General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, a subsidiary of General Dynamics, has unveiled a suite of .338 Norma ammunition for use with its new lightweight machine gun.
During the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference, the company showcased the new family of special .338 Norma ammunition for use with its a new lightweight machine gun, called the Lightweight Medium Machine Gun (LWMMG).
The family of new ammunition is designed for meets all of customers’ training and engagement needs, from short range to long distance. It is consists of a Frangible Short-Range Training Ammunition (SRTA) rounds, Target Practice (TP), Reduced Range Ammunition (RRA), Armor-Piercing (AP) and Frangible cartridges.
The next generation LWMMG, after undergone a substantial number of modifications to its internal and external components, gives warfighters a distinct advantage in both extended and close-in fighting. Eliminating the gap between 7.62mm and .50 caliber weapons, the LWMMG utilizes the highly efficient .338 Norma Magnum cartridge to offer unmatched accuracy and lethality while extending the battlespace out to an impressive 1,700 meters.
The company’s presentation notes the at 1,000 meters, the LWMMG is capable of defeating Level III body armor and incapacitating soft skinned vehicles by delivering over 1,900 foot-pounds of energy to the target – more than five times the terminal effect of the 7.62mm NATO cartridge.
Weighing less than 24 pounds and featuring a fully collapsible stock, the LWMMG offers superior mobility and portability in both mounted and dismounted operations.
The LWMMG is operated by a gas-operated, long-stroke piston with a rotating bolt located under the barrel and fires from an open bolt. It uses “Short Recoil Impulse Averaging” technology, patented by General Dynamics and previously used on their XM806 machine gun, where the entire barrel, barrel extension, gas system, and bolt assembly recoil inside the outer housing.
According to the company, the LWMMG’s portability and integration of standard optics combined with the superior ballistic coefficient of the .338 NM cartridge provide overmatch capability compared to all known portable machine guns in the world. It weighs less than 24 pounds and features a fully collapsible stock.