Editing Squad automatic weapon

{{short description|Portable light machine gun}}
{{for multi|the weapon known in British Forces service as the LSW|L86|the weapon known in American service as the SAW|M249 light machine gun}}
{{more citations needed|date=May 2021}}
[[File:Bren1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|The [[Bren]] is an example of a [[British Army]] squad automatic weapon from [[World War II]].]]
[[Image:Familiarization with a RPK during Exercise Rescue Eagle 2000.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|A [[Romanian Land Forces|Romanian soldier]] instructs a [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. marine]] in clearing an [[RPK]], a squad automatic weapon variant of the [[AKM]].]]

A '''squad automatic weapon''' ('''SAW'''), also known as a '''section automatic weapon''' or '''light support weapon''' ('''LSW'''), is a man-portable [[automatic firearm]] attached to [[infantry]] [[squad]]s or [[section (military unit)|section]]s as a source of rapid [[direct fire]]power. Weapons fulfilling this role can be [[light machine gun]]s, or modified [[selective-fire]] rifles fitted with a heavier [[gun barrel|barrel]], [[bipod]] and a [[ammunition belt|belt]]/[[drum magazine|drum]]-fed design.

Squad automatic weapons usually fire the same [[cartridge (firearms)|cartridge]] (though heavier-[[bullet]] variants are preferred) as the [[assault rifle]]s or [[battle rifle]]s carried by other members of the unit. This reduces [[military logistics|logistical]] requirements by making it only necessary to supply one type of service ammunition to a unit. These weapons are light enough to be carried and operated by one infantryman, unlike [[medium machine gun]]s (such as the [[M1919 Browning]]) that require [[crew-served weapon|a crew]] to operate at full effectiveness; or [[heavy machine gun]]s (such as the [[M2 Browning]] or the [[DShK]]) which fire more [[muzzle energy|powerful]] cartridges but are also crew-served and typically also require a [[weapon platform|mounting platform]] to be operable.

==Overview==
[[File:111-SC-33930 - NARA - 55227044 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Madsen machine gun]]

One of the first weapons used in this role was the [[Madsen machine gun]]. Although limited in today's terms, the Madsen was introduced in an era when the standard infantry rifle was a [[Bolt action|bolt-action]] repeater with fixed magazines reloaded with single rounds or [[Stripper clip|chargers]]; sustained rapid fire with these weapons could be maintained only for very short periods of time. The Madsen was capable of fully automatic fire; despite having only limited magazine capacity, this was still more than that of the infantry rifle, and it was of the quick change [[Magazine (firearms)#Detachable box magazines|detachable box magazine]] type. Though over 100 years old, the Madsen is still in limited use today. The standard machine guns of this era were of the [[Maxim gun|Maxim]] type. Used by the British, Germans, and the Russians, these weapons were bulky, heavy, tripod-based, and water-cooled, they required a team of four men and, although excellent in the defence, were not suited to manoeuvre warfare.

[[File:Army Heritage Museum B.A.R..jpg|thumb|left|M1918A2 Browning automatic rifle]]
Another pioneering weapon in this role was the [[M1918 Browning automatic rifle|Browning automatic rifle]] (BAR). Introduced late in [[World War I]], it remained in front-line service into the [[Vietnam War]]. Intended originally as an automatic rifle capable of delivering suppressing "[[Marching fire|walking fire]]" in the advance, the BAR came to be used in the light machine gun role. During [[World War II]], as the importance of having a source of mobile automatic fire increased, the number of BARs in a unit also increased, until in some units it represented 1 in 4 of the weapons present in a squad. During its long service in the US military, it was pivotal in the evolution of U.S. [[fireteam]] tactics and doctrine that continues to the present day.

[[File:MG-74 of Austrian Army.JPG|thumb|Austrian MG74]]
Modern squad automatic weapons (such as the [[RPK]] and [[SA80#L86 LSW|L86]]) are modified [[assault rifle]]s or [[battle rifle]]s (e.g. [[FN FAL#LAR 50.41 & 50.42 (FAL HBAR & FALO)|FN FAL 50.41]] and [[M14 rifle#M14E2/M14A1|M14A1]]) that may have increased ammunition capacity and heavier barrels to withstand continued fire and will almost always have a bipod. In the case of some assault rifles, such as the [[Heckler & Koch G36|H&K G36]] or [[Steyr AUG]], the SAW is simply the standard rifle with a few parts replaced. However, the Austrian Army, though issuing the Steyr AUG rifle, does not issue the HBAR (heavy barrel) variant. Instead, the 7.62mm caliber MG74, a derivative of WW2-era German [[MG 42]], is issued.

[[Light machine gun]]s, either belt-fed or magazine-fed, may be used as squad automatic weapons, as may [[general-purpose machine gun]]s; for example, during most of the [[Cold War]] period, the standard squad automatic weapon in the British Army was the [[FN Mag]]-derived L7. The most common squad automatic weapons in use today are derived from two basic patterns: the Kalashnikov-based [[RPK]] or the purpose-designed [[FN Minimi]].

