[Stoat]

Stoat:
".... showing heavy machine gun versions of this weapons system."

Ahhh, no. Heavy machine guns shoot heavy rounds like the .50 BMG round, not little bitty 5.56mm NATO rounds (or even 6.8mm SPC rounds). What you are speaking of is a *light* machine gun version of the H&K XM-8 infantry weapons system, probably for use on Hummers and such."

I was indeed referring to the versions shown in the video, which are tripod mounted and shown mounted on a Hummer as well. They appear to have substantially heavier barrels and are chambered for a larger caliber than the shoulder weapon version.
Why they are all lumped into the XM-8 weapons system category is unclear, as they seem to be completely different from the shoulder versions.

[Vigilant1]

"Why they are all lumped into the XM-8 weapons system category is unclear, as they seem to be completely different from the shoulder versions."

That is damned odd, and the source of my confusion. Perhaps Fox News made a mistake?

[Vigilant1]

I just viewed the Fox News video and read thier article again, and it *does not* say the new high-tech .50 BMG heavy machine gun is an XM-8.

Excerpt from the Fox News article:

The XM-8 is designed to be lighter and more user-friendly than current weapons. It is part of a new family of weapons, including machine-gun type weapons like the XM-307 and XM-312 that are lethal at more than a mile away.

If you watch the video closely, they show both a .50 BMG heavy machine gun and what appears to be a 40mm auto grenade laucher (like the Mk. 19), both on a tripod. I assume these are the XM-307 and XM-312.