Corps to Replace SAW With Automatic RifleMarine infantry squads will replace their M249 light machine gun with a highly accurate, auto rifle geared for fast-moving assaults. In late May, Gen. James Amos, commandant of the Marine Corps, approved a plan to field the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle to all Marine infantry battalions.
The lightweight auto rifle, made by Heckler & Koch, is a variant of the 5.56mm H&K 416. It weighs just under eight pounds unloaded -- almost 10 pounds less than the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon.
The decision comes after the Corps fielded 458 M27s to five battalions as they prepared for upcoming deployments to Afghanistan.
"We wanted to get through the limited fielding and get the feedback before we moved ahead with the full fielding," said Charles Clark III, who oversees infantry weapons requirements at the Corps' Combat Development and Integration office in Quantico, Va.
"The decision is made. It's happening," Clark said.
Program officials plan to spend about $13 million to field all 4,476 M27s by late summer 2013, Clark said. In addition to the guns, that money also pays for spare parts, tools and gauges, he said.
Marine gunners trained with the new M27s all the way through their pre-deployment evaluation.
"They performed really well," Clark said. "They were hitting more targets and expending less ammo than they would have with the SAW."
Former commandant Gen. James Conway had concerns about replacing the M249 with a magazine-fed automatic rifle. His main worry was how the M27 would make up for the loss of suppressive firepower Marine gunners would give up when they went into battle without the belt-fed M249 machine gun.
Program officials acknowledge that a 30-round magazine cannot produce the high volume of fire the M249 is capable of when loaded with a 200-round belt.
And because gunners cannot change out over-heating barrels on the M27, they will likely keep sustained rates of fire at nearly 40 rounds per minute for 600 rounds on days with mild temperatures. They will have to reduce that to 28 rounds when the temps climb past 100 degrees.
But accuracy seems to be the key to the M27's effectiveness, Clark said. The auto rifle is already showing signs that it could to be twice as accurate as the Marine M16A4.
Gunners shooting the M27 have been getting first-round hits on targets beyond 300 meters much more consistently than they have in the past with the M249, Clark said.
"In the training, the Marines were employing it in the semi-auto mode until they closed within 100 meters or so of the enemy and then switch to full auto to provide very accurate high rates of fire," he added. "We don't lose the ability to gain fire superiority."
But time will tell.
Currently, the Marines have two battalions of M27s in Afghanistan and another three preparing to deploy. Marine battalions will also keep nine M249s per rifle company to allow commanders to beef up firepower when needed.
The M27s will be equipped with the Marine Corps SAW Day Optic, made by Trijicon. They will also have an AN/PEQ 16A laser pointer and integrated white light, Harris bipod legs and a vertical forward grip.
Marine officials selected the H&K weapon in October 2009 over two prototypes from Colt Defense LLC and one made by FN Herstal. Colt makes the M4 and FN makes the M249.
The M27 uses a short-stroke gas piston, which proved more reliable than the M16/M4's direct gas system in an Army dust test in late 2007.
Marine weapons officials also maintain that the improved 30-round magazine that the Army developed for the M4 carbine and the M16 is working well in the M27.
Some are concerned that M27 gunners are not being issued higher-capacity magazines. Program officials have not ruled this out as a possibility for the future, but for now, gunners will carry about 22 of the standard 30-round magazines for a basic load.
"We are looking at the potential for high-capacity magazines, but right now the new service magazine with the brown follower is working really well," Clark said. "We have had no issues."
http://www.military.com/news/article/co ... rifle.htmlA substituição é total e não apenas parcial. No more SAW!
