Light machine gun
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A light machine gun (LMG) is a machine gun designed to be employed by an individual soldier, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. Light machine guns are often used as squad automatic weapons.
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[edit] Characteristics
Modern light machine guns often fire smaller-caliber cartridges than medium machine guns, and are usually lighter and more compact. However a light machine gun is defined by its usage as well as its specifications: some machine guns - notably general-purpose machine guns - may be deployed either as a light machine gun or a medium machine gun. Deployed with a bipod, and firing short bursts it is a light machine gun; if deployed on a tripod and used for sustained-fire it is a medium machine gun.
It is possible to fire a light machine gun from the hip or on the move as a form of suppressive fire intended to pin down the enemy. Marching fire is a specific tactic which relies on this capability. Otherwise, light machine guns are usually fired from a prone position using a bipod.
[edit] Ammunition feed
Many light machine guns (such as the Bren gun or the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle) were magazine-fed. Others, such as the MG 34, could be fed either from a belt or a magazine. Modern light machine guns are designed to fire more rounds of a smaller caliber and as such tend to be belt-fed. Some LMGs, such as the Russian RPK, are modifications of existing assault rifle designs. Adaptations generally include a larger magazine, a heavier barrel to resist overheating, a more robust mechanism to support sustained fire and a bipod. Other modern light machine guns, such as the FN Minimi, are capable of firing from either an ammunition belt or a detachable box magazine. Lighter modern LMGs have enabled them to be issued down at the fireteam level and at two or three at the section/squad.
[edit] History
Light machine guns were first introduced in World War I to boost the firepower of the infantry. By the end of World War II, light machine guns were usually being issued on a scale of one per section or squad, and the modern infantry squad had emerged with tactics that were built around the use of the LMG to provide suppressive fire.
[edit] Selected examples
The following were either exclusively light machine guns, had a light machine gun variant or were employed in the light machine gun role with certain adaptations.
[edit] 1900s–1940s
- Madsen machine gun (Multi-caliber)
- Bergmann MG15 nA Gun (7.92 x 57 mm)
- M1909 Benet-Mercie (8 mm Lebel, .303 British, .30-06 Springfield)
- Bren (.303 British)
- Fusil-Mitrailleur Mle 1915 'CSRG', 'Chauchat' light machine gun (8 mm Lebel)
- Degtyaryov light machine gun (7.62x54mm R)
- Furrer M25 (7.5x55mm Swiss)
- Lewis automatic rifle (8 mm Lebel / 6.5x55 mm Mauser)
- Lewis Gun (.303 British, .30-06 Springfield)
- Mendoza RM2 (7.92x57 mm, .30-06 Springfield)
- ZB vz.26 (7.92x57mm Mauser)
- Browning Automatic Rifle (.30-06 Springfield, 6.5x55mm, 7.92x57mm Mauser)
- Type 11 Light Machine Gun (6.5x50mm Arisaka)
- Type 96 Light Machine Gun (6.5x50mm Arisaka)
- Type 99 Light Machine Gun (7.7x58mm Arisaka)
- Breda 30
- FM-24/29 light machine gun (7.5x54mm French)
[edit] 1950s–1970s
- RPD (7.62x39mm)
- L4A1 Bren (7.62x51mm NATO)
- FAL 50.41 & 50.42 (7.62x51 mm NATO)
- Stoner 63 LMG (5.56x45mm NATO)
- RPK (7.62x39 mm, 5.45x39mm)
- MG3 (7.62x51 mm NATO)
- M60 (7.62x51 mm NATO)
- PK machine gun
- MG51 (7.5 mm GP11)
- FN MAG (7.62x51 mm NATO)
- M240 machine gun (7.62x51 mm NATO)
[edit] 1970s-present
- FN Minimi (5.56x45 mm NATO)
- M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (5.56x45 mm NATO)
- Mk 48 Mod 0 (7.62x51 mm NATO)
- CETME Ameli (5.56x45 mm NATO)
- Ultimax 100 (5.56x45 mm NATO)
- Vektor Mini-SS
- IMI Negev (5.56x45 mm NATO)
- Ares Shrike 5.56 (5.56x45 mm NATO)
- Stoner LMG (5.56x45 mm NATO)
- Colt Automatic Rifle (5.56x45 mm NATO)
- Heckler & Koch MG4 (5.56x45 mm NATO)
- Steyr AUG H-BAR (5.56x45 mm NATO)
- Nikonov (5.45x39mm)
- L86 LSW (5.56x45 mm NATO)
- Heckler & Koch MG36 (5.56x45 mm NATO)
- INSAS LMG (5.56x45 mm NATO)
- SAR-21 LMG(5.56x45 mm NATO)
- EMERK (5.56x45 mm NATO)
- Pecheneg machine gun (7.62x54mmR)