==National examples==

===Belgium===
[[File:FN MINIMI Standard Right.jpg|thumb|FN Minimi]]
* [[FN Minimi]]
* [[FN SCAR]] (HAMR)

===China===
[[File:Machine gun Type95.jpg|thumb|QJB-95]]
The [[People's Liberation Army]] initially used the [[RPD machine gun|Type 56 LMG]] as the primary light machine gun to replace all of its obsolete WW2 LMGs. After the [[Sino-Vietnamese War]], the PLA adopted the drum-fed [[Type 81 assault rifle#Variants|Type 81 LMG]] for high mobility, which was later replaced by [[QBZ-95#Variants|QJB-95]] since the adoption of QBZ-95. However, the PLA changed back to belt-fed [[QJS-161|QJB-201]] light machine guns since 2021.

===Germany===
[[File:H&KMG4.jpg|thumb|HK MG4]]
West Germany's original plan in the late 1980s was to adopt the new 5.56mm [[Heckler & Koch G41]] assault rifle (a variant of the HK33) to replace the 7.62mm [[Heckler & Koch G3]] battle rifle and the 4.7mm [[Heckler & Koch G11]] carbine to replace the 9mm [[Uzi|IMI MP2 Uzi]] and [[Heckler & Koch MP5]]. The end of the [[Cold War]] and the [[German reunification|reunification of Germany in 1990]] forced everyone to scramble for a cheap alternative. The [[Heckler & Koch G36|G36]] family was created from a proof-of-concept prototype rechambered to fire the 5.56mm NATO cartridge. It is composed of an assault rifle (G36), light machine gun (MG36), assault carbine (G36K), and PDW (G36C). Though produced, presented and ordered, the [[Heckler & Koch G36|MG36]] was never adopted by the German Army as the differences and benefits to the G36 were seen as marginal, resulting in the order being cancelled. The 5.56mm NATO [[HK MG4|MG4]] is the standard platoon-level support weapon of the German Army, adopted in 2005. The 7.62mm NATO [[HK MG5|MG5]] resembles the MG4 and is the new general-purpose machine gun of the German Army, adopted in 2015.

===Italy===
In the 1980s the Italian military considered the idea of adopting a heavy-barrelled magazine-fed 5.56mm automatic rifle. It was to accompany the 5.56mm [[Beretta AR70/90]] assault rifle and supplement the 7.62mm [[Rheinmetall MG 3|MG 42/59]] general purpose machine gun. A rethinking of the concept led to their adoption of the belt-fed FN Minimi instead.

===Netherlands===
The [[Netherlands Marine Corps]] is the only part of the Dutch military to use the [[Colt Canada C7 rifle#Netherlands|LOAWNLD]] (an updated version of the [[Colt Canada C7 rifle#Diemaco LSW|Colt Canada Light Support Weapon]]) as their squad automatic weapon. All other branches use the [[FN Minimi]] for this role.

* [[M+G project]]: An indigenous concept by [[Artillerie-Inrichtingen]] for a squad automatic weapon.  

===Soviet Union/Russian Federation===
[[File:Soviet RPK-74.JPEG|thumb|right|[[RPK-74]]]]
The Russian support weapon concept was designed around providing [[7.62x39mm|one standard cartridge]] that could be used by the clip-fed rifle ([[SKS]]), magazine-fed assault rifle ([[AK-47]]) and belt-fed light machine gun ([[RPD machine gun|RPD]]). The SKS and RPD were dropped as being less effective than hoped. The RPK, with its magazine and parts commonality with the base AK-47, was more effective. It replaced the RPD as soon as manufacturing techniques allowed it to be mass-produced.

* [[RPK]]
* [[RPKS]]: A version with a side-folding wooden stock (S for ''-skladnoi''). 
* [[RPK-74]]: A version chambered for the new  5.45×39mm cartridge. 
* [[RPK-74|RPK-74M]]: An improved version (M for ''modernizirovanniy'') of the RPK-74 with polymer furniture. 
** [[RPK-74|RPK-201]]: An export model of the RPK-74M chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO.
** [[RPK-74|RPK-203]]: An export model of the RPK-74M chambered in 7.62×39mm.
* [[RPK-16]]: The RPK-16 squad automatic weapon is a new light support weapon which is expected to take over the role of its predecessor, the [[RPK#RPK-74|RPK-74]], in the Russian Armed Forces.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-02-08 |title=TASS: Military & Defense - Kalashnikov signs contract to supply Defense Ministry with newest RPK-16 machine guns |url=http://tass.com/defense/988744 |access-date=2022-04-18 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208182843/http://tass.com/defense/988744 |archive-date=8 February 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[RPL-20]]: The belt-fed LMG designed to fill the gap between RPK and [[PK machine gun]].

