The International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) of 2015 is a biannual show that reached its 12th anniversary with this event. It is a mature show with well developed habits and procedures for the exhibitors and attendees. Having established itself as a benchmark show much like Eurosatory, Milipol, DSA or AUSA, IDEX attracts a rich diversity of attendees from around the world. The show itself is centered in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The UAE controls 9% of the world’s oil reserves, and 5% of the natural gas. As such, the UAE has a strong interest in their defense industry and tries very hard to stay modernized and up to the best technology in the region. Many Middle Eastern/Southwest Asian countries had their military in attendance, and the technology innovations were flying.

This year’s show was full to the brim with over 1100 exhibitors, and the “New Exhibitors” section in Hall 1 was also filled. More than 50,000 attendees roamed the halls, and there were exhibitors from over 50 countries. This shows growth from the 2013 show, but in any event this is a massive defense show. Being paired with NAVDEX gives both events a boost as well.

Jerry Hurd, International Sales Manager for Ohio Ordnance Works, explains OOW’s .50 caliber M2 QCB (Quick Change Barrel) system.

V.A. Degtyarev Plant’s RPG-7D3, the new variation of the paratrooper take-down RPG-7, was on display. It has an interesting “Iron” sight that mounts on the optic rail making aiming much more accurate without the complexity or higher profile/delicacy of the standard optic. They also displayed their KORD 12.7x108mm machine gun with rotating bolt and fixed barrel; their 6C-8 12.7x108mm bullpup style sniper rifle and 7.62x54R caliber machine gun “Pecheneg” with fixed barrel. (Not shown) www.zid.ru

The fabled ADS underwater dual medium assault rifle was on display in its water tank, as has been recently seen on display. www.kpbtula.ru

SADJ requested it, and KBP Instrument & Design Bureau representatives removed it from the water tank to allow us to photograph the ADS. The ADS uses a special underwater cartridge (5.45x39mm PSP) that is dimensionally similar to the 5.45x39mm and the projectile has characteristics for underwater firing. The operator can transition to a standard 5.45x39mm cartridge when he changes mediums- coming out of the water into air. The VOG style underbarrel grenade launcher is not for underwater use. www.kpbtula.ru

KBP Instrument & Design Bureau had a variety of shoulder fired weapons including the Shmel-M “Flamethrower” but what caught SADJ’s eye was the new “BUR” small sized grenade launcher. This shoulder fired weapon has a special fire control unit with optic that has the tube cassette with rocket replaced after each firing. This lowers costs, simplifies carrying multiple rounds, and ensures the FCU/Optic can be of a higher standard than throwaway type launchers while achieving an effective range of 650 meters.

US Ordnance debuted their MK19 Mod 3 grenade machine gun in 40x53mm. The MK19 series is a standard in many of the NATO and other countries, and US Ordnance entering the marketplace with this is an excellent addition to the offerings from their company. US Ord is now well positioned in the world market to supply .50 caliber M2HB and M2A2, 7.62 caliber in both fixed and “Commando” styles with their M240 and M60E6, and the MK19 for new production or refurbishment programs. Watch SADJ for a full test report on the MK19 Mod 3 with upgrades as it comes on line. www.usord.com

UAE company Caracal had an exclusive booth position at the main entryway, and they filled the display areas with new products. One of the more intriguing offerings was the 7.62x51mm select fire assault rifle- perhaps better characterized as a Designated Marksman Rifle. www.caracal.ae

Caracal’s M16 variants cover a wide variety of models, all very well made, and the new 1911A1 pistol offering is a world class product www.caracal.ae

Tsniitochmash had a large display, many of the items were replicas but these two live variants- the SR.3M (Top) and the SR3MP (Bottom) are in 9x39mm with examples of the SP-5 AP and SP-6 sniper ball on display as well. www.tsniitochmash.ru

In their water tank, they had the 20+ year old technology for underwater firearms- the SPP 4 barreled pistol in 4.5x39mm, and the APS underwater submachine gun in 5.66x39 caliber. www.tsniitochmash.ru

Rheinmetall had a large, popular booth with their military products, but they had pulled out their innovative and seldom seen shoulder fired 40x53mm shoulder fired grenade launcher and put it on display. The extended magazine on it is evidence of the plan for extensive firing from the shoulder. Unfortunately, no engineer was present to explain the operation, and how the very potent recoil of the 40x53mm MK19 ammunition was to be mitigated so there were no broken shoulders. After much discussion about the laws of physics, possible counter-recoiling mechanisms etc, the salesman and this author eventually surmised that there might be “Magic” involved. Or, a really, really big spring. It is SADJ’s plan to meet with the engineers and explore the possibilities on this- a shoulder fired launcher that could hit at 1500 meters is something that the military groups have been wanting for years and we really, really want to speak with someone authoritative on this potential game-changer. ­­­ www.rheinmetall-defence.com/

Kalashnikov Concern from Russia has a new motto: “Protecting Peace.” As exemplified by this wall of weapons, they’re preparing to help promote peace and protect it in many regions around the world. While there were sanctions for Americans on trying to buy any of these items, it didn’t prevent the salesmen from discussing the products. The AK107 is center top, and no new information could be had on that design. We tried to discuss the newest variant of the AEK-971 rifle, which is called the 6P67, and the rumor that it might be in a new 6mm caliber, but the salespeople were not allowed to discuss it. On a good note, we were able to get a good close look at the SVD-S sniper rifle with folding stock. http://kalashnikovconcern.ru/

Modiar

Azerbaijan group MODIAR is working hard to reach the world market, and they are set up at many shows worldwide. SADJ was impressed with two of their sniper rifle offerings- both original to MODIAR. Their traditional offerings are also welcome due to low world supply, so their small arms ammunition is reaching the end users now. Ammunition belts, boxes, and blank cartridges are good market starters as well. Modiar is offering 30x29mm cartridges for the AGS-17-AGS-30 family of automatic grenade launchers, including training ammunition; VOG-25 series grenades for the front loading Soviet style under-barrel grenade launchers; and 60mm, 82mm, and 120mm mortar ammunition. The Azerbaijanis offered for SADJ to visit and test weapons, so as soon as we can arrange, we will bring you the reports. We’re especially looking forward to testing their 14.5x114mm long range sniper system. www.mdi.gov.az

Yirtici is a 7.62x54mm rifle, which uses tried and proven SVD Dragunov 10 round magazines to feed. The receiver is an unconventional sheet metal shroud, with sturdy barrel support underneath. The charging handle is ambidextrous and easily changed from right to left. Many experienced shooters who are right handed will switch to the center of receiver left-side charging, to avoid changing fire control grip on charging. (SADJ thinks this is a nice feature). The ambidextrous safety is a nice feature, and the location of the rail for the bipod is closer to center than many- offering the operator a much wider field of view.

Yalquzaq (Yalguzag) is a bolt action 7.62x51mm caliber rifle. Comparisons have been made to the B&T APR rifle, but while there may be some external or accessory similarities, Yalquzaq is truly a MODIAR design. The barrel is floated, threaded for a suppressor, and well supported in the machined receiver. Trigger pull was crisp and consistent. We look forward to testing this rifle.

