English Composition

Research Paper

Topic: Denel Machine Gun-5

Group Members:

Muhammad Azeem Ahmad (160101003)

Muhammad Faizan Anjum (160101007)

Aero 15-A

Submitted to:

Mrs. Uzma Nasir

Submission Date:

December 8, 2016
 DMG-5
Authors: Muhammad Azeem Ahmad and Muhammad Faizan Anjum
Abstract:
The History and whole process of
development of Machine Guns along with their
categories has been explained and Denel
Machine Gun has been considered as the main
focus of the research whose technical features
have been discussed in detail. Moreover due to
restrictions on the arms and ammunitions by
the whole world the U.S Arms Policy has also
been discussed briefly.
Introduction
A Machinegun is any weapon that shoots, is
designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to
shoot automatically more than one shot without
manual reloading by a single function of the
trigger. A Submachine gun is a simple fully
automatic weapon that fires a pistol cartridge
that is also referred to as a machine pistol.
It should be noted that, when reference is made
to “machine guns”, only one group of weapons
is meant. This is the group of heavy weapons
that has a mechanism that continues to operate
as long as the trigger is pulled and the
ammunition supply lasts. Often, in order to
stress this fact, a machine gun is called a “full
automatic” weapon. A weapon that fires only
one shot every time the trigger is pulled is called
a “semiautomatic” weapon.
History
Designs with several barrels firing at the same
time appeared as early as the fourteenth century.
In the American Civil War and the Franco-
Prussian war multi-barrel weapons were used in
support of the infantry. The Civil war also saw
the introduction of what is considered the
grandfather of the modern machinegun: the
Gatling gun. The Gatling gun was a weapon in
which, through a manually operated mechanism,
a number of barrels could be loaded, fired and
reloaded. The barrels were placed in a cluster
rotating around a central axis.
The Gatling gun was not a machinegun in the
narrow sense of the word as we use it today.
Because the operation of the weapon was
effected by manually cranking a handle, the
Gatling gun should be considered an extreme
form of repeating firearm rather than a
machinegun. It is sometimes referred to as a
“mechanical machinegun”. Such weapons can
only be called real machine guns when they are
Figure 1: Gatling Gun
fitted with electric or hydraulic motors, making
it possible to operate them by simply pushing a
button. This kind of weapon did not come into
use until 1956.
The introduction of the percussion cap in the
19th century led to the invention of numerous
machine guns in the United States, several of
which were employed in the American Civil
War. In all of these either the cylinder or a
cluster of barrels was hand-cranked. The most
successful was the Gatling gun, which in its later
version incorporated the modern cartridge,
containing bullet, propellant, and means of
ignition.
An important factor in battle is the ability to fire
a large number of projectiles in a very short
time. From the very beginning of firearm
development this has been the goal of firearm
designers, including famous ones like Leonardo
da Vinci.
From the introduction of firearms in the late
Middle Ages, attempts were made to design a
weapon that would fire more than one shot
without reloading, typically by a cluster or row
of barrels fired in sequence. In 1718 James
Puckle in London patented a machine gun that
was actually produced; a model of it is in the
Tower of London. Its chief feature, a revolving
cylinder that fed rounds into the gun’s chamber,
was a basic step toward the automatic weapon;
what prevented its success was the clumsy and
undependable flintlock ignition. But this Puckle
Gun was actually not a machine gun because it
did not truly agree with the definition of
machine gun. It was a Gatling gun by its
function, which was also later termed as hand-
cracked machine gun.
Figure 2: Puckle Gun
Crude machine guns had first been used in the
American Civil War (1861 to 1865). However,
tactics from this war to 1914 had not changed to
fit in with this new weapon. Machine guns could
shoot hundreds of rounds of ammunition a
minute and the standard military tactic of World
War One was the infantry charge. Casualties
were huge. Many soldiers barely got out of their
trench before they were cut down.
 Hiram Stevens Maxim of the United States was
the first inventor to incorporate this effect in a
weapon design. The first true machine gun was
developed by Hiram maxim in 1884. It was a
weapon that used the recoil of the firing
cartridge to extract the cartridge case, feed a
fresh round from a cloth belt into the barrel and
fire it. The Maxim 1884 used a flywheel to store
the energy to operate the mechanism. During
testing, though the design functioned, one of the
biggest drawbacks showed itself: the enormous
amount of smoke the weapon produced and the
fouling of the mechanism.
Figure 3: Maxim Machine Gun
In designing his machine gun, Hiram Maxim
utilized a simple concept. The gas produced by
the explosion of powder in each machine gun
cartridge created a recoil which served to
continuously operate the machine gun
mechanism.  No external power was needed. 
His initial design, which was water cooled and
belt fed, allowed for a theoretical rate of fire of
up to 600 rounds per minute (half that number in
practice).  It was heavy however, weighing in at
62kg (between 136.4-146.3 pounds) and
