View source for MG4 (5.56 mm)

== Description ==
<!--''Write an introduction to the article in 2-3 small paragraphs. Briefly tell us about the history of the development and combat using the weaponry and also about its features. Compile a list of air, ground, or naval vehicles that feature this weapon system in the game.''-->
The '''5.56 mm MG4''' is a German machine gun currently seen used in-game on the [[PUMA]]. It is the second machine gun using an intermediate cartridge introduced in the game, coming after the [[QJT (5.8 mm)|5.8 mm QJT]] machine gun.

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===
<!-- ''List out vehicles that are equipped with the weapon.'' -->

* {{Specs-Link|germ_schutzenpanzer_puma|Vehicle code=germ_schutzenpanzer_puma_vjtf}}

== General info ==
''Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the cannon or machine gun.''

=== Available ammunition ===
''Describe the shells that are available for the weapon and their features and purpose. If it concerns autocannons or machine guns, write about different ammo belts and what is inside (which types of shells).''

=== Comparison with analogues ===
''Give a comparative description of cannons/machine guns that have firepower equal to this weapon.''

== Usage in battles ==
''Describe the cannon/machine gun in the game - its distinctive features, tactics of usage against notable opponents. Please don't write a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought.''

=== Pros and cons ===
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.''

'''Pros:'''

*

'''Cons:'''

*

== History ==
<!--''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>.''-->
With the advent of belt-fed Squad Automatic Weapons (SAW) for the infantry with weapons like the FN Minimi, which was adopted in 1984 by the US Army as the M249 SAW,<ref name="McNab_Minimi1">McNab 2017, 73</ref> H&K sought to develop their own weapon design to fulfill the SAW role. Prompted by the German Bundeswehr program "Infanterist der Zukunft" (IdZ, English: ''Infantryman of the future''),<ref name="H&K_MG4">Heckler & Koch, n.d., Overview</ref> H&K began working on a SAW-type machine gun in the late 1990s. As a weapon intended to be used by a single soldier, the machine gun was built to be lightweight and compact, with the use of 5.56x45 mm NATO intermediate cartridge for lighter recoil as well. Recent technological advances in the firearms industry, such as polymer furniture, were utilized to keep weight down, as well as the use of accessory rails for soldier modularity of the weapon.<ref name="modernfirearms_MG4">Popenker, n.d.</ref>

The German Bundeswehr adopted H&K's SAW in 2003 as the '''MG4''' light machine gun and would utilize it in an infantry and vehicle-mounted role.<ref name="modernfirearms_MG4" /> Within the infantry, the MG4 has replaced the MG3 GPMG in the platoon level,<ref name="McNab_Minimi2">McNab 2017, 78</ref> where it is used in a bipod or tripod-mounted configuration. For vehicle-mounts, the MG4 is modified to be remote fired and has the rear sight, butt stock, handguard, cartridge case deflector, and bipod removed.<ref name="H&K_MG4(1)">Heckler & Koch, n.d., Technical Data</ref>

The MG4 sees use in not only in Germany, but also in Malaysia, Portugal, South Africa, and Spain in the form of an export variant ''MG4E''.<ref name="McNab_Minimi2" /> Compared to the standard variant, the MG4E is slightly lighter and has a reduced fire rate of roughly 725 rounds a minute.<ref name="H&K_MG4(1)" />

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;''
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
<!--''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''-->
===References===

;Citations:
<references />

;Bibliography:

* Heckler & Koch. n.d. "MG4 | Technical Data." Heckler & Koch. Accessed July 12, 2022. [https://www.heckler-koch.com/en/products/military/machine-guns/mg4/mg4/technical-data.html Website] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20220713004900/https://www.heckler-koch.com/en/products/military/machine-guns/mg4/mg4/technical-data.html Archive]).
* Heckler & Koch. n.d. "MG4 | The reliable machine gun with high firepower." Heckler & Koch. Accessed July 12, 2022. [https://www.heckler-koch.com/en/products/military/machine-guns/mg4/mg4/overview.html Website] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20220606031420/https://www.heckler-koch.com/en/products/military/machine-guns/mg4/mg4/overview.html Archive]).
* McNab, Chris. 2017. ''The FN Minimi Light Machine Gun - M249, L108A1, L110A2, and other variants''. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing.
* Popenker, Maxim. n.d. "Heckler-Koch HK MG4 light machine gun (Germany)." Modern Firearms. Accessed July 12, 2022. [https://modernfirearms.net/en/machineguns/germany-machineguns/hk-mg-4-eng/ Website] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20220713004913/https://modernfirearms.net/en/machineguns/germany-machineguns/hk-mg-4-eng/ Archive]).

{{Tank machine guns}}

[[Category:Tank machine guns]]