Armed with the M249 SAWS (Squad Automatic Weapon System), the Machine Gunner combines devastating firepower with quick maneuverability. He is essential in providing overwhelming volumes of suppressive fire from medium to long range. No Fire Team is complete without the Machine Gunner. He provides a Fire Team with a belt-fed light machine gun. The M249's high rate of fire, and large ammunition capacity gives a Squad/Fire Team a weapon that maintains a consistent rate of fire to provide cover for an advancing unit. However, this weapon has its drawbacks, particularly weight. Due to this, the Machine Gunner is the slowest among the classes available. To unlock the Machine Gunner class you must achieve a "Basic" score on the M249 portion of Weapons Familiarization.