By Yuri Lyamin

On the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, a large public exhibition of the defence achievements of the Iranian Armed Forces and military industry was held. This exhibition, titled “Eghtedar 40” (“Power 40”) showcased Iranian-made ballistic missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), armoured fighting vehicles, surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and other large systems. Small arms and light weapons were also showcased, and one of the most interesting amongst these was a previously unseen Iranian shoulder-fired multipurpose weapon. A launcher, a mock-up of the munition and a video appearing to show testing were all displayed.

It appears that this weapon is still undergoing tests and has not been adopted for service (as of 2019). The configuration of the weapon seems fairly typical, and it is likely similar to other weapons in its class in terms of its physical characteristics. However, it appears that it uses a multipurpose warhead—at least as shown in a video—primarily intended to engage enemy personnel in light cover, light armoured vehicles and structures. This concept is growing in popularity globally; although some examples of these weapons have been around for some time. Other systems using a projectile of this type include the Russian RMG, Chinese DZJ-08 and German MATADOR.

Generally, weapons of this type feature a tandem warhead in order to allow for penetration of structures whilst still conveying a lethal effect within. These warheads differ from tandem HEAT warheads designed to penetrate enhanced vehicle armour, however. Typically, the first stage of a “multipurpose” munition design is a HEAT warhead, designed to penetrate armour or part of a structure. This essentially clears a path for the second warhead. The second stage is generally an HE (high explosive), HE-FRAG or thermobaric design, designed to inflict devastating damage on personnel inside the vehicle or structure. Of course, this tandem design must strike a balance between penetration through the intermediary barrier and damage to people behind the barrier. Such designs are less effective at penetrating armour than advanced tandem HEAT types and produce a reduced destructive effect compared to a large HE-FRAG or thermobaric warhead.

It is quite likely that this new design has emerged in Iran now as a result of the experiences gained during intense urban fighting in Syria. Protracted battles through war-torn cities and towns have, in many cases, posed a steep learning curve for Iranian forces in the country. According to information provided by an Iranian source, this new weapon has a maximum range of 500m and can penetrate approximately 300mm thick intermediary barriers.

Special thanks to an Iranian source.

This article is reproduced courtesy of Armament Research Services (ARES). See armamentresearch.com for further original content.

Houthi Forces Capture Belgian FN Herstal F2000 Rifles in Yemen

By Jonathan Ferguson

In May 2019, a Belgian news outlet, VRT NWS, reported that the Saudi National Guard were using FN Herstal F2000® bullpup self-loading rifles in Yemen. With ongoing combat between the Arab Coalition and Houthi-aligned forces, it was all but inevitable that some of these exotic-looking, polymer-encased weapons would be captured or seized.

The first confirmed sighting of an F2000 in Yemen is believed to date from March 2018, when Houthi forces, fighting in the same border area, were seen recovering an F2000 from a Saudi outpost. The weapon was fitted with the GL1 (also known as the LG1), an under-barrel grenade launcher.

In June 2019, two further examples, both fitted with the GL1 under-barrel grenade launchers, were captured by Houthi forces during a battle with Saudi mechanised infantry on the Saudi/Yemeni border, near Najran. These rifles were displayed on social media alongside more mundane small arms and light weapons, hand grenades, night vision equipment and uniforms bearing National Guard insignia.

The FN Herstal F2000 is a select-fire, self-loading rifle in a bullpup configuration, chambered for the 5.56x45mm cartridge. It was developed by FN Herstal in the late 1990s and marketed from 2001. The rifle makes extensive use of polymer throughout, has ambidextrous operating controls and, unusually, ejects fired cartridge cases forward of the weapon, through an ejection chute parallel to the barrel.

