Is there a replacement for the "irreplaceable" machine gun M2 Browning
The large-caliber 12,7 mm M2 machine gun of the John Browning system is a real symbol of the American army, remaining in service for decades. Created back in 1932 on the basis of the Browning M1919 and Browning M1921 machine guns, the design of which began at the end of the First World War, this machine gun remains in service to this day.
Since its adoption in 1933, the M2 heavy machine gun, along with the American army, managed to take part in World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, the wars in Iraq and all local conflicts in recent years. In addition to the American army, the M2 remains in service with many armies of NATO countries. Also, this machine gun is widely represented in the world, in many countries its licensed production was established.
It is believed that the total number of M2 machine guns produced exceeds three million copies. This is a very decent indicator, many well-known examples of small arms weapons were produced in smaller quantities. Numerous attempts to develop an adequate replacement for the M2 model have never ended. But today in the United States, the question of finding alternatives to this large-caliber machine gun is increasingly raised, especially in special forces.
Pros and cons of the M2 Browning machine gun
The M2 Browning machine gun remains a versatile small-arms weapon that many soldiers deserve to be considered excellent, reliable and lethal. Few survive after being hit by a large-caliber bullet .50BMG (12,7x99 mm), the initial flight speed of which is up to 890 m / s. Such ammunition allows machine gunners to effectively engage targets at a distance of up to 2 meters.
The 12,7 mm bullet is practically unaffected by the wind, does not change the direction of flight when it encounters light obstacles, and has high lethal force and stopping power. Ammunition of this caliber is effective against light shelters and unarmored vehicles, while it is possible to defeat lightly armored targets, boats, helicopters and low-flying enemy aircraft.
The machine gun is truly versatile. It can be installed on various equipment, including Tanks, armored personnel carriers, jeeps. Used on boats and ships, used in aviation... Infantry variants of the M2 HB (HB for Heavy Barrel) machine gun are also widespread, which usually become the backbone of the defense and are used to equip prepared positions.
Extensively operated since 1933, the M2 Browning machine gun remains one of the oldest weapons in the American infantry arsenal. In this regard, the model can certainly be called an old man. But, as you know, the old horse does not spoil the furrow. In addition, the Americans adhere to the principle with this machine gun: "it doesn't break, don't fix it." At the same time, the model is really becoming obsolete, since there have been no fundamentally important changes in the design of the machine gun since 1933.
The main disadvantage of this model today is its too heavy weight. This applies to both the machine gun itself and the ammunition for it. It is one thing when a large-caliber machine gun is installed on some kind of military equipment, and quite another - if you move with it on your own two feet, you have to calculate that, in addition to the body of the machine gun and the machine tool, it also carries a stock of cartridges to it on its hump.
Machine gun weight is 84 pounds (38,2 kg). And this is without a machine. Together with the machine, the weight of the M2 HB rises to 128 lb (58 kg). This weight significantly reduces the mobility of the weapon and the ability to transport. In modern warfare, the struggle often goes for every gram of excess weight that a fighter is forced to carry or must take on board military equipment.
The first modernization of the M2 took place only in the XNUMXst century.
Surprisingly, in fact, the first modernized version of the large-caliber machine gun, designated M2A1, entered service only on October 15, 2010. The Americans allocated money for the design work to modernize the large-caliber machine gun only in 2007. All this time, since it was put into service in the 1930s, the machine gun was practically unchanged.
In the competition announced in 2007 for the modernization of the 12,7-mm M2 Browning machine gun, the victory was won by Saco Defense, which was then acquired by the large American defense company General Dynamics.
The new version, which was created for the US armed forces, received a quick-change barrel, a carrying handle, and a new slotted flash suppressor. It is reported that the appearance of a new flame arrester has reduced the visibility of the muzzle flame when firing by 95 percent. Following the United States, the Israel Defense Forces also adopted a modernized machine gun, more precisely, its commercial version M2-HQCB.
After the appearance of the M2A1, the Americans quite actively began to replace the old models of machine guns. By November 30, 2012, the army received 8,3 thousand new or upgraded M2A1 machine guns. And in total, as part of the upgrade program, the ground forces and the US Marine Corps had to upgrade all 54 thousand M2 machine guns that remain in service.
What models of machine guns can press the M2 Browning
Despite almost 90 years of honest service, the Browning M2 machine gun definitely needs to be replaced, despite all its positive characteristics. This is already a long-lived small arms. The first to think about a replacement in the United States Marine Corps Special Operations Command.
Of particular interest to the US military is the SIG Sauer MG 338 machine gun. This machine gun has already passed the certification process by the Special Operations Command. The SIG Sauer single belt-fed machine gun is a truly perfect and modern product. Among other things, the SIG Sauer MG 338 is a multi-caliber model, the weapon can be easily transformed to use the 7,62x51 mm cartridge.
The paradox is that the new product is lighter than the 7,62 mm M240B machine gun widespread in the American army. The model, chambered for the more powerful .338 Norma Magnum (8,6x63 mm) cartridge, weighs only 21 pounds (9,52 kg), while the M240B machine gun, used in the American army for 60 years, weighs 27 pounds (12,24 kg). Compared to the old M2, the new American machine gun chambered for 8,6 mm is just a feather, it is four times lighter at once.
The machine gun has a lot of advantages inherent in the best modern firearms. The SIG Sauer MG 338 is built on a short-stroke gas-operated automatic system and has a patented recoil reduction system. Like most models of modern small arms, the machine gun has two-way controls. Experts also refer to the interesting features of the model as the possibility of changing the direction of feeding the tape with cartridges and the presence of a suspended quick-change barrel.
SIG SAUER MG 338 machine gun, left side view, photo: sigsauer.com
SIG SAUER MG 338 machine gun, right side view, photo: sigsauer.com
It is this model that has the most chances to squeeze out the M2 Browning in the units of the American army, especially those that rely heavily on mobility. The .338 Norma Magnum cartridge has sufficient stopping and stopping power, but at the same time this ammunition is noticeably lighter than .50BMG, and it is more convenient to transport and carry in large quantities.
The effective firing range of the SIG Sauer MG 338 machine gun is estimated at 1 meters. At the same time, the recoil is comparable to the 700 mm machine guns of previous generations. In this component, the machine gun is slightly inferior to the M7,62, from which trained shooters can hit targets at a distance of two kilometers. Particularly lucky ones effectively use M2 machine guns as a replacement for sniper weapons, hitting targets at long distances, since the power of the 2-mm cartridge allows this. The maximum range of a bullet fired from a large-caliber M12,7 Browning machine gun even reaches seven kilometers.
In addition to the SIG Sauer MG 338, several promising machine guns chambered for the universal .338 Norma Magnum cartridge were created in the United States at once. For example, the General Dynamics Lightweight Medium Machine Gun (LWMMG) is a light machine gun that, thanks to the use of an 8,6 mm cartridge, significantly outperforms all 7,62 mm models, having the best weight, size and accuracy characteristics.
With all the obvious advantages of the new models, the US Army is still not ready to completely abandon the 12,7 mm M2 machine gun. The latest upgrade to the M2A1 suits most infantry commanders. Browning's machine gun, with its obvious disadvantage of being overweight, is still an extremely powerful and incredibly versatile weapon to send it to the junkyard. stories even in the XNUMXst century.
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