Heckler & Koch MG5 | |
---|---|
Type | General-purpose machine gun |
Place of origin | Germany |
Service history | |
In service | 2015–present |
Used by | See Users |
Production history | |
Designed | 2001-2018 |
Manufacturer | Heckler & Koch |
Unit cost | 16,000 EUR |
Produced | 2010–present |
Variants | See Variants |
Specifications | |
Cartridge | 7.62×51mm NATO |
Caliber | 7.62 mm |
Action | Gas-operated, rotating bolt |
Rate of fire | 640/720/800 rounds/min |
Muzzle velocity | MG 5 A1: 840 m/s (2,756 ft/s) MG 5 & MG 5 S: 810 m/s (2,657 ft/s) MG 5 A2: 785 m/s (2,575 ft/s) |
Effective firing range | 100–1,000 m (109–1,094 yd) sight adjustments |
Maximum firing range | 600–1,000 m (656–1,094 yd) (bipod) 1,200–1,500 m (1,312–1,640 yd) (tripod mounted) 3,750 m (4,101 yd) (terminal) |
Feed system | Disintegrating DM60/M13belt in 50-round belt bag or 120-round in separate belt box |
Sights | Diopter sight[1] or optical sights |
The Heckler & Koch MG5 (in the development phase also known as the HK121) is a belt-fed7.62×51mm NATOgeneral-purpose machine gun manufactured by German firearm manufacturer Heckler & Koch.The MG5 resembles the 5.56×45mm NATOHeckler & Koch MG4 light machine gun, which was adopted into German military service in 2005.
Soviet heavy machine gun. 35B122: 3.97: M134 Minigun 6 x 7,62mm Barrels set for Minigun. 35B123: 4.54: British 94mm QF 32 Barrel for British tank destroyer A39 Tortise dedicated to MENG plastic kit (TS-002) 35B124: 5.59: French 155mm L/33 Barrel for French self-propelled howitzer AMX 13/155 Mk F3 dedicated to Heller kit (81151).
History[edit]
Work on the MG5 began, under the HK121 designation, shortly after the development of the MG4 light machine gun, that Heckler & Koch for the first time presented as the HK MG43 at the MILIPOL 2001 trade show in Paris. A prototype of the HK121 was presented to a larger public by Heckler & Kochthe on the 14th day of the infantry in July 2010 in Hammelburg.
In June 2013, it was announced that Germany was testing and evaluating 65 samples and planned to buy at least 7,114 of the machine guns for the Bundeswehr during 2014–2017, in a deal that over time could grow to 12,733 HK5s.[2]
The MG5 is intended as and started replacing the Rheinmetall MG3 in German service since 2015. According to the Bundeswehr the MG5 is more accurate than the MG3. The effective range on bipod is therefore greater. The MG5 reduced cyclic rate uses less ammunition and the user can adjust the stock to individual ergonomic preferences.[3]By 2022 the MG5 should have replaced the MG3 in the Bundeswehr.[4]
For the development and use of a special bolt for training cartridges the German Federal Government has allocated a budget of 7.3 million Euro.[5] The costs to integrate the MG5 in various tripod and weapon stations mountings in German use are estimated around 60 million Euro.[6]
Design details[edit]
The MG5 is gas-operated and chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO. The weapon's operation is almost similar to that of the MG4 light machine gun. The safety is ambidextrous, the butt stock is field adjustable for length of pull and features a user height adjustable cheek-piece and can be folded depending on the variant.Three-position adjustment of the gas port allows selecting the cyclic rate of fire (640, 720 or 800 rounds per minute) and subsidiary can adjust the gas system for various types of cartridge loadings or use in the presence of heavy fouling. The gas port can be field adjusted by sliding the base of a 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge into machined slots to select one of the three possible settings.The MG5 features STANAG 4694 NATO Accessory Rails that are backwards-compatible with the STANAG 2324/MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rails allowing installation of optical sights and other accessories.The quick-change cold hammered hard chrome plated barrel is an integral part of the barrel assembly and has a heat shield and a carrying/barrel exchange handle, gas port and front sight attached. After around 300 rounds of rapid fire, the gun operator has to replace the hot barrel with a new cool(er) one. Non-observance of this technical limitation renders the barrel prematurely unusable. A hot barrel can be replaced with its carrying and barrel exchange handle without using protective gloves or other heat protection. The MG5 takes zero shifts between barrel assemblies into account by making the front sight of the assemblies mechanically adjustable. In its standard form, the MG5 is equipped with closed type iron sights with range settings on the compact rear sight element up to 1,000 m (1,094 yd) in 100 m (109 yd) increments. The folding self-illuminating front sight element is mounted on the barrel assembly and is adjustable mechanically for both windage and elevation. The sight line radius is 602 millimeters (23.7 in). Optical or night sights or laser pointers can be mounted on a length of STANAG 4694 NATO Accessory Rail located on the receiver feed tray cover.
