Country of Origin: US

Appears in: Current research into lighter SAWs and GPMGs (and potentially other types of weapons).

Notes: The LSAT (Lightweight Small Arms Technology) is currently in the very early stages of development; projected field test are not even until 2013 at the earliest. Currently, LMG/SAW versions and MMG versions are being developed, with only very limited working models actually existing at this time, and fewer than 1000 rounds having been fired through each of them as of yet. The US Military is participating in the development, though there are significant questions at to how soon it will be economically feasible to field such weapons due to the radically different ammunition it is currently being tested with and projected future ammunition. The primary goal of the program (at present) is to produce weapons which are significantly lighter than current SAWs and GPMGs.

Most of the current development is being conducted with the LMG/SAW model. This version has (depending what source you consult) construction of 35-60% advanced composite materials, including (possibly) an entirely polymer shell, trigger, trigger guard, ammunition belt (disintegrating) links, handguard, front sight post, sliding stock, and perhaps some other parts. The barrel is of course steel; the barrel is fluted to save weight, yet made from steel which is both stronger and lighter than the steel used to make most small arms. The fluting also greatly assists in heat dissipation, and the barrel is also a quick-change barrel which requires no tools (or stupid asbestos mittens) for the barrel changes. The most common barrel length mentioned is approximately 20.5 inches, though an interchangeable barrel of approximately 22.5 inches is also mentioned in several sources. Both are most commonly mentioned as using a compact muzzle brake (which is how I have treated it here), but the use of a standard SAW-type flash suppressor is also mentioned in some sources. The receiver and some of the internal parts are made from lightweight titanium alloy. The handguards have molded-in MIL-STD-1913 rails at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock position, and the receiver behind the feed cover also has a MIL-STD-1913 rail. At least 4 sling swivels are projected, allowing several different sling configurations and types. Operation is described as "long-stroke, soft recoil," further decreasing felt recoil to the shooter.

An MMG version is also projected, using an approximately 24-inch barrel, and either 5.56mm or 7.62mm-equivalent ammunition. (This will be explained more below.) Common features for both the LMG/SAW and MMG include a titanium-alloy folding bipod, the ability to be mounted on both standard NATO tripods or special light tripods being developed, and of course, its special ammunition.

The ammunition currently being tested with the prototype weapons is plastic-cased ammunition based on the 5.56mm NATO and 7.62mm NATO rounds. Furthermore, this ammunition is case-telescoped, making it much more compact as well as being significantly lighter. Current prototypes are being tested with 100-round belts, but longer and shorter belts are projected for the future, along with soft Kevlar containers attached to the bottom of the receiver. Future models are also projected (though they are still on the drawing board) that use belts of advanced caseless ammunition, and are even lighter than the current prototypes. There are no current projections of when (or even if) the caseless-ammunition versions will appear, even as prototypes, but I have included them below as "what-ifs." (For that matter, the entire entry is a "what-if," considering that, due to the ammunition, the US Military may never actually adopt them.)

Twilight 2000 Notes: The AAI research program which produced these prototypes started much earlier in the Twilight 2000 timeline; however, no more than about 200 LSAT LMG/SAW versions (designated XM-324) were ever fielded, and only in the case-telescoped ammunition version.

Merc 2000 Notes: Budgetary difficulties prevented AAI from ever taking the LSAT off the drawing boards.

Country of Origin: US/Germany

Appears in: Designs as part of the XM-8 program in the mid-2000s.

Notes: This is basically an XM-8 with a 24-inch fluted heavy barrel, a standard XM-8 optical sight tube, and a bipod. The standard magazine for the SAW version is the 100-round C-Mag; there is no provision for belt-feeding, though it can also use the 90-round MWG (with some clumsiness). The XM-8 SAW is not intended to replace the M-249, merely to supplement it; in addition, the SAW is intended to be used in a secondary role as a designated marksman rifle, and can use the 3.5x scope used on the DMAR. Field trials of the XM-8 SAW were expected in late 2005, with combat trials commencing some time around 2008. As with the XM-8 assault rifle, the XM-8 SAW was designed by Heckler & Koch, but the design was bought by Boeing in 2004.  Unfortunately, the entire XM-8 program was "put on hold" in late 2005.