required at least 6 men to carry it and its
ammunition. This implies that machine gun
could only be utilized in a defensive role
because it was far too heavy to incorporate in a
highly mobile offensive manner. These results
were catastrophic and completely unforeseen by
the military leadership.
This would make use in a military situation very
impractical. Still, a limited number of these
weapons were sold to the military.
The introduction of smokeless powder in the
1880s made it possible to convert the hand-
cranked machine gun into a truly automatic
weapon, primarily because smokeless powder’s
even combustion made it possible to harness the
recoil so as to work the bolt, expel the spent
cartridge, and reload. This development of
smokeless powder suddenly made the machine
gun a practical weapon.
After the appearance of smokeless powder a
large number of machine gun designs were
introduced in a very short time. Machine guns of
different construction were being developed and
put into production in many of the larger nations
of the world, each country supporting their own
companies like Browning and Colt (USA),
Vickers (England), Skoda (Austria), Madsen
(Denmark) and Hotchkiss (France). Some of
these utilized another property of the even
burning of smokeless powder: small amounts of
the combustion gas were diverted through a port
to drive a piston or lever to open the breech as
each round was fired, admitting the next round.
As a result, during World War I the battlefield
was from the outset dominated by the machine
gun, generally belt-fed, water-cooled, and of a
caliber matching that of the rifle. Except for
synchronizing with aircraft propellers, the
machine gun remained little changed throughout
World War I and into World War II. Since then,
innovations such as sheet-metal bodies and air-
cooled, quick-changing barrels have made
machine guns lighter and more reliable and
quick-firing, but they still operate under the
same principles as in the days of Hiram Maxim.
Germans quickly grasped the potential
importance of machine guns on the battlefield. 
From the outset the German army demonstrated
the value of the machine gun by creating
separate machine gun companies to support
infantry battalions. The British however did not
create their Machine Gun Corps until October
1915; until this time the few machine guns
available were attached in sections to individual
battalions.  A mere two guns were allocated to
each infantry battalion in 1914.
It cannot be said that, since the First World War,
no new firearms have been developed. It is very
true however that most of the weapons that are
in use today are based on designs that first
appeared in the years between the introduction
of smokeless powder and the First World War.
Modern bolt-action rifles are based on the
Mauser 98, Steyr 95 and Lee Enfield designs,
modern machineguns are based on many designs
from that period. The Colt 1911 pistol is even
still in use. Materials have changed. Plastic and
aluminium have been introduced, together with
precision casting techniques, welding and other
mass production methods. Magazine capacities
have increased. The basic principles of the
functioning of the weapons have, however,
stayed the same.
At the beginning of the First World War all
armies had a number of machine guns in their
inventories and, next to the artillery; the
machine gun was a primary factor in shaping the
nature of battle of that war. Technical
developments of the machinegun were, from that
point on, mainly aimed at making the weapon
more flexible, more portable and easier to
produce.
.50 Calibre M-series Heavy Machine Gun, first
designed in 1918. Extended firing of early
models of this weapon generated very high
temperatures, which could in extreme cases
result in the destruction of the barrel and also
posed a potential hazard to firers.
Figure 4: Browning M2HB
Later models such as the Browning M1921 used
a water-cooling system to reduce the barrel’s
heat. To overcome the inconvenience associated
with water-cooling, the 1928 Browning M2HB
(Heavy Barrel) replaced this system, and
addressed barrel heating by designing a thicker
barrel construction which acted as a heat-sink
and allowed higher volumes of fire to be
obtained. The Soviets responded to the
Browning in 1938 with the DShK, which
featured similar capabilities as the Browning
M2. The Soviets and later the Russians replaced
the DShK with newer models, such as the NSV
(1972) and Kord (2001). Improvements in
weight, reliability, and production capability
made these weapons superior to their
predecessor (Jane’s, 2007, pp. 381–391). In
contrast to developing new models, the US has
continued to produce improved variants of the
Browning M2 for the better part of the 20th
century.
John M. Browning developed the M2 heavy
machine gun at the end of World War I. After a
series of early water-cooled, aircraft, and tank
models were tested in the 1920s, an improved
version was adopted in 1933 as the Browning
M2 water-cooled machine gun. Subsequent
models, using the same receiver, were adopted
by the various services. During World War II,
nearly two million M2 machine guns of all
variations were produced. The M2 is the
mainstay of all Marine Corps heavy machine
gun platoons.
Results
Due to these whole contributions of history, a
large number of machine guns have been
invented and to simplify their study have been
divided into heavy machine guns and light
machine guns depending upon the weight of the
machine guns.
