M24 Sniper Rifle

History Introduced in 1988 as the Army's designated sniper weapon system, the M24 SWS the first bolt action rifle to see dedicated service with the US Army since the .30-06 caliber Springfield Model 1903. With the withdrawl of the Springfield 03 during the Second World War, all army sniping activities have been carried out, more or less, with either scoped regular-issue rifles (in the case of the M1C and M1D) or match-grade variants of issue rifles...

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Attack Kills Taliban Cmdr., 7 Militants

October 07, 2010Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan -- An airstrike and a raid by ground troops killed eight insurgents, including a senior Taliban leader who spearheaded attacks against Afghan security forces, NATO said Thursday as the war in Afghanistan entered its 10th year. Maulawi Jawadullah -- accused of organizing deadly ambushes, roadside bomb attacks, and abductions of Afghan police and soldiers in northern Afghanistan -- was killed in...

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SEAL May Face Punishment for Aid Worker Death

A US special forces member suspected of having accidentally killed a British aid worker held hostage in Afghanistan could face disciplinary action, officials said Thursday.The serviceman, a member of the elite US Navy SEALs, failed to initially inform his commanding officers that he had tossed a grenade into an insurgent hideout during the operation, two Western officials told AFP.NATO officers suspect the grenade may have killed Linda Norgrove,...

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NATO Official Says Bin Laden in Pakistan

October 18, 2010UPI Osama bin Laden and his deputy are believed to be hiding near each other in northwest Pakistan, a senior NATO official said. The unnamed official said bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri are thought to be living in houses, not caves, and protected by residents and members of the Pakistani intelligence community, CNN reported. Pakistani officials have repeatedly denied protecting leaders of al-Qaida. The official said bin Laden likely...

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MG3

History The MG3 (an abbreviation for the German word Machinengewehr meaning ""machine gun, model #3"") is a direct descendent of the WWII era German machine gun, the MG42, which was in turn, an improvement the MG34, originally developed by Metall und Lackierwarenfabrik Johannes Grossfuss AG, which entered production in 1942. The MG42 was one of the most terrifying infantry weapons of its time (nicknamed "Hitler's chain saw" and "Hitler's zipper"...

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Su-47 (S-37) Berkut

The Su-47 (initially known as the S-37) Berkut is a testbed for developing technologies for nex-gen aircraft. Description The basic dimensions and weight of the Su-47 ""Berkut"" are similar to those of Su-37, although they are different aircraft, and the tail, nose and canopy are similar to those of the Su-35. The first two prototypes of this aircraft were evidently designated the S-32, and the S-37 designation was previously applied to an unrelated...

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T-80 MBT Current Russian front line main battle tank (MBT).

Description The T-80 MBT is a continuation of the T-64/T-72 series, retaining many similar features of the previous tanks. It is similar to the T-72 in that it retains the low silhouette, centrally mounted round turret with the commander seated to the right of the main gun and the gunner on the left. As with the T-72 the T-80 retains the use of the automatic loader, feeding ammunition from a 27 round circular magazine around the turret ring....

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ZU-23 Lightweight towed anti-aircraft gun.

History Introduced in 1964 the ZU-23 was a lightweight air-transportable anti-aircraft gun system. The ZU-23 saw extensive use with airborne and airmobile units, as well as some use in lower readiness motorized rifle units that had not received the mechanized ZSU-23-4 self-propelled air-defense artillery vehicle.  The ZU-23 has an effective range of 2,500 meters vs. air targets, is effective against light armored vehicles and ground targets,...

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AK-47

All 7.62-mm Kalashnikov assault rifles are very dependable weapons. They produce a high volume of fire and are simple to maintain and produce. History The ""Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 g."" or AK-47 is a gun designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov and produced by LZh, widely used by the USSR armed forces from the 1950s through the 1980s. It is classified as an assault rifle, a mid-caliber rifle (7.62 mm, which is approximately equal to .30 caliber)...

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The Pincher is designed to take out explosives

I know what this looks like. You’re probably thinking that: “Oh no, it is a Star Wars/Terminator/Matrix/Battlestar Galactica/any other science fiction franchise robot that is designed to take out enemies. Are the humans its next target?” Actually, from what I have been reading from my sources, this robot, also known as “Pincher” is designed to disable Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) from a long distance. It apparently uses rockets the size of...

