Israeli SIG Sauer machine gun order confirmed
Lt Gen Eyal Zamir inspects a SIG Sauer machine gun on 23 July. (Israel Defense Forces)
Israel has placed a significant order for infantry weapons made by SIG Sauer, a notice published on the US government's System for Award Management website has confirmed.
It said US Army Contracting Command had awarded a USD95 million Foreign Military Sales contract on Israel's behalf to SIG Sauer on 17 July that covered an unspecified number of MCX assault rifles chambered in .300 Blackout, MMG 338 machine guns, LMG 7.62s, suppressors, spare parts, and other related equipment.
The MMG 338 was developed for a US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) competition seeking a belt-fed machine gun that weighs less than 11 kg, uses the .338 Norma Magnum cartridge, can be converted to fire less powerful NATO-standard 7.62×51 mm ammunition, and can be fitted with a suppressor.
SIG simultaneously developed the similar LMG for the US Army's requirement for an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon replacement that uses the new 6.8×51 mm cartridge. The LMG can also be converted to use 7.62×51 mm or 6.5×48 mm Creedmoor ammunition, although this is not a feature on the US Army's M250 version.
When SIG opened a new factory in Arkansas in October 2024 it displayed a poster that indicated Israel had placed an order for its MMG 338, LMG 762, and Pitbull remote-control weapon station earlier that year. The Pitbull can be fitted with .50 heavy or 7.62 mm general purpose machine guns as well as the LMG and MMG.
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