FN Herstal has just announced an expansion of the weapon systems that are compatible with their airborne pintles connection system. The full release can be read below:

(McLean, VA – October 13, 2014) FN Herstal, a world leader of small caliber weapon systems, teams with Dillon Aero to add to its portfolio of FN MAG® 58M and FN M3M™ (GAU-21) machine guns, the Dillon Aero M134D Gatling Gun as an additional option to its airborne pintle mounted systems. FN Herstal airborne pintles are now capable of connecting either to the FN MAG® 58M, the FN M3M™ or the M134D, with all three variants being qualified by FN Herstal. Each armament conversion kit fulfills a segment: the FN MAG® 58M is a 7.62mm cal machine gun with maximum rate of fire of 1,000 RPM; the M134D, also known as the “Minigun” is a 6 barrel Gatling Gun with rate of fire of 3,000 while the FN M3M™ (GAU-21) is a .50 cal firing at 1,100 RPM.

The armament swap on FN Herstal’s systems connections will only take minutes. Swapping from the FN MAG® 58M to the M134D or to the FN M3M™ (GAU-21) on FN Medium Pintle Systems adds flexibility to the end users. Providing end users with the ability to configure the weapon systems with the armament of the customer’s choice greatly improves the helicopter’s modularity and adaptability to specific missions and threats. By offering three variants and turning its airborne pintle mounted systems into modular systems, FN Herstal covers all calibers and segments that are of interest to its customers, and opens a growth path for future weapons solutions.

FN Herstal is a world leader in the design, development and manufacture of small caliber portable weapons and weapon systems, and equips more than 2,600 airborne platforms on all continents.

For more information on FN Herstal’s state-of-the-art product line and comprehensive services, please visit its website at www.fnherstal.com.

It seems that the SCAR WARS have entered their cartoon phase. The Firearm Blog picked up a story from the Belgian news website Leosir.be ” that, “le (FN) SCAR is destined to replace the M14 and M16 and that up to 10,000 could be ordered by the American Army.”

Wonder who was behind this one. The very short article reads like an FN press release; a couple of facts sprinkled with a whole lot of wishful thinking.

Much ado has been made about the new Black Box technology from FNH, especially after information has come to light over the Army’s proposed wish list for the next generation carbine which includes a “round counter”.

Marketed on the FNH website under the heading “Armatronics”, the Black Box is designed to:

detect/discriminate/count shots
measure burst rates and burst lengths
record firing sequences
detect stoppages due to failures to cycle

The intent of the system is to aid the armorer in anticipating “necessary maintenance actions and consult all previous maintenance operations when and as required.”

I realize that the technology can be packaged in a variety of ways but the issue finger groove pistol grip is my least favorite. Of course, I guess it’s one way to make sure no one swaps out their issue pistol grip when they get downrange.

So all of the hoopla over this Euro technology is all great, but it isn’t really new. The Weapon Shot Counter from Advanced Design Consulting USA, Inc has been around for years and has seen limited testing by the US military. In fact, this is where the concept comes from and baseline data from limited use of the WSC was used to help craft this latest Army requirement.

So is the technology necessary? It would certainly assist an Army that is working their small arms hard. There is currently no program in place to record use of an M16/M4 to the same level as that of a M24 SWS or similar precision weapon. The Army looks at those weapons having components with finite lives and requiring regularly scheduled third shop maintenance yet currently, there is no system in place to provide the same level of care for the weapons that carry the bulk of the war load.

–Sal Palma contributed to this report