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.

A Frankengun in Every Way
By Jonathan Ferguson

This bizarre craft-produced weapon was acquired by the then-Ministry of Defence Pattern Room in 1996 from another UK government department. Although it arrived with no documented provenance, it was most likely produced in the tribal areas of Pakistan/Afghanistan, perhaps the famous town of Darra Adam Khel. It is an entirely scratch-built weapon inspired primarily by three extant designs. The receiver/action body is based upon that of the British Enfield Pattern 13/14 (U.S. Model of 1917) bolt-action family of rifles. This action is incorporated into what is effectively a Kalashnikov AK-inspired chassis, complete with a purely decorative gas block (featuring pointless gas relief holes), a fake too-short cleaning rod and an AKS style under-folding stock. Many corners have been cut in the making of this “Frankengun.” For example, almost every surface is rounded off due to crude machine or hand finishing, with the result that a sharp tug on the bolt will pull it free of its retaining latch and clean out of the gun. The folding stock is extremely stiff and difficult to operate. However, it is relatively well finished with bluing and “decorative” knurling on the barrel and flash-suppressor. The wooden furniture is visibly handmade. The rear sight was missing when the rifle entered the collection.

The magazine is patterned after that of the Bren light machine gun, but this too is scratch-built. It is spuriously marked with a Russian Izhevsk arsenal mark on its baseplate. The lips are very shallow and barely retain a cartridge, but in fact this can be effectively loaded when fitted to the weapon, using the receiver walls as the feed lips. Thus, while detachable for cleaning, this is effectively a fixed magazine; even the Lee-Enfield magazine struggles to retain its cartridges when removed from the weapon while loaded. Due to the pronounced curve and the chosen cartridge type, only ten rounds can be crammed (with some difficulty) into what would otherwise be a 20 round magazine. The magazine design has clearly been chosen to preserve the AK-like appearance of the weapon despite its long receiver and large cartridge.

While the chambering of this weapon had not been determined at the time of photographing, it has since been established by means of a chamber cast and test chambering of an actual cartridge. It is now known to be 7x57mm Mauser. This corroborates the sole marking on the gun, “7 MM,” which is stamped on the receiver. However, it is a relatively scarce cartridge type for the region, which favors 7.92×57, .303, 7.62x54R, 7.62×39 and 7.92x33mm. Therefore, whereas it may have been destined for a decorative role on somebody’s wall, it probably was built as a real, firing weapon—at least in theory. As to its purpose, it has long been hypothesized that these relatively rare hybrid weapons are intended for grizzled tribal shooters who cut their teeth on older manually operated rifles, but who appreciate the aesthetics of the Kalashnikov. Explanations from Pakistani sources include the lesser legal status of manually operated firearms and “non-military” calibers, the fact that not all makers are capable of making self-loading rifles in the first place and an interesting suggestion that there may at one time have been large stocks of 7x57mm ammunition that gunsmiths exploited with these designs. While it would be an engineering challenge to design and build an AK in 7x57mm, a bolt gun is a relatively straightforward proposition. Whatever the intent, this piece is certainly not the only example known.

Technical Specifications
Caliber: 7x57mm Mauser
Overall length: 933mm (36.73 inches)
Barrel length: approx. 425mm (16.73 inches) incl. flash suppressor
Weight (with empty magazine): 3.71kg (8.18 pounds)
Feed device: approx. 8–10-round detachable box magazine

With thanks to Miles Vining.

Israel Defence Force (IDF) soldiers from the Yahalom (“Diamond”) special unit, recovered hundreds of weapons as well as quantities of ammunition and explosives during a raid in Nablus, West Bank, on 17 June 2014.

Prominently featured is an AR-15 with A1 style 20” barrel, A2 style handguards, and fitted with what appears to be a cheaply made Chinese 20x magnification telescopic sight. The weapon is not an IDF configuration, so it may be a civilian semi-automatic variant (the scope reinforces this likelihood). A number of AR-15 accessory and component parts are also visible, suggesting attempts at basic gunsmithing.

Several homemade, blowback-operated submachine guns have been captured, most likely chambered for 9 x 19 mm. These are of the type previously recovered from Hamas, and sometimes referred to locally as ‘Carlo pistols’. They are built upon simple round-section metal tube receivers, with these examples featuring AR-15 pistol grips.

One image shows a 1950s-vintage Beretta Model 951 type pistol, chambered for 9 x 19 mm. An AR-15-style CO2 paintball gun is seen in one image, and an air rifle or possibly expedient single-shot
rifle also appears.

Untrained observers frequently confuse superficially similar small arms and light weapon (SALW) systems, particularly with the pressure of covering a current conflict. These mistakes can act as a red herring for those seeking to establish the objective reality on the ground, or at worst, incorrectly act as evidence of involvement by external parties.