International Golden Group is an eight-year-old UAE company focused on the needs of the UAE military and police units, as well as regional sales. IGG has gathered together some of the finest defense manufacturers in the world to offer their products for sale. In this case, they’ve brought Denel from South Africa with a very interesting offering of long range 60mm and 81mm mortars. Extended range mortars are expanding the infantry support role, but more importantly, Denel’s special GPS wired fire control unit as shown on the 81mm had some impressive properties. www.iggroup.ae

KADDB-The King Abdullah II Design & Development Bureau has been making a lot of headway with joint ventures in many areas of the military world. Two interesting projects shown at IDEX were the Hashim portable shoulder-launched Grenade system- this is essentially the RPG-32 reloadable launcher made as part of a joint venture in the name of JRESCO. In the photo shown, there are 4 of the Hashim on one mount. Second, was the Electric Drive Desert Ranger two wheel drive “Motorcycle” that is set up for combat reconnaissance and patrol. (Not shown) www.kaddb.mil.jo www.jresco.com

Military Industries Company of Saudi Arabia is manufacturing an HK G36 variant under license, using the dual optic model the Bundeswehr had adopted. https://Mic.gov.sa

SPA Bazalt’s underwater 45mm grenade launcher- the DP-64. Don’t be mistaken on this, the double barreled DP-64 is not fired underwater- it uses grenades intended to be anti-diver. With a range of 400 meters, they are intended to be fired indirectly to the area where divers are considered to be a threat- and the grenades are depth triggered, not sensitive to the surface. The two main rounds, shown, are the SG-45 (Left) and FG-45 (Right). The FG-45 is a fragmentation grenade with an effective radius of about 14 meters, and the SG-45 is a floating red flare with a 50 second burn time. The UG-45 (Not shown) is an HE- Concussion grenade, functioning to about 40 meters depth like the FG-45 (Which also has concussion effect). www.Basalt.ru

DesertTech had an excellent booth location with lots of foot traffic. This brought many military viewers of their DTA HTI (Hard Target Interdiction) sniper rifle available in .50 BMG, .416 Barrett, .375 and.408 Chey-Tac. The bullpup configuration HTI on the table is shown with the DTSS .338 sound suppressor. DTA has designed this system so that all calibers are capable of 2000+ yard engagements. www.deserttech.com

Fallschirmjägergewehr 42 (FG42)

The road leading to the adoption of the modern assault rifle was long and full of potholes. Throughout the years, as the landscape of warfare has changed, concerns, specifications and criteria have evolved significantly. This is the story of how most of the world came to use the modern rifles of today, starting with the design of the FG42.

The Fallschirmjägergewehr 42 was one of the outstanding small arms designs of World War II. Due to a combination of circumstances, no more than 7,000 were produced. This remarkable weapon nearly achieved the impossible feat of being a serviceable select-fire design using the old-style fullpower ammunition (7.92×57mm Mauser). It was one of the notable forerunners of the now popular assault rifles, all of which use lower-power ammunition and are thus more easily controlled.

The FG42 was produced for the German Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger (paratrooper) and was first used in the dramatic rescue of Mussolini; it later appeared in the beginning of 1944 in Italy, at Monte Cassino and in France at the invasion front. The FG42 is a gas-operated rifle that fires from an open breech when set at automatic fire in order to avoid ‘cook offs’ (premature discharges caused by overheating the round in the chamber), and from a closed breech, to improve accuracy, when set to
semi-automatic.

One per squad a day/night thermal sight/IR uncooled, weight less than 1,6 kg, restitution eyepiece and integrated video camera transmits images to the system. A wire connection links the weapon to the system. Head-mounted display for indirect observation. Foregrip with control buttons for sights/radio. (Photo: Daniel Linares, Sagem)

The FG42 was one of the first service rifles made in the now popular “straight line” configuration and it had a light bipod and an integral bayonet: all of this in a weapon weighing less than ten pounds (4.55 kg).

The FG42 had a 20 or 10 round magazine that was mounted on the left side of the rifle. Though a side-mounted magazine was common in submachine guns, the larger magazine with heavier ammunition tended to unbalance the weapon. In addition, muzzle rise with automatic fire was substantial and controllable bursts were difficult. This made full-automatic fire only marginally useful. The FG42 used a fairly sophisticated muzzle device that helped with recoil and muzzle flash, but made noise and blast much greater than on similar weapons. Unfortunately, the FG42 was expensive and time-consuming to make and, as a result, it was not favored by the German Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (the armed forces high command). The paratrooper arm of the Luftwaffe declined in importance as the war progressed and the rifle was never properly developed.

FG42 (Fallschirmjägergewehr 42 or “paratrooper rifle 42”) a select-fire battle rifle. Length: 940 mm, barrel: 508 mm, 4 grooves, right hand-hand twist, weight unloaded: 4.50 kg, magazine: 20-round detachable box, cyclic rate: 750 rpm, muzzle velocity: 762 m/s. (Photo: Håland, courtesy of FORSVARSMUSEET – The Norwegian Museum of Defense)

The predecessor to the Automatisches Gewehr G3 – Sturmgewehr 45

The StG 45(M) was a prototype assault rifle developed by Mauser for the Wehrmacht at the end of World War II using an innovative roller-delayed blowback operating system. It fired the 7.92×33mm Kurz (or “Pistolenpatrone” 7.9mm) intermediate cartridge at a cyclic rate of around 450 rpm. But this concept of strong fire, utility and material saving was not produced in any significant numbers and the war ended before the first production rifles were completed. By then it was too late to be taken into action and to have any importance for the war.

After the war, some German technicians involved in developing the StG 45(M) were involved in the development of the new versions and based these on the technical features of the StG 45(M), which then became the CETME Model A and CETME Model B, chambered for the 7.62x51mm, and thereafter the G3. The G3 uses the principle of blowback with delay by rollers, in which the movement of the rollers is controlled by the large firing pin, which forces them into engagement in the receiver sides. Furthermore, it has the ability to fire from a closed bolt in both semi-automatic and automatic firing modes. The 7.62x51mm NATO G3 rifles were modernized during their service life (among other minor modifications, they received new sights, a different flash suppressor, and a synthetic hand guard and shoulder stock), resulting in the most recent production models, the G3A3 (with a fixed polymer stock) and the G3A4 (telescoping metal stock). The rifle proved successful in the export market and was adopted by the armed forces of over 40 countries and in some cases continued to be produced
under license.

The StG 45(M), sometimes referred to as the MP 45(M), was a prototype assault rifle at the end of WWII, using an innovative roller-delayed blowback operating system. It fired the 7.92x33mm Kurz intermediate cartridge at a cyclic rate of around 450 rounds per minute. (Image: Mikesonline2011)

G3 for the Norwegian defense

In 1960, testing began for a new general assault/combat rifle for the Norwegian defense. Due to economic and political reasons, the G3 was finally adopted in 1966 under the designation name AG3. Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk (Kongsberg Arms Factory – now known as KONGSBERG) had already started preparation for the production of parts for 100,000 G3 rifles for the West German army, the “Bundeswehr,” as part of a re-purchase agreement. It was assumed that Norway would go for the G3. Under an agreement with Heckler & Koch, the Kongsberg Arms Factory produced the weapons under license. A total of 253,497 AG3s were delivered within the Norwegian defense forces from February 1967 to
November 1974.

G3A5: ca. 4.7 kg, length: ca. 1,045 mm, barrel: 450 mm, magazine: 20 rounds , rear sight: rotary dioptre; front: hooded post. A serrated thumb groove bolt carrier to aid in silent bolt closure. The G3A3 has a fixed stock and the G3A4 has a telescoping metal stock. (Photo: Rune Wemberg)

After 40 years with a derivative of the Sturmgewehr 45 – new requirements

Due to weight, age, type of ammunition and restricted adaptability, since the mid-1990s the Norwegian military had worked to replace the AG3 with a more modern weapon. The combat missions abroad in the 1990s and 2000s made the situation especially precarious. Most NATO countries had started to use 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition for their assault/combat rifles, while Norway was among the few countries that still had AG3s chambered in 7.62x55mm.

One of the few advantages of 5.56mm ammunition is that it’s lighter than 7.62mm, which means a lot when soldiers are in combat missions and have to carry extra ammo. Shedding weight and bulk from small arms and ammunition could be a lifesaver for an infantry soldier. Mobility and agility are essential for the survivability and effectiveness of ground troops. With estimates of the bulk carried by the average soldier reaching as high as 68 kg (approx. 150 lb.) for a three-day patrol, efforts to shed weight are always welcome. Small arms and ammunition are the most vital and yet the heaviest component of the kit – and the assault rifle is the soldier’s best friend.