Bundeswehr models are generally equipped with Hensoldt ZO 4×30 Intermediate Range Targeting Optic combined with a red dot as optical day sights with 4× magnification to promote accuracy of fire.[7] The ZO 4×30 Intermediate Range Targeting Optic can be augmented by night-vision attachments.For the light machine gun role a quick-detachable user adjustable folding bipod weighing 0.70 kg (1.54 lb) is provided. Alternatively a 'Grip Pod', a type of vertical grip that has a deployable bipod inside the handle, can be mounted to increase mobility. In a stationary, heavy machine gun role the MG5 can also be mounted on the MG3 Feldlafette buffered field tripod by using additional adapters.
The Bundeswehr use a RAL 8000 green brown surface finish on their MG5s and has chosen to use a 550 mm (21.7 in) barrel instead of a 663 mm (26.1 in) barrel for their mounted guns to promote parts uniformity.
Variants[edit]
Variant | Overall length[A 1] mm/in | Barrel length mm/in | Height mm/in | Width mm/in | Weight[A 2] kg/lb | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MG5 (Universal) | 1,160 mm (45.7 in) (960 mm (37.8 in)) | 550 mm (21.7 in) | 239 mm (9.4 in) | 120 mm (4.7 in) | 11.20 kg (24.7 lb) (3.00 kg (6.6 lb)) | ||
MG5 A2 (Infantry) | 1,160 mm (45.7 in)[A 3] | 460 mm (18.1 in) | 285 mm (11.2 in) | 9.90 kg (21.8 lb) (2.50 kg (5.5 lb)) | |||
MG5 A1 (Mounted) | 1,055 mm (41.5 in)[A 3] | 663 mm (26.1 in) | 195 mm (7.7 in) | 10.00 kg (22.0 lb) (3.24 kg (7.1 lb)) | |||
MG5 S (Special Forces) | 1,012 mm (39.8 in)[A 3] | 550 mm (21.7 in) | 239 mm (9.4 in) | 171 mm (6.7 in) | 12.10 kg (26.7 lb) (3.00 kg (6.6 lb)) | ||
|
Users[edit]
- Germany: Fifteen Bundeswehr pre-production guns designated as MG5.[8] First batch of 1,215 MG5s ordered on 15 March 2015 for about €20 million.[9] The procurement process of 12,733 units, with a price tag of about €200 million, has been delayed due to accuracy concerns.[10] In September 2018 about 4,400 MG5s were delivered to the Bundeswehr[11]. By the end of 2019 nearly 7,000 MG5s are expected to be delivered.[12]Bundespolizei designated as MG5 A1 used on 42 ordered FLW 100 remote weapon stations for its armored vehicles.[13][14][15]
- Chile: Chilean Marine Corps.[16]
References[edit]
- ^Weisswange, Jan-Phillipp; u. a (April 2010). 'Handwaffen, Kampfmittel und Ausrüstung für den infanteristischen Einsatz'. Wehrtechnischer Report 4/2010 (in German). Bonn und Sulzbach: Report Verlag.
