![]() Also, the SAW had been battle-proven and the Army was not pursuing the IAR concept. Squad members that carry additional magazines for the gunner may be in a position unable to supply the IAR during a firefight. A magazine-fed rifle would have to reload more often and not be able to sustain firing. He felt that while less accurate, the M249 was a belt-fed LMG, which an automatic rifle was unlikely to provide fire superiority over. Conway remained skeptical that the reduced firepower at the fireteam-level was a viable option. While Marine Corps Systems Command was optimistic about operational testing, former Commandant of the Marine Corps General James T. Īn M27 IAR displayed at the NDIA Joint Armaments Conference in May 2010. It was designated as the M27 in the summer of 2010, coincidentally sharing a designation with the M27 link it would not use, but instead it was named after 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, who were testing with automatic rifles since before September 11, 2001. In December 2009, the Heckler & Koch model beat out the other three finalists, and entered the final five months of testing. Companies that attempted to compete but were not accepted as finalists for testing include Land Warfare Resources Corporation, which competed with the M6A4 IAR, Patriot Ordnance Factory, and General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products with the CIS Ultimax 100 MK5 (marketed as the GDATP IAR). In 2006, contracts were issued for sample weapons to Fabrique Nationale d'Herstal (providing an IAR variant of the FN SCAR), Heckler & Koch (with a variant of the HK416), and Colt Defense, which provided two competing designs. It had to be 5.56×45mm caliber with non-linked ammunition to be achieve commonality with service rifles. An initial requirement for a 100-round capacity magazine at minimum was dropped in favor of the 30-round STANAG magazine because at the start of testing, available 100-round magazines were unreliable. Objectives sought by the weapon included: portability and maneuverability reduction of visual identification of an automatic weapon to the enemy strengthen the gunner's participation in counter-insurgency situations and to maintain a high volume of fire. The Infantry Automatic Rifle program began on 14 July 2005, when the Marine Corps sought information from manufacturers. The universal need statement spent six years going through the procurement process when it was given official program status in early 2005 and capabilities were drawn up. Experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan continued requests for formal recommendations. Around 2000, the 1st Marine Division’s 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines Regiment conducted initial limited IAR trials which showed the desire for a light automatic rifle. In 1999, a universal need statement was issued for an Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR). Gunners could not keep pace with riflemen and the cumbersome light machine gun was not suited for Military Operations on Urban Terrain. While the belt-fed M249 was portable and had a high volume of fire, it was heavy for its role and unreliable. Procurement was a service-level decision because the weapon was adopted by the Army with a contract method the Marines could use. ![]() Marine Corps adopted the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, one year after the U.S. The United States Army does not plan to purchase the IAR. Approximately 8,000–10,000 M249s will remain in service at the company level to be used at the discretion of company commanders. Marine Corps is planning to purchase 6,500 IARs to replace a portion of the M249 light machine guns currently employed by automatic riflemen within Infantry and Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalions. It is intended to enhance an automatic rifleman's maneuverability and displacement speed, and it is based on the HK416. The M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle ( IAR) is a lightweight, magazine-fed 5.56mm weapon used by the United States Marine Corps. Gas-operated short-stroke piston, rotating boltģ.5x SAW Day Optic, flip-up rear rotary diopter sight and front post Marine armed with an M27 fitted with a Harris bipod and a 3.5x SAW Day Optic covers his team in Afghanistan in March 2012.ģ6.9 to 33 in (940 to 840 mm) w/ adjustable stock
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