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FPS games to teach medics

In case you are one of those people who think that First Person Shooter games are nothing but a vain activity, then you should know that they are sometimes used to train for combat. I’m sure that comes as no surprise, as what could be better for training a soldier to go into enemy territory than an FPS game. Believe it or not, these are also being used to train medics. What you are seeing here are screenshots from the Tactical Combat Casualty Care...

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Liquid armor hardens in contact with bullets

What you see there is a bullet-proof vest, and I’ve just learned that even the best ones cannot completely keep bullets out. However, this one model could change all of that. This model uses “custard-like goo” that somehow makes molecules lock together when it is hit. I’m going to assume that makes it really, really hard. Apparently, these “shear-thickening liquids” have been used by downhill skiers in order to prevent broken bones and injuries,...

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Giant Laser blasts 300mph aircraft

In case you thought that the pain gun was the only real-life science fiction weapon that Raytheon was up to, then you haven’t heard about this real-life laser. This Laser Close-In Weapon System was recently unveiled in an airshow in England, and it has recently made history as the first time a laser has shot down an aircraft in flight. This demonstration took place last May, and I don’t know why this is the first time I am hearing so much buzz about...

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Raytheon Sarcos XOS 2 exoskeleton

I thought I would celebrate the release of Iron Man 2 on DVD and Blu-ray today by reporting on a real-life iron man exoskeleton. This is the XOS 2 from Raytheon Sarcos, and it is a lot more bulky than the armor from Mr. Tony Stark. It actually reminds me of the power loader suit that Ripley wore in Aliens. The suit is able to boost the user’s strength. You can see here that the wearer is punching through several layers of wood like a karate master....

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Iran’s Bavar 2 flying machine-gun boats

I have heard a lot about how president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is very outspoken of the United States, the United Kingdom, not to mention Israel. Usually, when I see him on the news, it is in association with nuclear arms. This is apparently the Iranian weapon that we don’t hear about. I guess they would hardly be weapons of mass destruction, but the Bavar 2 fleet would scare me if I saw them flying in from the horizon. Every plane in this fleet has...

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Make an Ops Core Helment out of your ACH

BAE Systems has some pretty cool kit coming out of their Eclipse Performance Gear division and we had a chance to talk to a couple program managers at this year’s Modern Day Marine show out at Quantico. We’ll be looking at their new modular body armor solution for the Army and an interesting portable power system, but first I wanted to show you their new Helmet Accessory Platform. Basically this thing is a lightweight bracket that can attach both...

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GD Builds a Grenade Machine Gun That Fits on Your Back

We’ve spoken a couple times here on the issue of crew-served firepower at the platoon and company level. At least in the Marine Corps (I’m not 100 percent sure with the Army) the Weapons Platoons are battalion assets and carry the Mk-19 grenade machine gun as part of their inventory. But the only infantry company/platoon grenade slinging asset is the 203. Right now, the Army has no grenade machine gun that can be toted into combat ops other than...

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M61A1 20mm Cannon

The current version of the M61, the M61A1, remains relatively unchanged from past models. History Soon after the end of the Second World War the newly formed United States Air Force identified a need for an improved gun system for its aircraft. While adequate as an air combat / ground attack weapon during World War Two, the Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun had been rendered obsolete by jet aircraft and needed to be replaced by a weapon with increased...

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AT4 Viper

The AT-4 is a Swedish-manufactured, shoulder-launched anti-armor weapon designed to defeat modern threat main battle tanks. Description Light anti-armor weapon. The AT-4 is a Swedish-manufactured, shoulder-launched anti-armor weapon designed to defeat modern threat main battle tanks....

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War Crimes Case Raises Leadership Questions

WASHINGTON -- Despite allegations that members of a rogue Stryker platoon engaged in a monthslong drug and murder spree while stationed at a small forward base in Afghanistan, no leaders or officers responsible for the platoon have been charged or disciplined in the case and the Army will not confirm whether any are under investigation. In what is developing as the worst American war crimes case to emerge from the 9-year-old Afghan war, five Soldiers...

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When the Warrior Returns Home

U.S. soldiers are battling stress on two fronts: at war and at home. Their coping strategies might help you on the home front as well. At lunch in a hotel in Philadelphia, a fast-talking, slightly rattled, 38-year-old master sergeant in camouflage and combat boots is recalling another lunch a few years back, in Iraq. That meal took place at a forward operating base, and he'd been standing 20 feet away from where an Iraqi soldier triggered the detonator...

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