M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle

The M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR) is a 5.56mm, select-fire assault rifle / squad automatic weapon developed from the HK416 by Heckler & Koch. It is used by the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and was originally intended for automatic riflemen, but is now issued to all infantry riflemen as a replacement for the M16A4 and the M4A1. The USMC initially planned to purchase 6,500 M27s to replace a portion of the M249 light machine guns employed by automatic riflemen within Infantry and Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalions. Approximately 8,000–10,000 M249s will remain in service with the Marine Corps to be used at the discretion of company commanders. In December 2017, the Marine Corps announced that it would equip every member of an infantry squad with the M27, supplanting the M4 carbine which would be retained at the platoon leadership positions and above. A further subvariant, the M38 DMR was created as a designated marksman rifle, retaining most features of the M27.