U.S. Army and Navy Order $9.9M FN M240B 7.62mm Machine Guns to Sustain Infantry Firepower.

FN America has received a $9.9 million contract from the U.S. Army and Navy for additional M240B 7.62 mm medium machine guns, continuing production of one of the U.S. military’s longest-serving infantry weapons. The order underscores the Pentagon’s continued reliance on proven medium machine guns to provide sustained suppressive fire, extended range, and small-unit battlefield overmatch.

FN America has secured a $9.9 million U.S. Army and Navy order for M240B machine guns, preserving a core 7.62 mm suppressive-fire capability that still anchors platoon- and company-level combat power. The award matters less as a routine small-arms replenishment than as a signal that the Pentagon continues to invest in a mature, high-endurance medium machine gun for formations that need range, penetration, and sustained volume of fire beyond what 5.56 mm squad weapons can reliably deliver. FN disclosed the contract on March 5, describing it as a continuation of its longest-running U.S. military weapons line.
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FN America’s $9.9 million M240B contract will sustain a proven 7.62 mm medium machine gun capability for U.S. Army and Navy forces, reinforcing long-range suppressive fire, battlefield endurance, and small-unit overmatch (Picture source: U.S. DoW).

At the system level, the M240B remains one of the most proven 7.62x51 mm NATO general-purpose machine guns in U.S. service. FN lists the weapon as belt-fed, gas-operated, and firing from the open-bolt position, with a 21.7-inch barrel, 48.5-inch overall length, and a nominal 550 to 650 rounds-per-minute rate of fire. FN also highlights a machined steel receiver, quick-change barrel, composite trigger grip, integrated MIL-STD-1913 rails, and a cold hammer-forged barrel with a hard-chromed bore. Marine Corps instructional data places the gun itself at 27.4 pounds, or 47.4 pounds for the full gun, spare barrel case, tripod, pintle, and traversing-and-elevating gear package.

Those details explain why the M240B still holds value in 2026. Open-bolt operation reduces heat buildup and lowers the risk of cook-off during heavy firing, while fixed headspace and timing simplify operation and help maintain consistency across high round counts. The hydraulic recoil buffer in the buttstock and the weapon’s mass improve controllability during long bursts, especially when firing from supported positions. FN states that the gun is effective to 800 meters against point targets and 1,800 meters against area targets, with grazing fire out to 600 meters and a maximum range of 3,725 meters. Marine Corps training data also cites a 2,750 feet-per-second muzzle velocity, underscoring the weapon’s reach and terminal performance compared with lighter squad automatics.

The M240B fills the gap between the rifle squad’s lighter automatic weapons and the heavier .50 caliber class. It is the weapon that lets infantry units dominate open approaches, hold key terrain, and break up enemy movement before hostile riflemen can close into effective range. The bipod gives maneuver units a hard-hitting support-by-fire weapon that can move with the assault. On the tripod, it becomes a more deliberate fire-control asset. Marine Corps training material notes that the tripod provides a base “far superior to the bipod,” while the traversing-and-elevating mechanism enables controlled manipulation and engagement of predetermined targets. That is what turns the M240B from a brute-force suppressor into a precise crew-served battlefield instrument.

That matters because modern land combat still rewards units that can establish accurate beaten zones, maintain interlocking fires, and keep hostile heads down long enough for drones, mortars, or assault elements to finish the fight. In wooded terrain, urban edges, or desert approaches, a 7.62 mm gun with this endurance gives commanders a dependable answer to fleeting targets behind light cover, dismounted movement at medium range, and repeated engagements that would overtax lighter weapons. The steel receiver and heavy barrel do carry a weight penalty, but that same mass contributes to durability and sustained-fire stability, which is one reason the M240B continues to survive as a frontline system even as lighter alternatives exist.

The procurement context is equally important. FN’s latest order follows a $4.9 million Army award in July 2025 for additional M240L machine guns, the lighter titanium-receiver variant that cuts roughly five pounds, or about 18 percent, from the M240B without sacrificing range or longevity. It also comes after a March 2025 Defense Logistics Agency contract worth up to $39.6 million for M240 and M249 barrels, and a June 2021 Army contract valued at $92.1 million for M240-series variants and spare receivers through 2026. Taken together, those awards suggest the Pentagon is not treating the M240 family as legacy inventory to be passively sustained, but as an actively managed capability portfolio.

That pattern points to a practical force-design logic. The Army appears willing to field a mixed fleet in which the M240L is favored where dismounted mobility is paramount, while the M240B remains attractive where commonality, lower technical risk, and long-term durability matter more than shaving pounds. For the Navy, continued procurement of a weapon used across the U.S. armed forces also reinforces joint logistics and ammunition commonality around a cartridge that remains highly relevant for force protection and expeditionary operations. In an era dominated by talk of autonomy, loitering munitions, and precision effects, this contract is a reminder that sustained direct fire still underwrites small-unit survivability and battlefield control.

Strategically, the significance of the award is not that the M240B is new, but that it remains useful enough to keep buying. The weapon has served U.S. forces since the late 1970s and is still being built in Columbia, South Carolina, where FN says the original M240 contract was the company’s first U.S. military award and first domestically produced military program. The real takeaway is clear: this is a capability retention story. The Army and Navy are preserving a proven medium machine gun that continues to deliver reliable range, suppressive effect, and tactical overmatch at the level where battles are still decided by who can place accurate fire on target first and keep it there longest.