Editing M2 Browning (section)

==Deployment==
{{More citations needed section|date=November 2021}}
[[File:M2 on a RHIB.jpg|thumb|upright |An M2 fired from a [[rigid-hulled inflatable boat]].]]
[[File:B-25H.jpg|thumb |[[B-25 Mitchell#Use as a gunship |B-25H]] "Barbie III" showing four M2 feeds and [[75 mm gun (US)#Variants|75 mm M5 gun]]]]

The M2 .50 Browning machine gun has been used for various roles:
* A medium infantry support weapon
* As a light [[anti-aircraft]] (AA) gun in some ships; up to six M2 guns could be mounted on the same turret.
* As an anti-aircraft gun on the ground. The original water-cooled version of the M2 was used on a tall AA tripod or vehicle-mounted anti-aircraft weapon on pedestal mount. In later variants, twin and quadruple M2HB Brownings were used, such as the [[M45 Quadmount]] (aka "meat chopper") used on the US [[M3 Half-track|M16 half-track]] carrier. Twin or quad-mount .50 M2 guns normally used alternating left-hand and right-hand feed.
* Primary or secondary weapon on an [[armored fighting vehicle]].
* Primary or secondary weapon on a naval patrol boat.
* Spotting for the primary weapon on some [[armored fighting vehicle]]s.
* Secondary weapon for anti-boat defense on large naval vessels (corvettes, frigates, destroyers, cruisers, etc.).
* [[Coaxial gun]] or independent mounting in some tanks, including but not limited to: the [[M47 Patton]], [[M48 Patton]], [[M4 Sherman]], [[M24 Chaffee]], [[M6 heavy tank|Heavy tank M6]], [[Heavy Tank T34|Heavy Tank T29]], [[M1 Abrams]], [[M60 tank|M60 Patton]], [[M46 Patton]], and the [[M26 Pershing]].
* Fixed-mounted forward-firing primary aircraft armament (AN/M2 and AN/M3 light-barrel versions only). The AN/M2 was used as primary armament in almost all World War II U.S. [[Fighter aircraft|pursuit]] aircraft (such as the [[North American P-51 Mustang]], [[Republic P-47 Thunderbolt]], [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning]], [[Bell P-39 Airacobra]], [[Curtiss P-40 Warhawk]], [[Grumman F6F Hellcat]], and [[Vought F4U Corsair]]). It was also used in fixed mountings in bombers and ground attack aircraft like the [[Douglas SBD Dauntless]] dive bomber, [[Grumman TBF Avenger]] torpedo bomber, and medium bombers such as [[North American B-25 Mitchell]], [[Martin B-26 Marauder]], and [[Douglas A-26 Invader]]; usually 4–8 per aircraft but the bombers could mount 12 or more in certain configurations. The later, faster-firing electrically feed-boosted AN/M3 was used in many [[Korean War]]–era [[USAF]] fighter aircraft such as the [[Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star]], [[Republic F-84 Thunderjet]], [[North American F-86 Sabre]], and early versions of the [[Martin B-57 Canberra]] bomber. The [[US Navy]] had largely completed their move to the (unrelated) [[Hispano-Suiza HS.404|M2/AN]] 20 mm [[autocannon]] for aircraft armament by this time.
* [[Gun turret|Turret]]-mount or flexible-mounted defensive armament, again only with the AN/M2 light-barrel version, in almost all US World War II–era bombers and patrol aircraft such as the [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]], [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator]] and [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]] heavy bombers, North American B-25 Mitchell and Martin B-26 Marauder medium bombers, [[Consolidated PBY Catalina]] patrol flying boats, Goodyear [[K-class blimp|K-]] and [[M-class blimp]]s, [[Grumman TBF Avenger|Grumman TBF/TBM Avenger]] torpedo bombers, and in a combined offensive/defensive turret mounting in many [[Northrop P-61 Black Widow]] [[night fighter]]s. The AN/M3 was used as a flexible, quad-mounted, radar-directed tail-defense gun as late as 1980 on the [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress]], until replaced by 20 mm [[M61 Vulcan]] [[Gatling gun|Gatling-type]] cannon on the H model.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rottman |first=Gordon |title=Browning .50-caliber Machine Guns |publisher=Osprey Publishing |year=2010 |page=23}}</ref>
* Variants of the AN/M3 are used as flexible door guns or as flexible remotely-controlled armament subsystems on many US Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard helicopters, such as the [[Bell UH-1 Iroquois]], [[Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk]] and variants, [[Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion]], [[Bell OH-58 Kiowa]], and others.