This led the Norwegian defense to make small purchases of other types of assault rifles for the forces that operated on special missions abroad. The Norwegian defense had three types of assault rifles in service as of April 2007:

AG3 – 7.62mm, the standard rifle in use in almost all units.

Heckler & Koch G36 – 5.56 mm, in use in Coastal Ranger Command and, to a lesser extent, by soldiers in ISAF service (including the Telemark Battalion).

Colt Canada C8SFW – 5.56 mm, in use by Norwegian Special Forces.

Though 7.62 mm was the initial caliber, 5.56 mm showed up as a future option within NATO and for special and international forces. The main struggle was not a fight about which weapons to use, but which type of ammunition. There was a big debate within the Norwegian defense, but the ultimate decision was to use 5.56 mm.

Outside Meymane in 2006. A Norwegian soldier is with an AG3F1. All versions of the AG3 have the ability to attach a 40 mm HK79 grenade launcher. The 7.62mm powerful bullet fired from his AG3 has an effective firing range of 500m. (Photo: Per Arne Juvang, Forsvarets mediesenter)

Things Take Time

It’s been 33 years since the AG3 rifles went out of production. Norwegian forces, especially those participating in international operations, increasingly and loudly called for a new weapon. The AG3 is too heavy to carry, especially when combined with the rest of a soldier’s kit. The process of choosing a new weapon has been going on for 11 years, hindered by the fact that there are many strong, differing opinions within the military.

The original goal was to decide on a replacement for the AG3 by 2004. Candidates at that time were the C8, G36 and F2000. On October 13, 2005 the MoD reported on the decision to upgrade the AG3 while new weapons were being purchased. The upgrade included new sights, a new type of retractable stock and an RIS foregrip. This announcement gave rise to protests within the Armed Forces and after a period of time that decision was canceled.

In 2006, shooters from all of the armed services tested the candidate weapons and the upgraded AG3. At that time, the C8 SFW version of the C8 was also in service with the Norwegian Coastal Ranger Command and Armed Forces’ Special Command. The HK416 was selected as the new standard rifle for the defense while the HK417 was selected for the infantry sharpshooters (for use against soft targets).

A Norwegian soldier in Afghanistan with his HK416 368mm barrel, equipped with a proprietary accessory rail handguard with MIL-STD 1913 rails on all four sides, for a vertical foregrip, a bipod and Aimpoint CompM4 red dot sight plus 3XMag magnifier. (Photo: Arne Flaaten, Chief photo section, FORSVARETS FORUM)

In April 2007, a defense contract was signed with Heckler & Koch for the delivery of 8,200 HK416 rifles. The weapons would be delivered to the Army, Navy, Air Force and Home Guard task forces. Reserve forces of the Home Guard would retain the AG3.

Also in 2007, 100,000 AG3 were evaluated, and around 2,500 of these were upgraded with Picatinny rails, retractable stocks and new foregrips. The upgraded weapon was named the AG3F2. In October 2011, an initial order for 2.000 Aimpoint CompM4 sights (known as a “tubed” style reflector, or reflex, sight that uses a red LED at the focus of a mirror-type optical collimator to produce an aligned red aiming spot, what is commonly called a red dot sight) and an equivalent number of 3XMag magnifiers and an order of 10,000 Micro T-1 4 MOA was signed, followed in January 2012 by a second order for 12,000 CompM4s and 3,000 3XMags, adding to the approximately 40,000 sights already delivered to the Norwegian army.

Hunter – Killer

The caliber discussion is connected with the assault rifle. After WWII, the NATO-standard weapons became the FN FAL, the G3 and the M14. These three were proven to be excellent. In the late 1960s, the assault rifle concepts in East and West converged again. The U.S. adopted the .223 Remington (5.56x45mm) and in 1980 NATO followed suit. Many Warsaw Pact countries joined in and returned to small-caliber ammunition with the 5.45x39mm (M74) to replace the 7.62x39mm (M43). Adopting the lighter ammo simplified logistics and soldiers could now carry more ammo. Additionally, the new ammo had a straighter trajectory and less recoil, improving accuracy.

Aimpoint CEU “Concealed Engagement Unit” (Photo: Aimpoint)

Urban warfare has impacted the infantryman’s tools heavily, with compact rifles being the popular choice, as evidenced in America when the U.S. Army shifted from the M16 rifle to the M4 carbine. Reducing dimensions of a conventional rifle means reducing barrel length, which in turn generates a drop in the muzzle velocity (V0), usually with dire consequences on lethality. Guns and ammunition vary in mass (usually measured in grains) and projectile velocity (usually measured in feet per second or meters per second).

The formula for kinetic energy is ½ mv². For example the 7.62x39mm Russian has a mass of 123 Grains (8 grams)and a muzzle velocity (V0) of 2,350 fps (715 meters per second), which works out to 2,045 Joules (16 inch barrel length). 5.56mm NATO, 62 Grains (4 grams), muzzle velocity 2,944 fps (898 meters per second) which works out to 1,613 Joules (14.5 inch barrel length).

CEU behind Aimpoint sight, rotates 260o allowing the operator to look around (right- and left-hand) corners, up staircases, and down tunnels. CEU does not affect the sight’s point of impact and can easily be passed from one operator to another. The optics contained in the CEU gives a true image, not a distorted mirror image. (Photo: Aimpoint)

The M4’s 5.56mm bullet is very light. Its strength is velocity. Despite the mass shootings where they have been used at close range, their real strength is not in close quarters, but in shooting distant targets, especially at ranges of up to 400 meters. Because of its high velocity, it is affected less by wind and gravity. With the ballistics calculator from Winchester, one can compare the 5.56mm bullet with the lower velocity 7.62×39mm bullet (used by the AK-47 and a number of other rifles) that falls more quickly and is pushed further by a crosswind than the M4’s round. A .308 Hunting rifle, mass 0.0095 grams, V0 823 meters per second, works out to 3,217 Joules. The M4 with its round is actually less powerful than most hunting rifles used for animals like deer. Most European countries do have explicit legislation prescribing weapons, calibers and projectile energy to be used when hunting different species of game animals. The 5.56 mm bullet is prohibited due to its pure projectile energy. The M4 is one of the most popular infantry arms in U.S. military history, getting pretty favorable marks from combatants. One of the few complaints has been battlefield lethality, and most of those problems can be attributed to ammunition. Soldiers are having trouble dominating the battlefield past 300 or 400 meters (new ammunition such as the M855A1 EPR, etc. will not be discussed here).

On the other hand, when the M855’s 5.56mm bullet impacts at high velocity, on an opponent not protected by body armor, the bullet yaws in tissue, and the fragmentation creates a rapid transfer of energy which can result in dramatic wounding effects. Statistics mainly concentrate on the number of persons killed, for obvious reasons. But one should not forget the number of wounded persons. For every killed person there are eight wounded. It is difficult to reduce the number of kills drastically because they are often caused by explosion or accidents.

FAMAS delayed blowback rifle. The new variant has a low profile in which the integral sight and carrying handle is replaced by a Picatinny rail. It is the service rifle of the French military. The nearest FAMAS has a EOTech Holographic Weapon Sight. (Photo: Philippe Wodka-Gallien, Sagem)

Compact rifles are now the most popular choice, as evidenced in the U.S. when the army shifted from the M16 rifle to the M4 carbine. Reducing dimensions of a non-bullpup rifle means reducing barrel length, which in return generates a drop in the V0. The bullpup design relocates the action and feed aft of the trigger group, allowing for more compact carrying and better handling form when compared to a traditionally-configured assault rifle.