- ^
'Heckler & Koch-Gewehre für die Bundeswehr' Wiwo.de. Retrieved 2013-07-27.'...will der Bund von 2014 an bis zum Jahr 2017 mindestens 7114 Gewehre des Typs MG5 im Wert von 118 Millionen Euro kaufen. ... Später kann die Order laut Rahmenvertrag sogar auf bis zu 12.733 Maschinengewehre in einem Gesamtwert von rund 240 Millionen Euro anwachsen.' - ^Video: Das MG5 – das neue Maschinengewehr der Bundeswehr (in German)
- ^MG5 soll bis 2022 das betagte MG3 ersetzen (in German)
- ^Archived[Date missing] at dipbt.bundestag.de [Error: unknown archive URL], Beschaffung der Gewehre MG5 und G27, (online-PDF 829 KB) abgerufen am 20. März 2018 (in German)
- ^Lafetten fürs neue Maschinengewehr: Noch ein bisschen teurer (in German)
- ^Maschinengewehr MG5, www.deutschesheer.de (in German)
- ^Karin Zeger (15 July 2013). 'Heckler & Koch: Großauftrag für Bundeswehr'. Schwarzwälder Bote (in German). Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^'H&K Troubles Continue: MG5 Under Scrutiny By German MoD'. The Firearms Blog, 2015-06-10.
- ^'BREAKING: Delays Beset German MG5 Program, 7.62mm GPMG May Lack Accuracy'. The Firearms Blog, 2015-09-09.
- ^Neues Maschinengewehr MG5: 4.400 Stück an die Truppe ausgeliefert (in German)
- ^Video: Das MG5 – das neue Maschinengewehr der Bundeswehr (in German)
- ^Archived[Date missing] at dipbt.bundestag.de [Error: unknown archive URL], Berichte über Materialmangel bei der Bundespolizei, (online-PDF 829 KB) 9 March 2019 (in German)
- ^Fernbedienbare leichte Waffenstationen für die Bundespolizei (in German)
- ^German Federal Police to install 7,62 mm Machine Guns in vehicles
- ^'Exhibición equipos de desembarco anfibio cuerpo de infantería de marina de la armada de Chile' (in Spanish).
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Heckler_%26_Koch_MG5&oldid=924708706'
MG 15 machine gun | |
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Type | Machine gun |
Place of origin | Weimar Republic or Nazi Germany |
Service history | |
Used by | Nazi Germany Imperial Japan (Type 98) Korean People's Army (Type 98) Romania |
Wars | World War II Korean War |
Production history | |
Designer | Theodor Bergmann |
Designed | 1920s |
Manufacturer | Bergmann (Weimar Republic), Rheinmetall (Third Reich) |
Variants | Modular design Type 98 (Direct Japanese copy) |
Specifications | |
Mass | 12.4 kg (27 lb) loaded with gunsight and cartridge bag |
Length | 1,078 mm (42.4 in) (without attachments) |
Barrel length | 690 mm (27 in) |
Cartridge | 7.92×57mm Mauser |
Caliber | 7.9mm |
Action | Recoil |
Rate of fire | 1,000–1,050 rpm |
Muzzle velocity | 755 m/s (2,480 ft/s) |
Feed system | 75-round double-drum magazine |
Sights | Various types |
The MG 15 was a German 7.92 mmmachine gun designed specifically as a hand manipulated defensive gun for combat aircraft during the early 1930s. By 1941 it was replaced by other types and found new uses with ground troops.
- 3References
History[edit]
The MG 15 was developed from the MG 30 which was designed by Rheinmetall using the locking system invented by Louis Stange in the mid to late 1920s. Though it shares the MG 15 designation with the earlier gun built by Bergmann, the MG 15nA (for neuer Art, meaning new model having been modified from an earlier design) has nothing in common with the World War II gun except the model number. The World War I gun used a tipping lock system while the WWII aircraft gun uses a rotating bolt/lockring. The World War II MG 15 was used in nearly all Luftwaffe aircraft with a flexible-mount defensive position.
It was a modular design with various attachments that could be quickly attached or removed. Operation was easy and the bolt remained in the cocked position after expending the 75 round double drum (also called a 'saddle drum') magazine, negating the need to re-cock once a fresh magazine was installed.
