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Defense Industry News - FN Herstal
 

Monday, June 6, 2011, 03:40 PM

 
Belgian FN Herstal MINIMI™ 7.62 Machine Gun Selected by British Military.
 
(Herstal, Belgium) – June 6, 2011. Belgian Company FN Herstal has recently been awarded a new contract by the UK Ministry of Defence for the supply of up to 176 MINIMI™ 7.62 light machine guns by the end of 2011.
     
June 6, 2011. FN Herstal has recently been awarded a new contract by the UK Ministry of Defence for the supply of up to 176 MINIMI™ 7.62 light machine guns by the end of 2011.
Belgian FN Herstal Minimi calibre 7.62mm machine gun Belgium defense industry
     

The contract also includes optional quantities of a further 250 MINIMI™ 7.62 machine guns to be delivered annually over a three-year period from 2012 to 2014 should these options be exercised.
The UK MoD selected the machine gun manufactured by the Belgian firearms manufacturer following several months of functional testing under various environmental conditions.

The MINIMI™ 7.62 is lightweight (8.4kg) and can therefore be carried over rough ground and fired from standing position while providing the range and target effect of the 7.62 ammunition. The model chosen by the UK MoD also features a sliding buttstock for easier carriage that incorporates a hydraulic buffer for stabilized rate of fire and reduced recoil forces.

The MINIMI™ 7.62 machine gun offers similar ergonomics and maneuverability as the MINIMI™ 5.56 machine gun chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO caliber. The MINIMI™ 5.56 has already been in service in their thousands with the British Armed Forces since 2003.