FN MAG general-purpose machine gun

Conflict Usage

Boko Haram Insurgency

Side: Boko Haram and ISWAPRole: Insurgent automatic fire and surrendered small-arms stockfire support

HumAngle reported in August 2021 that Boko Haram deserters near Bama surrendered weapons that included an FN MAG, tying the gun to insurgent-held small-arms stocks in the northeast Nigeria theater.

Operation Inherent Resolve

Side: U.S.-led coalition and partner forcesRole: Coalition base-defense and weapons-familiarization firefire support

U.S. Army reporting documented soldiers firing the M240B while deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, and DVIDS imagery showed U.S. Army M240B guns set up for live-fire base-defense training at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq in May 2020.

War in Afghanistan

Side: United States and Afghan government forcesRole: Afghan special-operations squad-level weapons trainingfire support

A 2018 DVIDS report from near Kabul said Afghan National Army Special Operations Command soldiers received advanced weapons training on squad-level weapons including the M240 general-purpose machine gun during the Resolute Support phase of the War in Afghanistan.

FN MAG general-purpose machine gun Images

Related Weapon Systems

Infantry WeaponsFN Minimi light machine gun5.56x45mm NATO light machine gunThe FN Minimi is a Belgian belt-fed light machine gun developed by Fabrique Nationale for squad automatic fire, with 5.56 mm NATO models widely fielded as national variants such as the U.S. M249, Canadian C9, and Australian F89. In the Yemen Civil War, Amnesty International reported Belgian Minimis deployed by The Giants Brigades, tying the weapon to UAE-backed coalition-aligned ground forces around the Hodeidah offensive.

Infantry WeaponsHK21 general-purpose machine gun7.62 mm general-purpose machine gunThe HK21 is a Heckler & Koch belt-fed 7.62x51 mm NATO general-purpose machine gun derived from the G3 rifle family. In the Boko Haram Insurgency, Nigerian military reporting and ISWAP media analysis document HK21-pattern guns among weapons recovered from, or displayed by, Boko Haram and ISWAP forces, making it a small-unit fire-support weapon in the Lake Chad conflict archive.

Infantry WeaponsPKM/PK7.62 mm general-purpose machine gunThe PK and lighter PKM are Soviet-designed, belt-fed 7.62x54R general-purpose machine guns used from bipods, tripods, vehicles, and improvised mounts. Their low weight for the class, non-disintegrating belt feed, quick-change barrel concept, and wide Warsaw Pact distribution make the family a common infantry fire-support weapon in recent conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine War, Yemeni Civil War, Boko Haram Insurgency, and Israel-Hamas War.

Infantry WeaponsUAG-40 automatic grenade launcherBelt-fed 40 mm automatic grenade launcherThe UAG-40 is a Ukrainian belt-fed automatic grenade launcher chambered for 40 x 53SR mm high-velocity ammunition. Developed and manufactured by Kuznya na Rybalskomu, it emphasizes low weight for a crew-served launcher and was documented in the Boko Haram Insurgency when Boko Haram displayed a captured example after an April 2016 ambush in Nigeria.

Infantry Weapons.50-caliber / 12.7mm Heavy Machine GunCrew-served heavy machine gun.50-caliber and 12.7 mm heavy machine guns give infantry, vehicle crews, and security forces longer-range automatic fire than rifle-caliber machine guns. The best-known Western example is the M2 Browning family, a belt-fed, recoil-operated heavy machine gun used from ground mounts, vehicles, boats, and aircraft mounts. In the Battle of Marawi, Philippine reporting documents a caliber 50 heavy machine gun used by government forces for suppressive fire during urban fighting, while Nigerian reporting from the Boko Haram Insurgency documents a .50 inch Browning machine gun recovered from Boko Haram terrorists at Gombi in 2015.

Infantry WeaponsM136 AT4Disposable shoulder-fired light anti-armor recoilless weaponThe M136 AT4 is the U.S. designation for an Americanized Saab AT4, a single-shot 84 mm shoulder-fired anti-armor weapon issued as a disposable launch tube. It gives infantry a lightweight close-range option against light armor, bunkers, gun positions, and buildings, and Ukraine has received AT-4 systems through U.S. security assistance during the Russia-Ukraine War.

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