M2 Browning The Browning . 50 is a Heavy machinegun created by John Browning in 1918 and still in use today . The Browning is one of the most versatile weapons in combat because of its ammunition have multiple configurations : Perforating , explosive , tracer , incendiary and antiblindagem with antiaircraft positions , land and naval . This weapon of incredible power is still used today but is inferior to its Russian counterparts ; Kord 12 . 7 , NSV heavy machine gun and DShK , which fire the more powerful 12 . 7x108mm ( . 50 Russian ) round . Is underway for a portable version for this caliber , one assault rifle or pistol . History . The gun went from the experiences of U . S . military in the World War I out . You needed to defend themselves against armored vehicles , but had not the appropriate weapons for it . This should change when Colonel John Parker , an officer of the MG school of the U . S . Army in France , became aware of French 11 - mm ammunition , which was used by the French against armored targets and reconnaissance balloons . The French munitions but was deemed too inefficient , it was John Moses Browning with the development of a very heavy machine - gun charge , the Winchester Repeating Arms Company ( New Haven , Connecticut ) should develop the appropriate ammunition for it . According to some sources , Browning and Winchester are already at that time such a weapon of similar design have worked , as the official order was issued , but it was still here at the caliber . 30 in a stronger version of the cartridge . 30 - 06 . The first tests in October 1918 did not show all the desired results - in particular the bullet velocity was too low and difficult to control the weapon - were still 10 , 000 units of the model Browning M1918 ( . 30 - 06 caliber , appointed with water ) from the U . S . Army . Only after a German Anti - tank rifle ( was captured tank gun model 18 ) with ammunition in caliber 13 mm , it became possible to develop a service with sufficient ammunition to penetrate the armor then usual . These were still produced at the U . S . Browning M2 . 50 cartridge . The new machine gun was first manufactured in 1921 , several revisions and incorporated in 1933 in its final version . The imported versions were : M1921 , M1921 A1 , M2 and M2 HB . In contrast to M2 , the HB version ( English " heavy barrel " = heavy barrel ) for a longer run . The barrel is surrounded only with the standard version with a perforated casing to improve the cooling . The machine guns were used in the infantry , ships , vehicles and tanks and in aircraft . The air - cooled version of the M2 was as throughout the Second World War as a board gun carried by aircraft . It came as a fixed version in fighter aircraft or as defensive armament in turrets or gun carriages of bombers used . The water - cooled version of the M2 has been used primarily as a light anti - aircraft machine gun . The barrel wrapped a tank with coolant , which consisted of antifreeze reasons to 60 % water and 40 % alcohol . The coolant circulated inside the tank and protected the gun before overheating . The MG was amended in 1942 , the U . S . Navy 20 - mm Oerlikon machine gun replaced . HQCB M2 and M3M . The traditional version of the M2 machine gun remained until the 1980 years into the U . S . Army and the armed forces of other countries in action . The Belgian company Herstal ( Earlier the better " Fabrique Nationale " or " FN Herstal " known ) developed in the seventies , the modernized version M2 HQCB . The modernization of the M2 was necessary to achieve a cost - effective compromise between the heavy machine guns and both in manufacturing and in the more expensive machine gun ammunition . In the new version , it was possible to change the course within seconds as needed for solving and fixing only two handles and the barrel were not needed to be adjusted . otherwise , there are differences in the additional carrying handle , a chrome plating of the barrel to increase the life span and some smaller changes . FN Herstal even delivered a set to upgrade old M2 can . From 2001 to replace the American forces and their old M2HB HQCB by the new M3M , a more modernized version of FN Herstal Variants and Derivatives . M2 variants . The basic M2 was deployed in US service in a number of subvariants , all with separate complete designations as per the US Army system . The basic designation as mentioned in the introduction is Browning Machine Gun , Cal . . 50 , M2 , with others as described below . The development of the M1921 water - cooled machine gun which led to the M2 , meant that the initial M2s were in fact water - cooled . These weapons were designated Browning Machine Gun , Cal . . 50 , M2 , Water - Cooled , Flexible . There was no fixed water - cooled version . Improved air - cooled heavy barrel versions came in three subtypes . The basic infantry model , Browning Machine Gun , Cal . . 50 , M2 , HB , Flexible , a fixed developed for use on the M6 Heavy Tank designated Browning Machine Gun , Cal . . 50 , M2 , HB , Fixed , and a " turret type " whereby " Flexible " M2s were modified slightly for use in tank turrets . The subvariant designation Browning Machine Gun , Cal . . 50 , M2 , HB , TT was only used for manufacturing , supply , and administration identification and separation from flexible M2s . A number of additional subvariants were developed after the end of the Second World War . The Caliber . 