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The Squad
Automatic Weapon
Included in the type classification
action of 1 February 1982 were the important
new ammunition components of the SAW system.
The M855 5.56mm ball cartridge
uses the Belgian SS109 bullet which weighs 62
grains and contains a hardened-steel penetrator
frontal core and lead base encased in a copper
jacket. The bullet is green-tipped as this is
the new NATO color code for this type of ammunition.
This improved projectile requires a rifling
twist of 1 turn in 7 inches to stabilize the
bullet in flight, as opposed to the old M193
bullet which needs a twist of 1 turn in 12 inches.
The new M856 5.56mm
tracer cartridge uses the new longer L110 projectile
which weighs 64 grains and encases the tracer
element as well as the lead core in a gilded
metal-clad steel jacket, allowing for an unprecedented
900-meter burn-out. This was a much criticized
area in the past.
The SAW was developed through
an initially, Army-led research and development
effort, and eventually a Joint NDO program in
the late 1970s/early 1980s, to restore sustained
and accurate automatic weapons fire to the fire
team and squad. When actually fielded in the
mid-1980s, the SAW was issued as a one-for-one
replacement for the designated "automatic
rifle" (M16A1) in the Fire Team. In this
regard, the SAW filled the void created by the
retirement of the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR)
during the 1950s because interim automatic weapons
(e.g. M-14E2/M16A1) had failed as viable "base
of fire" weapons. Early in the SAW's fielding,
the Army identified the need for a Product Improvement
Program (PIP) to enhance the weapon. This effort
resulted in a "PIP kit" which modifies
the barrel, handguard, stock, pistol grip, buffer,
and sights.
On 1 February 1982 the M249
machine gun was officially adopted (type classified)
by the United States Army with the approval
of the U.S. Army Armament Research and Development
Command (ARRADCOM) in Dover, N.J., and Aberdeen
Proving Grounds, Md.
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