Light machine gun
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A light machine gun (LMG) is a light-weight machine gun designed to be operated by a single infantryman, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. LMGs firing cartridges of the same caliber as the other riflemen of the same combat unit are often referred to as squad automatic weapons.
Characteristics
While early light machine guns fired full-powered rifle cartridges, modern light machine guns often fire smaller-caliber rifle cartridges than medium machine guns – generally the same intermediate cartridge fired by a service's standard assault rifle – and are usually lighter and more compact. Some LMGs, such as the Russian RPK, are modifications of existing designs and designed to share the same ammunition. Adaptations to the original rifle generally include a larger magazine, a heavier barrel to resist overheating, a more robust mechanism to support sustained fire and a bipod. A light machine gun is also 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 on a tripod and used for sustained fire, it is a medium machine gun; if deployed with a bipod with the operator in a prone position and firing short bursts, it is a light machine gun. Light machine guns are also designed to be fired 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 that relies on this capability. Lighter modern LMGs have enabled them to be issued down at the fireteam level, with two or three at the section/squad level.
Ammunition feed
Many light machine guns (such as the Bren gun or the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle) were magazine-fed. Others, such as the Hotchkiss M1922, could be fed either from a belt/strip or from a box magazine. Modern light machine guns are designed to fire smaller caliber rounds and, as such, tend to be belt-fed (from a container attached to the gun) or from a detachable high-capacity drum magazine, but some, such as the FN Minimi, will also accept standard rifle magazine feeding as an auxiliary measure when belted ammunition has been exhausted.
History
In 1903, French military theorists noticed that the heavy machine guns of the day were of little use in infantry assaults. They determined that "the machine gun must learn to walk".[1] They researched the possibility of a light machine gun which could be carried by troops. A marching fire tactic was theorised, using incidental suppressive fire, with the advancing troops considered a deadlier threat than the un-aimed bullets, causing the enemy to fall back. The prototype guns were not approved for production, and none were in service when World War I began.[1] The French quickly brought the prototypes to mass production to boost the firepower of advancing infantry. By the end of World War II, light machine guns were usually being issued on a scale of one per fire team or squad, and the modern infantry squad had emerged with tactics that were built around the use of the LMG to provide suppressive fire.[citation needed]
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.
| Model | Country of origin | Design date | Caliber(s) | Weight (base model) | Feed system | Rate of fire (rounds/min) | Model variants | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madsen machine gun | File:Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark | 1883 | Various | 9.07 kg (20.0 lb) | Box magazine | 450 | ||
| Chauchat (Fusil-Mitrailleur Mle 1915 'CSRG') | File:Flag of France.svg France | 1907 | 8mm Lebel .30-06 Springfield |
9.07 kg (20.0 lb) | Magazine | 240/360 | M1918 CSRG Chauchat(USA) | |
| Hotchkiss M1909 Benét–Mercié | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom |
1909 | 8mm Lebel .303 British .30-06 Springfield |
12 kg (26.5 lb) | Stripper clip fed | 400–600 | ||
| Bergmann MG15 nA Gun | File:Flag of Germany.svg Germany | 1910 | 7.92×57mm Mauser | 12.9 kg (28.4 lb) | Belt fed | 500–600 | ||
| Vickers-Berthier | File:Flag of France.svg France File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom |
1910 | .303 British | 11.07 kg (24.4 lb) | Box magazine | 450–600 | ||
| Lewis Gun | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom |
1911 | .303 British .30-06 Springfield 7.92×57mm Mauser |
13 kg (28.7 lb) | Drum magazine | 600 (cyclic) | ||
| Huot automatic rifle | File:Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada | 1916 | .303 British | 5.9 kg (13.0 lb) | Drum magazine | 155/475 | ||
| M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | 1917 | .30-06 Springfield 6.5×55mm 7.92×57mm Mauser |
8.8 kg (19.4 lb) | Box magazine | 650 (cyclic) | Wz. 1928 (Poland) | |
| Hotchkiss M1922 | File:Flag of France.svg France | 1922 | Various | 8.5 kg (18.7 lb) | Magazine | 450 | ||
| Type 11 light machine gun | File:Flag of Japan.svg Japan | 1922 | 6.5×50mm Arisaka | 10.2 kg (22.5 lb) | Stripper clip fed, hopper magazine | 500 (cyclic) | ||
| ZB vz. 26 | File:Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czechoslovakia | 1923 | 7.92×57mm Mauser | 10.5 kg (23.1 lb) | Box magazine | 500 | ||