It is not known definitively how many F2000 rifles or GL1 grenade launchers were sold to Saudi Arabia, but some sources have reported that 55,000 were approved for export from Belgium. As of August 2018, both weapons had been removed from the FN website and appear to have followed the U.S. FS2000® variant in being discontinued from the product range. The GL1 has been replaced by the FN40GL® Mk2.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

F2000 Standard

Calibre: 5.56x45mm

Overall length: 690mm

Barrel length: 400mm

Weight: 3.8kg (w/ empty magazine)

Feed device: 30-round detachable box magazine

Muzzle velocity (V0): 900 m/s

Cyclic rate: 850 RPM

LG1 (GL1)

Calibre: 40x46SRmm

Overall length of rifle with LG1: 727mm

Barrel length: 230mm

Weight (empty): 1.2kg

Feed device: None (single-loaded)

Muzzle velocity (V0): 76 m/s

Sources

ARES, Conflict Materiel (CONMAT) Database. Confidential. Perth: Armament Research Services (ARES), 2019.

N.R. Jenzen-Jones, “A Tale of Two Rifles: The Proliferation of F2000 and AK-103 Self-loading Rifles Exported to Libya in 2004–2009.” Perth: Armament Research Services (ARES), 2016. http://armamentresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/ARES-Research-Report-No.-5-A-Tale-of-Two-Rifles.pdf

VRT NWS, “Saudis Using Belgian Weapons in Yemen.” May 8, 2019. https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/en/2019/05/08/saudis-using-belgian-weapons-in-yemen.

This article is reproduced courtesy of Armament Research Services (ARES). It originally appeared on the Silah Report.

CS/LS06 “Chang Feng” Submachine Gun

By N.R. Jenzen-Jones

The Chang Feng submachine gun (SMG)—known in its latest iteration as the “CS/LS06”—is in service with Chinese law enforcement and paramilitary personnel, as well as specialised units from other nations. The design is notable for its 50-round helical magazine and is often issued with a suppressor. Development of the Chang Feng SMG began in the mid-1990s by the Chongqing Changfeng Machine Company Ltd., based in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing.

The weapon was conceived by veteran designer Qing Shangsheng, under the auspices of the Changfeng Military Products Research Institute. In addition to leading the design team for the QSZ-92 pistol, Mr. Qing had previously worked on a number of other small arms projects, including the Type 64 7.62×17mm pistol, Type 67 7.62×17mm suppressed pistol, Type 80 7.62×25mm submachine gun, Type 56-2 self-loading rifle, both 7.62 and 5.45 light machine guns (“squad automatic weapons”), and a variety of sporting pistols, a signal pistol and even a derringer. Prior to working on the CF05, he had already secured a patent for a high-capacity quad-stack, double-feed magazine for the Type 56-2.

Prototypes

According to a 2006 interview with the designer, he initially developed the concept in secrecy between 1993 and 1994 and did not share it with the factory manager until 1996. Four main series of prototypes were then developed. The first prototype used the weapon’s helical magazine to form part of the buttstock, fitted with a removable rubber butt pad. Versions of Prototype I were developed with different burst functions: Prototype I-1 had a two-round burst mechanism, and Prototype I-2 had a three-round burst mechanism. The second prototype’s magazine moved so that it sat above the barrel and introduced the closed-bolt, blow-back operation.

Prototype II was fitted with a telescoping stock. Both Prototypes I and II were chambered for 5.8×21mm.

It was determined that export sales were to be a priority for this weapon, and the weapons were updated to chamber the internationally popular 9×19mm cartridge. At this point, the program adopted the designation “QC-9” for the guns. As well as the new chambering, Prototype III saw experimentation with under-folding buttstock designs. Prototypes III-1 and III-2 have slightly different folding stock configurations. Prototype III-2 also introduced an optics mounting capability.

Prototypes I, II and III were all able to feed from a secondary feed device—a detachable box magazine housed in the pistol grip of the gun. These were QSZ-92 pistol magazines, which are produced in both 5.8×21mm and 9×19mm versions. A separate magazine release, located on the pistol grip, is visible in the first three prototype series. In the first prototype, it was possible to inadvertently introduce a feeding issue with both magazines fully seated. In Prototypes II and III, the box magazine could not be fully seated until all rounds were fired from the helical magazine, tripping a switch.

