FORT BENNING, Ga., Nov. 4, 2011 -- Nearly 20 Soldiers participated in a
two-week assessment of a prototype light machine gun to demonstrate its
potential impact on mission effectiveness and to help engineers develop
possible improvements to the weapon and its unique ammunition.
The evaluation sought the warfighter's perspective after enduring a
series of strenuous combat performance drills with the weapon.
It had taken six years to get from a concept to a fully functioning
weapon that was ready for evaluation, but Kori Phillips, a project
management engineer in the Joint Service Small Arms Program, or JSSAP,
said it was well worth the wait.
"This is exactly what we have been waiting for," said Phillips. "This is what we need to move forward."
The Soldiers' feedback will be used to influence the user community to
develop a Capability Development Document. A CDD is required before the
system can transition to a program of record and enter the Engineering
and Manufacturing Development phase of the acquisition life cycle.
This would be the next step needed for the program to move forward
toward an eventual fielding of the weapon to Soldiers in the field.
The light machine gun is part of the Lightweight Small Arms
Technologies, or LSAT, program, which is managed by the JSSAP, part of
the Army's Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, or
ARDEC, at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J.
The LMG is a gas-operated, cased telescoped light machine gun. It is
air-cooled and belt fed with selectable semi-automatic and fully
automatic fire and fires from the open-bolt position. Its rate of fire
is approximately 650 rounds per minute.
The JSSAP team hopes that the LMG will eventually replace the M249 Squad
Automatic Weapon, knows as a SAW, as the standard issue machine gun
used by Soldiers in combat zones.
GETTING TO KNOW THE WEAPON
The machine guns and their operators were tested through automatic rifleman tasks and operational scenarios.
The purpose was to assess how the lighter machine gun affects the
Soldiers' ability to effectively engage targets from various firing
positions after completing tasks that induced physical stress and an
elevated heart rate.
The weapons were also evaluated on their suitability regarding
portability, safety, compatibility with Soldier equipment, durability in
challenging environments, ease of use, and impact on Soldier mobility.
"We ran Soldiers through with both weapon systems and timed them to look
at how much faster they could complete the course with the lighter
weapon and to gain subjective feedback on mobility and portability
issues while they negotiated the obstacles," said Maj. Matthew Bowler, a
military advisor to the small arms program.
Immediately after each event, the Soldiers filled out surveys where they
offered opinions about how they felt physically, and any issues or
malfunctions they experienced with either weapon or its ammunition. They
could also include any positive feedback.
On the first day of the second week, the Soldiers marched six miles in
full combat gear, including body armor, a 50-pound rucksack and a basic
load of ammunition for their respective weapons. Half the Soldiers
carried the SAW and the other half carried the LMG.
After the road march, the Soldiers immediately started firing their
weapons to measure the effects of muscle fatigue and stress while
firing.
Sgt. Brandon Vega, an infantryman with the 2/29 Infantry Battalion, saw
an increase in his accuracy when firing the LSAT after the march
compared to the SAW.
"The first six round bursts were within the size of a quarter," Vega
said. "Then I got three on top of one so I was real impressed with
that."
Vega added that, using the SAW, he has yet to achieve the same level of accuracy.
According to a study conducted in 2005, the average fighting load for
the SAW gunner is 79 pounds. That is nearly twice the weight a Soldier
should carry, according to Army doctrine.
"The Soldier carries too much weight so anything we can do to reduce
Soldier load increases the Soldier's effectiveness, his capability on
the battlefield and his survivability," said Bowler.
The weight reduction provided by the LMG would have a significant effect
on the SAW gunner, the most heavily burdened Soldier in the squad.
With a basic load of 1,000 rounds, the light machine gun and its cased
telescoped ammunition is 20.4 pounds lighter than a traditional SAW with
the same amount of standard, brass-cased ammunition.
During the assessment, more than 25,000 rounds were fired from eight prototype LMGs.
The suggested rate of fire for machine guns is three to five round
bursts whenever possible, eight to ten round bursts at the most. This
gives the gunner time to readjust his aim and helps keep the barrel from
overheating as quickly.
A high rate of fire increases the possibility of a "cook off." Cook off
occurs when the propellant is unintentionally ignited by the heat in
the weapon chamber, firing a round unexpectedly and causing a
significant safety hazard.
Because of the design of the chamber, the LMG is very unlikely to
experience a cook off, Phillips said. Technical tests showed that more
than 250 rounds could be fired without a risk of cook off. The M249 SAW
has been known to cook off at 220 rounds under certain circumstances.
OTHER ASSESSMENTS
In another assessment of shooting while under physical stress, Soldiers
wore body armor and sprinted 200 yards with their weapons and a basic
load of ammunition, then rapidly engaged close-range targets from the
standing position. Again, they performed this task with both weapons.
Many Soldiers saw an improvement in their overall time with the lighter
weapon.
"Today we ran with the LSAT and with the SAW," said Cpl. Nickolaus
Hammack, one of the military police Soldiers participating in the
assessment. "Both were pretty trying but the SAW hands down is way
heavier. Especially going up a hill, you feel the weight on you. (The)
LSAT is a lot lighter weapon. It really is a joy to have."
The third week of assessment involved Soldiers of the 75th Ranger
Regiment. They used two of the LMGs as part of a squad maneuver
live-fire exercise to determine how the attributes of the new weapon
system would impact squad effectiveness.
The exercise was conducted in an urban setting where the Soldiers used the weapon for suppressive fire and for room-clearing.
The Rangers said they liked the semi-auto feature that made the LMG a much more viable weapon for room-clearing than the SAW.
Additionally, one Ranger commented that the weight of the LMG as a
system was "noticeably better" than that of the Mk 46 variant of the SAW
that they currently use, because of the significantly lighter
ammunition that dramatically increased his mobility while maneuvering as
part of the squad.
FUTURE OF THE LIGHT MACHINE GUN
Overall, the Soldiers' comments were positive and they overwhelmingly
preferred the LMG to the SAW. They were impressed by the weapon's light
weight, decreased felt recoil, and related increase in accuracy and
better control.
The Soldiers' input could lead to design changes to any final product.
However, no decision has been made on whether the LMG will eventually be
fielded.
Spc. Brandon Smith, an infantryman, spent two weeks comparing the weapons.
"I could see a whole squad carrying it (the LMG)," he said. "You would own the battlefield."