The MG 15 fires from an open bolt, meaning that the bolt stays back when the gun is ready to fire, and also making it nearly impossible for 'through the propeller' synchronized forward firing on a fuselage mount. Pulling the trigger releases the bolt and allows it to go forward, stripping a round from the magazine. The bolt continues pushing the round into the chamber and locks up when the lockring rotates and locks the bolt and barrel extension together. At this point the trip lever releases the firing pin and the gun fires. Recoil pushes the barrel, lock and bolt backwards until the lockring hits a cam that rotates it unlocking the bolt and barrel. Inertia carries the bolt backwards until the base of the fired case hits the ejector flinging the empty out of the receiver. If the trigger is held down the cycle will continue. If the trigger is released the bolt will remain in the rearward position.
MG 15 in Heinkel He 111, Poland, September 1939
The 75 rounds of ammunition was evenly distributed in each side of the magazine with a central feed 'tower' where the ammunition is fed to the bolt. Various methods were used to secure the magazines in the aircraft, while a carrier of 3 mags each was used on the ground. Ammunition was fed by a spring forced spiral double-drum containing 75 rounds total (not 150 as is often mistakenly claimed). This combined with a firing rate of 1000+ rpm means it could empty the magazine in 4.5 seconds or less. Typical practice was to provide at least 10 reloads for each gun on the aircraft, not including the magazine on the gun.
Starting in late 1940 the MG 15 was replaced by the Mauser 7.92 mm MG 81, MG 81Z (twin-MG 81), MG 131 13 mm machine guns, or MG 151/20 20 mm cannons. Many MG 15s were modified for infantry use as heavier weapons replaced them on Luftwaffe aircraft. There are a number of pictures showing the guns, both aircraft and ground versions, with 25-round magazines from the MG 13, however the magazines are not compatible with the MG 15. Official numbers of conversions was about 17,648 by January 1, 1944, although additional conversions may have been done as well.
The license-produced MG 15 was used in the Japanese aircraft as the Type 98 flexible-mounted machine gun and as the Type 1 in the Imperial Japanese Navy.[1] Type 98 machine guns were also used by the Communist forces during the Korean War.[2]
Specifications[edit]
MG 15 equipped for infantry ops, but lacking the bipod. German Tank Museum, Munster (2006)
Debris of a downed Heinkel He 111 along with the barrel of an MG 15. Polish Army Museum, Warsaw (2006)
- Calibre: 7.9 +/- .04 mm
- Cartridge: 7.92×57mm Mauser
- Round weight: 35.5 grams (cartridge 24 grams, bullet 11.5 grams)
- Muzzle velocity: 755 metres per second (2,480 ft/s)
- Rate of fire: 1000 (possibly up to 1050) rpm
- Length : 1,078 millimetres (42.4 in) (without attachments)
- Barrel length: 600 millimetres (24 in)
- Weight unloaded with gunsight and cartridge bag: 8.1 kg (18 lb)
- Weight loaded with gunsight and cartridge bag: 12.4 kg (27 lb)
- 75-round magazine unloaded: 2.27 kg (5.0 lb)
- 75-round magazine loaded: 4.24 kg (9.3 lb)
- Weight of the 2-part loader: 0.72 kg (1.6 lb)
References[edit]
![Emule Für Machine Gun Emule Für Machine Gun](http://sebsauvage.net/rhaa/images/rha_20090617_ie8_s.jpg)
Notes[edit]
- ^http://dragonsoffire.com/photog_TYPE1a.jpg
- ^Kinard, Jeff (2010). 'Machine guns'. In Tucker, Spencer C.; Pierpaoli, Paul G., Jr. (eds.). The Encyclopedia of the Korean War: A Political, Social, and Military History. 1. A-L (2nd ed.). ABC-CLIO. p. 535. ISBN978-1-85109-849-1.
Sources[edit]
- L.Dv 110 Beschreibung und Bedienungsvorschrift für das M.G. 15, Manual for using MG 15 owned by contributor (may not be correct German spelling)
- Hofbauer, M. (1998-08-29). 'Panzerfaust WW II German Infantry Anti-Tank Weapons Page 5: Machine Guns'. Archived from the original on 2009-10-27.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to MG 15. |
![Machine Machine](/uploads/1/2/4/1/124131424/945640352.jpg)
- Forgotten Weapons – The MG-15: A Flexible Aircraft Machine Gun Pushed into Infantry Service on YouTube
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MG_15&oldid=924098127'