Additionally, the resulting design is able to retain use for a full length barrel and concentrates the bulk of the weapon at its rear, pressed firmly against the shoulder of the operator. This configuration has been growing in mainstream popularity in recent years, replacing the classic assault rifle form in several modern
military armies.

Conclusion

As weapons evolve, the delicate balance for assault rifle systems between power, weight, recoil and terminal effects will likely shift once again in an attempt to defeat body armor, to match the range of full-power cartridges and to penetrate through wind shields and thin skinned vehicles while still producing good terminal effects.

Norwegian Coastal Ranger Commandos on ski patrol. Shedding weight and bulk from small arms and ammunition could be a lifesaver for an infantry soldier. (Photo: Torbjørn Kjosvold, Forsvarets mediesenter)

STEYR AUG A3 version of the original rifle with a long Picatinny rail at 12 o’clock and two more on the sides. A bolt-catch system was implemented while an AR-15-like magazine release was developed for those used to that system, which is retrofittable to existing rifles. (Photo: Aud Håland)

MSBS 5.56, a Polish assault rifle system based on a common receiver which will allow the potential customer to choose between standard and bullpup rifle. Thermal Aiming Sight, Collimator Aiming Sight, Night Vision Monocular, Helmet Mounted Display. Helmet display as an Off-Axis Observation Device, e.g. “round-the-corner” work. (Photo: Aud Håland)

After the annexation of the Sudetenland and the destruction of Czechoslovakia as a result of the Munich Agreement of 1938, the entire local arms industry came under German influence, including well-known companies like Škoda. The Czechs were very advanced in weapons engineering, rich in experience and know-how and possessed modern factories. Even the conglomerate Ceskoslovenská Zbrojovka A.S. Brno (Czechoslovakian Arms Factory A.S. Brno) was placed under German administration. The then trademark “Z in the rifled barrel” has been retained and is still used even today.

From 1938 to 1945, the conglomerate operated under the names Waffenwerke Brünn I (Brno) and II (Bystrica) and was affiliated with the Reichswerke Hermann Göring, an industrial conglomerate of Nazi Germany. The main products were military equipment for the Wehrmacht (German Army) and Waffen-SS. Not only were German weapons like the Karabiner 98k made, but also Czech pre-war developments under a new designation. For example, the vz. 24 rifle as Gewehr 24(t), the ZB vz. 26 as MG 26(t) and the ZB vz. 37 as MG 37(t). The (t) in the German name stands for tschechisch (Czech).

Only light tanks like this Russian T-26 could be knocked out by anti-tank rifles.

One of the Brno-made weapons for the Waffen-SS was the anti-tank rifle Panzerbüchse (PzB) M.SS.41 in 7.92mm. It was originally based on a Czech pre-war development. In the year 1937, the Czech War Ministry requested the development of three anti-tank rifles in calibers 7.92, 13 and 15mm. One year later, the weapon was ready for trials in 7.92x145mm. It got the designation ZK 382. Its weight was 10.5 kg including a 5-round magazine. The War Ministry showed great interest and announced a demand of 10,000 pieces to Ceskoslovenská Zbrojovka.

No actual order was placed before the German Army occupied the country. Now under German management, the design was adapted for the Patrone 318 (7.92x94mm) as this ammunition was already in use with the anti-tank rifles introduced by the Wehrmacht. The bullet had a steel core, a tiny capsule of tear gas and a tracer. Later in the war, it was produced with a hardened steel core for better armor penetration. On December 16, 1939, the SS-Führungshauptamt (SS-Main Office) placed an order at the Waffenwerke Brno for 117 anti-tank rifles in caliber 15mm and 2,000 units in caliber 7.9mm. By January 1941, the first thousand weapons were completed and extensive shooting tests with the weapon Nr.1001 were carried out. It resulted in no necessary changes in the actual design. The finished weapons were shipped in lots of 150 pieces along with accessories to the SS-Main Office in Oranienburg.

The anti-tank rifles of the Wehrmacht (models PzB 38 and 39) were long and unwieldy single-shot weapons with falling-block action. After each shot, a new cartridge had to be loaded. This caused not only a waste of valuable time, but the shooter had to move the gun and thus lost sight of the target. Against the advanced tanks with heavier armor, the anti-tank rifles had little potential. Promising hits were only possible at sensitive areas, such as observation slits or motor and drive mechanisms. In contrast, the PzB M.SS.41 was a manually operated bolt action rifle with magazine feeding. The shooter could therefore keep the target in sight and fire up to six rounds before a magazine had to be changed.

The unauthorized development of PzB M.SS.41 by the Waffen-SS caused some irritation when the Allgemeines Heeresamt “AHA” (General Army Office) got wind of the plan. The SS Central Arsenal had placed an order of 200,000 cartridges for anti-tank rifles on June 10, 1941, from which the AHA logically concluded that the SS had begun the development of its own anti-tank rifle. The reply came promptly that both AHA and Chief H.Rüst.u.B.d.E. were taking a “negative position.” The SS, however, was not to be deterred from their plans. In October 1941, an inquiry was addressed to the company Gustav Appel for manufacturing of 3 or 4 barrels from unalloyed steel using the newly developed hammering method (this should extend the service life of the barrel bore). When the AHA heard about this, the SS Central Arsenal immediately got a negative notification: The company Appel is a development company of the Heereswaffenamt and already operating at full capacity. Thus, the Waffen-SS had to continue the production of its anti-tank rifle barrels from expensive alloy steel.

The PzB M.SS.41 is an extremely unusual construction for its time. It is in fact the first bullpup weapon ever officially introduced in an army. Placing action and magazine behind the trigger group permits a shorter overall weapon length. The bullpup design is widely used today because such weapons are relatively easy to use. One of the best known current representatives is the Austrian assault rifle STEYR AUG. The PzB M.SS.41 is short too. It measures only 128cm (50.4”), 34cm (13.4”) less than the model 38 anti-tank rifle.

Usually when reloading a weapon the bolt is moved back and forth while the barrel remains stationary. With the PzB M.SS.41 it is exactly the opposite and the reloading procedure is as follows: The shooter grabs the pistol grip, which is attached to the barrel, with his right hand and rotates it about 80 degrees up right. Now the barrel is unlocked and can be pushed forward. The spent cartridge case drops out of the gun. While pulling back the barrel, it picks up a new cartridge from the box magazine, which is attached to the stationary stock. In the rear position, the handle pivots back down and so again connects barrel and receiver. When the magazine is empty, the action is kept open by the protrusion of the magazine follower which stops the rearward movement of the barrel housing.

The applied safety is operated by pulling the barrel housing lock extension 1/2 inch to the rear, so that its rear alignment mark is aligned with the mark “S” (Sicher/Safe) on the barrel housing lock. Moving the barrel housing extension forward to its alignment with the “F” (Feuer/Fire) mark brings the gun to its fire position. When the action is in the safe position, the trigger cannot be pulled, nor can the action be opened. The mechanical safety device is a disconnector. If the trigger is pulled while the action is not entirely closed, the gun will not fire. Also, keeping the trigger depressed while completing the closing of the action will not permit the gun to fire. It is necessary to release the trigger and pull it again in order to release the sear.

The 5-shot ZK 382 in 7.92x145mm caliber during a trial in 1938.

The non-adjustable iron sights were zeroed for 500 meters and mounted on folding bases. To reduce the recoil, a muzzle brake was attached to the barrel and the stock got a padded leather cushion. The weapon is furnished with a bipod which folds and hinges forward for convenience in carrying. The bipod is attached to the front of the receiver jacket by inserting the bipod collar in a half-round slot and is fastened in place by a plunger-type catch. Most bipods are similar to the ones used on Czech machine gun models, but also the bipod of the MG 34 could be used. The barrel is fitted with a knob for retaining this type of bipod in carrying position. A leather strap is attached to the top of the barrel group, serving as a carrying handle. The carrying sling is attached to the right side of the weapon.

