The U.S. Army has awarded a contract worth nearly $15 million to U.S. Ordnance for an unspecified number of 7.62x51mm M60E6 and M60E4 machine guns, and/or kits to convert older M60s into either of those configurations, as well as ancillary items and training. The service announced its interest in buying these guns, which the U.S. military largely stopped using decades ago, earlier this year, but was curiously tight-lipped about for whom and why. The weapons could be intended for a foreign ally or partner, such as Ukraine, or to support some other operational, test and evaluation, or training requirements.
The Pentagon included the new deal with U.S. Ordnance for “M60E4 and M60E6 machine guns, spare parts and accessories, conversion kits, and training,” which is valued at $14,960,325 and came via the Army’s Contracting Command-New Jersey (CCNJ), in its daily contracting announcement last Monday. “Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 21, 2029,” the Pentagon’s notice adds without elaborating on who might be the intended recipient of the guns. Neither the M60E4 nor the M60E6 are known to be in any kind of widespread Army service currently.
In January, CCNJ posted a sources sought notice about an essentially identical potential purchase of M60E4/E6s and/or conversion kits, as well as associated items and services. That notice also asked prospective contractors to “describe your maximum deliverable quantity of all the above M60 systems and conversion kits within 60 days” and indicated a desire for up to 500 guns, at least within that timeline. The notice added that the requirement for the guns came from the office of the Program Manager for Soldier Lethality (PM SL) and the Combat Capabilities Development Command-Armaments Center (CCDC-AC), but did not provide more specific details about who would be receiving the weapons or why they were needed.
“PM SL is prohibited from releasing details that may violate operational security,” a spokesperson for that office told The War Zone in January when asked about the purpose of the then-proposed acquisition and who might be set to get the M60s.
“Please contact OSD(PA) [Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs] for announcements of DoD support activities and force posture changes related to Ukraine,” that same individual said when asked about whether the M60s might be part of a future military assistance package for that country. “OSD(PA) retains release authority for announcements of DoD support activities and force posture changes related to Ukraine.”
“Beyond the information reflected in the contract notice, we do not have any additional details to release at this time,” a spokesperson for the Office of the Secretary of Defense also told The War Zone in January.
The War Zone has reached back out to PM SL and OSD for more information now that a contract has been awarded.
The Army started development of the original M60 in-house in the late 1940s, leveraging design elements from Nazi Germany’s FG-42 automatic rifle and MG-42 machine gun. The service adopted the M60 in the 1950s, fielding it as a weapon that could be used by dismounted infantry, as well as mounted on various platforms. More specific subvariants intended for internal and external use on vehicles, helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and ships and boats were subsequently developed. These early Cold War variants of the M60 were widely exported.
Decades-long efforts to lighten and otherwise improve the core design resulted in the M60E3 variant in the 1980s. Empty with a standard 22-inch barrel, the E3 weighed just under 19 pounds compared to the nearly 23-pound standard infantry model of the M60. Even lighter and more compact E3s fitted with short 16.6-inch “assault” length barrels became particularly associated with the U.S. Navy SEALs, as well as a fixture in popular media like 1985’s Rambo: First Blood Part II.
However, the changes to the E3 resulted in reliability and other issues. The M60E4 was designed to rectify those problems and further improve the design, and had a weight of around 23 pounds like the original infantry variant when fitted with a standard-length barrel. This version competed against and lost to what became the Army’s now-standard M240B machine gun in the 1990s.
The SEALs, as well as other Navy units, subsequently adopted a subvariant of the E4 with a short 17.3-inch barrel, which was designated the Mk 43 Mod 0. Another variant with rails for mounting optics, aiming lasers, and other accessories on the gun’s top cover and handguard was developed and became the Mk 43 Mod 1. The Mk 48 machine gun, a 7.62x51mm cousin of the 5.56x45mm M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW), has since supplanted the Mk 43 series. U.S. Ordnance, the main manufacturer of M60 variants today, treats the M60E4 and the Mk 43 series as functionally identical.
Though they have not enjoyed the same success export-wise as the original M60, M60E4/Mk 43-series guns, as well as E3 variants, have also made their way into service with military and security forces outside of the United States. The Philippines Marine Corps and that country’s Naval Special Operations Command are particularly prominent examples.
In the early 2010s, U.S. Ordnance introduced the M60E6 with further improvements and reduced weight (around 20 and a half pounds with a standard-length barrel) over the M60E4/Mk 43. The Danish Army became the first customer for this new M60 variant in 2014. M60E6s are also now in service in the Philippines and Indonesia.
It remains possible the Army’s new M60 purchases are part of a forthcoming military aid package for Ukraine. The U.S. military likely has substantial numbers of older M60s in storage readily available for conversion into E4/E6 types, as well, which could then be transferred to the Ukrainian armed forces.
After the U.S. government said last year that it had run out of funds for more military aid for Ukraine, the Excess Defense Articles (EDA) program was raised as one option for keep assistance flowing. Under EDA, materiel that meets certain stipulations to be deemed excess to U.S. military requirements can be sold very cheaply or transferred via a grant to foreign allies and partners. Other current and former operators around the world, including many NATO members, could be sources for older M60s for conversion to newer variants, as well.
The Army’s new M60 contract could have nothing to do with Ukraine, as well. The guns could be for an entity within the Army or elsewhere inside the U.S. government, or some other foreign ally or partner. As previously discussed, M60E4/E6 types are already in service elsewhere outside of the United States.
It is worth noting that the Army was able to respond without issue to questions about a similarly unusual potential purchase of Soviet-designed 5.45x39mm AK-74 assault rifles, or certain variations thereof, last year. As it turned out, the service was interested in acquiring those guns to meet an internal training-related requirement.
With the contract for the M60E4/E6s now awarded, more details about where they are headed and how they will be used might begin to emerge.
Contact the author: joe@twz.com