
M240 Machine Gun
The M240 Machine Gun, 7.62 mm, M240, is the US military designation for the FN MAG (French: Mitrailleuse d'Appui Général, English: general-purpose machine gun), a family of belt-fed, gas-operated medium machine guns that chamber the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge.
The M240 is a belt-fed, gas-operated, air-cooled, crew-served, fixed headspace general-purpose machine gun. Its versatility is demonstrated by its ability to be fired effectively from its integral bipod, mounted on a tripod, on ground vehicles, watercraft and aircraft.
The M240C (Coaxially mounted) machine gun is mounted in M2/M3 Bradleys adjacent the M-242 25 MM Busmaster Chain Gun on the Bradley Commander side of the turret. The M240C is controlled by the Gunner and BC handstations using the same reticle. The M3A3 Bradleys have significant upgrades including advanced thermal imaging, laser range finder and independent BC thermal sight for tracking and identifying targets.


Type
General-purpose machine gun
Place of origin
Belgium (designed) United States (manufactured)
Service history
In service
1977–present
Used by
Georgia, Kenya, Lebanon, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Iraq and Philippines
Wars
Gulf War Iraq War War in Afghanistan Syrian Civil War Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
Production history
Designer
Ernest Vervier
Designed
1950's
Manufacturer
FN America, U.S. Ordnance, Barrett Firearms Manufacturing
Produced
1977–present
Variants
M240, M240E1, M240C, M240D, M240G, M240B, M240L, M240H, Barrett 240LW and 240 LWS
Specifications
Weight
27.6 lb (12.5 kg) (M240B) 25.6 lb (11.6 kg) (M240G) 22.3 lb (10.1 kg) (M240L)
Length
49.7 in (1,260 mm)
Barrel length
24.8 in (630 mm)
Width
4.7 in (120 mm)
Height
10.4 in (260 mm)
-Wikipedia