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Daewoo K3
The K3 is a Korean-made 5.56x45mm light machine gun (LMG) manufactured by S&T Daewoo and used by the armed forces of the Republic of Korea, the Philippines and Indonesia. Sources state that the K3 is "inspired" by the FN Minimi, though their actual relations and whether or not the K3 is actually a Minimi derivative or a completely different weapon is unclear.
In any case, the K3 strongly resembles the Minimi/M249, and for film armorers, the K3's close resemblance to the M249 proved handy at a time when the M249 was difficult for armories to acquire. Consequently, there are many action movies and TV shows in which visually modified K3s are used as stand-ins for the M249. The K3 tends to exclusively appear in live-action productions produced in British Columbia, Canada, as the major armory located in Vancouver, Felcan Enterprises, only seems to have K3s and no FN Minimis.
These K3s that appear in live-action productions are almost universally customized with railed handguards, short barrels, Paratrooper stocks, and railed feed tray covers, and they're usually also equipped with foregrips and rail-mounted rear sights. They almost always use M249-style plastic belt boxes, rather than a soft belt bag that is much more common in the South Korean Army. Earlier custom K3s, appearing in films like Walking Tall and 3000 Miles to Graceland, are equipped with a fake Paratrooper stock made from sheet metal; later custom K3s have actual Paratrooper stocks, and even later ones are equipped with M4-styled stocks found on modern M249s. These custom K3s should not be described as K3 Paras, as the actual K3 Paras are configured differently, and these custom K3s appear to have been made from fixed stock K3s (evidenced by the fact that their Para stocks are attached directly to the rear of the receiver, rather than through a joint like on real K3 Paras).
The key external trait that distinguishes the Daewoo K3 from a M249 or a Minimi is the shape of its gas tube.
Specifications
(1991 - Present)
- Type: Light Machine Gun
- Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
- Weight: 15.1 lbs (6.85 kg)
- Length: 41 in (103 cm)
- Barrel length: 21 in (53.3 cm)
- Feed System: STANAG Magazines or 200 round disintegrating belt
- Fire Modes: Full-Auto
The Daewoo K3 light machine gun appears in the following movies, TV shows, and video games:
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sucker Punch | Vanessa Hudgens | Blondie | Modified | 2011 |
| Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball | Michael Parks | Fritz Tremor | Modified to resemble an M249 Paratrooper | 2010 |
| Driven to Kill | Mike Dopud | Boris | Modified | 2009 |
| Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem | National Guard soldiers | Modified | 2007 | |
| Postal | Zack Ward | Postal Dude | Modified | 2007 |
| Underworld: Evolution | Cleaner | Modified | 2006 | |
| American Soldiers: A Day in Iraq | Curtis Morgan | SPC Tyler Jackson | Modified to resemble an M249 SAW | 2005 |
| Eddie Della Siepe | PFC Roy Pena | Modified to resemble an M249 SAW | ||
| Walking Tall | Michael Bowen | Sheriff Stan Watkins | Modified with fake Paratrooper stock, railed handguard, foregrip, and short barrel | 2004 |
| 3000 Miles to Graceland | Kevin Costner | Thomas Murphy | Modified with fake Paratrooper stock | 2001 |
| Joint Security Area | ROKA soldiers | Modified to resemble a M249 SAW | 2000 | |
| Rules of Engagement | U.S Marines | Modified to resemble a M249 SAW | 2000 | |
| American Dragons | Drive-by shooter | 1998 |
Television
| Show Title | Actor | Character | Note / Episode | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The X-Files | Military/Black-ops personnel | "Paratrooper" variant / "Max" (S4E18), "Patient X" (S5E13) | 1997 - 1998 | |
| Stargate SG-1 | Various SG-1 personnel | Modified to resemble the M249 Paratrooper | 1997 - 2007 | |
| Harsh Realm | Republican Guard sentry | With night-vision sight / "Cincinnati" | 1999 - 2000 | |
| The X-Files - Season 7 | Virtual Reality Game Enemy Combatants | Buttstocks removed, 100-round drum magazines / "First Person Shooter" (S7E13) | 2000 | |
| Stargate: Atlantis | Various Atlantis personnel | Modified to resemble M249 Paratrooper | 2004 - 2008 | |
| Battlestar Galactica | Various characters | Modified | 2004 - 2009 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Operations | M249 SAW | With fake Paratrooper stock | 2000 |
| Combat Arms | Both regular and SPW versions can be used | 2008 | |
| Warface | With STANAG magazine | 2013 |
See Also
- S&T Daewoo - A list of all firearms manufactured by S&T Daewoo.