FN MAG 7.62 mm GPMG

The FN MAG was designed by Fabrique Nationale or FN of Belgium, based at Herstal. The designation actually read FN Mitrailleuse d�Appui General. The CIS has undertaken a licence to produce the weapon locally.

The MAG fires standard NATO 7.62 mm cartridge and employs a conventional gas-operated mechanism that taps gases off from the barrel to drive the breech block and the other components back to the rear after the firing of a round. The MAG stands out from other competing designs in that it have a regulator at the tapping-off point which could allow the user to control the amount of gas used and thus vary the rate of fire. The barrel of the weapon can easily be changed when sustained firing is required.

Certain parts of the MAG is constructed using steel pressing riveted together, but the majority of the components are machined from solid blocks of steel. The result is a very sturdy weapon which can take heavy amount of punishments, however this is a trade-off for lightness.

The FM MAG GPMG is the standard 7.62 mm machine gun that is mounted on all the armoured vehicles mentioned so far. It is employed as an anti-aircraft weapon, coaxial machine gun and fire support weapon for the APCs.