The FN Minimi (short for French: Mini Mitrailleuse; 'mini machine gun') is a Belgian 5.56mm light machine gun developed by Ernest Vervier, for FN Herstal. First introduced in the late 1970s, it is now in service in more than 75 countries.[13] The weapon is currently manufactured at the FN facility in Herstal and their U.S. subsidiary FN Manufacturing LLC.