN Herstal, in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Mass production began in 1982 in Belgium, and at about the same time it has been adopted by the US Armed forces as the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW). Since its introduction Minimi has seen widespread service, and numerous variations have been developed. First, the Para (Paratroop) version came out, with shorter barrel and tubular telescoped butt. This gun traded off some of the range and firepower for compactness and maneuverability. Quite recently, an SPW version was developed, which featured a Para-type buttstock, a barrel of intermediate length (between standard and Para models), and a Picatinny-type rail mount, which allows a wide variety of sights and scopes to be mounted. To save weight, the magazine feed option of the standard and para models has been discarded. This version, in a slightly modified form, was adopted by the US Special Forces Command (US SOCOM) as the Mk.46 model 0 light machine gun.
The FN Minimi has an excellent reputation on reliability and firepower, and the latest reports on failures of M249 SAW weapons in Iraq are attributed to the age of the weapons used - most of the current issue M249 in US Army are more than 10 years old and quite worn out.
Technical description.
The FN Minimi / M249 SAW is an air cooled, gas operated, belt fed, automatic weapon. The Minimi is operated using conventional gas action with the gas piston located below the barrel, and the barrel is locked using the traditional rotary bolt. The barrel is quick-detachable, and has a carrying handle attached to it, to help for quick replacement procedure. The M249 has an alternative feed system, which allows to use disintegrating metallic belts as a primary feed option, or M16-type box magazines as a back-up feed option. The belt is feed using the top feed unit, the magazines are inserted through the magazine port, located at the left side of the receiver and angled down. The Flip-up dust cover closes the magazine port when it is not in use, serving also as a belt guide. When magazine is in place, this cover raises up and closes the belt-way to avoid dual feeds and jams. Since the belt feed uses additional power to pull the belt through the gun, the rate of fire with the belt is somewhat slower (~ 750 rpm) than the rate of fire with magazine feed (~ 1000 rpm). The latest SPW and Mk.46 mod.0 versions of the Minimi have no magazine feed module as a weight-saving measure. The belts are fed from special 200 rounds plastic boxes that can be clipped beneath the receiver. All Minimi versions fire from open bolt to ensure optimal barrel cooling between bursts.
The folding bipod is mounded under the gas chamber, and the gun has provisions for tripod or vehicle mountings. The open sights are standard, with the availability of vide variety of optical and night sights for SPW and Mk.46 versions with Picatinny rails.
Standard model/ Para model Mk.46 mod.0 / SPW model
Caliber 5.56x45mm NATO
Weight: 7.1 kg 7.1 kg 5.75 kg
Length: 1040 mm 914 / 776 mm 908 / 762 mm
Barrel length: 465 mm 349 mm 406 mm
Feeding: belt or magazines belt only
Rate of fire cyclic: 750 - 1000 rounds per minute
FN M249 SAW
FN Minimi Para - a short-barreled "paratrooper" version with telescoped buttstock in extended position
FN Minimi SPW - Special Purpose Weapon, a lightened version with Picatinny rail adapters, Para type buttstock (shown folded) and belt feed only (no magazine feed installed)
FN Mk.46 model 0 - a variation of the Minimi SPW, with additional Picatinny rail on the heat shield and the different butt, developed for US Special Forces
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