| RMG.50 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Heavy machine gun |
| Place of origin | Germany |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 2008-09 |
| Manufacturer | Rheinmetall |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 25.0 kg |
| Length | 1884 mm |
| Barrel length | 1200 mm |
| Cartridge | 12.7x99 mm NATO |
| Caliber | .50BMG |
| Barrels | 1 |
| Action | gearbox-driven crank, externally powered[1] |
| Rate of fire | 600 rounds per minute |
| Effective firing range | 1800 m |
| Feed system | dual linkless feed |
The RMG.50 is a German heavy machine gun under development by Rheinmetall.
The RMG.50 machine gun is under development by the company under contract to the Bundeswehr as a replacement for the Browning M2HB recoil-operated heavy machine gun of the same calibre. According to a company representative, work on the RMG.50 started in 2008 and the first firings took place at the end of 2009. A second prototype was completed and started trials in August 2010. A third prototype were delivered in 2011 for internal qualification and pre-series weapons were delivered to the German Ministry of Defence test authority in 2012. The weapon entered service with the German Bundeswehr in 2014. [2]
Due to its weight and need for external power source it is currently only mounted on vehicles, such as the Puma .[3][4]