Editing Squad automatic weapon (section)

==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]].