Denel Land Systems (DLS) unveiled the lightest 7.62 mm calibre general- purpose machine gun (GPMG) in the world at the recent Africa Aerospace and Defence 2016 exhibition. It also revealed improved versions of other infantry support weapons. “You get belt-fed assault rifles that are lighter, but they lack the sustained fire capability of a real machine gun,” explained DLS CEO Stephan Burger to Engineering News. “We did not want to compromise on that. It’s a machine gun.”
The new weapon, designated the Denel DMG-5, currently weighs 8.4 kg, although the company hopes to reduce this by a few more grammes. The company’s current production GPMG, the SS77, weights 10.3 kg, so the new design is 20% lighter. The SS77 was also designed by Denel and is also a unique South African design.
The weight reduction has been achieved “without any compromising on stability, reliability and accuracy”, he told the assembled journalists at the launch. Unlike the SS77, the DMG-5 can take all modern sighting systems. The new weapon is already attracting strong international interest.
The lighter weight has been achieved by the use of different materials and design refinements. “But we tried to keep the working parts exactly as they were [on the SS77].”
DLS engineers were challenged to produce the lightest machine gun in the world. The task was given to three young engineers “who didn’t know it was impossible”, quipped Burger. “I want to congratulate our young engineers. We’re extraordinarily proud of them.”
In addition, a heavy-barrelled version of the weapon, the DMG-5 CX, has been developed. This is for use in remotely controlled weapon stations, as coaxial weapons on armoured vehicles and for use on flexible mounts on vehicles.
The DMG-5 has an effective range (which is less than the maximum range) of 1 500 m. It has a firing rate of 700 rounds per minute to 900 rounds per minute. With a long stock, it is 1.135 m long and, with a short stock, it is 1.055 m long. It is gas-operated, with a side locking system. As with all GPMGs, it is fed with continuous belts of ammunition. Nominal muzzle velocity is 830 m/sec.
The company also unveiled longer-range versions of its 60 mm Commando and 60 mm conventional mortars. While the previous Commando mortar had a range of 1 km, the new version, designated the DM42, has a range of 1.8 km. The DM42 is made from high-strength special steel, and both barrel and the breech/base plate are forged, heat-treated and machined to fine tolerances. The barrel is 895 mm long. Placed on the ground, the barrel is held with a hand grip that incorporates the weapon’s aiming device. With a weight of 9 kg to 10 kg, it has an elevation range of between 45° and 80°. It can fire high explosive, practice, smoke or illumination rounds.
The previous version of the conventional mortar had a range of 2 km, while the new model, the DM43, has a range of 4 km. The DM43 comprises a barrel, a baseplate and a bipod, and is a medium-range mortar. Its barrel is also 895 mm in length and the complete weapon weighs 21 kg. It can fire the full suite of 60 mm mortar bombs. (DLS also produces 60 mm extended range, 81 mm standard range and 81 mm long-range mortars.)
In addition, DLS launched an asset tracking system. This allows the remote tracking of vehicles, weapons and even individual soldiers. The system can be configured in different ways for different applications.