The Mark 48, or Mk 48 is a lightweight belt-fed machine gun, firing 7.62×51mm
NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of ammunition.
It is manufactured by Fabrique Nationale Manufacturing, Inc., a division of FN
Herstal based in the United States. The Mk 48 has been developed in conjunction
with the U.S. Special Operations Command, which has adopted the weapon
and started its fielding process, beginning with special operations units.
History On 21 March 2001, the USSOCOM approved
the MNS/ORD for a new 7.62×51mm NATO lightweight machine gun to replace the
M60E4/Mk 43 Mod 0 in use by United States Naval Special Warfare Command
units. The LWMG program was patterned after the
Mk 46 Mod 0—a variant of the M249 light machine gun currently in use by the
USSOCOM. Fabrique Nationale's division at
Columbia, South Carolina was charged with production of the Mk 48 Mod 0. The
program achieved full-rate production on 21 March 2003.
Design The Mk 48 Mod 0 is a gas-operated,
air-cooled, fully automatic belt-fed machine gun. The design is based on an
early 7.62×51mm NATO prototype of the FN Minimi, modified to be a scaled-up
version of the 5.56 mm Mk 46 Mod 0. Being heavily based on the Mk 46 Mod 0,
the Mk 48 Mod 0 features five MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rails, an
integral folding bipod, and a tripod-mounting lug. The weapon is
fitted with the same fixed, polymer buttstock as the M249, although the
metallic, collapsible buttstock from the "Para" model can be found in some
models. The carrying handle, which had been removed from the Mk 46, was
reintegrated on the Mk 48 to assist the replacement of hot barrels without use
of other equipment, such as heat-resistant gloves; the handle can be
folded down when not in use. As with the Mk 46, the Mk 48 Mod 0 does not have an
M249-type magazine feed port, in order to save weight. The weapon can be fed
from a loose belt, separate belt boxes, or clip-on ammunition pouches for 100
rounds. There is a high degree of parts
commonality between the Mk48, M249 and Mk46 machine guns, which simplifies
maintenance and repair. The use of M1913 "Picatinny" rails allows the fitting of
various accessories from the SOPMOD kit, such as the ECOS-N red dot sight and
other sighting or target-designating devices. The Mk 48 can also be fitted
with a vertical foregrip for increased controllability during sustained fire.
While heavier than the 5.56×45mm NATO M249 due to its larger chambering and
heavier barrel, the Mk 48 Mod 0 is still 17% lighter and 8.4% shorter than the
M240. The Mk 48 Mod 0 is currently in service
with certain USSOCOM units, such as the U.S. Navy SEALs and Army Rangers.
Variants Mk 48 Mod 0
This is a 7.62×51mm NATO version of the Mk 46, used by USSOCOM when a heavier
cartridge is required. It is officially classified as an LWMG and was developed
as a replacement for the Mk 43 Mod 0/1. The M60-based machine guns are a great
deal more portable than the heavier M240-based designs used elsewhere in the
U.S. military in the infantry medium machine gun role. The M60-based designs
have a long history of insufficient reliability, however. Trials conducted
through the mid-1990s led the U.S. Army to replace its M60 with M240B GPMGs. The
M240B weighs in at ~27.5 lb and is about 49" long with the standard barrel. Due
to this extra weight and size NAVSPECWAR was reluctant to give up the increased
portability of the M60 designs, despite the M240's increased reliability. A
request was put in for a new machine gun in 2001, and FN responded with a scaled
up version of the M249 weighing in at ~18.5 lb with an OAL of ~39.5". This new
design achieved much better reliability than the M60-based weapons while
bettering its light weight and maintaining the same manual of arms as
the already in-use M249. USSOCOM was slated to begin receiving deliveries of
the new gun in August 2003. Mk 48 Mod 1
The Mk 48 Mod 1 is an update of the Mk 48 Mod 0. Like the Mod 0, it is
essentially an M249 scaled up to fire the 7.62×51mm NATO round. The Mod 1
utilizes a 19.75" barrel, weighs in at 18.37 lb unloaded, and has a rate of
fire of 500–625 rpm. See also
M249, the current issue light machine gun of the U.S. Army and U.S. Marines
M240, the current issue medium machine gun of the U.S. military
M60E4/Mk 43 Mod 0, a development of the M60 machine gun for special operations
use List of individual weapons of the U.S.
Armed Forces References
External links FNH USA - MK 48
Modern Firearms — Mk 48 Mod 0 Military.com article on Mk 48
GlobalSecurity.org production info on Mk 48
Small Arms Review article on the MK48