Colin Chapman built Lotus around one stubborn rule: simplify, then add lightness. Somewhere in Herstal, Belgium, the engineers behind the FN EVOLYS clearly got the memo - just some 70 years later. Belt-fed firepower has always come with a bill, paid in kilograms and sore shoulders. The EVOLYS was developed to shrink it.
The 5.56x45mm NATO version weighs 5.5 kg, about two kilograms less than a Minimi, while the 7.62x51mm NATO model tips the scale at 6.2 kg. Balance and ergonomics sit closer to an assault rifle, and the selector even offers a semi-auto position for point targets.
The clever part is on the side. A patented lateral feed mechanism allows one-handed belt engagement, and moving the feed off the top clears the way for a long, one-piece rail and in-line optics.
In today's TFB Photo of the Day, soldiers show what that formula looks like in practice. As Chapman put it, “subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere.” Chapman would most likely approve, although, to my knowledge, he never designed firearms.
Which would you rather carry on a long patrol, this or a legacy SAW?
Images by: FN Herstal
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