===United States===
[[File:Browning M2HB Normandy.jpg|thumb |A U.S. soldier in [[Normandy]] stands guard with the M2HB installed on a dual-purpose mounting, 1944.]]

At the outbreak of the Second World War, the United States had versions of the M2 in service as fixed aircraft guns, anti-aircraft defensive guns (on aircraft, ships, or boats), infantry (tripod-mounted) guns, and as dual purpose anti-aircraft and anti-vehicular weapons on vehicles.{{sfn|Dunlap|1948|p=225}}<ref>{{harvnb|George|1981|p=404}}: "By World War II, the M2HB had been designated as a dual-purpose anti-aircraft and anti-vehicular weapon for motorized, armored, and infantry divisions; the designation "''anti-vehicular''" included thin-skinned and lightly armored vehicles, as it was already recognized by 1940 that the .50 M2 AP round would not be useful against modern medium or heavy tanks."</ref>

The .50 AN/M2 light-barrel aircraft Browning used in planes had a rate of fire of approximately 800 rounds per minute and was used singly or in groups of up to eight guns for aircraft ranging from the [[P-47 Thunderbolt]] to the [[B-25 Mitchell]] bomber, which in the last J-version of the Mitchell could have up to fourteen M2s firing forward for ground attack missions – eight in a solid metal-structure nose, four more mounted in a pair of conformal twin-gunned [[gun pod]]s on the lower cockpit sides, and two more if the forward dorsal turret's pair of M2 guns were also aimed straight forward. The later A-26 bested this with up to a maximum of 16/18 machine guns, 8 in the nose, four more per wing in flush-mount pods, plus 2 guns in the dorsal turret.

In the dual-purpose vehicle mount, the M2HB proved extremely effective in U.S. service: the Browning's .50 caliber AP and API rounds could easily penetrate the engine block or fuel tanks of a German [[Messerschmitt Bf 109|Bf 109]] fighter attacking at low altitude,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.45thdivision.org/Veterans/BirdA160.htm |title=Recollections of James R. Bird, A Battery, 160th F.A., 45th Inf. Div. |first=James |last=Bird |website=45thdivision.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081223025915/http://www.45thdivision.org/Veterans/BirdA160.htm |archive-date=2008-12-23}}</ref> or perforate the hull plates and fuel tanks of a German [[Sd.Kfz. 251 |half-track]] or [[Leichter Panzerspahwagen |light armored car]]. It could even penetrate the sides and rear of the [[Panzer I]], [[Panzer II]], [[Panzer III]], and [[Panzer IV]] tanks.<ref name="Barnes, Frank C. 1989 p.432"/><ref>{{cite book |first1=Michael |last1=Green |first2=Gladys |last2=Green |name-list-style=amp |date=2000 |title=Weapons of Patton's Armies |publisher=Zenith Imprint Press |page=34 |isbn=978-0-7603-0821-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Bishop |first=Chris |date=2002 |title=The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II |publisher=Sterling Publishing Company, Inc |page=86 |isbn=978-1-58663-762-0}}</ref> While the dual-purpose mounting was undeniably useful, it did normally require the operator to stand when using the M2 in a ground role, exposing him to return fire.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Michael |last1=Green |first2=Gladys |last2=Green |name-list-style=amp |date=2000 |title=Weapons of Patton's Armies |publisher=Zenith Imprint Press |pages=32–34 |isbn=978-0-7603-0821-9}}</ref> Units in the field often modified the mountings on their vehicles, especially tanks and tank destroyers, to provide more operator protection in the anti-vehicular and anti-personnel role.{{sfn|Yeide|2004|p=185}} The weapon was particularly hated by the Germans, whose attacks and ambushes against otherwise helpless stalled motor convoys were frequently broken up by .50 caliber machine gun fire.<ref>{{cite book |last=Burgett |first=Donald |date=1999 |title=Seven Roads To Hell |publisher=Dell Publishing |page=129 |isbn=0-440-23627-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Jarymowycz |first=Roman J. |date=2001 |title=Tank Tactics: From Normandy to Lorraine |publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers |page=212 |isbn=978-1-55587-950-1}}</ref> Vehicles would frequently "recon by fire" with the M2 Browning, i.e. they would fire continuously at suspected points of ambush while moving through areas still containing enemy forces. One vehicle would fire exclusively to the right, the following vehicle to the left, the next one to the right, and so on in order to cover both flanks of the advancing convoy.

