In previous Photos Of The Day articles we have taken a look at the Idaho Army National Guard reference style pictures of the M107 Semi-Automatic Long Range Sniper Rifle and the M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System.

Today it is time for the M249 Light Machine Gun.(FN MINIMI)

Below is from Idaho Army National Guard’s own description:

The M249 light machine gun, formerly designated the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) and formally written as Light Machine Gun, 5.56 mm, M249, is the American adaptation of the Belgian FN Minimi, a light machine gun manufactured by the Belgian company FN Herstal (FN).

The weapon was introduced in 1984 after being judged the most effective of a number of candidate weapons to address the lack of automatic firepower in small units. The M249 provides infantry squads with the high rate of fire of a machine gun combined with accuracy and portability approaching that of a rifle.

The M249 is gas operated and air-cooled. It has a quick-change barrel, allowing the gunner to rapidly replace an overheated or jammed barrel. A folding bipod is attached near the front of the gun, though an M192 LGM tripod is available. It can be fed from both linked ammunition and STANAG magazines, like those used in the M16 and M4. This allows the SAW gunner to use a rifleman’s magazines as an emergency source of ammunition in the event that he runs out of linked rounds.

M249s have seen action in every major conflict involving the United States since the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989. Due to the weight and age of the weapon, the United States Marine Corps is fielding the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle with plans to partially replace the M249 in Marine Corps service.

All photos by Thomas Alvarez  at the Idaho Army National Guard.

If you liked these pictures, you may also like the M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System and the M107 Semi-Automatic Long Range Sniper Rifle in the same style.