(McLean, VA ) FN America, LLC is pleased to announce that the company has been awarded a firm-fixed-price contract to supply the U.S. Army with M249 Squad Automatic Weapons, also known as the M249 SAW. The contract is expected to be completed by 2025.

The FN M249 SAW has been a mainstay throughout the U.S. military since 1986 and is currently in service in more than 30 countries globally. FN has been the sole source manufacturer of the 5.56-chambered belt-fed lightweight machine gun. Designed for front line applications delivering crucial support at the infantry squad/fire team level, the FN M249 SAW provides accurate fire from a highly maneuverable light machine gun. The ergonomic polymer buttstock contains a hydraulic buffer that allows SAW gunners to maintain a high rate of fire with accuracy and effect.

“We are honored to continue our dedication as a critical partner to the U.S. military and pleased to announce this latest Army contract award for the FN M249 SAW, a flagship design for FN, in service for more than 30 years. The proven design has served the U.S. military, reliably and without fail,” said Mark Cherpes, President and CEO for FN America, LLC. “We look forward to building these machine guns at our production facility in Columbia, South Carolina.”

Throughout its history, FN has been one of the largest suppliers of small arms to the U.S. military. In addition to the M249 and its variants, the company currently holds contracts for the FN M240 medium machine gun and its variants; the FN MK 46, MK 48, MK 17 and MK 20 SSR for USSOCOM, and various other contracts.

For more information about FN’s military product line or current U.S. military contracts, please visit www.fnamerica.com.

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The World’s Most Battle-Proven Firearms.® | FN America, LLC, the U.S. subsidiary of Belgium-based FN Herstal, S.A. provides U.S. military, law enforcement and commercial customers with a complete range of state-of- the-art, groundbreaking solutions developed around small caliber firearms and associated ammunition under the FN brand name.

FN Herstal is the Defense & Security entity of Herstal Group that also includes a Hunting & Sports Shooting entity (Browning and Winchester Firearms’ brand names) and operates globally.

FN product lines include portable firearms, less lethal systems, integrated weapon systems for air, land and sea applications, remote weapon stations, small caliber ammunition, as well as modern and cutting-edge solutions to provide enhanced combat, logistics, maintenance and communication capabilities.

In addition to FN America – headquartered in McLean, VA, with manufacturing operations in Columbia, SC –, FN Herstal is the parent company of FNH UK in the UK and Noptel (optoelectronics) in Finland.

For more information on FN’s latest products, visit us at www.fnamerica.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.