| FM-24/29 | File:Flag of France.svg France | 1924 | 7.5×54mm French | 9.1 kg (20.1 lb) | Box magazine | 450 (cyclic) | ||
| Maxim-Tokarev | File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Soviet Union | 1924 | 7.62×54mmR | 12.9 kg (28.4 lb) | Belt fed | |||
| Lmg 25 | File:Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Switzerland | 1925 | 7.5×55mm Swiss | 8.65 kg (19.1 lb) | Box magazine | ≈500 | ||
| Lahti-Saloranta M/26 | File:Flag of Finland.svg Finland | 1925 | 7.62×53mmR | 9.3 kg (20.5 lb) | Magazine | 450–550 | ||
| Degtyaryov machine gun | File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Soviet Union | 1927 | 7.62×54mmR | 9.12 kg (20.1 lb) | Drum magazine | 550 | ||
| Mendoza RM2 | File:Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico | 1928 | 7×57mm Mauser .30-06 Springfield |
6.3 kg (13.9 lb) | Box magazine | 450–650 | ||
| Breda 30 | File:Flag of Italy.svg Italy | 1930 | 6.5×52mm Mannlicher–Carcano | 10.6 kg (23.4 lb) | Stripper clip fed, internal magazine | 500 (cyclic) | ||
| ZB vz. 30 | File:Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czechoslovakia | 1930 | 7.92×57mm | 9.1 kg (20.1 lb) | Box magazine | 550–650 | ||
| Bren | File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom | 1935 | .303 British | 10.35 kg (22.8 lb) | Box magazine | 500–520 | ||
| Type 96 light machine gun | File:Flag of Japan.svg Japan | 1936 | 6.5×50mm Arisaka | 9 kg (19.8 lb) | Box magazine | 450 (cyclic) | ||
| Type 99 light machine gun | File:Flag of Japan.svg Japan | 1939 | 7.7×58mm Arisaka | 10.4 kg (22.9 lb) | Box magazine | 800 | ||
| RPK | File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Soviet Union | 1960 | 7.62×39mm | 4.8 kg (10.6 lb) | Drum or box magazine | 600 | RPK-74
RPK-16 | |
| Stoner 63 | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | 1960s | 5.56×45mm NATO | 5.3 kg (11.7 lb) | Drum or box magazine | 1000 (cyclic) | ||
| Colt Automatic Rifle | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | 1970s | 5.56×45mm NATO | 5.78 kg (12.7 lb) | Drum or box magazine | 750 (cyclic) | Diemaco LSW (CAN) | |
| L86 LSW | File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom | 1970s | 5.56×45mm NATO | 6.58 kg (14.5 lb) | Box magazine | 775 (cyclic) | ||
| FN Minimi | File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium | 1974 | 5.56×45mm NATO (standard) *7.62×51mm NATO |
6.85 kg (15.1 lb) | Belt fed or box magazine | 1150 (cyclic) | M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (USA) MK 46 machine gun (USA) | |
| CETME Ameli | File:Flag of Spain.svg Spain | 1974 | 5.56×45mm NATO | 5.3 kg (11.7 lb) | Belt fed | 1200 (cyclic) | MG82 (Spain) | |
| Ultimax 100 | File:Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore | 1977 | 5.56×45mm NATO | 4.75 kg (10.5 lb) | Drum or box magazine | 600 (cyclic) | ||
| Steyr AUG H-BAR | File:Flag of Austria.svg Austria | 1977 | 5.56×45mm NATO | 3.9 kg (8.6 lb) | Box magazine | 750 (cyclic) | ||
| IWI Negev | File:Flag of Israel.svg Israel | 1985 | 5.56×45mm NATO |
7.4 kg (16.3 lb) | Belt fed or magazine | 1150 (cyclic) | ||
| Negev NG7 |
|
2012 | 7.62×51mm NATO | 7.9 kg
(17 Ib) |
Belt fed or magazine | |||
| Heckler & Koch MG4 | File:Flag of Germany.svg Germany | 1990s | 5.56×45mm NATO | 8.55 kg (18.8 lb) | Belt fed | 885 (cyclic) | ||
| Heckler & Koch MG36 | File:Flag of Germany.svg Germany | 1990s | 5.56×45mm NATO | 3.83 kg (8.4 lb) | Drum or box magazine | 750 (cyclic) | ||
| INSAS LMG | File:Flag of India.svg India | 1990s | 5.56×45mm NATO | 6.7 kg (14.8 lb) | Box magazine | 650 (cyclic) | ||
| SAR-21 LMG | File:Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore | 1996 | 5.56×45mm NATO | 3.82 kg (8.4 lb) | Box magazine | 650 (cyclic) | ||
| Ares Shrike 5.56 | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | 2000s | 5.56×45mm NATO | 3.4 kg (7.5 lb) | Belt fed or magazine | 800 (cyclic) | ||
| Type-81 LMG | File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China | 1981 | 7.62×39mm | 5.15 kg (11.4 lb) | 75-round drum or 30-round STANAG | 750 (cyclic) | BD-15 LMG (Bangladesh) | |
| M27 IAR | File:Flag of Germany.svg Germany | 2008 | 5.56×45mm NATO | 3.6 kg (7.9 lb) | Drum or box magazine | 640 (cyclic) | ||
| QJB-95 | File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China | 1997 | 5.8x42mm | 3.25 kg (7.2 lb) | 60 | 900 (cyclic) | ||
| Colt IAR6940 | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | 2008 | 5.56×45mm NATO | 4.32 kg (9.5 lb) | Drum or box magazine | 700 (cyclic) | Colt 6940E-SG (Singapore) | |
| RPD | File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Soviet Union | 1944 | 7.62×39mm | 7.5 kg (16.5 lb) | Belt fed | 650 |
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See also
- Medium machine gun
- Heavy machine gun
- Automatic rifle
- Squad automatic weapon
- General-purpose machine gun
- Assault rifle
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Fusil mitrailleur Chauchat. FM modèle 1915 C.S.R.G." Les mitrailleuses du premier conflit mondial (in français). mitrailleuse.fr. 2003. Retrieved December 18, 2011.