Besides vehicle-mounted weapons, the heavy weapons companies in a World War II U.S. Army infantry battalion or regiment were each issued one M2 Browning with tripod (ground) mount.<ref>{{cite book |last=Rush |first=Robert S. |date=2003 |title=GI: The US Infantryman in World War II |publisher=Osprey Publishing Ltd |page=33 |isbn=1-84176-739-5}}</ref> Mounted on a heavily sandbagged tripod, the M2HB proved very useful in either a defensive role or to interdict or block road intersections from use by German infantry and motorized forces.{{sfn|Dunlap|1948|pp=225, 311–312}} Hearing the sound of an M2 could often cause enemy infantry to take cover.<ref name="Henry, Mark R. 2000 p. 20">{{cite book |last=Henry |first=Mark R. |date=2000 |title=The US Army in World War II (2): The Mediterranean |publisher=Osprey Publishing |page=20 |isbn=978-1-84176-085-8}}</ref> There are numerous instances of the M2 Browning being used against enemy personnel, particularly infantry assaults<ref>Abramski, Anthony V. (Pfc.), ''Eyewitness Account of Pfc. Anthony V. Abramski'', Citation In Support Of Congressional Medal of Honor Award to 2nd Lt. [[Audie Murphy]] at [[Holtzwihr]], France, 26 January 1945.</ref> or for interdiction or elimination of enemy artillery observers or snipers at distances too great for ordinary infantry weapons.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wolfe |first=Clarence B. |date=2006 |title=I Kept My Word |publisher=AuthorHouse Press |page=68 |isbn=978-1-4259-6951-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://history.army.mil/books/wwii/11-4/chapter21.htm |last=Lee |first=Ulysses |date=1966 |title=The United States Army in World War II: Special Studies, The Employment of Negro Troops |chapter=Ch. XXI: Artillery & Armored Units in the ETO |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Historical Division, U.S. Army |page=646}}{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Jarymowycz |first=Roman J. |date=2001 |title=Tank Tactics: From Normandy to Lorraine |publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers |page=212 |isbn=978-1-55587-950-1}} The M2HB fitted to tanks and M3 half-tracks was frequently employed against German rearguard forces including snipers and anti-tank teams, often firing into locations merely suspected of hiding such forces (so-called ''speculative fire'').</ref>

[[File:Firebase Phoenix overlooking the Korengal Valley.jpg|thumb |An M2 overlooking the [[Korengal Valley]] at [[Firebase Phoenix]], Afghanistan, in 2007]]
The M2HB was not widely used in the Pacific campaign for several reasons, including the weight of the gun, the nature of infantry jungle combat, and because road intersections were usually easily outflanked.{{sfn|George|1981|p=404}}{{Primary source inline|date=March 2022}} However, it was used by fast-moving motorized forces in the Philippines to destroy Japanese blocking units on the advance to Manila.{{sfn|Dunlap|1948|pp=225, 311–312}} The [[M45 Quadmount |quad mount .50]] was also used to destroy Japanese emplacements.<ref name="Article"/>

The M2HB was used in Korea and Vietnam, and later in both [[Gulf War |Operation Desert Storm]], the Afghan theater of [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present) |Operation Enduring Freedom]] and in [[Iraq War |Iraq]]. In 2003, U.S. Army SFC [[Paul Ray Smith]] used his M2HB mounted on an [[M113 armored personnel carrier]] to kill 20 to 50 enemies who were attacking a U.S. outpost, preventing an aid station from being overrun and allowing wounded soldiers to be evacuated,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03E7D7123FF933A05750C0A9639C8B63 |title=Medal of Honor to Be Awarded to Soldier Killed in Iraq, a First |first=Eric |last=Schmitt |date=30 March 2005 |newspaper=The New York Times |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701043709/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03E7D7123FF933A05750C0A9639C8B63 |archive-date=2017-07-01}}</ref> SFC Smith was killed during the firefight and was posthumously awarded the [[Medal of Honor]].