Even if the PzB M.SS.41 shows some advantages over the Wehrmacht anti-tank rifles, it could not stop the downfall of this type of weapon. The bullet could penetrate 30mm of armor from a distance of 100 meters resp. 20mm on a distance of 300meters (both at an angle of 90°). There was little chance to fight the heavy armored tanks that appeared on the battlefields later in the war. In August 1942, the production of the Patrone 318 ceased after a delivery of 93 million rounds. In February 1943, the Waffenwerke informed the SS Ordnance Office that the last remaining delivery of 58 pieces would be delayed until March. After that date, the production was cancelled. The future undoubtedly belonged to the rocket-propelled anti-tank weapons – a new type of weapon, on which the engineers of the SS-Waffenakademie Brno was already busy tinkering.

Technical data

Caliber: 7.92x94mm

Length overall: 1339mm (52.72 inches)

Length of barrel: 1100mm (43.30 inches)

Weight: (empty) 13kg (28.7 lbs)

Rifling: 4 grooves, right hand twist

Magazine capacity: 6 rounds

Weight of cartridge: 84 gr

Vo: 1,079 m/s

(Collection Dr. Geoffrey Sturgess, Switzerland)

The 5-shot ZK 382 in 7.92x145mm caliber during a trial in 1938.

The muzzle brake reduced the heavy recoil. Note the foldable front sight.

The safety is located on the left side of the pistol grip.

Soldier of the Waffen-SS with captured Russian heavy tank KW-1.

There was little chance to fight heavy tanks like the Russian T-34 or KW-2 with anti-tank rifles.

There was little chance to fight heavy tanks like the Russian T-34 or KW-2 with anti-tank rifles.

Patrone 318 with additional sealing (red color) for use in tropical regions.

Tool cartridge for armourers.

At the time of this writing, computers and related information technologies are a part of almost everything we say and do—a situation arguably both liberating and threatening. Additionally, such a transforming change may be well on its way to becoming an integral part of future small arms development. The once unthinkable fusion of lightweight materials, directional bursting munitions, and even directed energy devices point us towards a new generation of decidedly unique small arms systems. Such a radicalized future may soon be upon us—with additional portents of great change ahead. This article attempts to look at the future of small arms technology historically through the lens of the past.

Hubley Raygun

Advancement in small arms innovation tends to arrive as a mode of change, incremental and/or paradigmic. The former being evolutionary whereas the latter arrives by way of a sharp disjunction. In either case the change occurs via the means of production and/or weapon design. An example of an evolutionary weapon is arguably that of the dependable, long-serving British Brown Bess musket. It was the individual combatants’ weapon for the British Army for a decidedly long period of time (1772–1838). Other than several variants and product improvements, it was a masterpiece of stasis in a time of preindustrial manufacturing—an iconic evolutionary small arm to be sure.

Turning now to paradigmic change, such is exemplified by the Swedish-Norwegian designed Springfield Model 1892 Krag-Jørgensen rifle. Also known as the “Krag,” it arrived as an abrupt break with American traditional small arms, i.e. the M1873 single-shot breech-loading .45-70 caliber black-powder service rifle (with a muzzle velocity of 1350 fps). No doubt the “Krag” of the 1890s was a consummately modern service rifle. It featured a magazine-fed bolt-action system and fired a 30-40 caliber “smokeless” cartridge with a muzzle velocity of about 2400 fps with a flat trajectory and rapidity with accuracy out to 900 yards.

The Politics of Acquisition

Politics factor into most areas of human endeavor and weapon procurement is no different. So too it might have occurred in the early 1890s had not ordnance officers proved intractable towards matters standing wholly aside from the point. Lacking the credentials of “American ingenuity,” the “Krag” service rifle candidacy quickly devolved into the perfect foil for several domestic American arms makers. Designated as the official U.S. Army service rifle (1892–1899), it was to be mass produced at the National Armory at Springfield, Massachusetts. No matter, several major domestic arms makers fought vociferously against the “Krag” selection. Central to which were accusations of it being an insulting creature of Swedish-Norwegian design—a palpable affront to national pride. As a result, two years would pass as Congressional lobbying sought to overturn this “not invented here” foreign rifle. In the end, the “Krag” did seemingly win the day and all claimants ultimately fell silent.

Springfield Model 1892 Krag-Jørgensen rifle.

Despite fending off the corrupt politics of the Gilded Age, there were other matters that the acquisition process needed to focus on—first and foremost being the “threat”. The late 19th century was a time of “manifest destiny” as America came to see itself as a global power. The official enemy was a mix of domestic and foreign belligerents. Native Americans continued in their armed struggle against land theft and forced population displacement albeit the struggle was bloody and futile. Mexican bandits and their raids led to Army incursions into Mexico. Interest in European arms making was in vogue as a war with England became a distinct possibly in the mid 1890s. Such threats, real or imagined, fueled how arms developers thought about the “threat.” Such would remain arguably the most potent spur to technological change until World War I wiped that slate clean. To quote German military philosopher Carl von Clausewitz (1780–1831 CE), “[one] ought always to keep his eye on the enemy, in order that he may not have to defend himself with a dress rapier if the enemy takes up a sharp sword.” By such reflective thinking, we hopefully anticipate the advent of the best and brightest technologies and seek them out regardless of national origin.

The Past as Prologue

The timeline of this essay concludes upon the 100th adversary of the ending of World War II (2045), a titanic war of such magnitude that it continues to reverberate in the developed and developing world. More so, it begs the seminal question: Will the future produce another three hegemonic wars: World War I (1916–1918); World War II (1939–1945) and The Cold War (1947–1991)? Or will relatively lesser wars such as the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 or the marathon-like Vietnam War (1954-1975) dot the decades ahead? How might small arms gestate in the prism of such possible futures?

As for contemplating future weapons, we might re-contextualize the past by light of recent outcomes and look to our active imagination as a beacon to guide us. Never an easy task, we stand before a staggering problem concealed by way of a glass darkly and solutions will likely come from miscalculation. To get a hand-hold on such a slippery slope, let us first look backwards to the remote predecessor of small arms—and thereby begin with the original firearm itself.

Small arms began as very primitive terror weapons—a fearsome engine replete with belching fire, thundering reverberations and billowing smoke. Full of sound and fury, they were in essence a psychological weapon of fear and trepidation.

One such artifact is traceable to 1100 CE, a bulky weapon designed for defensive usage on castle ramparts. Unearthed in the late 19th century—it lay buried in debris near a castle in Germany. The weapon was little more than a pipe plugged in one end so as to direct the burning gases and facilitate the launching of a stone projectile. Near the breech was a touch hole to take a burning match and ignite the gunpowder inside—as for rate of fire, a good gunner might get one shot off every fifteen minutes. Albeit a humble beginning, every small arm that followed is but a footnote to this seminal system.

Springfield Trapdoor conversion rifle

Scroll forward now over the centuries into the early 1870s—and note how in the ensuing centuries the crude hand cannon metamorphosed into a rather sophisticated small arms system composed of the lock, stock and barrel. The propellant charge and ball were transformed into a unified cartridge—enclosing primer, powder and bullet. Iron sighting systems aided the shooter in aiming the weapon.

The industrialization of the United States enabled the promise of capabilities to be actualized by machinery and science in the early 19th century. Yet amid this great season of intuitional change came resistance. For example, in the post-Civil War era the U.S. Army retained a legacy rifle—the aforementioned single-shot Springfield Trapdoor conversion rifle. Such legacy muskets saved the budget-focused Ordnance Department many thousands of scarce production and development dollars. In a time of precipitous declining military budgets, the impact might be likened to that of putting a brake on technological change.

