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 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Heavy machine gun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designer | General Dynamics/Joint Services Small Arms Program |
| Designed | 1990 |
| Manufacturer | General Dynamics |
| Produced | 2004 |
| Variants | XM307 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 52 lb (19 kg) |
| Length | 61.42 in (1,560 mm) |
| Barrel length | 36 in (914 mm) |
| Width | 9.84 in (250 mm) |
| Height | 7 in (180 mm), 18 in (460 mm) adjustable tripod |
| Crew | 2 |
| Cartridge | .50 BMG |
| Caliber | 0.50 in (12.7 mm) |
| Action | "Recoil-reducing action" (modified rotating bolt) |
| Rate of fire | 260 rpm |
| Maximum firing range | lethal and suppressive to 2,000 meters |
| Feed system | Belt-fed |
| Sights | Open, 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).
The Fiscal Year 2008 Appropriations bill awarded $10 million to General Dynamics for the XM307 and XM312.
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. The XM806 was canceled in 2012. The Army at present will continue buying new M2s and Mk 19s to replenish the current guns that are wearing out.