Light machine gun
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A light machine gun (LMG) is a machine gun that is designed to be carried and operated by an individual soldier. A LMG is intended to act as a support weapon in that it can generate a greater volume of continuous fire than the usual firearms carried by infantry soldiers, but at the cost of greater weight and higher ammunition consumption.
While it is possible to fire a LMG "from the hip" or on the move, they are much more accurate when fired from a prone position, especially when using a bipod. They are often designed to be used with magazines, not belts, but some, such as the M249, use both.
Light machine guns are often used as squad automatic weapons.