The Single-Loader Controversy

One of the essential reasons for retaining the antiquated Trapdoor Springfield was that it was a single-shot system—seen then as a great positive. For the single-loader, technology was considered doctrinally essential, the underlying theory being that it was the only effective way of keeping intellectually challenged and/or jittery troops from wasting precious ammunition. The one well-aimed shot mantra held a nearly religious fixation upon officers in the late 19th century stationed in Trans-Mississippi West. It was not until the mass carnage of World War I that the value of magazine-fed rapid firing bolt-action rifles as well as belt-fed machine guns was demonstrated. Such would change attitudes en masse. Small arms acquisition arguably remains a resistance medium of entrenched cultural attitudes.

M1A1 Thompson submachine gun

To overmatch a military competitor (or competitors) in arms and armaments is a core enabler in future battle, albeit easily said and hard to do, as one type of weapon rarely fits all combats. For example, in the warfare of the World War II European Theater the M1 Garand rifle was a good instrument in the multiplicity of long range vistas found in the European terrain. However, half a world away amid the hindering terrain abounding in the jungles of the Pacific Theater, the M1 Carbine, the M1A1 Thompson submachine gun, M2A17 flamethrower, or even the M1911A1 Colt pistol often proved better suited for the more prevalent close-quarter combats. And so a family of small arms generally eclipsed the jack of all trades small arms system. Developers strive for a foundational logic and system tradeoffs, but exceptions still mar our attempts to make the better into the best.

Unconditional Hegemonic War: The doomsday scenario of unprecedented magnitude entailing the exchange of nuclear weapons—possibly a species-eradicating event or at least one involving protracted collateral damage to the biosphere. As for possible survivors, small arms usage here might be more a law enforcement tool and urban security weapon—the aftermath suggesting an anarchic dystopia with pockets of regional communities and bandit marauders operating in isolation.

Conventional War: Such armed struggle would likely entail some restraints on the usage of chemical, biological, radiological and other variations on weapons of mass destruction. Small arms and conventional ordnance may well take center stage as such wars appear as an updated version of World War II with large armies in multiple locales—updated via the high
ground of outer space.

Unconventional Wars: Arguably the most small-arms-intensive forms of military action, such wars are typically both up-close and brutally personal. Racial, ethnic, religious, political stress and strife combine to destabilize the standing order of power holders. Courses of action may entail offering military support to the morally onerous and others of dubious distinction. An overlay targeting those states processing strategic substances and/or fossil fuels may afford more incentive than justification. Such wars could be protracted and lead to spin-off conflicts in which the exit strategy ends in safe zones.

Occupational and/or Peacekeeper Forces: These are in themselves highly problematic and tend to call for law enforcement and paramilitary small arms and less-lethal crowd control devices. Indigenous people rarely welcome occupation. A fact summed up by philosopher and resistance fighter Jean Paul Sartre (writing in occupied France during World War II), who described his rage towards the German occupiers and thereby explained how the hatred of the Germans was strongest when Nazi officers showed courtesy towards French citizens.

Nighthawk

The future opponent may well be eclectic and vary in styles and practice—and replete with a full spectrum of warfighting possibilities. This is somewhat unnerving as such opponents may come to mirror our own capabilities. Children soldiers might redefine the morality of fighting indigenous peoples. The proliferation of small arms among such combatants is likely to escalate as religious and national forces meld and unify. Such combatants, animated by hate and ground down by intractable poverty, may well stymie even the most diplomatic expeditionary forces.

Can small arms be made to meet a full spectrum of wars and warfare? Not likely, excepting if the defense budget revisits the heady Reagan buildup of the early 1980s. More likely, only the most serviceable legacy small arms will be earmarked for limited funding—with others more promising, but costly, falling below the cutline.

Fire Control

Since the 1840s, fire control has enabled the improved viewing of the battlefield though an optical scope. This is only a bellwether of things to come. For as the old verities advise: “To be seen is to be hit, and to be hit is to be killed.” Such homilies will likely take on added credibility as transparency technologies transform the un-seeable into the exacting illuminated. For in the future, remarkable amplification may provide the God’s eye view so packaged in a diminutive fire control system.

Manufacturability

Evolution in manufacturing economies of scale spiked during the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century and thereafter. Small arms went from a handicraft item to machine production—whole armies could now be armed in ways that only the nobility could during the Renaissance (14th–17th centuries). No matter, small arms of the future could become so costly as to make manufacturers delimit their mass production—if one reflects upon an F-117 Nighthawk aircraft as a model for extreme costs coupled with great capability, might not small arms also go exponential in a similar manner?

Machine Guns

In World War I, the U.S. entered the war with about 1,450 outmoded machine guns residing in the Army inventory. When the war ended in 1918, American machine guns numbered (purchased from allies or American manufactured) in the hundreds of thousands. The resultant American casualties born of poor planning created a vitriolic public outcry following the War’s ending, a result of which led to the creation of the “American Preparedness Movement”—albeit the U.S. would still enter World War II martially underequipped and arguably absent adequate production capacity for small arms. Thereafter the industrial defense base aspired to become a peacetime reality.

M1 Garand Rifle

Size, weight and configuration matter. And when it comes to small arms, less is often more. Decades from now, getting around the battle areas will likely remain challenging. However, human musculature might be supplanted in the future by exoskeletons or propulsion hardware shrunken in size via remarkably small machines. Autonomous carryall packs might replace the ammo pouch. Back to the future, aero transport may mimic the jetpacks and flying gadgets of President Eisenhower’s New Look Army circa the 1950s.

The human body arguably remains the default position as the designated platform—but that too could change. Given that the former assumption remains the case, the dimensions of small arms will remain somewhat at traditional levels (the M1 Garand rifle of WWII weighing out at about 9.5 lbs.—the heaviest Army-issued standard combat rifle).

With each new addition to the soldier’s kit the added weight impairs mobility. This simple truism is often overlooked as the capability of the new addition is deemed so worthy as to render the soldier’s additional burden a military necessity. Miniaturization of equipment and user-friendly configurations may well alleviate the stacking problematic of an appetite that grows in the feeding. Given the trend towards micro-machines and the near infinite scaling down of communication systems and information technologies, fire control may well be the mega recipient of such advances in reductions. So too, the receiver group to muzzle may be in for an analysis by which small arms might be made anew, all of which implies greater movement and enhanced agility on the part of the combatant. Rapidity in movement may remain a corollary to survivability in battle even out to midcentury.

Armed Robots

Why put a soldier in harm’s way when a robot can be employed? Armed robots are not new, but their application across a wide spectrum of war-fighting is a growing reality in combat. Such machines can act as the commander’s eyes and ears on the battlefield or a monitor in peacekeeping/occupational duties. Armed robots are also a way of extending reach without exposing one’s soldiers to attack. To date the attending problem is the matter of innocent noncombatants being killed as a function of area targeting. Unintentional casualties will likely prompt inquests into the morality of the how and why of armed robot attacks.

Death Rays and Disintegrator Beams

Kinetic energy weapons have been the norm of small arms weaponry for hundreds of years. Familiarity over time has given us a comfort level with it. Yet stasis is a precursor to change, for we arguably stand on the cusp of a new age of advanced weaponry possibly powerful beyond belief and scalable down to be handheld or shoulder fired. Some of these esoteric technologies have been examined and tested for more than a few decades now. At the time of this writing, most seem problematic for a variety of reasons. The weather might scatter a beam or otherwise degrade target effects. Huge power and/or scarce strategic substances requirements can dim developer or user enthusiasm. So too such fanciful technologies remain mythic. Maybe so, but they are not unprecedented, for example, the transistor compacted tube radios. Information technologies offer us creative use and/or insidious abuse. So too the possibility of yet-to-be-developed beam or wave technologies might yet shake all traditional warfare to its foundations.

