In May 2025 the US Army type classified the SIG LMG 6.8x51mm machine gun as the M250, officially confirming the weapon meets US Army standards and requirements. Selected though the Next Generation Squad Weapons program, alongside the XM7 (MCX SPEAR) rifle, the LMG has since begun to be seen in service with other militaries around the world.
The SIG LMG is a gas-operated, short recoil, belt-fed, select-fire weapon with an overall weight of around 15 lbs (6.6 kg). It typically feeds from 50 or 100 round belts carried in quick-mounting pouches. It has a side-hinged feed tray and uses a hydraulic buffer recoil mitigation system with the combination of its moving barrel assembly and a hydraulic buffer mitigating felt recoil. Calibre conversion to 7.62×51 can be done with a barrel change and it can also be chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. The US Army’s M250 Automatic Rifle does not currently have a quick-change capability as it does not have a carry handle on the barrel, in an effort to save weight, but the LMG does have a carry handle. While the M250 has a fixed stock the the LMG can be configured with a side-folding stock.
SIG’s other machine gun, the SIG MMG, in .338 Norma Magnum, and SIG LMG represent SIG Sauer’s first foray into belt-fed machine guns. The .338NM chambered SIG MMG was developed following a US SOCOM request and SIG Sauer leveraged the same technology and design elements in the LMG when the US Army launched the NGSW programme in 2019.
The requirement for a .338 machine guns began to formulate in the early 2010s with General Dynamics the first to develop a ‘lightweight medium machine gun’, introduced in 2013. SIG sauer introduced their MMG in 2018 and it has been refined into its current form. The MMG uses the same gas-operated, short-recoil system as the LMG and weighs in at around 22 lbs (9.7 kg) unloaded. It has a free-floating quick-change barrel and a side-hinged feed tray. It has ambidextrous controls, a side-folding stock and can be used with either a 24-inch (610mm) barrel or a shorter 17-inch ‘assaulter’ barrel.
On October 9, 2024, SIG Sauer opened their new ammunition manufacturing centre in Jacksonville, Arkansas. During the opening a large display with the title ‘Major Global Contract Wins’ was seen revealing that at some point in 2024 the Israeli Defence Force had adopted not just the SIG LMG but had also become the first export customers for the SIG MMG in .338NM.
On 21 July 2025, US government contracting site SAM.gov shared a foreign military sale contract award notice, stating:
“The Government of Israel has entered into a Foreign Military Sales case with the United States for the manufacturing, assembling, testing, packaging and delivery of the commercially available Sig Sauer MCX 300BLK, 539 SRD762Ti QD Suppressor, and contractor spare parts, LMG 7.62 and special tools and gauges, and MMG 338 and special tools and gauges foreign military sales (FMS) requirements. The award was made on 17 July 2025.”
The FMS is valued at $95 million and sees the provision of an undisclosed number of both of SIG Sauer’s machine guns, the MMG and LMG.
In July 2025, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir was shown a SIG MMG during a visit to Camp Bar-Lev. A photograph and a short video were posted to IDF social media on 23 July. The MMG is seen equipped with a black SIG Optics ROMEO8T red dot optic and a SLX338-MG-QD suppressor.
On 17 August an i24 news report suggested that the MMG would be replacing the Browning M2 but did not state to what extent. It also showed some footage of the guns being fired on the range. The report also names the Givati Brigade as the first IDF formation to field the guns, alongside special units.
In an Israel Defence article, published 18 August, Captain Elad, of the IDF’s ground forces training division, is quoted as saying: “It’s important for me to clarify – we are not replacing the MAG. It is a reliable, veteran and excellent tool. Our goal is to add another layer to the platoon’s capabilities, to give the fighters another layer of accurate and lethal cover, thereby improving their independence in the field.”
The same officer is quoted as saying: “Fighters who have experienced the new machine gun in Gaza told me – it is more accurate than our marksmen, and sometimes even than the snipers. It is a tool that makes the difference.” Around the same time the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit shared an image of a SIG MMG mounted on a tripod, firing from inside a building. It is seen equipped with a Trijicon 6×48 ACOG.
On 20 December, the IDF’s Spokesperson Unit shared footage from an IDF operation in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. The video includes two brief clips of SIG MMGs firing. The MMG is mounted with a ROMEO8T red dot optic and a JULIET6 6x magnifier.
On 23 December, the first short video showing SIG LMGs in IDF service surfaced online. A table with four guns is seen, three are equipped with FDE ROMEO8T red dot optic and black JULIET6 6x magnifiers. The fourth gun has a EOTECH red dot and all the guns have SIG’s SLX suppressors. The guns have fixed stocks, flat dark earth finishes and barrel-mounted carry handles. This indicates that the guns have quick change barrels, unlike the US Army’s M250s. In the video the Israeli soldier comments on the lightweight of the weapon and describes it as the ‘Negev replacement’, its worth noting that the basic weight of a Negev NG-5 or NG7 is a estimated to be about a kilo (a couple of lbs) heavier than the SIG LMG.
The second country which appears to have procured an undisclosed number of SIG LMGs is Mexico. SIG Sauer have a long history of providing small arms to the Mexican government, including 516s, 716s and MCXs with the Mexican Marine Corps’ special operations unit, the Fuerzas Especiales (FES) and P320s with the National Guard.
In mid-2025 individuals believed to be with the Mexican Marine Corps’ FES were photographed with a new SIG LMG in a configuration similar to the M250. It had a fixed stock and flat dark earth finish but had a carry handle attached to the barrel. This again indicates the gun likely has a quick change barrel capability. The gun is believed to be chambered in 7.62x51mm and was photographed with an older fixed power scope. Another photo believed to originate from Mexico shows a pair of the guns on the bed of a truck, no optics or accessories are mounted.
Most recently, on 10 January, the first SIG LMGs in Thailand were seen in photos by a number of Thai media outlets posted showing Children’s Day celebrations at the Naval Academy and the Naval Museum in Samut Prakan. The guns were seen with members of the Thai Marine Police, a specialized unit under the Royal Thai Police Central Investigation Bureau. The configuration closely matches the US Army’s M250 with a fixed, rather than folding, stock, a flat dark earth finish, an SLX suppressor and an FDE ROMEO8T red dot optic and a magnifier. However, unlike the M250’s current configuration the guns have a carry handle which interfaces with the barrel. A configuration which appears to be identical to the guns seen in Israel and Mexico. As with the other procurements of the SIG machine guns its unclear how many the Thai police has acquired, it could be a trials weapon under consideration or a contract gun.
It’s interesting to see SIG Sauer’s machine guns begin to proliferate and gain procurements with military and law enforcement units around the world. From the information available it appears that the guns have been deployed operationally, by the IDF, but information about the performance of the guns around the world is still limited.
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