Читать книгу Practical Guide to the Operational Use of the MAG58/M240 Machine Gun - Erik Lawrence - Страница 6

Figure 1-3 MAG58 Machine Gun

•MAG58: The FN MAG is a machine gun manufactured by Fabrique Nationale (FN), Belgium. It was developed in the 1950s, has been in production since 1958, and has become a widely adopted 7.62mm NATO-firing machine gun used by more than 20 countries. MAG stands for Mitrailleuse d'Appui General, translated as “general purpose machine gun” (GPMG), refer to Figure 1-3.

The M240, formally United States Machine Gun, 7.62mm, M240, is a family of belt-fed medium machine guns firing the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge (w/M13 Link). It is based on the FN MAG machine gun, which is based on the Browning Automatic Rifle. The M240 has been used by the United States armed forces since the late 1970s. It is used extensively by infantry, as well as ground vehicles and aircraft.

All variants of the M240 series are fed from disintegrating belts and are capable of firing most types of 7.62mm NATO ammunition. They all share the same basic internal parts, which are also interchangeable, for the most part, with other members of the FN MAG family. There are significant differences in weight and some features among some versions for which this feature does not apply. The M240 is manufactured by the American division of FN Herstal, a Belgian company.