Twilight/Merc 2000 Notes: This automatic rifle does not exist in either timeline.

Country of Origin: United States

Appears in: The program for what eventually became the US Army's Squad Automatic Weapon, starting in the late 1960s.

Notes: The testing program for what eventually became the SAW (filled by the M-249) actually began way back in 1967, when Colt began a private venture hoping to create a new weapon requirement for the US military. (Eventually the military saw the usefulness of a small-caliber light machinegun, but it took a long, long time.) To this end, Colt designed the CMG-1 (Colt Machinegun). This gun turned up numerous faults during company testing and only a small amount of prototypes were built. However, the CMG-1 was eventually developed into the CMG-2; this was a much more reliable and robust design that was tested in combat in Vietnam by US Navy SEALs in the early 1970s, where it was given the nomenclature of EX-27 Mod 0. The SEALs and Colt began an extensive feedback program, and eventually about 25 examples were used by the SEALs (though only a couple made it to Vietnam). The CMG-2 was well-liked by the SEALs who had a chance to use one, but the Department of Defense decided that such a weapon was not necessary, especially as the Vietnam War was winding down. Development of the CMG-2 ended in 1982, and even the nomenclature was withdrawn from use.

The CMG-2 is a belt-fed weapon with a quick-change barrel. The belt was familiar to the SEALs; it is the same one used in the Stoner 63 system. The CMG-2 can be fed from either side with only a few minutes of modifications, with case ejection being downward from the receiver. The weapon has a forward pistol grip to help stabilize it during hip fire. A bipod, borrowed from the M-14A1, could be attached to the CMG-2, and normally was. The method of cocking the CMG-2 is a little unusual – there are two cocking levers, one for sear (and which also functions as a safety), and one for the operating group. This means that the CMG-2 can be carried fully cocked, with a belt loaded into the weapon, with complete safety. The weapon fires from an open bolt with a long recoil system, making felt recoil relatively light. The drum for the belts was unusual; it employed a helical-feed chute which could make it awkward to carry spares, and makes the CMG-2 difficult to load in a hurry.

In the end, stocks of the CMG-2 were relegated to museums and the weapons rooms of Crane Naval Warfare Center, and they were basically forgotten. I think it was a weapon with a few faults, but was basically ahead of its time.

Country of Origin: Germany

Appears in: Heckler & Koch literature of the early 1980s.

Notes: This weapon was developed by Heckler and Koch as a squad automatic weapon variant of the G-11 assault rifle. Only a few prototypes were built before development of all caseless ammunition weapon was stopped. The weapon resembles an enlarged G-11, but the magazine is a package that is fed into the stock of the LMG-11. The LMG-11 fires the same ammunition (4.7x33mm caseless) as the G-11 assault rifle. The fire mechanism involves three rotating chambers to decrease the probability of cook-off during sustained automatic fire. An interesting what-if weapon, and I can see some employees of H&K pulling out the prototypes for use against the Italian or French invasion.

Country of Origin: Russia

Appears in: I first saw this weapon in an issue of Jane's in the late 1990s, but the Russians have apparently been futzing with this weapon and the cartridge for almost 15 years.

Notes: This weapon was designed as an experiment at the behest of Spetsnaz and Russian Airborne Forces, who were looking for a combination of punch, light weight, and long range. The first examples were seen in in the West in 1993, but it is still considered a developmental weapon, with ammunition even harder to find. (Development of the UMG has been delayed primarily due to financial reasons, as has the AK-74 variants firing the same ammunition.) There are probably no more than a dozen or so examples of this weapon currently in existence. The UMG is equipped with an integral 2.5x sight that greatly increases the effectiveness of the weapon by decreasing aiming errors. The sight can be easily removed, and night or other optical sights of either Pact or Western origin can be mounted instead. Backup iron sights may also be used. The UMG can be mounted on a standard Pact Light Tripod.

Twilight 2000 Notes: If you encounter a Russian soldier armed with this weapon, chances are that you have run into some sort of special operations unit.

Merc 2000 Notes: Development of this weapon was delayed indefinitely due to financial reasons.