Mk 48 machine gun

The Mk 48 is a lightweight belt-fed machine gun, firing 7.62 × 51 mm NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of ammunition.
It is manufactured by Fabrique Nationale Manufacturing, Inc., a division of FN Herstal based in the United States. The Mk 48 has been developed in conjunction with the U.S. Special Operations Commandspecial operations units (USSOCOM), which has adopted the weapon and started its fielding process, starting with special unit.

History

On 21 March 2001, the USSOCOM approved the MNS/ORD (Mission Need Statement/Operational Requirements Document) for a new 7.62 × 51 mm NATO lightweight machine gun (LWMG) to replace the M60E4/Mk 43 Mod 0 in use by United States Naval Special Warfare Command (NSW), which proved to be "less than reliable"^{[citation needed]}.
The LWMG program was patterned after the Mk 46 Mod 0—a variant of the M249 SAW currently in use by the USSOCOM—and developed from the M240 series, the current-issue medium machine gun of the United States military.
Fabrique Nationale's division at Columbia, South Carolina (which also produces the M16, M249 and M240 series of weapons for the U.S. military) was charged with production of the Mk 48 Mod 0. The program achieved full-rate production on 21 March 2003.

 Design

The Mk 48 Mod 0 is a gas-operated, air-cooled, fully-automatic, belt-fed machine gun. The design is based on an early 7.62 × 51 mm NATO prototype of the Minimi, modified to be a scaled-up version of the 5.56 mm Mk 46 Mod 0.
Being heavily based on the Mk 46 Mod 0, the Mk 48 Mod 0 features five MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny railsforearm/handguard, one under the handguard, and one on top of the barrel), an integral folding bipod, and a tripod-mounting lug. The weapon is fitted with the same fixed, polymer buttstock as the M249, although the metallic, collapsible buttstock from the "Para" model can be found in some models. The carrying handle, which had been removed from the Mk 46, was reintegrated on the Mk 48 to assist the replacement of hot barrels without use of other equipment, such as heat-resistant gloves; the handle can be folded down when not in use. As with the Mk 46, the Mk 48 Mod 0 does not have an M249-type magazine feed port, in order to save weight. The weapon can be fed from a loose belt, separate belt boxes, or clip-on ammunition pouches for 100 rounds. (one on top of the receiver, one on each side of the
The 70% commonality with the Mk 46, M240 and M249 provides the Mk 48 with easily interchangeable parts in the need of replacements.Furthermore, the Picatinny rails can be fitted with various accessories from the SOPMOD kit, such as the ECOS-N (Enhanced Combat Optical Sight) red dot sight. The Mk 48 can also be fitted with a vertical foregrip for increased controllability during sustained fire. While heavier than the 5.56 × 45 mm NATO versions of the M249 SAW due to its larger chambering and heavier barrel, the Mk 48 Mod 0 is still 17% lighter and 8.4% shorter than the M240.
The Mk 48 Mod 0 is currently in service with certain USSOCOM units, such as the U.S. Navy SEALs and Army Rangers.

 Variants

Mk 48 Mod 0

This is a 7.62x51 mm NATO version of the Mk 46, used by USSOCOM, when a heavier cartridge is required. It is officially classified as an LWMG (Light Weight Machine Gun) and was developed as a replacement for the Mk 43 Mod 0/1. The M60 based machine guns are a great deal more portable than the heavier M240 based designs used elsewhere in the US military in the infantry medium machine gun role. However the M60 based designs have a long history of insufficient reliability. Trials conducted through the mid-1990s led the US Army to replace its M60 with M240B GPMGs. The M240B however, weighs in at ~27.5 lb and is about 49" long with the standard barrel. NAVSPECWAR was reluctant to give up the increased portability of the M60 (~22.5 lb, 37.7" OAL with the shortest "Assault Barrel") designs in spite of the M240's increased reliability. A request was put in for a new machine gun in 2001, and FN responded with a scaled up version of the M249 weighing in at ~18.5 lb with an OAL of ~39.5". The new design achieved much better reliability than the M60-based weapons while bettering its light weight and maintaining the same manual of arms as the already in-use M249. USSOCOM was slated to begin receiving deliveries of the new gun in August of 2003.

Mk 48 Mod 1

The Mk 48 Mod 1 is an update of the Mk 48 Mod 0. Like the Mod 0, it is essentially an M249 scaled up to fire the 7.62x51 mm NATO round. The Mod 1 utilizes a 19.75" barrel and weighs in at 18.37 lb unloaded, and has a rate of fire of 500–625 rpm.

Mk 48
Type	Machine gun
Place of origin	Belgium  United States
Service history
Used by	USSOCOM
Production history
Manufacturer	FN Herstal
Produced	2003—
Specifications
Weight	8.2 kg (18.26 lb) empty; 11.2 kg (24.7 lb) w/ 100 rounds
Length	1,000 mm (39.75 in)
Barrel length	502 mm (19.75 in)
Cartridge	7.62 × 51 mm NATO (STANAG 2310)
Caliber	7.62 mm (.308 in)
Action	Gas-operated, open bolt
Rate of fire	710 (± 50) rounds/min
Effective range	800 m (~875 yd), area target
Maximum range	3,600 m (~3,940 yd)
Feed system	Disintegrating belt