A squad automatic weapon (SAW, also known as section automatic weapon or light support weapon) is a weapon used to give infantry squads or sections a portable source of automatic firepower. Weapons used in this role are often selective fire rifles, usually fitted with a bipod and heavier barrel to perform as light machine guns. Squad automatic weapons usually fire the same cartridge as the assault rifles or battle rifles carried by other members of the unit. This reduces logistical requirements by making it necessary to supply only one type of ammunition to a unit. Squad automatic weapons are light enough to be operated by one person, as opposed to heavy machine guns such as the M2 Browning, which fire more powerful cartridges but require a crew to operate at full effectiveness.
Overview
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 repeater with fixed magazines reloaded with single rounds or chargers; sustained rapid fire with these weapons could only be maintained for very short periods of time. The Madsen was capable of automatic fire and, despite having only limited magazine capacity, this was still more than that of the infantry rifle, and it was of the quick change detachable box magazine type. The standard machine guns of this era were of the 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 maneuver warfare.
Although both "semi automatic" and "fully automatic" firearms are "automatic" in the technical sense that the firearm automatically cycles between rounds with each trigger pull, the terms "automatic weapon" and "automatic firearm" are conventionally reserved by firearm enthusiasts to describe fully automatic firearms. Use of this convention can avoid confusion. Firearms are further defined by the type of firearm action used.
Projection
The speed of fully automatic firearms is measured in rounds per minute (RPM) or rounds per second (RPS), in what is called the rate of fire. The speed of fully automatic firearms is compared to each other this way.
Types
Automatic and semi-automatic firearms can be divided into six main categories:
An automatic rifle is a type of magazine-fed rifle that uses either its recoil or a portion of the gas propelling the projectile to remove the spent cartridge case, cock the rifle, load a new cartridge and fire again repeatedly, as long as the trigger is held down or until the magazine is exhausted. Automatic rifles are distinguished from semi-automatic rifles in their ability to fire more than one shot in succession once the trigger is pulled. Many automatic rifles are select-fire weapons which are capable of firing in fully automatic and semi-automatic modes, or in some cases, even being capable of burst-fire.
History
The world's first automatic rifle was the Italian Cei-Rigotti. Introduced in 1900, these 6.5mm Carcano or 7.65×53mm gas-operated, selective-fire, carbines attracted considerable attention at the time. They used 10-, 20- and 50-round detachable box magazines. Unfortunately, they had several failings, including frequent jams and erratic shooting. In the end, no Army took an interest in the design and the rifle was abandoned before it could be further developed.
The communities here could be reached using short-range rockets, artillery, and a uniquely nimble and lethal weapon against which Israel struggled to defend ... Many of its patrons carry automatic weapons.
... special forces, US military standard-issue automatic rifles M4/M16s, and belt-fed squad automatic weapons M249 SAW guns, made famous in video games like Call of Duty and films such as Black Hawk Down.
And not just to learn ... “Helicopters and squads of armoured men with tear gas and automatic weapons were storming bucolic MainStreets in very small towns, and strike supporters were claiming their right to hold the line with extraordinary resistance.
squads of armoured men with teargas and automatic weapons were storming tiny, bucolic main streets; people were being jailed for nothing more than calling a neighbour a scab ... Squads of Arizona ...
... capital of Europe', where the eight-strong killer squad who carried out the attacks are believed to have collected automatic weapons and suicide vests before driving into France in rented cars.
ACLED writes that, since October 7, “the army has distributed a considerable amount of additional weapons and munitions, including thousands of pistols, M-16 semi-automatic rifles, and machine guns to the squads.”.
An hour after the Peaky Blinders arrive in their foxhole, a crackle of automatic-weapon fire erupts just over a mile away to our right flank. The squad scrambles to get drones in the air ... for weapons.
The soldier was injured by a live round fired from an M249 Squad AutomaticWeapon... According to Army weapons specifications, the M249 rifle is a gas-operated open-bolt automatic weapon that fires a NATO-standard 5.56x45 mm round.