Light machine guns (LMG) are those which are
lighter in weight, weighing not more than 15kg
(30 lbs.). Heavy machine guns (HMG) are those
which are heavier then the light machine guns,
having weight more than 15kg. For defense and
other purposes, Light Machine Guns are
preferred because they are easy to handle,
convenient to be used and mobile to be carried
anywhere.
Discussion
Name: DMG-5(An improved derivative of
Vector SS-77)
Weapon type: Light Machine Gun
Action: Gas Operated
Weight: 8.6 kg
Calibre: available either
in 5.56x45mm or 7.62x51mm NATO Calibres
Inventory Rights: Denel Land Systems (DLS)
Invented by: Nekhumbe, Mashaba and Talane
Maximum Effective Range: 1500m
Cyclic Rate: 700 to 900 rpm
Presented in Market: September 15,2016
Prominent Features:
Gas operated
Air cooled
Optical sights
Night vision equipment
Torches
Laser pointers
Enhanced handling and stability
Quick reaction
Figure 5: DMG-5
The challenge given to the three young
engineers to redesign an infantry soldier’s most
trusted ally, the machine gun, making it lighter
and easier to handle without compromising its
firepower and reliability, sounded deceptively
easy.
Three young mechanical engineering graduates,
Dakalo Nekhumbe, Phindile Mashaba and
Marumo Talane a trained electro-mechanical
engineer, took to the challenge with enthusiastic
“out-of-the-box thinking”.
The result was the development of a new
generation light-weight machine gun, the DMG-
5.
It immediately attracted attention due to its
innovative revolutionary features.
Infantry forces always require a reliable machine
gun to provide continuous fire support on the
modern battle field. The existing SS-77
manufactured by Denel met most of the
requirements regarding firepower, durability and
reliability and has proven its capabilities in
combat operations many times over.
However, both soldiers and weapon designers
are always searching for an improved product –
in this case a machine gun that is lighter to carry
and easier to handle – without cutting corners or
compromising on the requirements of firepower
and accuracy.
For Stephan Burger, the CEO of Denel Land
Systems, it was an easy decision to offer the
challenge: “modernise the weapon, decrease its
weight and retain its reputation as one of the
most trusted elements in the infantry’s arsenal”.
Within these guidelines they were given the
freedom and flexibility to come up with an
innovative and effective final product.
“The challenges were set – and met – with great
enthusiasm and professionalism,” says Burger.
The three young engineers were committed to
the company’s Infantry Weapons Department
where they worked under the guidance of
experienced engineers and veteran designers.
Soldiers on the move rely on the sustained
firepower offered by a machine gun. However,
such weapons can also be heavy to carry during
long foot patrols where each soldier also has to
transport sufficient ammunition, water, food
rations, equipment and sleeping gear. Every
kilogram of weight you can reduce on the
weight of the weapon enables the soldier to
carry more rations or water.
The weapon that emerged from the engineering
team represents a major leap forward in weapons
design. A weight reduction of almost 20% has
been achieved – the DMG-5 tips the scales at a
mere 8.6kg compared to the 10.3kg of the
standard SS-77.
Burger says the new design is the result of
creativity and innovation from a young team
who tackled the challenge from fresh new
angles. Among the major design changes
introduced is a new barrel design, new cocking
handles, new flash hiders, light weight trigger
housing and a co-ax handgrip.
With each change in design precious grams were
shaved off the weight of the weapon without
compromising on stability and durability. The
result is a well-balanced, light weight weapon
which is ideally suited for modern soldiers who
need to operate in both rural and urban battle
environments.
The young engineers stayed with the project
from design, to modelling, to testing and the
production processes and were also on hand
when the new DMG-5 was first unveiled to the
public at the AAD2016 in September.
“The success of the project confirms Denel’s
commitment to guide and mentor young talent
through the early stages of their careers,” says
Burger. “We gave them the responsibility to
work on a major project – but also the freedom
to explore their own ideas and utilise the
knowledge they have gained during their
training and education.”
“The result represents a major breakthrough for
Denel which will definitely contribute to our
reputation as one of the leading global
innovators in design and advanced
manufacturing and among the top 100 defence
companies in the world,” says Burger.
Matthews said the weight reduction has been
achieved by "optimizing the mass" of every
component of the SS-77. This has included the
replacement of the folding stock with a lighter
retractable stock.
Picatinny rails have been fitted as standard to
make the DMG-5 a more flexible weapon than
its predecessor. This has allowed the weight of
the weapon to be further reduced by removing
the fixed bipod and giving the customer the
option of using Picatinny-compatible bipods or
grips of their choice.
Gas Operated Action:
Most of the self-loading rifles designed during
and after WWII have been gas-operated. These
contrasts with blowback and recoil systems in
that operating energy comes from tapping
expanding high-pressure gases at the barrel
instead of from recoil.
Figure 6: Gas Operated Action

