General Purpose Machine Gun
The L7A2 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) is a 7.62 x 51mm belt-fed general purpose machine gun which can be used as a light weapon and in a sustained fire (SF) role.
In the SF role, mounted on a tripod and fitted with the C2 optical sight, it is fired by a two-man team who are grouped in a specialist Machine Gun Platoon to provide battalion-level fire support. In SF mode, the GPMG, with a two-man crew, lays down 750 rounds-per-minute at ranges up to 1,800 meters.
General Purpose Machine Gun
The GPMG can be carried by foot soldiers and employed as a light machine gun (LMG), although it has largely been replaced by the lighter 5.56 x 45mm Minimi in this role in most regiments. A fold-out bipod is used to support the GPMG in the LMG role.
Versions of the GPMG are mounted on most Army vehicles and some helicopters.
| Calibre |
7.62 mm |
| Weight |
13.85 kg (gun plus 50-round belt) |
| Length |
1,230 mm (light role) |
| Barrel length |
629 mm |
| Muzzle velocity |
838 m/s |
| Feed |
100-round disintegrating link belt |
| Effective range |
800 m light role, 1,800 m sustained fire role |
| Cyclic rate of fire |
750 rounds per minute |