By Prototype IV, the design had returned to using a telescoping buttstock, and the alternate box magazine feed system was removed. A magazine release button is still seen on the pistol grip of all prototype weapons. In Prototypes II and III, the forward and rear pistol grips are connected via a bridging structure. Prototype IV-1 also has this “bridged” configuration; however, by Prototype IV-2, the furniture design is essentially finalised and is close to the production gun. The prototypes had a cleaning kit stored in the front pistol grip, which was also dropped from production guns. By the last prototypes, the translucent brown helical magazines appear to have been introduced, and translucent white magazines followed in early production guns.

A number of further changes were made as the QC-9 progressed through development. The weapon underwent trials in 2004, and issues with extractor strength, feeding issues, trigger issues, and the fire selector were resolved. The weapon was finally approved for serial production in May 2005. The production version of the weapon, now designated the CF05, was publicly showcased at the first annual China International Exhibition on Police Equipment and Anti-Terrorism Technology and Equipment (CIPATE) on May 10, 2005.

Export Variant

In 2006, the export variant of the weapon was approved, and the designation CS/LS06 was applied. Export versions of the weapon have occasionally been marketed as the Type 06, but CS/LS06 remains the most common name. “CS” likely stands for “China South,” as in “China South Industries Group,” which included Changfeng amongst its subsidiaries. This designation is seen on the title page of an English-language SMG manual from the mid-2000s (China South Industries Corporation’s “Operation & Maintenance Manual of 9mm Light Submachine Gun Type CS/LS06,” state-owned document #236), which was intended for the export version of the gun. It has been suggested by several observers that “CS06” is the designation for the firearm, whilst “LS06” is the designation for the suppressor. Not only is there no evidence to support this claim, “CS/LS” designations are applied to other export submachine guns without suppressors. The Changfeng Machine Company merged with Jian She several years ago, and so the “CF05” designation is unlikely to be used again.

The Chang Feng design is a hammer-fired, blow-back operated submachine gun chambered for 9×19mm, firing from a closed bolt and feeding from a 50-round helical magazine. The design uses a telescoped bolt which wraps around the barrel when in battery. At the end of its rearward travel, the bolt is stopped against the rear of the barrel assembly, rather than the receiver. The polymer receiver features a collapsible stock, and the barrel is threaded to accept a suppressor, which is typically supplied with the gun.

CS/LS06 Features

The CS/LS06 features a combined fire selector/safety, which allows for safe (B), semiautomatic (D) and automatic (L) modes to be selected. The selector can be removed like a “key” to the gun, locking it in the safe position. A three-position aperture sight is marked for 50m (“5”), 100m (“10”) and 150m (“15”) engagement ranges. The stock is extended from the collapsed position simply by pulling it rearward. It is collapsed by pressing in the buttstock latch on the left-hand side of the weapon. Detailed disassembly is quite complex, but a basic field strip can be conducted relatively quickly without tools.

The most notable feature of this weapon is its 50-round helical magazine. Helical magazines, often confused with drum magazines, use a staggered-helix design, which allows for a substantial increase in carrying capacity in a relatively compact form-factor. This results in a cylindrical magazine, which is often (as in this case) mounted above the weapon’s receiver, rather than below it.

Whilst helical magazines have been repeatedly tested in western countries (one early example of an internal helical magazine can be seen in the Evans Repeating Rifle, patented in the late 1860s, for example), they have typically found more favour in China, Russia and their client states. Perhaps the magazines of this type, with which most western readers will be familiar, are those used with the American Calico series of firearms. In fact, Qing expressly stated that the CF05 helical magazine design was influenced by a research trip a colleague took to the United States, where this person observed the Calico designs. Nonetheless, the construction of the magazine is closer to the Russian PP-19 Bizon submachine gun type.