===United Kingdom===
[[File:L86A2 LSW.jpg|thumb|right|L86A2]]
The [[SA80]] program was designed to create a family of light assault weapons that had a commonality of parts, could use the same ammunition and magazines, and would replace the UK military's collection of submachine guns, rifles, and light machine guns. Originally designed around a lighter experimental [[4.85×49mm|4.85mm]] cartridge, they were forced to redesign the weapon to take the 5.56mm NATO cartridge. The L85 IW (''Individual Weapon'') was the rifle version and was designed to replace the 9mm [[Sterling SMG|L2 Sterling SMG]] and 7.62mm [[L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle|L1A1 SLR Rifle]]. The [[SA80#Light Support Weapon|L86 LSW (''Light Support Weapon'')]] was the automatic rifle version and was intended to replace the [[Bren light machine gun#L4|L4 BREN gun]] and supplement the [[FN MAG]] [[general-purpose machine gun]], replacing it at section level. Teething problems, low quality parts, poor ergonomic design and an inability to be wielded left-handed made the SA80 suite unpopular. The magazine-fed L86 was found to not be as capable of sustained fire as a belt-fed system so it was initially supplemented by the [[FN Minimi|L110A1 FN Minimi]] and then replaced by it. The L86's role was then changed to that of a [[designated marksman rifle]].

===United States===
[[File:PEO M249 Para ACOG.jpg|thumb|right|M249 Para]]

In United States usage, the [[M249 light machine gun]] is commonly referred to as the squad automatic weapon or SAW.<ref name="Talon970801">{{cite news|last1=Boe|first1=David|date=August 1, 1997|title=Mission Continues|url= http://www.dtic.mil/bosnia/talon/tal19970801.pdf|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20000815221239/http://www.dtic.mil/bosnia/talon/tal19970801.pdf|url-status= dead|archive-date= August 15, 2000|format=PDF|newspaper=The Talon|volume=3|issue=31|location=Eagle Base, Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina |publisher=1st Infantry Division (Task Force Eagle) Public Affairs Office|publication-date=August 1, 1997|page=6|access-date=November 27, 2013|quote= Sitting atop the platoon leader's HMMWV, the 20-year-old soldier mans a Squad Assault Weapon and monitors traffic at the crossroads.}}</ref><ref name="GBGAS2007">{{cite book|last=Lewis|first=Jack|editor=Ken Ramage|title=The Gun Digest Book of Assault Weapons|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HyF_GKQdPXgC&pg=PA14|edition=7th|date=September 12, 2007|publisher=Gun Digest Books|location=Iola, Wisconsin|isbn=978-1-4402-2652-6|pages=14, 74, 156, 245|access-date=November 27, 2013|quote=When it comes to machine guns, FNH USA is turning out copies of the M249 Squad Assault Weapon (SAW) that has been in the US military inventory for several decades.}}</ref>

In the 1970s the United States began realizing that it might have to fight a conflict in the deserts and mountains of the Middle East or Near East rather than the jungles of Asia or forests of Europe and Eurasia. The ''Squad Automatic Weapon'' program was designed to create an intermediate weapon between the M16 rifle and [[M60 machine gun]]. It would have to fire tracer ammunition out to a visible range of 800 meters or more, be capable of accurate high-volume sustained fire, and be lighter and more reliable than the M60. Initially the contenders were built around a new intermediate cartridge, but the problems with approval for a new third American-backed standard NATO cartridge forced its abandonment. The program then selected between the control group weapons: the [[FN Minimi]] (XM249) and [[Heckler & Koch HK 23]] (XM262) chambered for the improved 5.56mm SS109 round. The FN Minimi was adopted as the M249 because it could optionally fire from magazines from an integral magazine port rather than requiring an exchange of parts in the field like the HK23.

The [[Infantry automatic rifle]] program was launched by the [[United States Marine Corps]] in 2005. Its task was to find a replacement for the heavy and cumbersome M249 SAW that was serving as the Squad Automatic weapon in a fireteam at the time. Two of the weapons in the competition were the [[FN SCAR#HAMR IAR|FN SCAR HAMR]] and a slightly modified [[HK416]]. The weapon chosen to replace the [[M249]] was the modified HK416, later designated the [[M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle|M27 IAR]]. The M249 SAW is still in use as a squad automatic weapon by the [[United States Army|US Army]].

In 2019, US Army launched [[Next Generation Squad Weapon Program]] to find replacement for M249 SAW and replacement for [[5.56×45mm NATO]] round. There are three competitors:

* [[SIG Sauer MG-6.8]] with 6.8mm SIG hybrid round, declared winner of the program as the [[XM250]]
* [[General Dynamics RM277-AR]] with .277 TVCM polymer cased round manufactured by [[True Velocity]]
* [[AAI Corporation|AAI]] and [[Textron]] AR with 6.8mm CT cased telescoped round manufactured by [[Olin Winchester]]

==See also==
* [[Crew-served weapon]]
* [[Heavy machine gun]]
* [[Heavy weapons platoon]]
* [[Medium machine gun]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Squad automatic weapons| ]]

[[pl:Ręczny karabin maszynowy]]