Postscript

This prolegomena is but a gloss on status of small arms development at midcentury, the central claim being that future small arms will bear a family resemblance to today’s weapons. And that, such metrics will hold as long as human carrying-capacity is overtaxed by weapon, ammunition, equipment and etc. Standoff is thought a premium for further unpacking the issue of being able to hit while remaining safe from being hit in turn. This capability might well meld force protection with force projection. In summary, our striving to secure enhanced lethality and improved stopping power will likely remain a journey and not a destination. And so, we the living of the year 2015 squint to get a glimpse at the small arms of 2045—knowing full well that the military professionals of many years hence will smile knowingly at our smugness.

ABOVE: The Colt 9mm-pattern carbines never achieved the success they should have. They were never really pushed by Colt sales due to Colt not wanting anything to compete with their own M4 carbines. However, this is an excellent 9mm weapon system. Shown with SWAT Officer Mike Magri, this modernized 9mm SMG has all the versatility of its 5.56mm big brother.

Although the 9mm carbine/SMG is rarely found in U.S. law enforcement, it is still found throughout the world: the Caribbean, India, Central and South America, to name a few. In the early 1980s, Colt decided to get into the 9mm business. At the time, the majority of the 9mm SMG business was owned by Heckler & Koch with their MP5. Colt put one of the finest engineers in the industry, Mr. Henry “Hank” Tatro, on the project. His product development spawned some very interesting prototypes. Hank had to work around an important requirement: to keep as many parts in common with the M16 as possible. The first model was actually an open bolt operated SMG. The bolt was one piece with a slightly modified extractor. The barrel was cut down to around 10 inches. There was a two-piece magazine well adapter, which permitted the use of a slightly modified UZI magazine. The ejector was mounted into the rear adapter and a feed ramp was attached to the forward adapter in the magazine well. One of the more interesting features is that the SMG had a grip safety, similar to that of the UZI as well. Initial testing showed two things. First, that Hank needed to completely rework the extractor and second, the open bolt mechanism he had was not reliable. Even with the grip safety, if the SMG was dropped it was prone to release the bolt and unintentionally fire a round or two.

So the decision was made to go with a closed bolt mechanism. The operating dynamics of a 9mm are quite different from that of the 5.56mm cartridge. The faster burning pistol powder causes a higher cyclic rate and needs to be slowed down. The closed bolt mechanism chosen is a blowback operation. Once the trigger is pulled and strikes the firing pin, the mass of the bolt, action spring and hammer spring provide enough resistance to keep the breech closed until pressures drop enough to safely extract and eject the fired cartridge case. The buffer is made out of steel and is comprised of two pieces with three rubber disks in between them. This not only provides the proper amount of mass, but also prevents bolt carrier bounce on fully-automatic fire. When firing, early rifles showed that un-burnt powder would strike the shooter in the face and it would sometimes burn the shooter. To correct this, Tatro designed a gas deflector to be added to the rear of the ejection port. Many misconstrued this for a fired cartridge case deflector. Due to the ejection mechanism, left-handed shooters would not be struck by fired cartridge cases. The ejection port dust cover was cut in half so the gas deflector would fit.

This is a early model of the Colt 9mm SMG. Notice the lack of threads on the muzzle but, more importantly, the grip safety on the back of the pistol grip. This early Colt Gun Room model fired from the open-bolt mechanism.

The lower receiver is a standard M16/AR-15 lower receiver. Another modification made to the trigger mechanism was the use of stainless steel trigger pins. Due to the high bolt velocity, the hammer would get “slapped” down quite hard and break the standard hammer pin. The standard 2-poition receiver extension was used with the mentioned 9mm buffers. Also introduced was a cost effective 1-piece buffer for use in semi-auto-only carbines.

The early magazines were UZI 32 round magazines with a mag catch slot cut for the AR mag catch. Later Colt went on to develop its own magazines, manufactured by Metalform. For a short period of time Colt used magazines manufactured by C Products, but later switched back to Metalform. Colt sold both 20- and 32-round magazines.

The first open-bolt prototype used a modified M16 extractor. This proved problematic and was quickly abandoned (so was the open bolt mechanism in favor of a closed bolt blowback operation). Notice the stamp on the magazine well, “Colt Gun Room,” indicating it was a prototype.

Colt went on to introduce the commercial 16-inch AR-15 9mm carbine (R6540), which was for the most part identical to the R0635 with a few changes. The upper and lower were the commercial large diameter front pivot pin, which used a screw and collet. The bolt was a semi-auto-only version. Next to market was the Pre-Sporter rifle that was updated with a lower made from an A2 forging. Added to this rifle was the magazine BOSS. There was a transition from the screw and collet to the MIL-SPEC pin with a screw on the left side to the use of a captive pivot pin. It was around this time when Colt switched to the 1-piece mag well adapter. First versions were secured by way of a tensioning screw. This did not work out well because, when overtightened, the magazine well would be flared and ruined. The final design was the 1-piece mag well adapter drilled and pinned into the receiver. Then came the Colt Sporter 9mm, which Colt voluntarily modified. The bayonet lug was removed and the telescopic stock was replaced with a fixed stock. The fire control group was modified to use 0.170-inch large pin hammer/trigger pins instead of the standard 0.154-inch pins, then an automatic sear block was machined into and pressed into the lower receiver. Then came the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994. To comply with the law, Colt removed the flash suppressor and hence created the Match Target 9mm Carbine (MT6430).

After the sunset of the ban in 2004, the AR6450 was sold to the commercial market. In late 2008, a change was made to go back to standard 0.154-inch hammer and trigger pins. The AR6450 no longer had the restricted marking. Colt released a new model, the AR6451. The difference was the use of a flattop upper receiver. Colt usually has one run a year of the 9mm.

Close-up views of the prototype receiver. Notice a standard M16 lower with the mag well adapter pinned in. This photo shows a close up of the grip safety as well.

Like its 5.56mm big brother, the 9mm carbine has been taken on by numerous companies. These companies have dedicated large sums of money to enhancing the carbine design, not only in the areas of reliability, but in making it just as modular as the M4. You can now basically configure the 9mm in the same way you can the M4. This includes the use of rail systems, enhanced fire control groups, stocks, pistol grips, buffers and backup sights. Any of the modern military grade optics can be used on it as well. For this article, this author built a modern 9mm carbine out of hand-selected components which he felt were a massive improvement over the standard legacy 9mm carbine. As a disclaimer, this is like an Erector Set, there are endless things you can do and this is but one vision of the ideal 9mm carbine.

Perhaps the most significant development in the 9mm AR (since it came to market by Colt) was designed by Jon Beaudry of Double Diamond Law Enforcement Supply. Jon designed and manufactured a dedicated 9mm lower receiver. Unlike all the ones before it, which were all based on the standard lower receiver and use a magazine well adapter or have the well cut to accept the 9mm magazine, such as the CMMG, the DDLE lower is manufactured from a billet which permits it to have the magazine well cut back to the proper size of the 9mm magazine. Not only does it look better, it is lighter because the design got rid of unused aluminum. Beaudry put a nice flare on the bottom of the well for low-level light reloading. The trigger guard is integral with the lower receiver. To deal with the ejection problems, Beaudry developed a free-floating ejector that aligns properly with the bolt to ensure against failures to eject. He improved on the bolt catch as well, there is more gripping surface to ensure positive bolt lock. DDLE offers the receiver in both 6061-T6 as well as 7075-T6 aluminum. There is also an adjustment screw to adjust the tightness of the upper and lower receiver. DDLE broke off with their partner in late 2014 and former partner Russ Klawunn opened up his own shop, Quarter Circle 10.

Shown is Colt’s production model 9mm SMG (R0635). This is the most commonly sold Mil/LE version of the Colt 9mm family of firearms. Notice the 10.5 inch barrel, standard carbine handguards and A1 carrying handle, as well as the gas deflector behind the ejection port.