The Ukraine conflict is a great example of such a situation, with many subtle variants of former Soviet and Russian weapon types employed by both sides. A report from June 2014 as well as subsequent reports claimed to have identified the relatively modern ‘Kord’ heavy machine gun (HMG), ostensibly in Russian service only, in the hands of pro-Russian separatists. Needless to say, the presence of this weapon would be a significant indicator with regards to the supply of SALW to separatists in eastern Ukraine. However, as was briefly mentioned in ARES report No. 3: “Raising Red Flags: An Examination of Arms & Munitions in the Ongoing Conflict in Ukraine, 2014?, this particular identification proved to be in error. The HMG in question was actually the rather more innocuous 1970s vintage NSV, which is in service with both Ukrainian and Russian armed forces (and several others around the world). This mistake was an easy one to make, because the two weapons are, externally at least, remarkably similar and difficult to tell apart without access to internal components or visible designation markings. They are also both still in production; the NSV in Kazakhstan, Poland, and elsewhere, and the Kord in Russia. ARES has not seen evidence of Kord HMGs in eastern Ukraine, although other recently-produced Russian arms and munitions were identified. Research for this report found no published method for differentially identifying the NSV and Kord, in the Anglophone world at least. We therefore present our findings in hope that they will aid other researchers in the field.

Right side view of the same NSV. Photo credit: Vitaly V. Kuzmin

NSV

The design of the NSV Utes (????; ‘Cliff’) dates back to 1969 and the weapon is named for inventors: Nikitin, Sokolov, and Volkov. It has traditionally seen service as an armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) machine gun, but can also be tripod mounted, in which role it is more properly designated NSVS-12.7 or NSVS-N3. It is noteworthy for employing an unusual manifold breech block design containing three side-folding ‘sub-blocks’ (see Jane’s 2014 for details of operation). The older of the two designs, it is currently known to be manufactured by Metallist JSC and Kaspex, both based in Kazakhstan.

Left side view of a NSV HMG on a tripod mount. Note in particular the riveting down the side of the receiver. Photo credit: Vitaly V. Kuzmin

Kord

The location of NSV production, in Kazakhstan, presented a problem for the Russian armed forces following the break-up of the Soviet Union. A replacement was commissioned, apparently with some leeway in design specification, because the entirely new team (Obidin, Bogdanov, and Zhiryokin) created a rather different design retaining little of the original weapon’s internal workings. The detachable barrel system was retained, but much of the mechanical design was abandoned. A new rotating bolt operating system was designed, resulting in reduced recoil and increased accuracy (and probably increased reliability) over its predecessor. The Kord entered service in 1998 alongside existing examples of the original NSV. It is produced in Russia by V.A. Degtyarev Plant JSC, Kovrov.

Left side view of a Kord HMG on tripod mount. Note in particular the forward portion of the receiver, with less rivets and a different rivet pattern when compared with the NSV. Also note the attached bipod. Photo credit: Zonawar

Differential Identification

A number of differences are apparent from examination of photographs, yet some of the more obvious are not actually definitive and may result in misidentification. This is a particularly easy mistake to make if the two weapons are not compared to one another. Black polyamide furniture may be more advanced than wood or Bakelite, but it is to be found on both types depending upon date of production, and could conceivably be retrofitted to older receivers. Whilst the traditional conical flash-hider of the NSV is not likely to be seen on the Kord, some examples of the NSV feature one of two Kord-style muzzle brakes, an earlier cylindrical pattern, and the flat, chambered design in production currently. Additionally, the Kord is fitted with the 6T19 bipod as standard, and this remains in place when the weapon is also tripod mounted, acting as another identifying feature of the type. By contrast, no bipod appears to have been designed for use with the older NSV; instead, it uses heavier mounting systems like the 6T7 tripod. Anecdotally, this is due to the reduced recoil of the Kord’s new operating system.

These features may or may not appear on a given example, or be visible from a given photographic angle. However, there are diagnostic features of these types that should be visible either to first-hand observers, or indeed in a variety of photographic angles. The Kord is, by design, a product-improved NSV. However, the changes made were far more extensive than the better-documented alterations of, say, PK to PKM, or even AK to AKM. These fundamental design changes resulted in a very different receiver that retains common external features only where necessary for compatibility with existing NSV mounts and accessories.

The true diagnostic features of the Kord are in the receiver, most evidently its left side, where there is a marked absence of rivets on the forward portion (see the image below). The right side is likewise considerably less cluttered on the more modern Kord. These features should prove diagnostic in most situations.

Right side view of a Kord on a bipod mount. Photo credit: Zonawar

Side-by-side comparison of NSV (top) and Kord (bottom) receivers. Note differing rivet patterns. Photo credit: Vitaly V. Kuzmin & Zonawar (composite image).

The Syrian conflict continues to yield interesting expedient small-arm designs. ARES has received YouTube video links that document Syrian rebel forces manufacturing anti-materiel rifles (AMRs), of which there appear to be two variants. They are both home-made bolt-action anti-materiel rifles similar to, and possibly inspired by, home-made and custom hobbyist-type rifles found in other parts of the world, most notably the U.S. The examples shown are chambered for the Russian 12.7 x 108 mm machine gun round, and are referred to in the videos as the Nimr 2. They were manufactured in the workshops of Katibat Abu Asad al-Nimr, a group associated with the Hazzm Movement.

