Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 9, 2026

Crew-served weapon

A crew-served weapon is any weapon system that is issued to a crew of two or more individuals performing the same or separate tasks to run at maximum operational efficiency, as opposed to an individual-service weapon, which only requires one person to run at maximum operational efficiency. The weight and bulk of the system often also requires multiple people for transportation.

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Jun 9, 2026
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Sailors prepare a 25-mm crew-served weapon before a live-fire exercise aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex. source ↗

A crew-served weapon is any weapon system that is issued to a crew of two or more individuals performing the same or separate tasks to run at maximum operational efficiency, as opposed to an individual-service weapon, which only requires one person to run at maximum operational efficiency. The weight and bulk of the system often also requires multiple people for transportation.1

Crew-served weapons operated by infantry include sniper rifles, anti-materiel rifles, machine guns, automatic grenade launchers, mortars, anti-tank guns, anti-aircraft guns, recoilless rifles, shoulder-launched missile weapons, and static anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.

See also

See also

References

References

  1. Crew-served Weapons and Gunnery. United States Dept. of the Army. 1954. Retrieved January 26, 2025.