Figure 7: Gas Operation
Air Cooling:
A new solution to an old problem. Heat build up
on dry machining operations reduces tool life
and machining rates. The Cold Gun Aircoolant
System produces a stream of clean cold air at
50°F (28°C) below supply air
temperature.Operation is now a quiet 70 dBA
and there are no moving parts to wear out. It will
remove heat to prolong tool life and increase
productivity on machining operations when
liquid coolants cannot be used.
The Cold Gun is also an alternative to expensive
mist systems. It eliminates the costs associated
with the purchase and disposal of cutting fluids
and worker related health problems from
breathing airborne coolants or slipping on wet
shop floors.
Figure 8: Air Cooling Mechanism
U.S Arms Policy
The use of Weapons is a very sensitive
issue so U.S Arms Policy has defined some rules
which are briefly described next.
1. Always Keep The Muzzle Pointed In A Safe
Direction
2. Firearms Should Be Unloaded When Not
Actually In Use
3. Don't Rely On Your Gun's "Safety"
4. Be Sure Of Your Target And What's Beyond
It
5. Use Correct Ammunition
6. If Your Gun Fails To Fire When The Trigger
Is Pulled, Handle With Care!
7. Always Wear Eye And Ear Protection When
Shooting
8. Be Sure The Barrel Is Clear Of Obstructions
Before Shooting
9. Don't Alter Or Modify Your Gun, And Have
Guns Serviced Regularly
10. Learn The Mechanical And Handling
Characteristics Of The Firearm You Are Using.
Conclusions
Thus after a long chain of history and a long era
of development, hard work and technical
reviews, many ideas were bring forward in the
making of each machine gun but since this has
been the latest Light Machine Gun, the latest
researches related to the LMGs have been
discussed. Further development in the field is
still going on.
Citations
Sources: ATF, Firearms & Explosives Tracing
Guidebook, September 1993, pp. 35-40,
and Paul C. Giannelli, "Ballistics Evidence:
Firearms Identification," Criminal Law Bulletin,
May-June 1991, pp. 195-215.
 Roger Pauly (2004).  Firearms: The Life Story of a
Technology. Greenwood Publishing
Group. ISBN 0-313-32796-3.
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denel-unveils-dmg-5-lightweight-machine-gun
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https://www.britannica.com/technology/mach
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Gunnery (under revision)
FM 23-27 MK19 40-MM Grenade Machine Gun
MOD 3
TM 08521A/09761a-
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(including anti-aircraft guns)
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