Gestamen Arms G224 5.56 mm machine gun, fitted with Magpul D60 drum magazine. (Janes/Amael Kotlarski)
Hungarian company Gestamen Research & Development Ltd (Gestamen Arms) presented its G224 and G762 machine guns (MGs) at the Eurosatory 2024 defence exhibition held in Paris from 17 to 21 June.
The G224 and G762 are gas-operated, air-cooled, select-fire, belt-fed MGs chambered for the 5.56×45 and 7.62×51 mm cartridges respectively. Speaking to Janes, Christopher Ford, marketing manager for Gestamen Arms, explained that the guns have been developed in response to a desire by the Hungarian Defence Forces to field indigenously designed and manufactured MGs. The most common MG in Hungarian service remains the Soviet-designed PKM, with some Western models also in use in various specialised roles.
Both MGs are built around a monolithic forged receiver, with the belt feed mechanism mounted horizontally on the left-hand side. In the case of the G224, a magazine well is present on the underside of the receiver, which enables the weapon to feed from either disintegrating belts or STANAG-pattern box magazines. The guns are gas piston-operated and feature an adjustable gas regulator. Both weapons feature a side-folding, telescopic polymer stock. Both the G224 and G762 feature a quick-detachable barrel. Standard barrel length for the 5.56 mm model is 508 mm, while the 7.62 mm model is fitted with a 558 mm-longbarrel. Notably, the barrel on the G224 model displayed at the show featured trapezoidal cooling fins, reminiscent of early air-cooled MG designs.
The guns feature a full-length MIL-STD-1913-type
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