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LMG's (Light Machine Guns) are replica guns that appeals to everyone. May be due to its appearance, perhaps because of its performance, or maybe because of the rules in the world of airsoft to play its role, that of support. But what exactly is the support role? Is it not the same as assault but with more BBs? 

Airsoft is slowly growing, and so everything is becoming more specialised: more rules, greater variety, more players... And that is why we increasingly find that roles that used to be simply an idea, today stand out from the rest and have their own rules even in the fields. 

The support role has a very clear function: increasing the firepower of the squad. To this end, it uses light machine guns, which are heavier than an assault rifle, carry a heavy barrel and a large amount of ammunition. All this is for one reason, to suppress the enemy in combat.

We already talked about how to react when there is contact in previous issues. And one of the first action to take was to suppress the enemy with constant fire power. Except that, in real life, the 30 bullet magazines fell short to be able to suppress the enemy for a few seconds. 

That is why they started adding a SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) per fire team, to take care of suppressions, and eliminating small groups of enemies from fixed positions or using crossfire. 

 Equipment 

This role has a singularity that is not usually found in the other roles. Support players do not carry extra magazines. Therefore, the configuration of their plate holder or equipment must be different. 

Nothing is written, each one decides according to the different comforts or interests of their own or of the team. But let us say that a support player does not need to carry rifle magazines. Unless he takes them to supply team mates. So it is common to see them with flat plate holders, without pouches or molle to compensate the weight of their weapon. There are specific pouches to carry ammo boxes, but I think we should differentiate real ammo boxes from airsoft boxes. 

In reality LMG’s boxes or drums usually contain from 100 to 200 cartridges. It is much more than a rifle magazine, but it is still not an ammunition figure for which you should stop worrying. Support players may carry some extra ammo box in their loadout, but it is usually more comfortable to carry the bullet straps on their own. Besides, often times team members themselves carry at least one small strap for the LMG carrier. But things are different in airsoft. The support player carries between 2,500 to 5,000 BBs. A figure that, unless you really go to town firing away, (which also happens), would usually lasts for a whole game. 

So, what equipment does a support player in airsoft carry? Well, as I said, they might have an empty plate holder. You can also use a chest rig, not for ammunition purposes but full of utilities and multipurpose to carry less gear and only taking the useful things that you need. Finally, although it is rare, I have seen sometimes -and even tried- support players wearing full ghillies or concealment gear (vipers, half ghillies, ponchos, etc). This makes sense if said support players fulfil the role within their flanking teams, or in crossed fire situations, since it is a plus to reach their positions undetected. 

Behaviour 

Support players must always occupy an intermediate position in formations. Since they have less mobility than an assault player, but their role within the team is more important. In addition, it is a role compatible with that of team leader, since both take a similar position and from that position in combat it is easy to coordinate pairs or operators, given that there is constant panoramic vision of the battle ground.

When a squad with a SAW engages in combat, the first operators to make contact will suppress the enemy1 until the SAW takes position and can start firing2. At this time the rest of the team will take cover and start moving forward, flanking or retreating3. The support player will follow from his position, shooting towards the direction of the contact. 

Another useful purpose of the support player can be to be part of a pair, along with some assault or other support player. And make them take a flanking position by attacking a defensive position. In this case, as soon as the larger group starts the assault, they will enjoy an advantageous position and, most importantly, unexpected for the enemy. Being able to cut off sometimes their escape route in case they start to retreat, or simply eliminating them in groups when they are taking cover. 

Finally, support players can also stand out in a fixed position within a defensive position. In this case the enemy will avoid attacking the base through that point in most cases, since the resistance they find is greater than the suppression they can make (if they do not have a SAW). In fact, with this same strategy, using more than one fixed position, you can force the enemy into a funnel, forcing them to attack you where you want them to, making them fall into a trap. 

Fire modes

The type of fire used by support is automatic fire, but contrary to what many may believe, it is normally done in short, 3 to 6 shots per burst. And always starting the burst at a point and moving to the side. Since a proper suppression is achieved this way, as your impacts create the sensation of small walls for the enemy that can not be crossed without being eliminated. If the bursts started and ended in the same point, the enemy has the advantage to look for more alternatives to be able to advance towards you. Obviously bursts can vary in airsoft and would rarely be of 3 to 6 BBs, as there is no recoil that limits our precision. Even so, it will already be a matter of the regulations of each field to determine what type of bursts a support can fire. 

Sometimes I have also found that supports must shoot static, that is, they can either move or shoot, but not both at the same time. It is a very good idea as a rule since support players actually behave like this, due to weight and recoil. It makes a lot of sense in airsoft as long as the rest of the players with assault roles play in semi, not to mention the use of hi-caps. 

Not all airsoft players are used to carrying a LMG and playing support. Maybe you cannot run as much as you would like, maybe you cannot assault positions so frequently. You limit yourself to make that job easier for your team, because thanks to you, they have a little more freedom of movement, since the enemy has his head down. However, it is priceless to witnessing how all your team mates trust and thank you for your fire power, since thanks to it they can take more advanced positions. 

Like many things in life it is something you have to try at least once to know if it is your thing or not. But let us not forget that airsoft is a team game, and as such, any help is welcome.