The M249 Squad Automatic Weapon ... When actually fielded in the mid-1980s, the SAW was issued as a one-for-one replacement for the designated "automatic rifle" (M16A1) in the Fire Team.
The NGSW program was initiated to field a respective replacement for the legacy M4 carbine and M249 light machine gun, formerly designated as the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW). The U.S. Army ...