Their inherently complex design makes helical magazines more prone to failure. The Chang Feng SMG manual gives a “failure rate” for the weapon of “equal to or less than 3 ‰,”  or three failures in every 1,000 rounds fired (1 in 334, or thereabouts). This failure rate would be considered unacceptably high by modern western standards, even under the assumption that this probably refers to all stoppages rather than just parts “failures.”

Reloading the magazine is a much more complex operation than that for conventional detachable box magazines. According to the gun manual:

5.2 Cartridge loading: Load required cartridge from loading port of cylinder (as shown in fig. 26, never miss loading), then apply spring force clockwise (as shown in fig. 27). Each turn of cylinder could contain 8 rounds and 50 rounds at maximum. Turns of spring force required is decided according to loading rounds. Turns of applying spring force equals to (X+1;n—rounds of loading cartridge [sic] …

That wording will likely be opaque to most readers, but thankfully the manual also includes a table which makes the process comparatively straightforward. Paraphrased, it indicates:

Table 1

Whilst the export weapons have almost exclusively been seen with opaque black polymer magazines, the manual notes “This gun is equipped with black opaque cylinder; if cartridge indication is required, brown semi-transparent cylinder could be equipped.” The weapon is typically offered for export with Chinese-made accessories, including a laser/light module (LLM; the most common appears to be the LLR-2), optical day sight, grenade launcher and suppressor.

The latest model of the gun features HK-style red and white pictographic safety/selector markings, new furniture textures, a forward-canted front pistol grip and trigger guard, a modified stock design and the model name moulded into the plastic on the left-hand side of the weapon.

The suppressor attaches via a left-hand metric thread on the barrel, located behind the muzzle device. A retaining/indexing pin is located below the muzzle. The SMG manual recommends disassembly and servicing of the suppressor after 150 rounds have been fired. Some limited suppressor testing was undertaken by Dr. Philip H. Dater and Dan Shea, the results of which were published in the Small Arms Defense Journal, “Chinese CS06 LSMG and LS06 Suppressor,” Vol. 3, No. 4.

In Service

The Chang Feng submachine gun has been documented in service with Chinese police and paramilitary forces. It is used by the elite No. 1 Detachment of the Beijing Special Weapons and Tactics Unit, known as the Blue Sword Commando Unit. Other police units around the country have also used the weapon, and it has been documented in a number of high-profile police actions, including protection of the Beijing Olympics and a hostage rescue action in Changchun, the capital of China’s northeast Jilin Province.

The weapon is also issued to components of the People’s Armed Police, including 3rd Group, 13th Detachment of the Beijing General Corps, known as the Snow Leopard Commando Unit. Snow Leopard personnel were observed carrying the weapon during training prior to the Beijing Olympics and in the Sino-Russian “Peace-Mission 2007” joint military exercise. In recent years, Chinese security forces are believed to be moving away from the Chang Feng design and toward new designs which are supposedly capable of firing a broad range of 9×19mm ammunition, from less-lethal to +P+ loads. Nonetheless, those that remain in arsenals are likely to continue to be seen.

A number of export sales have also taken place, with confirmed transfers to Myanmar (Burma), Venezuela and Uganda. In Venezuela, the weapon is used in a close personal protection role by the 509 Special Forces Battalion of the Army, Presidential Honor Guard personnel and members of the Special Unit for Security and Protection of State Personalities (UESPPE).

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Calibre: 9×19mm

Overall Length (buttstock collapsed): 412mm (w/out suppressor); 631mm (w/suppressor)

Overall Length (buttstock extended): 595mm (w/out suppressor); 814mm (w/suppressor)

Barrel Length: 232mm

Weight: 2.2kg (empty w/magazine); 2.9kg (loaded with 50-round magazine)

Sight Radius: 285mm

Rate of Fire: 800 rds/min

Feed Device: 50-round detachable helical magazine

V0: 360 m/s

SOURCES

 ARES CONMAT Database.

