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.
A light machine gun may be defined either by the weapon or by its tactical role. It is used to fire short bursts, usually from a bipod; a sustained-fire mount such as a tripod is a characteristic of a medium machine gun. Some machine guns - notably general purpose machine guns - may be deployed either as a light machine gun or a medium machine gun. As a general rule, if a machine gun is deployed with a bipod it is a light machine gun; if deployed on a tripod it is a medium machine gun, unless it uses ammunition of .50 or 12.7 mm caliber or larger, making it a heavy machine gun. Modern light machine guns often fire smaller-caliber cartridges than medium machine guns, and are usually lighter and more compact.
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.
It is possible to fire a light machine gun from the hip or on the move, but this is generally inaccurate. They are usually fired from a prone position using a bipod. 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.
List of Light Machine Guns:
| LMG | Picture | Cartridge | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMERK |  | 5.56x45mm NATO | Myanmar | 2010 |
| GatMalite |  | 5.56x45mm NATO | US | 2006 |
| LSAT |  | 5.56mm | US Germany | 2003 |
| Heckler & Koch MG4 |  | 5.56x45mm NATO | Germany | 2003 |
| CZW-762 |  | 7.62x39mm M43 | Czechoslovakia | 2000s |
| Sterling 7.62 |  | 7.62x51mm NATO | UK | 1995 |
| IMI Negev |  | 5.56x45mm NATO | Israel | 1995 |
| QBB-95 |  | 5.8x42mm DBP87 5.56x45mm NATO | China | 1995 |
| Daewoo Precision Industries K3 |  | 5.56x45mm NATO | South Korea | 1991 |
| Stoner LMG |  | 5.56x45mm NATO | US | 1985 |
| M249 Squad Automatic Weapon |  | 5.56x45mm NATO | Belgium | 1984 |
| Type 81 squad machine gun |  | 7.62x39mm | China | 1983 |
| CETME Ameli |  | 5.56x45mm NATO | Spain | 1982 |
| FN Minimi |  | 5.56x45mm NATO 7.62x51mm NATO | Belgium | 1982 |
| Ultimax 100 |  | 5.56x45mm NATO | Singapore | 1982 |
| Zastava M72 |  | 7.62x39mm | Serbia | 1973 |
| Mendoza RM2 |  | .30-06 Springfield | Mexico | 1965 |
| Stoner 63 |  | 5.56x45mm NATO | US | 1963 |
| HK21 |  | 7.62x51mm NATO 5.56x45mm NATO | Germany | 1961 |
| RPK |  | 7.62x39mm 5.45x39mm | Russia | 1961 |
| Kk 62 |  | 7.62x39mm | Finland | 1960 |
| RPD |  | 7.62x39mm | Russia | 1944 |
| Charlton Automatic Rifle |  | .303 British | New Zealand | 1942 |
| Reider Automatic Rifle |  | .303 British | South Africa | 1941 |
| Besal Mk2 |  | .303 British | UK | 1940 |
| Knorr-Bremse Kg. m/1940 |  | 6.5x55mm | Sweden | 1940 |
| EPK Machine Gun |  | 7.92x36mm EPK | Greece | 1939 |
| Type 99 Light Machine Gun |  | 7.7x58mm Arisaka | Japan | 1939 |
| Type 97 Light Machine Gun |  | 7.7x58mm Arisaka | Japan | 1937 |
| Type 96 Light Machine Gun |  | 6.5x50mm Arisaka | Japan | 1936 |
| Bren |  | .303 British 7.92x57mm Mauser 7.62x51mm NATO | UK | 1935 |
| Vickers-Berthier (VB) |  | .303 British | India | 1932 |
| Weibel M/1932 |  | 7x44mm | Denmark | 1932 |
| VMG-27 |  | 7.92x57mm Mauser | Germany | 1930s |
| Breda 30 |  | 6.5x52mm Mannlicher-Carcano | Italy | 1930 |
| DP - Degtyaryov |  | 7.62x54mmR | Russia | 1928 |
| Lahti-Saloranta M/26 |  | 7.62x53mmR | Finland | 1927 |
| FM 24/29 |  | 7.5x54mm French | France | 1924 |
| Type 11 Light Machine Gun |  | 6.5x50mm Arisaka | Japan | 1922 |
| M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle |  | .30-06 Springfield 7.92x57mm Mauser 7.65x53mm Argentine 7x57mm Mauser 6.5x55mm .303 British 7.62x51mm NATO | US | 1917 |
| Howell Automatic Rifle |  | .303 British | UK | 1916-1918 |
| Huot Automatic Rifle |  | .303 British | Canada | 1916 |
| Chauchat |  | 8mm Lebel | France | 1915 |
| Lewis Gun |  | .303 British .30-06 Springfield | US | 1913 |
| Hotchkiss M1909 |  | .30-06 Springfield 8mm Lebel .303 British | France | 1909 |
| Madsen |  | 7x57mm Mauser 6.5x55mm 7.92x57mm Mauser 7.62x54mmR | Denmark | 1896 |
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