Heavy Machine Gun


 * This article is about the weapon type called "Heavy Machine Gun". For the infantry unit carrying such a weapon, see HMG (Unit).

A Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) is an automatic weapon firing large-caliber bullets (approx. 0.50 cal, or 12.7mm) from a belt. The power of these bullets is significantly greater than any Infantry-carried Small Arms bullet, and is capable of penetrating some armor as well as killing enemy infantry with ease.

HMGs are deadly against infantry. A single round is capable of killing an infantryman on the spot. Furthermore, infantry behind cover are not much more protected, since HMG rounds can easily penetrate a good deal of wood, metal, brick, and sometimes even rock. HMGs are also relatively accurate over medium and long distances, and the heavy cracking sound they make as they fly past the target or impact nearby provides strong suppression. HMG rounds will frequently topple trees after several hits.

HMG rounds are also useful against a variety of vehicles. They are powerful enough to puncture the tires of a BTR or other armored wheeled vehicle, and can usually penetrate the side/rear armor of most APCs such as the M113. They are not powerful enough to penetrate Tank or IFV armor, but with some luck may be able to knock out optics or damage the tracks of such vehicles. An HMG can knock out Helicopters as well when used correctly.

An HMG and its ammo are very heavy - too heavy to be carried by members of a Fireteam without slowing the entire unit down. Furthermore, the recoil of an HMG is too great to fire without significant stabilization. Therefore, HMGs are most commonly installed on vehicles. Some Jeeps, Technicals and HMMWVs carry them as a primary weapon, installed on the roof or back. Many APCs, IFVs and even Tanks have an HMG installed as either a primary or secondary weapon, primarily suited for dealing with enemy infantry and light/medium vehicles.

When Infantry carry an HMG, they must do so as a dedicated HMG Team. This is a three-man unit whose only tactical purpose is to carry and operate the Heavy Machine Gun. The weapon can only be used when properly mounted on a heavy tripod. The weapon can be dragged a short distance while mounted on its tripod, but must be disassembled for any long-distance relocation. Each member of the team must carry a separate piece of the weapon (the weapon itself, the tripod, or the ammunition) to avoid over-encumbering any of them.

Models
Unlike most weapon types in the game, there aren't many different varieties of HMGs available in ArmA, or indeed in real-life.

BLUFOR uses the Browning M2 .50 Cal (and a few of its variants) pretty much exclusively. This weapon has been in service since the 1930's, and has still not been replaced nor significantly upgraded. Browning M2s can be mostly be seen installed on HMMWVs and M113s as a primary weapon, and even on M1 Abrams tanks as a secondary weapon. Infantry-carried M2s are significantly rarer, but do appear from time to time.

OPFOR fields several varieties of HMG, including the DShK 12.7mm, the NSV/NSVT 12.7mm, and the KPVT 14.5mm. The DShK (pronounced "Dushka" by most ShackTac members) is more commonly seen on lighter vehicles, such as armed UAZs and Technicals, as well as carried by OPFOR HMG Teams and installed on stationary mounts for point defense. The DShK is also found on the T-72 tank as one of its secondary weapons. The NSV and Kord HMGs fill a similar role and have similar properties. The KPVT can be found on several OPFOR armored Medium Vehicles, including most BTR models, the BRDM, and the Vodnik. In both cases it is used as the primary weapon for the vehicle.

The difference between the M2 and the DShK is minimal at best. The KPVT is more powerful than either of them, but is otherwise used in the same tactical role for similar purposes.

Ground Vehicle HMG
The most common type of Heavy Machine Guns in ShackTac videos are those installed on ground vehicles. Many different vehicle models in ArmA carry an HMG as their primary or secondary weapon.

Most commonly, armed Light Vehicles use an HMG as their primary (and only) weapon. Anything from a Technical to a HMMWV may be fitted with such a gun. Light vehicles with an HMG installed are quite dangerous to both infantry and enemy Light Vehicles as long as they have the element of surprise. Friendly HMG-armed vehicles are used to provide close fire-support to infantry.