50 Machine Gun , Browning , M2 , Heavy Barrel , M48 Turret Type was developed for the commander ' s cupola on the M48 Patton tank . The cupola mount on the M48A2 and M48A3 was thoroughly disliked by most tankers , as it proved unreliable in service . An externally - mounted M2 was later adopted for the commander ' s position on the M1 Abrams tanks . Three subvariants were also developed for use by the US Navy on a variety of ships and watercraft . These included the Caliber . 50 Machine Gun , Browning , M2 , Heavy Barrel , Soft Mount ( Navy ) and the Caliber . 50 Machine Gun , Browning , M2 , Heavy Barrel , Fixed Type ( Navy ) . The fixed types fire from a solenoid trigger and come in left or right hand feed variants for use on the Mk 56 Mod 0 dual mount and other mounts . M2 E - 50 . A long overdue upgrade program for existing infantry M2HBs and other M2s currently in U . S . Army service , the E50 provides a : Quick Change Barrel ( QCB ) capability , a rail accessory mount , an improved flash hider and a manual safety . The E50 designation initially appeared to be within the bounds of the normal U . S . Army designation system . However , it later turned out that the term was in fact a developmental project that stands for Enhanced 50 , as in enhanced . 50 caliber machine gun . Developed primarily as a conversion kit for existing weapons , it is likely that new production machine guns will be built to this standard . In later U . S . Army briefings , this variant has been referenced as the M2E2 or M2A1 . Aircraft Guns . AN / M2 and AN / M3 . The M2 machine gun was widely used during World War II and in later postwar conflicts as a remote or flexible aircraft gun . For fixed ( offensive ) or flexible ( defensive ) guns used in aircraft , a dedicated M2 version was developed called the . 50 Browning AN / M2 . The AN / M2 had a cyclic rate of 750 – 850 rounds per minute , with the ability to be fired from an electrically - operated remote - mount solenoid trigger when installed as a fixed gun . Cooled by the aircraft ' s slip - stream , the air - cooled AN / M2 was fitted with a substantially lighter barrel , which also had the effect of increasing the rate of fire . The official designation for this weapon was Browning Machine Gun , Aircraft , Cal . . 50 , AN / M2 ( Fixed ) or ( Flexible ) . During World War II , a faster - firing . 50 - inch aircraft Browning was developed , the AN / M3 , using a mechanical or electrically - boosted feed mechanism to increase the rate of fire to around 1 , 200 rounds per minute . The AN / M3 was widely used in Korea on such planes as the F - 86 Sabre and in Vietnam in the XM14 / SUU - 12 / A gun pod , and currently in the Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano . The XM296 / M296 is a further development of the AN / M2 machine gun for remote firing applications , and is currently only used in an armament system for the OH - 58 Kiowa Warrior helicopter . The M296 differs from previous remote firing variants in that it has adjustable maximum firing rate ( 500 – 850 rpm ) , while lacking a bolt latch ( allowing single - shot operation ) . As an air - cooled aircraft gun used aboard a relatively slow rotary - wing aircraft , the M296 has a burst restriction rate of 50 rounds per minute ; combat firing which exceeds this limit mandates a ten - minute cooling period to avoid malfunctions due to overheating . XM213 / M213 , XM218 , GAU - 15 / A , GAU - 16 / A , and GAU - 18 / A . The XM213 / M213 was a modernization and adaptation of existing . 50 caliber AN / M2s in inventory for use as a pintle mounted door gun on helicopters using the M59 armament subsystem . The GAU - 15 / A , formerly identified as the XM218 , is a lightweight member of the M2 / M3 family . The GAU - 16 / A was an improved GAU - 15 / A with modified grip and sight assemblies for similar applications . Both of these weapons were used as a part of the A / A49E - 11 armament subsystem ( also known as the Defensive Armament System ) . The GAU - 18 / A , is a lightweight variant of the M2 / M3 , and is used on the USAF ' s MH - 53 Pave Low and HH - 60 Pave Hawk helicopters . These weapons do not use the heavy barrel , and are typically set up as left - hand feed , right - hand charging weapons , but on the HH - 60 Pavehawks that use the EGMS ( External Gun Mount System ) all weapons are set up as right hand charge but vary between left and right hand feed depending on what side of the aircraft it is on . In this configuration the gun is fitted with a chute adapter attached to its left hand feed pawl bracket . Thus , the weapon can receive ammunition through a feed chute system connected to internally - mounted or externally - mounted ammunition cans . Originally designed to accommodate 1 , 700 rounds , these cans have since been modified due to space constraints , and now hold about half that amount with the external cans of the EGMS system holding 600 rounds each . However , many aerial gunners find the chute system cumbersome , and opt to install a bracket accommodating the 100 - round cans instead . The GAU - 18 / A began to be supplanted by the GAU - 21 / A in 2006 . GAU - 21 / A and M3P . The FN produced M3 series is also in U . S . military service in two versions . The fixed remote firing version , the FN M3P , is used by the U . S . Army on the Avenger Air Defense System . The M3M flexible machine gun has been adopted by the USAF and the USN under the designation GAU - 21 / A for use on helicopters . The M3P is currently being used to upgrade the US Army ' s OH - 58D ; replacing the M2 and XM296 . 50 cal . machine guns for the aircraft . Operators . The M2 family has been widely used abroad , primarily in its basic infantry configuration . A brief listing of designations for M2 family weapons follows :