====M45 Quadmount====
{{Main|M45 Quadmount}}
[[File:Multiple Gun Motor Carriage.jpg|thumb|An M45 Quadmount installed on an [[M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage]]]]

The M45 Quadmount was a mounting of four .50 M2HB guns with a single gunner situated behind an armored housing. This was used by U.S. anti-air battalions, fitted either on a towed trailer or mounted on a half-track carrier. With 200 rounds per gun in a powered tracking mount, the guns proved very effective against low-flying aircraft. The use of four guns adequately compensated for the fact that the individual M2HB's rate of fire (450–550 rounds per minute) was low for an effective anti-aircraft weapon.<ref name="RottmanBrowning">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TaixfxwdCwEC&pg=PA20 |last=Rottman |first=Gordon L. |date=2010 |title=Browning .50-Caliber Machine Guns |publisher=Osprey Publishing |pages=19–20 |isbn=978-1-84908-331-7}}</ref>

Towards the end of the war, as [[Luftwaffe]] attacks became less frequent, the quad .50 (nicknamed the ''Meat Chopper'' or ''Krautmower''<ref name="RottmanBrowning" />) was increasingly used in an anti-personnel role, similarly to the earlier-introduced (1940) and more powerful—but much more difficult to keep well-fed with ammunition when in action—German 20&nbsp;mm [[FlaK 30#2 cm Flakvierling 38 |Flakvierling]]. Snipers firing from trees were engaged by the quad gunner at trunk level; the weapon would cut down and destroy the entire tree, and the sniper with it.<ref name="Henry, Mark R. 2000 p. 20"/><ref name="Article">{{cite web |url=http://www.skylighters.org/quad50/index.html |title=AAA Weapons of the U.S. Army, Part I: The "Quad 50" Machine Gun Mount |website=225th AAA Searchlight Battalion (Skylighters) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081222001357/http://www.skylighters.org/quad50/index.html |archive-date=2008-12-22}}</ref>

The M45 Quadmount was still in use during the Vietnam War.

===Commonwealth and other forces===
{{Multiple image
 |align =
 |direction = vertical
 |width = 220
 |image1 = East timor independence un2.jpg
 |caption1 = Australian M113 with twin mounted [[M1919 Browning machine gun|M1919 Browning]] and M2 Browning Quick Change Barrel machine guns, 17 May 2002
 |image2 = IDF-M2-Browning-v01-by-Zachi-Evenor.jpg
 |caption2 = [[Israel Defense Forces]] M2HQCB
}}
The [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] use of the M2 Browning .50 caliber machine gun (known as the .5 Browning in British and Commonwealth service) began in World War II, though from 1942 it was standard armament on US-built AFVs provided under lend-lease such as the [[M4 Sherman]], [[M7 Priest]], [[M8 Greyhound]], or [[M10 tank destroyer]] variously used by British, Canadian, Australian, South African, and New Zealand units. Nevertheless, the heavy Browning's effectiveness was praised by many British and Commonwealth soldiers in infantry, armored, and ordnance branches.<ref>{{cite book |last=Shore |first=C. |date=1988 |title=With British Snipers to the Reich |location=Mt. Ida, AR |publisher=Lancer Militaria |pages=197–198 |isbn=978-0-93585-602-6}}</ref>{{sfn|Dunlap|1948|pp=35, 145}} Many commanders thought that the .50 Browning was the best weapon in its class, certainly the best of the American weapons, including the [[M1 Garand]] and [[M1 Carbine]].{{sfn|Dunlap|1948|pp=35, 145}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Shore |first=C. |date=1988 |title=With British Snipers to the Reich |location=Mt. Ida, AR |publisher=Lancer Militaria |pages=197–198 |isbn=978-0-93585-602-6}} They especially liked the "hell's brew" of AP, API, and APIT ammunition.</ref> In North Africa, after Commonwealth units began to obtain sufficient parts, manuals, gauges, and ammunition for the new weapon, the .50 Browning was increasingly used, eventually replacing the 15&nbsp;mm Besa,{{sfn|Dunlap|1948|pp=35, 145}} but in Italy it was often deleted from top turret mountings because the mount exposed the operator to low branches and enemy fire.<ref>{{harvnb|Dunlap|1948|p=153}}: "The New Zealand and South African divisions, in particular, loved the big Browning and were frequently encountered trading for spare parts and gauges."</ref> All [[Long Range Desert Group|LRDGs]], and some [[Special Air Service|SAS]] units used the aircraft (AN/M2) version of the gun, while beam/waist-mounted and turret-mounted Brownings were used later in the war in such aircraft as the [[Short Sunderland]] and [[Avro Lancaster|Lancaster bomber]].

