Some parallels can also be drawn between recent efforts on the 5.56 mm M249 SAW and the 7.62 mm M240B machine gun. Employed by both Army and Marine Corps elements, the M240B is a variant of the M240-series coaxial machine gun mounted on Bradley Fighting Vehicles and Abrams main battle tanks. The system, which is manufactured by Fabrique Nationale Manufacturing (FNM), LLC, can provide suppressive fire to a maximum range of approximately 1,800 meters.
The M240L lightweight medium machine gun is the first gun in the U.S. Army to make extensive use of titanium alloys and is nearly 5 pounds lighter than the M240B. U.S. Army photo
However, while the M240B provided significant reliability enhancements over the older 7.62 mm M60-series machine gun, its origins as an armored vehicle coaxial weapon were reflected in heavy weight and large size.
The dual challenges led the Army to lead a redesign effort involving the introduction of titanium in the receiver and a shorter barrel design. The result is the new M240L (lightweight), a new weapon that provides soldiers with the same capabilities as the older M240B in a package that is 5 pounds lighter.
Not surprisingly, the development effort was recognized by Army Materiel Command as one of the command’s “Greatest Inventions for 2010.”
The Army started fielding the weapons late in 2010 and approximately 1,700 of the “Limas” are now in theater. As of this writing, service representatives are anticipating the release of a request for proposal for a five-year contract that will reportedly cover Army needs and also include sufficient options “for other services” if they elect to join the procurement.
The Punisher Enters the Fray
While questionably a “small arm” in the minds of some, another man-portable weapon system to witness significant activity over the past year has been the XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement (CDTE)/Individual Semi-Automatic Airburst System (ISAAS) system. The system enables individual soldiers to engage exposed or defilade targets by providing 25 mm air bursting capability out to approximately 700 meters.
The XM25 Individual Semi-Automatic Airburst System (ISAAS) enables the small unit and individual soldier to engage defilade targets by providing a 25 mm air-bursting capability that can be used in all operational environments. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Raymond Piper
In late 2010 and early 2011, the Army conducted Forward Operational Assessments (FOAs) in Afghanistan with five prototype XM25s. Although the system had just started the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase, the five weapons were employed in actual combat operations, beginning on Dec. 3, 2010, with nine different combat engagements taking place over the following month.
Army program representatives later summarized the early lessons learned, noting that “55 rounds were shot during these nine engagements,” during which “the XM25 gunners were able to disrupt two insurgent attacks on an OP [observation post]. They were able to take out two machine gun positions – two PKMs [machine guns]. They were able to destroy four ambush sites, where the survivors of those sites fled.”
Enhanced Sniper Rifle
In terms of dedicated sniper weapons, ongoing tactical operations have shown that the 7.62 mm x 51 mm (.308 Winchester) doesn’t always have sufficient range for current scenarios. That realization has had service planners scrambling to explore new caliber options for sniper systems.
One of the significant related developments over the past year has been the fielding of a limited quantity of the Army’s XM2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle. Originally designated as M24E1, the program was originally viewed as an upgrade to the M24 SWS.
The new system answered theater-generated ONSs for a sniper weapon that had longer range than the 7.62 mm M24 SWS or 7.62 mm M110 SASS. While both of those systems are extremely accurate to 800 meters, they reportedly lose ballistic accuracy in the longer-range “ridgeline-to-ridgeline” fights in the mountains of Afghanistan.