Several models of APCs also use an HMG as their primary weapon. Thanks to their armor, these vehicles are significantly more deadly against enemy infantry, even when the element of surprise is not on their side. The BTR is a good example of this, being a relatively fast vehicle that is armored to withstand Small Arms fire, and uses a KPVT to annihilate infantry with ease.

Tanks on both sides also feature an HMG as their secondary weapon. They use this weapon primarily against enemy infantry and occasionally against light/unarmored vehicles. This is done to conserve main-gun ammunition for use against targets that cannot easily be defeated by an HMG (i.e. enemy tanks and other armored vehicles).

Note that IFVs rarely if ever have an HMG installed. Their primary weapon is an Autocannon, which is significantly stronger than an HMG for virtually all purposes. They may have a Medium Machine Gun instead of an HMG as their secondary weapon, if they have a secondary weapon at all.

On ground vehicles, a mounted HMG will usually be operated by the Vehicle Commander. In some armored vehicle models, he may have to Turn Out to use the weapon. In others (particularly newer models) the HMG can be operated remotely from inside the hull, ensuring that the commander remains protected while firing.

Aircraft HMG
"True" HMGs are much rarer on aircraft, but do appear on at least one Helicopter. Most Mi-8 Hip Transport Helicopters are configured with an HMG is situated inside the rear loading door, firing backwards (unknown HMG model). This machine gun has a relatively low firing rate, making it ineffective when traveling at high speed or altitude; It is mostly designed to defend the helicopter when it is landed.

Note that several helicopters, especially light Attack Helicopters like the AH-6 Littlebird as well as more modern NATO Transport Helicopters, may carry one or more Minigun, Gatling Gun, or similar multi-barreled chain gun, instead of an HMG. Such a weapon has a much higher firing rate, and is therefore significantly more effective from the air than any single-barrel HMG.

HMG Team


Infantry are capable of carrying a Heavy Machine Gun, but the weight and size of the weapon (including its Tripod and ammunition) are too much for a single player to handle. Instead, HMGs are carried and operated by an entire three-man team known as an "HMG Team". The term "HMG" may be used for both the weapon and the team carrying it.

In the HMG team, only one player (the Gunner) is responsible for firing the weapon, but the weapon is carried in pieces by all three members of the team. The weapon itself is carried by the Gunner, while the tripod and ammunition belts are carried by the other two players. An HMG is too heavy to be fired while on the move; When a good firing position is reached, the team members must first assemble the weapon on its tripod before they can actually use it.

An HMG can be dragged - very slowly - to a different nearby position without separating it from its tripod or ammunition. For any significant movement across the terrain, the weapon must be completely disassembled from both its tripod and ammo belts. The long assembly and disassembly times make it extremely important to find a good firing position for each engagement.

HMG Teams are among the slowest units on the battlefield. Not only does it take them a long time to assemble and disassemble the weapon each time they move, but the weight also puts a drain on their Stamina, forcing them to stop and rest more often than a regular Fireteam. As a result, foot-mobile HMG Teams have steadily become less common in ShackTac videos over the years (they were much more common in ArmA 2 than in ArmA 3). In many cases where an HMG is required for a mission, a vehicle-mounted HMG is now deployed instead of an infantry HMG Team. Alternatively, HMG Teams might use unarmed vehicles to move themselves and the weapon from place to place, then dismounting at their destination to assemble the weapon.

HMG Teams are generally subordinated directly to an Infantry Platoon commander, whether they behave as an independent unit or operate closely with one specific Squad.

Static HMG
HMGs are fairly common as static defenses. An HMG may be found inside friendly or enemy fortifications, already set up on a Tripod or other stable platform, facing the direction from which enemies will likely show up. Like other static defenses, it will often be set up behind sandbags, and/or under a camouflage net.

Static HMGs cannot normally be moved from their position nor disassembled from their tripods. This prevents savvy players from taking the weapon with them, or using it to cover an angle not intended by the mission maker. Players will abandon such an HMG altogether when retreating from a defensive position, although they are allowed to salvage its ammunition if they have other (mobile) HMGs that can use that ammunition.