FN Minimi

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Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 July 2009 12:31 Written by Administrator Thursday, 02 July 2009 03:30

The FN Minimi is a light machine gun of Belgian design. It was designed by Ernest Vervier in 1974 and is manufactured by FN Herstal. It is currently being used by a number of countries including Australia, France, Canada, Italy, Sweden, the United States and the United Kingdom. The gun is also being manufactured under licence in the USA, Australia and Greece.

The FN Minimi is capable of fully automatic fire only and uses a short-stroke gas piston operating system. It is air-cooled and fires from an open-bolt. The chances of a round cooking off are very low with the Minimi because it is designed in such a way that the barrel is ventilated to remove excessive heat after each shot. This prevents excessive heat from building up and causing the round to ignite prematurely.

In addition, the FN Minimi’s gas exhaust system is designed to direct the gas escaping from the barrel upwards. This prevents dust from getting kicked up which would easily reveal the location of the gun and the gunner in the field. The gas valve can also be manually adjusted in two modes—normal and adverse. The normal mode enables a rate of fire of around 700-850 rounds per minute while the adverse mode enables 95-1150 rounds per minute. The latter mode is used only in extreme conditions and when there is fouling in the gas tubing of the gun.

The FN Minimi uses M27 ammunition belt in its feed mechanism. The M27 is a disintegrating-link belt which is based on the M13 belt. The ammunition belt is fed from the left-hand side The FN Minimi is either fed using the loose belt or the belt enclosed in a polymer box. Magazines can also used by inserting them into a magazine well. Doing so prevents a belt fro being inserted. However, magazines are only employed when the belt ammunition gets exhausted.

The FN Minimi’s barrel has a high heat capacity because of which the gun can be fired continuously. The barrel is internally lined with chrome. The barrel can also be changed very quickly if it gets overheated during sustained fire. The gun has a lever on the left-side to unlock the barrel and comes with a handle to assist in changing the barrel. A trained soldier can change the Minimi’s barrel in less than 6 to 7 seconds. Earlier versions of the Minimi had a flash-suppressor with side ports. However, newer models have a cone shaped suppressor with slots.

The FN Minimi has many variants. One such variant is the M249. This version was adopted by the United States Military in the year 1982 and is produced in the United States by a subsidiary of FN. This version features a polymer stock, and have several changes made to the operating mechanism. Other variants include the Minimi SPW (Special Purpose Weapon), the Mk 46 and the Mk 48. Other countries have also produced some variants. Most notable of these is the Chinese made XY 5.56x45. This gun is chambered for the 5.56x45mm NATO round and has been designed mainly for export to other countries.

As of today, the FN Minimi and its variants continue to be used very widely.