FN Secures Light Machine Guns Contract for US Special Ops Command

FN America LLC has been awarded a $13,450,000 contract for the production of MK46 and MK48 light machine guns, spare parts and engineering services in support of United States Special Operations Command.

Work will be performed in Columbia, South Carolina (85 percent); and Herstal, Belgium (15 percent), and is expected to be completed by August 2023, a US DoD announcement said Friday.

The 5.56x45mm FN MK 46 MOD 1 is the lightweight US special operators’ variant of the FN® M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW), according to FN America information.

The FN MK 48 MOD 1 brings the extended range and greater penetration of the hard-hitting 7.62x51mm round in a lighter, more compact platform. In use by U.S. special operators, it was designed to be light and compact enough to keep up with fast-moving troops as they maneuver on and close with the enemy. The MK 48 MOD 1 can additionally augment conventional ground forces as well, when a maneuverable, lightweight larger caliber machine gun is needed.