After World War II, the .50 Browning continued to see action in Korea and other theaters, in aircraft, tripod (ground), ground AA (hip-ring), and vehicle mounts. One of its most notable actions in a ground role was in a fierce battle with a nine-man Special Air Service team at the [[Battle of Mirbat]] in [[Oman]] in July 1972, where the heavy Browning and its API ammunition was used to help repulse an assault by 250 Yemeni [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman|Adoo]] guerrillas, though the more famous weapon from the battle is a [[25 pounder gun]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Kennedy |first=Michael Paul |date=1990 |title=Soldier I: SAS |location=London, UK |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=0-7475-0750-3}}</ref> The [[Scots Guards]] used the weapon in the 1982 [[Falklands War]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Boyce |first=D George |date=2005 |title=The Falklands War |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=btMcBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA76 |location=Basingstoke, Hants |publisher=Palgrave |page=76 |isbn=978-0-33375-396-5}}</ref>

A .50 caliber Browning was installed along with a .30 caliber Browning machine gun in each compact one-man turret on M113 APCs used by the Royal Australian Armoured Corps in South Vietnam.

The M2HB has been in service with the [[Israel Defense Forces]] since its establishment and has served in all of Israel's [[Israeli wars|wars, operations, and conflicts]]. In 2012, the IDF upgraded its M2HB machine guns to the M2HQCB model, with a heavy quick-change barrel. Today the M2 serves as an infantry crew-served heavy machine gun, as a remote-controlled external [[coaxial gun]] on [[Merkava]] [[main battle tank]]s, as the main weapon on the [[Samson RCWS]], and as a secondary weapon on [[Israeli Sea Corps]] [[gunboat]]s and [[missile boat]]s.

Nigerian troops have extensively deployed the 50 caliber Browning, mounted on Otokar Cobra APCs, Panhard VBL M11s and Landcruiser gun-trucks in counterinsurgency operations in the Niger Delta, N.E Nigeria, the Jos Plateau, and in Mali.

===Japanese Usage ===
==== Use by the Imperial Japanese Military ==== 
{{unreferenced section|date=January 2025}}
During the [[Pacific War]], the Empire of Japan, engaged in combat with the United States, made extensive use of M2 Browning-style machine guns and their modified versions, including fixed and swivel-mounted aircraft guns, primarily by the Imperial Army's air forces.

[[File:Type-97 ho-103 ho-05 cannon.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Foreground: Type 97 Ho-5 20mm Fixed Aircraft Cannon, Center: Type 103 Ho-103 12.7mm Fixed Aircraft Cannon (Stored at the Royal Thai Air Force Museum)]]

* [[Ho-103 machine gun|Ho-103]]: The [[Imperial Japanese Army]] adopted the Type 103 (Ishiki Jūni-7mm Kōkū Kikō) machine gun, a modified version of the AN/M2 (MG53-2) aircraft-mounted variant of the M2 Browning, changing the caliber to [[12.7x81mmSR]] to match the Breda SAFAT 12.7mm heavy machine gun’s standard. This weapon was widely equipped on Army fighter planes, including the early to mid-period Pacific War aircraft like the Mitsubishi A6M Zero. Compared to the M2, the Ho-103 was smaller, lighter, and had a higher rate of fire, but its reduced projectile weight meant it had lower power and muzzle velocity (though it could fire high-explosive “Ma-dan” shells, a feature the M2 lacked). While the M2 was relatively large and heavy for an aircraft gun, the Ho-103 succeeded in keeping weight down.

