THE NATO 3 MANUAL

Main
  About NATO 3
  Installation
Weapons
  Primaries
  Secondaries
  Ammo Types
Tactics and Strategy
New Gameplay
  Single Player & Coop
  Multiplayer Adversarial 
Support
Credits

Support Weapons

 
FN Minimi (M249) - 5.56x45mm NATO - Belgium - 750 RPM - Designed by Ernest Vervier, the father of the MAG58, the Minimi was introduced in 1974. The US Army had run tests on the Minimi ever since its introduction, but did not get really serious about the design until the late '70s when long-range 5.56x45mm ammunition was developed. After competitive trials against the HK21A1 (HK23), the XM106 (a heavy barrel M16 LMG variant), and an entry from Ford Aerospace, the FN Minimi was finally adopted as the M249 in 1982. Capable of feeding from either a M16 magazine or a disintegrating, metallic link belt, the Minimi allows its user to deliver a large volume of effective fire to support the rest of his/her squad.

Tactics: A good suppression fire weapon. Use this to lay down fire while your teammates maneuver. Iron sights.

M60E3 - 7.62x51mm NATO - USA - 550 RPM - The M60 was developed from two German WWII weapons: the MG42 and FG42. In the earliest prototypes, the belt feed mechanism of the MG42 machinegun was welded onto the FG42 automatic rifle. Feeding from a disintegrating belt, the M60 is best used for suppressive fire. The main advantage over the smaller M249 is that the M60 fires 7.62mm NATO ammunition, thus penetrating even the heaviest body armor.

Tactics: Oso Vega's weapon of choice. Use short bursts to control the recoil. The high power 7.62x51mm will drop anything in it's path and it's unique sound will let your enemies know you mean business. Heavy and not as many rounds as the FN Minimi (M249). Iron sights.

Steyr AUG-HBAR - 5.56x45mm NATO - Austria - 680 RPM - A variation of the basic AUG rifle. Simply replace that 508mm standard barrel with the 610mm heavy barrel that is equipped with an integral bipod. Be careful of the 42 round optional magazine! You may not be able to use it in the prone position.

Tactics: Is it a assault rifle or a support weapon (or a sniper rifle)? Well, it's all in how you use it. Basically a Steyr AUG with a larger magazine and longer barrel. The most accurate AND best handling of the support weapons, but with the smallest ammo capacity. A great choice if you don't want to dedicate a whole person just to the support role. x1.5 magnifying scope.

GE M134 'Predator' - 7.62x51mm NATO - USA - 1700 RPM - Near the end of the Second World War, the US Army Air Force (pre-USAF) and the US Army Ordnance Department started work on high cyclic rate weapons for aircraft use. Given the introduction of jet propulsion, engagement times would be severely limited; thus, more projectiles would need to be fired in order to achieve hits. Cleves ‘Doc’ Howell suggested to Melvin M. Johnson, Jr. that attaching an external motor to a multi-barreled Gatling gun might achieve the high cyclic rates desire. Dr. Richard J. Gatling had played with such an idea in 1896, but there was no need for it at the time. 

With permission from Colonel Rene Studler, Johnson was allowed to experiment with antique Gatlings in the Aberdeen Proving Grounds’ Ordnance Museum. He was finally allowed to convert a 1886-vintage Gatling in .45-70 which had 10 barrels and a 103rd drum. For safety sake, black-powder ammunition loaded to original specs was used for the tests, but in spite of this, Johnson was able to achieve cyclic rates of 4,000rpm and 5,500rpm. Impressed with Johnson’s report, Ordnance awarded General Electric a contract to develop a modern belt-fed model in early 1946. 

By 1952, GE had three different models: the .60 caliber T45 (yes, sixty caliber), the 27mm T150, and the 20mm T171. After trials at Springfield Armory, the T45 and T150 were dropped from consideration, leaving the T171. After extended trials with the US Air Force, GE began pilot production of the T171 in 1954. A year later, the T171 was officially adopted as the M61. In 1956, the 30mm T212 was introduced but it languished until 1973, before it was adopted as the GAU-8A ‘Avenger’ for the A10 Thunderbolt (aka Warthog).

Development of a 7.62x51mm NATO version began in 1957. The GAU-2/A was designed for use in aircraft gun pod (SUU-11A), but GE did not receive any significant orders until the Vietnam War. Once the GAU-2/A was proven successful in gunship conversions of the C47 and UH1, it only a matter of time before the ground version (M134) was developed. 

Admittedly, the M134 were meant for mounted applications and never intend to be hand-held. Stembridge Gun Rentals, which provided firearms for film productions from 1916 to 1999, modified at least two real M134 for use in films such as 'Predator' and 'Terminator 2'. The cyclic rate was reduced to 1700rpm in order to reduce torque and to lower the voltage required to power the motor which rotates the barrels. When Stembridge quit the gun rental business due to the oppressive legal climate in California, their set of modified M134 were placed up for sale. For $125,000, a qualified individual could buy one, including the associated movie props, spare parts, and live barrels. For additional money, Stembridge's Minigun wrangler Dan Sprague would provide instruction on its use and maintenance. 

Tactics: C'mon in, ol' painless is waitin'. Iron sights, from the hip. Intended for single-player fun only.

 
H&K 21E - 7.62x51mm NATO - Germany - 800 RPM - Introduced in 1961, the HK21 uses the same reliable operating principle as the G3 rifle. Because of its heavy free-floating barrel and the use of thicker receiver stampings than the standard G3, the HK21 can deliver semi-automatic sniper rifle-like accuracy when needed while still retaining all of the flexibility of a belt-fed machine gun. Indeed, Delta Force snipers were equipped with the HK21 during the ill-fated rescue attempt of the US hostages in Tehran. Furthermore, a special sniper version (G8) has been produced for the German Bundesgrenzschutz. 

Feed options include the standard belt or an optional box magazine feed mechanism (HK11). Other features include a standard ambidextrous trigger group (including 3rd burst along with full-auto), a quick change barrel (hot barrels can be changed in seconds without the need of a protective glove), an adjustable folding bipod that allows a traverse of 60 degrees, and detachable scope mounting platforms.

Tactics: More accurate but heavier than the M60E3. Good against all targets. Diopter iron sights.

 
RPD - 7.62x39mm Soviet - Russia/CIS - 700 RPM - Based on designs from Vasily Alexseyevich Degtyarev, development of the RPD began in 1943 and serial production started after the conclusion of the Second World War. While replaced by the Soviets in the early 1960s with M.T. Kalashnikov's RPK (a modified AKM), the RPD has remained a favorite in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Production continues in China (Type 56-1 LMG) and possibly still in North Korea (Type 62 LMG). Firing from a fixed 100rd belt, the RPD is easier to use from a prone position than the extended (yet smaller capacity) magazines of its replacement, the RPK. However, the Soviets preferred the commonality of parts and training between RPK and the AK47/AKM. Operators must be careful to maintain short bursts lest the wooden handguards catch fire. Given that the barrel is not a quick-change type like modern SAWs, a charred handguard is preferable to a melted barrel.