XM312

The XM312 is a heavy machine gun derived from the XM307 25 mm autocannon and chambered for the .50 BMG cartridge. It was designed in response to a request by the U.S. military for a replacement for the aging M2 Browning heavy machine gun, and as a complement to the heavier XM307 Advanced Crew Served Weapon grenade launcher.

XM312
TypeHeavy machine gun
Place of originUnited States
Production history
DesignerGeneral Dynamics/Joint Services Small Arms Program
Designed1990
ManufacturerGeneral Dynamics
Produced2004
VariantsXM307
Specifications
Mass52 lb (19 kg)
Length61.42 in (1,560 mm)
Barrel length36 in (914 mm)
Width9.84 in (250 mm)
Height7 in (180 mm), 18 in (460 mm) adjustable tripod
Crew2
Cartridge.50 BMG
Caliber0.50 in (12.7 mm)
Action"Recoil-reducing action" (modified rotating bolt)
Rate of fire260 rpm
Maximum firing rangelethal and suppressive to 2,000 meters
Feed systemBelt-fed
SightsOpen, optics may be mounted.

It is capable of being converted quickly into an XM307 with a small number of parts and a few minutes of work at the unit level (and vice versa from the XM307).[1]

The Fiscal Year 2008 Appropriations bill awarded $10 million to General Dynamics for the XM307 and XM312.[2]

In May 2008 the U.S. Army had awarded General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products (GDATP) a $9 million contract to develop a lightweight .50-caliber machine gun called the XM806 to supplement the Browning M2.[3] The XM806 was canceled in 2012.[4] The Army at present will continue buying new M2s and Mk 19s to replenish the current guns that are wearing out.[5]

Specifications
A XM312 with its ground mount system
  • Weight:
    • Weight: 35 lb (16 kg) (weapon only).[6]
    • Weight: 53 lb (24 kg) (ground mount system). [6]
    • Weight: 88 lb (40 kg) (whole system).
  • Dimensions: 9.9W × 7.2H × 61.5L max. inches (251 mm × 183 mm × 1562 mm) (52.5L, 1334 mm) charged).
  • Portability: Man portable or vehicle mountable.
  • Stability: Up to 18 inch (460 mm) tripod height.
  • Operation: Currently a hybrid gas & recoil operating group. Gas powers the bolt mechanism while recoil drives the barrel/barrel extension and the feed system. Design changes are underway to totally eliminate the gas system to provide increased reliability and reduced complexity.
  • Environmental: Operationally insensitive to conditions.
  • Reliability: 6,000 MRBF (threshold) / 10,000 MRBF (objective).
  • Rate of fire:
    • 260 rounds per minute (4.3 Hz)(cyclic).[7]
    • 40 rounds per minute (0.7 Hz) (sustained, without barrel change). In burst of five to seven rounds, the same as the M2HB.
  • Dispersion: Less than 1.1 milliradian, one sigma radius.
  • Range: Lethal and suppressive out to 2,000 meters.
  • Ammunition: .50 BMG M33 ball, M8, M20 & Mk211 API, M903 SLAP.
  • Recoil: 300 foot-pounds (407 J)
  • Feed system: Weapon-mountable ammunition can or feed from any can using bellmouth attachment. M9 rear stripping link—common with current M2 ammunition. Left hand feed, right hand eject of cases and links.

Program status
  • September 2005: The XM312 is test fired by troops from the 1st Infantry Division at the Grafenwöhr Training Area in Germany.[8]

References
  1. "Xm307-Xm312". Archived from the original on February 13, 2010. Retrieved November 9, 2007.
  2. "UM gets $18M in appropriations bill". Bangor Daily News. 10 November 2007. Archived from the original on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  3. "US Army contracts GDATP to develop new machine gun" - Jane's International Defence Review, May 20th 2008 Archived July 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  4. Army Cuts XM806 - The Firearm Blog, 24 July 2012
  5. "Weapons: Irreplaceable".
  6. "XM312 .50 caliber(12.7mm) machine gun - GDATP Fact Sheet" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 6, 2011.
  7. "XM312 .50-Caliber (12.7mm) Machine Gun - GDATP". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
  8. Soldiers test new weapons at Grafenwöhr - EUCOM Archived October 10, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
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