FN America have announced a $50 million contract with the US Army to provide M240L GPMGs and titanium receivers. The new award is in line with the June 2021 contract worth $92 million to produce M240 series general purpose machine guns. The titanium receiver is the key component which helped shave 5 lbs off the previous M240B’s 27.6 lb weight. The M240H introduced in 2004 weighed 26.3 lbs while the L weighs just over 22 lbs. The number of guns and additional receivers ordered under the contract has not been confirmed.

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FN M240L (FN America)

Here’s FN America’s announcement in full:

McLean, VA – February 8, 2022) FN America, LLC is pleased to announce that the company has been awarded a firm-fixed-price contract, valued up to $49,973,579, to supply the U.S. Army with M240L medium machines [guns] and titanium receivers. The M240L, roughly 18-percent lighter than the M240B, was officially adopted in 2010 after a joint effort by FN and the U.S. Army to reduce the overall weight while maintaining performance and durability of the machine gun.

“The M240L is the product of a collaborative effort between FN, the Army and the individual soldier to further enhance the M240B to be more effective for the warfighter,” said Mark Cherpes, President and CEO for FN America, LLC. “The development saw the introduction of new materials along with new manufacturing techniques that have paved the way for the future generation of military equipment. I am extremely proud of the innovation and ingenuity that went into the development of the M240L and look forward to working with the U.S. Army to deliver against this contract.”

The joint efforts between FN, the Army to reduce the overall weight burden to the soldier resulted in a major leap forward in the materials and manufacturing methods for today’s machine guns. The M240L has been the cutting-edge for lightweight medium machine guns with an overall weight reduction of 5 pounds from the M240B without any impact to performance or longevity. The 18-percent weight reduction was achieved by incorporating titanium into the design, including the receiver, and introducing new manufacturing methods to adjust for the material properties. The M240 general purpose machine gun, derived from the FN MAG 58, was adopted by the U.S. military in the late 1970s, and has been in continual service since being introduced.

Throughout its history, FN has been one of the largest suppliers of small arms to the U.S. military and continues to develop innovative, future technology. In addition to the M240 and its variants, the company currently holds contracts for the FN M249 lightweight machine gun; the FN MK 46, MK 48, MK 17, and MK 20 SSR for USSOCOM, and various other contracts