| M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle | |
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M27 displayed at the NDIA Joint Armaments Conference in May 2010 |
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| Type | Squad automatic weapon |
| Place of origin | Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2010–present |
| Used by | United States Marine Corps |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Heckler & Koch |
| Designed | 2008 |
| Manufacturer | Heckler & Koch |
| Produced | 2010 testing |
| Number built | 450 test weapons |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 7.9 lb (3.6 kg) empty |
| Length | 36.9 to 33 in (94 to 84 cm) w/ adjustable stock |
| Barrel length | 16.5 in (42 cm) |
| Width | 3.1 in (7.9 cm) |
| Height | 9.4 in (24 cm) |
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| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated short-stroke piston, rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | 560 to 640 rpm |
| Feed system | 20-round or 30-round STANAG magazine |
| Sights | flip-up rear rotary diopter sight and front post, Picatinny rail |
The M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR) is the name given to a lightweight, magazine-fed 5.56mm weapon sought by the United States Marine Corps, which is intended to enhance the automatic rifleman's maneuverability and displacement speed. The Marine Corps is planning to purchase 4,476 IARs to replace 2,000 M249 light machine guns currently employed by automatic riflemen within Infantry and Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalions. Approximately 8,000–10,000 M249s will remain in service at the company level to be used at the discretion of company commanders. The United States Army does not plan to purchase the IAR.[1][2][3]
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The Infantry Automatic Rifle program began in 2005, when the Marine Corps sought information from manufacturers.[4] 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. Companies that attempted to compete but were not accepted as finalists for testing include Land Warfare Resources Corporation, which competed with the M6A4 IAR,[5][6] Patriot Ordnance Factory[2], and General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products with the CIS Ultimax 100 MK5 (marketed as the GDATP IAR).[7] In December 2009, the Heckler & Koch model beat out the other three finalists, and has entered the final five months of testing.[8][9] It was designated as the M27 in the summer of 2010,[10] 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 automatice rifles since before September 11, 2001.
While Marine Corps Systems Command is optimistic about operational testing, former Commandant of the Marine Corps General James T. Conway remains skeptical that the reduced firepower at the fireteam-level is a viable option.[11] Though he has authorized funding to test 450 of the weapons, the program will have to get his approval before full production can be funded.[10] After the Marine Corps Operational Test and Evaluation Activity supervised a round of testing at MCAGCC Twentynine Palms, Fort McCoy, and Camp Shelby (for dust, cold-weather, and hot-weather conditions, respectively), limited fielding began for 458 IARs to four infantry battalions (one per each Marine Expeditionary Force and one reserve) and one light armored reconnaissance battalion; all are slated to deploy to Afghanistan in 2011.[12][13]
In May 2011, General James Amos of the Marine Corps approved the termination of a Limited User Evaluation (LUE), and the replacement of the M249 LMG by the M27. Fielding of the approximately 4,500 M27 units is expected to complete in Summer 2013, for a cost of $13 million. M27 gunners will be equipped with around 22 of the 30-round magazines already in use with the M16 and M4 Carbine. Twenty-two magazines will approximate the prescribed individual combat load of a M249 SAW gunner, and although the M27 gunner is not expected to carry all 22 magazines, they are provided to the units so that a determination can be made at the unit level on what the individual combat load should look like. It will undoubtedly vary by unit, based on the evaluations conducted by the four infantry battalion and one light armored reconnaissance battalion that were issued quantities of the M27 for the LUE. Though program officials are aware that switching from the belt-fed M249 will result in a loss of suppressive fire capabilities, Charles Clark III, of the Marine Corps' Combat Development and Integration office cites the substantial increased accuracy of the M27 as a significant factor in replacing the M249.[14]
The notion that the M27 represents a reduction in suppressive fire has spawned considerable debate among proponents of the M249 SAW within the infantry, and those who advocate that a lighter, more maneuverable, and accurate weapon is sufficient to support offensive operations at the squad level. It is debatable, in fact, that program officials actually concede a loss of suppressive fire capabilities, as the only statements of concern over this concept were made by General Conway.
The M27 is based on the Heckler & Koch HK416, which in turn derives from the M4 carbine and Heckler & Koch G36.[15] It features a gas-operated short-stroke piston action (instead of the traditional direct impingement) with a rotating bolt. The weapon also fires from a closed bolt unlike many traditional machine guns. It is modified with a heavier barrel and includes a bayonet lug. The free-floating barrel is surrounded by MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rails for use with accessories and optics. It draws ammunition from any standard STANAG magazine.
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