Warrant Officer O'Donnell in front of nine C-9 Minimi machine guns, 1990s The Minimi (short for French: Mini Mitrailleuse; "mini machine gun") is a Belgian 5.56mm light machine gun developed by Fabrique Nationale (FN) in Herstal by Ernest Vervier. First introduced in 1974, it has entered service with the armed forces of more than 45 countries. The weapon is currently manufactured at the FN facility in Herstal and their US subsidiary FN Manufacturing LLC. The Minimi is a light machine gun firing from an open bolt. The weapon is primarily chambered for 5.56x45mm NATO, though a 7.62×51mm NATO variant exists. It is an air-cooled weapon, capable of fully automatic fire only. It can be belt fed or fired from a magazine. The Canadian Forces C9 is a standard factory Minimi with a steel tubular stock. The C9A1 comes fitted with a Picatinny rail on the feed cover mounting a 3.4x ELCAN C79 telescopic sight and can mount a vertical grip on the underside of the stock for added stability in prone firing.The C9A2 mid-life upgrade introduced a shorter barrel, green furniture, a C8-style collapsible stock, folding vertical foregrip and a laser aiming module (LAM). Two C9s are carried by each infantry section.