FN America Wins U.S. Army Contract For Lightweight M240L Machine Guns
FN America, LLC has announced that it has been awarded a $4.9 million contract to supply the U.S. Army with additional FN M240L medium machine guns. The M240L was originally adopted by the U.S. Army in 2010, after a joint development effort with FN to create a lighter, yet durable, medium machine gun.
According to FN, the M240L has been the cutting-edge for lightweight medium machine guns with an overall weight reduction of five pounds from its predecessor, the FN M240B, without any impact on performance or longevity. The 18 percent weight reduction was achieved by incorporating titanium into the design, including the receiver, and introducing new manufacturing methods to adjust for the material properties (a titanium receiver and polymer trigger frame).
“The M240L continues the collaborative effort between FN, the U.S. Army and the individual soldier to provide the most effective weapon systems for the warfighter,” said Mark Cherpes, President and CEO for FN America, LLC. “The development saw the introduction of new materials along with new manufacturing techniques that have paved the way for the future generation of military equipment. We are extremely proud of this product and look forward to working with the U.S. Army to deliver against this contract.”
The M240 general purpose machine gun (7.62x51mm NATO), derives from the FN MAG 58 that was adopted by the U.S. military in the late 1970s. It has been in continual service since being introduced. Over the years, FN has created multiple variants of the M240, including the M240 coaxial, the M240B, M240L, M240D and M240H models. The use of the M240 within the U.S. Army is widespread, and it’s a common guest in TFB’s Photo Of The Day, always showing up somewhere in the squad.
The M240L variant is equipped with the forward-mounted MIL-STD 1913 rail kit.
Over the years, FN has been one of the largest suppliers of small arms to the U.S. military and new inventions (like the FN EVOLYS) are most likely going to keep the wheels spinning. In addition to the M240 and its variants, the company currently holds contracts for the FN M249 lightweight machine gun, as well as the FN MK 46, MK 48, MK 17, and MK 20 SSR for USSOCOM, and various other contracts.
For more details on the M240L, check here: https://fnamerica.com/products/machine-guns/fn-m240l/
The closest I ever came to one is the FN M249S - The Machine Gun That Doesn’t Machine.
Ex-Arctic Ranger. Competitive practical shooter and hunter with a European focus. Always ready to increase my collection of modern semi-automatics, optics, thermals and suppressors. TCCC Certified. Occasionaly seen in a 6x6 Bug Out Vehicle, always with a big smile.
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So how does this work with the new Sig 6.8? We had similar ammo throughout the services when everyone’s belt-feds used the same ammo and parts…now it seems we’re forcing disparity.
How many M240Ls does the army get for $4.9 million? What all is included in the contract? It's usually a lot more than just the gun. How does the 5lb. weight reduction affect recoil and controlability? At least give us a link to the contract.
Since the author is too lazy to put the weight in the article, it is 21.8 lb down from THE M240B's 27.6 lb.