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.
|
|
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.
|
| |
