Originally rejected by the Brazilian Army, the Uirapuru received a second life in 1976 after refinements were imposed. The weapon was an initial design as put together by members of the Brazilian Army's engineering institute with one of the original members later tabbed to continue the development and make several key changes in making the weapon system serviceable by Brazilian Army standards.
Classified as a general purpose machine gun, the system can be vehicle (including armor in the coaxial role), sea-going vessels or aircraft-mounted as well as part of an infantry squad in the support firing role. The Uirapuru fires the 5.56x51mm NATO standard cartridge from a belt fed ammunition system of varying lengths. The barrel offers a quick change system and a flash suppressor as well as a handy bipod and wooden butt for supportive fire. An optional tripod is also available for the sustained fire role as is an awkwardly-angled carrying handle for increased portability.
Specifications
Year: 1977
Manufacturing Mekanika Industria e Comercio Ltda (MIC) - Brazil
The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com.
Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world and WDMMA.org, the World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft.