M249 light machine gun

The M249 light machine gun is a machine gun which is the U.S. version of the Belgian FN Minimi light machine gun, used by the United States and Lebanon. The main use of this weapon is to provide cover fire for other soldiers in a squad (or group of soldiers). The gun uses 5.56 NATO caliber ammunition.

Overview
The M249 was made because a lot of the squadrons of the U.S. Army did not have fully automatic weapons. It has seen action in every war that the United States has been in since 1989. 

Replacement
In the U.S. Marines, the M249 is due to be replaced by the German M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle.

References

Category:Light machine guns
Category:Machine guns of the United States