We love the M134 Minigun for the firepower it brings for a small unit, even in airsoft. But the problem is that unless you have a body of Arnold Schwarzenegger, it’s hard to carry the Minigun for longer periods. Thus, many would rather stick with an M249 or an LMG to use as a support weapon, and prefer the Minigun mounted on vehicles.

Now those worries are over if Empty Shell, the company that manufactures the world’s first handheld microgun, called the XM556, gets orders from potential clients, such as military organizations. The XM556 is a very compact minigun that it is easy to equip a squad with it.

According to Empty Shell, the XM556 was built from the ground-up, rather than being a compact version of the M134. It brings the same firepower of the M134 albeit with a smaller footprint. It is even smaller than existing belt-fed Squad Automatic Weapons or assault rifles in use in small units. It is such a compact weapon that it looks like it can be used for close quarter battles.

Even in such a small package, the XM556 packs 4 times more firepower than SAWs. With its bolt design that is aimed to reduce wear and tear of the weapon, it can last longer even if after prolonged use of spitting out 5.56mm NATO rounds.

It would be interesting to have an airsoft version of the XM556. But I will be curious if the BO Manufacture MTO can actually used for this. Since the MTO is an Electro Magnetic System, it is said to be much faster in pushing out BBs than conventional AEGs. With its one-million round BB guarantee, it can be the technology that can be used for an airsoft XM556.

But now, at least with the XM556, you don’t need to build big biceps to carry a minigun around.