The M249 light machine gun is an American version of the FN Minimi, a light machine gun manufactured by the Belgian company FN Herstal. The M249 is manufactured in the United States and is widely used by the U.S. Armed Forces. The gun 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 gun provides the heavy volume of fire of a machine gun with accuracy and portability approaching that of a rifle to infantry squads. 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 a M192 LGM tripod is also 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 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 1991 Gulf War. Soldiers are generally satisfied with the weapon's performance, though there have been many reports of clogging with dirt and sand. Due to the weight and age of the weapon, the U.S. Marine Corps is considering designs for an infantry automatic rifle, which is planned to complement and partially replace the M249 in their service.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M249_light_machine_gun

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1475:

Moldavian–Ottoman Wars: Moldavian forces under Stephen the Great defeated an Ottoman attack led by Hadân Suleiman Pasha, the Beylerbeyi of Rumelia, near Vaslui in present-day Romania. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vaslui

1776:

Common Sense by Thomas Paine, a document denouncing British rule in the Thirteen Colonies, was published. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Sense_%28pamphlet%29

1810:

Childless after 14 years of marriage, Napoleon divorced his first wife Joséphine so he could remarry in the hope of having an heir. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9phine_de_Beauharnais

1863:

Service began on the Metropolitan Railway between Paddington and Farringdon Street, today the oldest segment of the London Underground. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_and_Metropolitan_District_Railways

1929:

The Adventures of Tintin, a series of comic books created by Belgian artist Hergé that has been sold in over 50 languages and more than 200 million copies to date, first appeared in a children's supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Tintin

1946:

The first session of the United Nations General Assembly convened at the Westminster Central Hall in London with representatives from 51 member states. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_General_Assembly

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

meidan (n): An expanse of open space in or by a city or town http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/meidan

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Truth is the only merit that gives dignity and worth to history. --John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Dalberg-Acton%2C_1st_Baron_Acton