China South Industries Corporation, “Operation & Maintenance Manual of 9mm Light Submachine Gun Type CS/LS06,” State-owned document #236. [No date.]

FirearmsWorld. “CS/LS06” 2012. firearmsworld.net/china/smg/cf05/lwsmg.htm.

NORINCO, Small Arms. Sales catalogue. 2012.

Pérez, Pedro, “Chinese ‘Chang Feng’ Submachine Gun in Venezuela.” The Hoplite Magazine. August 19, 2019. armamentresearch.com/chinese-chang-feng-submachine-gun-in-venezuela.

Special thanks to Ellie Chang, Pedro Pérez, Maxim Popenker and Timothy G. Yan.

This article is reproduced courtesy of Armament Research Services (ARES). See www.armamentresearch.com for further original content.

By Ian McCollum

The Kurdish YPG (People’s Protection Units) employ various craft-produced anti-materiel rifles (AMRs), and ARES has obtained photographs and details for several examples. These photographs and the accompanying contextual information came from a confidential source who served in a sniper tabor (platoon) of the YPG from June 2015 through August 2016. Such guns are also produced by a number of other factions operating in Syria and Iraq, as well as non-state and state actors in other conflict zones. Craft-produced small arms and light weapons, including anti-materiel rifles such as these, are covered extensively in a forthcoming report authored by ARES personnel for the Small Arms Survey.

In combat use, these rifles are used primarily for defence against vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs), serving a secondary role as counter-sniper weapons. VBIED armour has been generally increased to the point that standard rifle calibres used by designated marksmen (typically 7.62x54Rmm and 7.62x51mm) are not able to stop them reliably. Instead, the YPG turned to heavier weapons. Whenever available, modern anti-materiel rifles such as the Chinese M99, Zastava M93 and Barrett M82 are in high demand, as are direct-fire recoilless weapons and rocket launchers and anti-tank guided weapons (ATGWs). To supplement these scarce and more broadly useful weapons, the YPG has developed several of its own indigenous AMR designs built around barrels taken from heavy machine guns and light cannon.

The two main rifles in service are the Zagros, chambered for 12.7x108mm, and the Şer (and shorter Şer Portative), chambered for 14.5x114mm. Conceptually similar guns have been built in 23x152Bmm, but the YPG determined that these were too massive and bulky to be practical. Islamic State group continued to employ a handful of guns in this calibre, however. All of these rifles are made by fabricating simple tubular receivers and bolts to match up to barrels from DShKM, W-85 and KPV pattern guns. In at least one case, the barrel of a Kord heavy machine gun was used. The barrels may be salvaged from damaged or inoperable guns, or they may be spare barrels accompanying functional guns, depending on circumstances. The resulting rifles are single-shot only.

According to ARES’ source, the Şer Portative was a shortened version of the 14.5mm Şer introduced early in the summer of 2016 in an effort to make the latter more portable. It reportedly succeeded in this, although at the price of very intense felt recoil and muzzle blast. In addition, they are reported to have destroyed optical sights in as few as five rounds. The Zagros was reportedly reserved for use at longer ranges, as it was more comfortable for the user and more accurate to use, because it could be more precisely zeroed with a telescopic sight. The full-length Şer has apparently been largely removed from combat, as it is too bulky for offensive use, and its role has been largely changed to supporting air strikes from CJTF-OIR forces.

It is important to note that all of these rifles are almost exclusively used with ammunition made for machine guns, rather than precision ammunition. This will limit the potential accuracy of the weapons; however, it is unlikely to reduce their effectiveness in the anti-vehicle and anti-materiel roles for which the YPG use them. The availability of AP, API and other specialty ammunition types is likely to compensate for limited precision or accuracy.

Photographs and contextual information courtesy of Ed Nash. Special thanks to ImproGuns, Jonathan Ferguson and several confidential sources.