The FN EVOLYS ultralight machine gun was subject to in-depth testing by potential customers, who provided feedback which led to the gun’s recent adapted features.

FN Herstal recently unveiled this new member of its machine gun line, joining the FN M2HB-QCB
.50 (12.7x99mm NATO) calibre heavy machine gun, the FN MAG 7.62 NATO calibre medium/general purpose machine gun, and the FN MINIMI 5.56 and 7.62mm NATO calibre light machine guns. According to the company, FN machine guns have been standardised by dozens of armed forces including many NATO members and allies, and have been prominent on the NATO calibre machine gun market for decades.

The FN EVOLYS is chambered in 5.56x45mm or 7.62x51mm calibre and designed for mobile infantry or SF units, bridging the gap between the rifle and the light machine gun. It has been undergoing trials with several armed forces, who FN claims “appreciated its greatly reduced weight, ease of handling, long one-piece top rail allowing in-line mounting of optics, its reliability, and above all the intensive firepower of a belt-fed weapon.” Feedback identified two features that users suggested should be modified and which FN Herstal then incorporated:

The buttstock
Q A M4 type buttstock with ergonomics familiar to many users, with adjustable length of pull (6 positions) and interchangeable cheek rest (2 heights).

The bipod
Q The optional bipod has been given stronger aluminium legs and a reinforced attachment interface providing a more stable and robust support.

FN Herstal is the defence and security branch of the Herstal Group. Headquartered in Herstal and owned by the Walloon Region (Belgium), the Group states that its mission is “to design, develop and manufacture a full range of innovative solutions at the leading edge of technology, centered on small arms and their ammunition, that meet the specific requirements of defence and security markets today and in the future.”

Image credit: FN Herstal