Fabrique Nationale FN M3P

History of the Fabrique Nationale FN M3P

The Fabrique Nationale (FN Herstal) FN M3P is a vehicle-mounted machine gun based on the Browning M2. This heavy machine gun series is designed for use as a trainable vehicle-mounted weapon or as a stationary gun on vehicles or aircraft. It can be operated manually or remotely using a solenoid, making it versatile in combat scenarios.

In manual mode, it can be mounted on a trainable trunnion mount and used as an air-cooled machine gun for defensive or offensive purposes on vehicles or boats. In remote mode, it can be used with a remote weapon station, as a coaxial machine gun on tanks or other armored vehicles, or as a pod under the wing of aircraft, like light attack or helicopters, integrating with the aircraft's existing weapons software.

The FN M3P is based on the Browning design, featuring a rectangular body, large discharge and feeding units, and a perforated barrel for air cooling. It uses belt feed and offers fully automatic fire, using the 12.7x99mm NATO cartridge and firing at a rate of nearly 1,025 rounds per minute. Despite its capabilities, it is lighter than the original Browning M2. Different variants are available, including the FN HMP250 (250 rounds), FN HMP400 (400 rounds), and FN RMP (250 rounds with 3 x 2.75" rockets underneath) for various mission requirements.

Specification

Basics

Year of Service: 2009

Origins: Belgium

Categories: Belt Drive Heavy Machine Gun (HMG)

Manufacturer: Fabrique Nationale (FN Herstal) Belgium

Operator: Belgium; Germany; Great Britain; USA

Fire Support: Ability to suppress enemy elements at a distance using direct or indirect fire.

Dimensions and Weight

Overall Length: 1,650 mm (64.96 inches)

Run Length: 1,150 mm (45. 28 inches)

Cured weight: 77.16 lbs (35.00 kg)

Action

Automatic

Bullets are automatically ejected from the breech, new bullets are removed from the chuck and inserted into the chamber, and the bullets will fire continuously as long as the trigger is pulled and ammunition is supplied.

Cartridges and Paper Feeds

Caliber: 12. 7x99mm NATO

Circle/Feed: 250 or 400 round belt

POWER

Maximum efficiency: 6,000 feet (1,829m | 2,000m)

Rate of fire: 1,025 Number of revolutions

Mile speed: 2,900 ft/s (884m/s)

VARIANTS

FN M3P name of the basic series; open-air design.

FN HMP250 LCC - Packaged; 250 hairband link collector.

FN HMP400 LC - Encapsulated; 400 rounds of feeding with limb collector.

FN HMP400 LCC - Encapsulated; 400 hairs feed with connecting rod and case collector.

FN RMP LC - Package variant; uses 3 x 2.75" tubular rockets for 250 rounds.