* [[Ho-5 cannon|Ho-5]]: The Army also pursued the development of a higher-powered 20mm cannon, which led to the creation of the Ho-5 (Type 2 20mm Fixed Aircraft Cannon), a 20mm version based on the Ho-103 design. The Ho-5 was equipped on later-stage Army fighters such as the Kawanishi N1K-J Shiden. The Ho-5 was nearly the same size and weight as the M2, despite its larger caliber, and offered excellent rate of fire, muzzle velocity, and devastating power.

* [[Type 3 aircraft machine gun|Type 3 13mm Fixed Machine Gun]]: The [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] also adopted a variant based on the M2, the Type 3 13mm Fixed Machine Gun, which used a 13mm cartridge (13.2x96mm) and the barrel of the Type 93 13mm heavy machine gun from the Hotchkiss family. This was mounted on a small number of Navy fighter planes, such as the A6M5b Zero, which appeared in the late stages of World War II. While the Type 3 had similar size and weight to the M2, it had superior rate of fire and a heavier bullet, giving it higher firepower per shot. However, its muzzle velocity was lower compared to the M2.

==== Post-World War II Use ==== 
{{refimprove section|date=January 2025}}
{{Multiple image
 |align =
 |direction = vertical
 |width = 220
 |image1 = １２．７ｍｍ重機関銃Ｍ２24.08.10 ４９ｉ・１２．７ミリ重機関銃射撃２４．８．１０撮影（対空射撃 佐多） 装備 42.jpg
 |caption1 = JGSDF soldiers firing 12.7mm Heavy Machine M2 with M63 tripod for Anti-Air purposes
 |image2 = １２．７ｍｍ重機関銃Ｍ２24.10.20 ３０ｉ・平成24年度 ＨＭＧ対空実射訓練（青森・六ヶ所） 撮影・廣瀬 (120) R 装備 101.jpg
 |caption2 = another side of view of JGSDF firing M2
 |image3 = JGSDF Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun 20140420-01.jpg
 |caption3 = M2 mounted on a [[:ja:82式指揮通信車|Type 82 command and communication vehicle]] belonging to the [[:ja:第6高射特科大隊| JGSDF 6th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion]]
}}
After World War II, as Japan began rearming, the M2 was initially supplied by the United States. In addition to these supplied units, [[Sumitomo Heavy Industries]] began license production at its Tanashi factory in 1984.

In the [[Japan Self-Defense Forces]], the 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun M2 (12.7mm重機関銃M2) is primarily used in vehicles such as tanks, self-propelled guns, and armored vehicles, as well as for anti-aircraft purposes. New procurement includes approximately 80 units annually, and the M3 mount is compatible with the [[Howa Type 96|Type 96 40mm automatic grenade launcher]]. When deployed on the ground as anti-aircraft weapons, the M63 anti-aircraft mount is used. The procurement price is approximately ¥5.3 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rikuzi-chousadan.com/soubihin/zyuukaki/m2.html|title= 12.7mm重機関銃 M2|access-date=Jan 14, 2025}}</ref>

The [[Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force]] initially equipped early destroyers and patrol vessels with several M2 machine guns. However, these were eventually phased out due to concerns over their insufficient power and short range. In response to [[:ja:不審船事件|incidents involving North Korean suspicious ships]], the M2 machine guns were reintroduced on some vessels as more appropriate firepower for engaging small targets. The M2 is not considered a standard weapon on ships but is treated as an installed weapon (see [[:ja:海上自衛隊の個人装備]])

The [[Japan Air Self-Defense Force]] also used the M2 machine gun in the M55 trailer-mounted anti-aircraft gun for base defense purposes. However, with the introduction of newer systems like the VADS, the M2 is no longer in active combat use and is stored as a reserve.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://report.jbaudit.go.jp/org/h22/2010-h22-0617-0.htm|title=訓練用の１２．７ｍｍ普通弾及び１２．７ｍｍえい光弾を使用した射撃訓練をより円滑に実施することなどについて検討することにより、航空自衛隊において長期にわたり保有されたままとなっているこれらの弾薬の有効活用を図るよう是正改善の処置を求めたもの|access-date=Jan 14, 2025}}</ref>

The [[Japan Coast Guard]] has also used the M2 since its inception, referring to it as the [[:ja:海上保安庁の装備品一覧#船艇搭載銃砲|13mm Machine Gun]] and equipping many patrol boats with it. The weapon is still in use on patrol ships and boats today.