The tubular receiver is constructed out of steel, and is shown being machined in a mill or drill machine, with extensive hand-finishing whilst held in a bench vice. A length of M1913 rail is attached to its upper surface. A simple rectangular trigger-mechanism housing (with rotating trigger-bar safety) and magazine well appears to be welded onto the underside of the receiver. The magazine is also fabricated from sheet steel, and is seen in one of the videos being matched up to the magazine well to establish the proper seating depth and angle of presentation of the round. The bolt (whose locking arrangement is unclear) and long, tubular firing pin are also milled components, finished using an angle-grinder, and even the single chambered muzzle-brake is built from scratch using welded sheet steel. One variant features a custom wrap-around wooden stock and a fixed tubular bipod, whilst the other has an off-the-shelf plastic AK-type pistol grip and home-made skeletal buttstock and folding bipod.

An unusual feature on the pistol-gripped example is the camouflage sleeve cover shown being slipped over the barrel and receiver. This cover incorporates a flap dust-cover for the bolt handle slot to protect the otherwise-open action. The barrel used on both variants is the only significant factory-produced component, and was originally made for the Chinese W-85 heavy machine gun, available commercially from Norinco and previously documented in Syria. The lack of a factory-produced muzzle-brake may imply that these barrels were not cannibalised from complete weapons, but rather sourced as spare parts. The telescopic sight is also likely to be Chinese, resembling some cheaply-made models in the 20x magnification range available online. The test fire of the barrelled action in the first video shows a large muzzle-flash, but nothing from the unused machine gun gas port, which suggests that it has been sealed off. The complete weapon is later test-fired several times with apparent success, although its accuracy cannot be assessed.

An anti-materiel rifle (AMR) being worked in a bench vise. (YouTube video)

Machining the receiver of a home-made anti-materiel rifle (AMR). (YouTube video)

Scribing markings onto a home-made anti-materiel rifle (AMR). (YouTube video)

The completed anti-materiel rifle (AMR) with a camouflage sleeve. (YouTube video)

The completed anti-materiel rifle (AMR) with a camouflage sleeve. (YouTube video)

Unknown handgun #2. (Original source unknown)

The shared name of these weapons, inscribed on the slide, is ‘TACTICAL-HULK PT11-PRO’, accompanied by the inscription ‘?????? ????NYATE’. This appears to use a combination of Cyrillic and Latin alphabet letters, and may be a poor attempt to approximate foreign markings. Handgun #2 appears to be visually similar to a blank firing model produced by Aral Weapons Ind. Co. of Turkey. It may be that the ‘TACTICAL-HULK’ range are based on different converted blank firing weapons.


Markings indicate the weapons are chambered for 7.65x17mmSR (.32 ACP), a rather weak handgun calibre, especially when fired from the short barrels seen in these models. The fit and finish does not seem much better than many of the blank firing weapons produced in Turkey, particularly on Handgun #3. The slide markings seen on Handguns #1 and #2 may indicate production in 2012. The presence of a serial number, printed on a metal plate and exposed through a cut-out in the frame, belies a relatively sophisticated and expensive manufacturing process, and likely indicates that the weapons are intended to be sold in a jurisdiction requiring externally visible serial numbering.


The relationship between the design of Handgun #1 and #2 is unclear, but given the existence of the Zoraki, it would seem to represent an evolution of that basic design, or an attempt by another to capitalize on the name and reputation of the Zoraki. The name ‘PT-11 PRO’ recalls Taurus or Kel-Tec, but neither version owes anything to either of those designs. This appropriation of legitimate firearm branding on dissimilar types is reminiscent of the products of illicit Croatian factories, though we have no evidence to confirm the nationality of these designs beyond Libyan source claims of Balkan origins. The weapons may equally be of Turkish origin.

Unknown handgun #3. (The Libyan Firearms Market’ Facebook page)

The third pistol shares design cues with, and is apparently a full-size companion to Handgun #2. They both possess a chunky polymer frame styling, a distinctive grip texture, and the same characteristic circular designs on the dust-cover. Handgun 3 also has matching circular cut-outs on the slide itself, and an unusual control mounted on the left side dust-cover, likely a take-down lever. It was being offered for sale on The Libyan Firearms Market for 4,800 Libyan Dinars (LYD), or approximately $3,900 USD.
(Thanks to Alexander Diehl, N.R. Jenzen-Jones, Hassan Morajea, and Paul William for their input.)


This article is reproduced courtesy of Armament Research Services (ARES) – www.armamentresearch.com and was originally published February 19, 2014

Another version of Handgun #3, this model was being offered for sale on The Libyan Firearms Market for $2,800 LYD, or approximately $2,275 USD. (The Libyan Firearms Market’ Facebook page (??? ??????? ??????? ??????))

Unknown Handgun #2. (Original source unknown)

Unknown handgun #1. (Original source unknown)