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Heckler and Koch 81000845: A variant of the Heckler & Koch HK416, the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR) was selected by the U.S. Marine Corps in August 2011 in an innovative program to develop a highly accurate, lightweight, and more reliable alternative to currently fielded light machine guns. The “M27” designation represents a tribute to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment which is the unit that devised the original concept of the Infantry Automatic Rifle. The Infantry Automatic Rifle program began in 2001 as a “needs statement” within the Marine Corps. Operational experience in Iraq and Afghanistan in the last several years reinforced the requirement. The program called for a magazine-fed 5.56mm automatic rifle designed to be operated by a single Marine and possessing greater accuracy, increased reliability, and lighter weight than the existing belt-fed 5.56mm machine gun. These factors would enhance the automatic rifleman’s maneuverability and speed to either augment and/or replace the belt-fed M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW). As recent testing and operational deployment has confirmed, the IAR is more readily adapted for house-to-house clearing operations and day-to-day employment by the automatic rifleman when compared to an M249. A fully loaded M27 IAR weighs less than half that of an M249 SAW. During a rigourous selective process that began in 2005, the Heckler & Koch HK416 IAR competed against more than seven weapon models submitted by six companies. In 2009, after surviving several “down selects” that eliminated all but a handful of candidates weapons, the HK416 was selected as the finalist from the three remaining companies (the others being FN and Colt Defense). Initial operational testing in locations including the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center and Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center further demonstrated the suitability of the HK416 for the Infantry Automatic Rifle role. In 2010, HK was awarded with a Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) order for approximately 500 systems. The rifles were delivered on the Marine Corps’ Birthday, November 10th, 2010 for initial training, limited fielding, and selected Marine infantry unit/user assessments. The Marine Corps completed their initial fielding and assessments in the summer of 2011 and in the autumn of 2011 Heckler & Koch was awarded a Full Rate Production award.
