IWI unveils Negev 7 Ultra Light Machine Gun

The NG7 ULMG has been developed based on customer feedback that sought a lighter machine gun with full rifle calibre. (IWI Ltd)

Israel Weapon Industries' (IWI's) new Negev 7 Ultra Light Machine Gun (NG7 ULMG) has been developed based on customer feedback that called for a lighter-weight, full rifle calibre machine gun, Janes has learnt.

Speaking to Janes, Ronen Hamudot, executive vice-president of SK Group – owner of IWI – said the design puts greater emphasis on portability and mobility. The weapon has already been supplied to an unnamed European special forces unit.

The NG7 ULMG is based on IWI's NG7 7.62 mm machine gun and features a lighter, length-adjustable butt-stock; a revised aluminium handguard with M-LOK interface points; and the elimination of the standard bipod. These changes have helped shave off approximately 1.4 kg from the original NG7, Hamudot said.

With a 420 mm-long barrel, the NG7 ULMG weighs approximately 6.6 kg, compared with the 8 kg of the NG7 with the same barrel length. Internally, the NG7 ULMG is identical to the original NG7 and features the same quick-change barrel (QCB) system as the rest of the Negev line.

Hamudot said that he expected the QCB function to be less prevalent in future machine gun designs, as developments in material science and manufacturing techniques are leading to much more durable barrels. IWI is working on improved barrels that would negate the need for operators to carry spares in most operations, Hamudot added.

The NG7 ULMG is available in two barrel lengths – 420 mm and 330 mm. In addition, the NG7 series can be converted to the 6.5 Creedmoor (6.5×48 mm) by simply changing barrels. Hamudot said standard M13 pattern disintegrating links could be used to feed 6.5 Creedmoor rounds.