In December 2013, Sumitomo Heavy Industries was found to have falsified test data for at least 5,000 units of various machine guns, including the [[5.56mm Machine Gun MINIMI]], [[:ja:74式車載7.62mm機関銃|Type 74 Vehicle Mounted 7.62mm Machine Gun]] and the M2HB, and was placed under a five-month suspension.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.jiji.com/jc/zc?k=201312/2013121800775|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20131222050009/http://www.jiji.com/jc/zc?k=201312/2013121800775|title=住友重機を指名停止＝機関銃の試験データ改ざん－防衛省|language=|publisher=[[:ja:時事ドットコム]]|date=2013-12-18|archivedate=2013-12-22}}</ref>

In April 2021, Sumitomo Heavy Industries announced it would cease production of machine guns, although it intends to continue manufacturing parts for maintenance and repairs.<ref>{{Cite news |title=住重、5.56㎜機関銃 開発撤退 予算制約から発注量減 |newspaper=日刊工業新聞 |date=2021-04-16| url=https://www.nikkan.co.jp/articles/view/00595405?isReadConfirmed=true |accessdate=2021-04-16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-04-15|url=https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/422914 |title=スクープ！住友重機械が機関銃生産から撤退へ |publisher=東洋経済オンライン |accessdate=2021-04-16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=住友重機械、機関銃生産から撤退 |newspaper=日本経済新聞 |date=2021-04-15 | url=https://www.nikkei.com/nkd/industry/article/?DisplayType=1&n_m_code=031&ng=DGXZQOUC159YT0V10C21A4000000 |accessdate=2021-04-16}}</ref>

===Sniper rifle===
[[File:USMC-110909-M-UO859-002.jpg|thumb|USMC M2 fitted with a [[Leupold & Stevens|Leupold]] CQBSS variable power scope]]

The M2 machine gun has also been used as a long-range [[sniper rifle]] when equipped with a high-powered [[telescopic sight]]. Soldiers during the Korean War used scoped M2s in the role of a sniper rifle, but the practice was most notably used by US Marine Corps sniper [[Carlos Hathcock]] during the Vietnam War. Using an [[Unertl Optical Company|Unertl]] telescopic sight and a mounting bracket of his own design, Hathcock could quickly convert the M2 into a sniper rifle, using the traversing-and-elevating (T&E) mechanism attached to the [[tripod (weapon)|tripod]]. When firing semi-automatically, Hathcock hit man-size targets beyond {{convert|2000|yd|m|order=flip}}—twice the range of the standard-caliber sniper rifle of the time (a [[.30-06]] [[Winchester Model 70]]). Hathcock set the record for the longest confirmed kill at {{convert|2460|yd|m|order=flip}}, a [[Longest recorded sniper kills#Confirmed kills 1,250 m (1,367 yd) or greater|record]] which stood until 2002, when it was broken in Afghanistan by Canadian Army sniper [[Arron Perry]].<ref name="Hathcockshotb">{{cite web |title=Marine Corps Sniper Carlos N. Hathcock II |author=Sgt. Grit |year=2006 |website=Grunt.com |access-date=2008-03-24 |url=http://www.grunt.com/scuttlebutt/corps-stories/heroes/carloshathcock.asp |quote=Viet Cong shot dead by a round fired from a scope-mounted Browning M-2 .50 caliber machine gun at the unbelievable range of {{convert|2500|yd|m}}. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214173658/http://www.grunt.com/corps/scuttlebutt/marine-corps-stories/marine-corps-sniper-carlos-hathcock/ |archive-date=2012-02-14 |url-status=dead}}</ref>