The upper receiver is a custom VLTOR MUR (Modular Upper Receiver) with a modified side plate. The fired cartridge case deflector was ground down and the gas deflector and ejection port cover were added. The barrel is manufactured by Yankee Hill Machine. It is a fluted barrel and attached to the end is a Vortex flash suppressor manufactured by Smith Enterprises, Inc.. The handguard chosen is manufactured by Centurion Arms, the C4 10-inch free floating rail (part number: 060910). It does not require any special barrel nut and provides quad MIL-STD-1913 rails. On the left, right and bottom rails are Manta advanced rail protectors. They are unmatched in heat (and even cold) protection.

The bolt is a standard selective fire Colt bolt. The charging handle is the VLTOR Gunfighter charging handle which has a high-profile extended latch, making for easier actuation. For folding backup sights, the A.R.M.S., Inc. #40L rear and #40L-F front sights were used. These are metal sights of the highest quality.

The Colt 9mm weapons are extremely reliable and durable. Shown is a mud test conducted by the Indian Special Forces. The SMG functioned flawlessly when fired.

Blitzkrieg Components provided two of their buffers for testing. One is a hydraulic buffer, which has the proper overall length for the 9mm, so no spacers are needed. This buffer made a significant difference on perceived recoil. In fact, this buffer is left in the carbine after testing. Hydraulic buffers have been around for a while and the problem has always been their reliability. Like the 9mm carbine/SMG, they have also evolved. The other buffer tested was the Blitzkrieg Components 9mm AKTIVE Buffer. This is also the proper length and offers some cushion as well to reduce recoil, certainly several steps ahead of the standard buffer, but not quite as good as the hydraulic.

The magazines chosen were the time-tested Colt Metalform 20- and 32-round magazines, as well as 20- and 32-round magazines by Ammunition Storage Components. The Metalform magazines use a metal follower and the ASC magazines use a bright orange follower made of polymer. All of these magazines have witness holes to see how many rounds are in them.

The Colt 9mm SMG, shown doing a water test by the Indian Special Forces (Octopus).

This rifle was tested with two different types of ammunition. First is Winchester 9x19mm NATO M882 ball. This is the standard U.S. government-issue ammunition with a 124gr full metal jacket, firing at 1,185 feet per second. This velocity would be considered a +P by SAAMI standards. The ammunition procured was from their Law Enforcement ammunition line (part number RA9124N). The second is manufactured by Black Hills Ammunition. No malfunctions encountered in nearly 1,000 rounds.

As previously stated, this is but one variation of the countless number of accessories that are out there. With the selected gear, anything you would want on a M4, you can place on the 9mm carbine. The 9mm carbine has come a long way since the initial design Hank Tatro did in the 1980s. The one great thing about the boom of manufacturers of this platform is that each company will try to improve upon the products to make them just that much better. In fact, they compete with each other to see who comes out with the better mousetrap.

Close-up view of the receivers (right side) of the Colt SMG (R0635). Notice the SMY has semi as well as full auto capability, this SMG has a 20-round Metalform 9mm magazine, A1 carrying handle and rear sight, as well as the gas deflector behind the ejection port.

The 9mm dedicated lower receiver (Jon Beaudry design) offers several enhancements over the Legacy design. Notice the actual feed ramps in front of the magazine (right) compared to the smooth ramp of the legacy (left). Also notice the Beaudry-designed free floating ejector (right) compared to the Legacy (left), which requires adjustment after assembly. Also notice the Beaudry design has a dedicated 9mm magazine well, not a converted M16/M4 magazine well with an adapter.

Around the same time as the build of the custom 9mm carbine was completed, a brand new magazine hit the market, manufactured by X Products. This is a rotary 50-round magazine that is quite durable and manufactured from aluminum. The bolt used in this 9mm carbine build is a Colt newer-generation enhanced bolt. The portion which picks the round up off of the magazine is smaller than the other ones, which are based on the earlier Colt 9mm bolts. There may be compatibility problems if you have this older-style bolt. Quarter Circle 10 is now offering a bolt which is compatible with the X Products drum and Glock magazines.

The Colt-pattern/UZI 9mm magazines are very difficult to load and will give you an extremely sore thumb. If you have one of these systems, the Maglula UpLULA for the Colt 9mm SMG mags is an absolute must.

One of the more significant advancements recently in the 9mm carbine arena is the hydraulic buffer. The recoil on the 9mm is more stout than that of the 5.56mm rifle due to the heavy mass of the 9mm bolt. Shown are two of the buffers tested (both manufactured by Blitzkrieg Components, LLC). The top is the hydraulic 9mm buffer, which is made longer to avoid bolt acceleration before the bolt impacts the bolt catch, keeping the trigger compartment covered to prevent cartridge cases from entering the trigger compartment. The bottom is the 9mm AKTIVE buffer (it’s not hydraulic, but it still cushions the blow of the 9mm bolt to the rear).

The history of the facility, as noted from the KSSF website, shows their commitment:

Shooting since its first beginnings was associated with strength and manhood. It started as a weapon, then developed to be an elite sport.

Islam urged the Muslims to practice the shooting sport and made it on par with horsemanship and swimming, as put by Omer Bun Al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him):

“Teach your sons swimming, shooting and horsemanship”

Thus shooting remained always with Arabs as source for their pride whether it was a weapon for defense or as a hobby and sport.

Shooting & Kuwait

The first shooting ranges covering skeet, pistol and rifle ranges were built by the Kuwait Oil Company and the facility was inaugurated by H.H. the Amir Sheik Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah when he was the governor of Ahmadi at that time. In 1959 this club was called the “Kuwait Shooting Club”.

The First board of directors was formed by the 64 founding members on Monday 23/1/1995. The proclamation of the club as an independent entity devoted for shooting sport only enhanced and developed Kuwait shooters’ abilities and provided them with latest international news and development in their sport.

International sponsors include:

International Olympic Committee

Olympic Council of Asia

Contact:

Postal Address : P.O Box No : 8, Dasma, 13085, Kuwait

Location: Sixth Ring Road,

Kuwait City

Tel : +(965) 1840040

Fax : +(965) 24670055

Email : kssf@kssf.com.kw 

Website: www.kssf.com.kw

In January 2014, various journalists, aid workers, and others have documented the presence of brass shotgun slugs in the streets of Kiev. An eyewitness (interviewed by ARES) described one such projectile as having been fired into a crowd he was standing with. Two images (IMG #1 and #2 right) depicting the fired projectiles were posted on Twitter by Christopher Miller and Oleksandr Aronets, both on the 22nd of January, 2014.

The projectiles shown are specialised armor-piercing (AP) 12 gauge shotgun projectiles, believed to have been developed and produced by the Spetstekhnika (Specialized Equipment) design bureau, a facility located in Kiev and associated with the Ukraine Ministry of Internal Affairs. The projectiles are comprised of either a brass or aluminium slug and a core of (likely hardened) steel, designed to act as a penetrator. The design of the projectile has been optimized for stopping vehicles, and the cartridge is referred to as a “car stopper.” (IMG #4 opposite page center), provided by a fellow IAA member, shows an example of a complete cartridge, an unfired projectile, and a wad column. It should be noted that the cartridge case pictured, with a headstamp indicating production by Baschieri & Pellagri Spa of Italy, is commercially available and does not indicate where the loaded cartridge was produced. Shotgun shells are particularly difficult to identify from headstamps alone, as a range of third-party producers can be involved in the supply of shotgun cartridge cases (hulls and brass heads) to manufacturers of complete cartridges. Shotgun shell cases supplied on government contracts often follow commercial marking practices, making them difficult to distinguish from cartridges used for civilian purposes.

Contrary to some information circulating online, these slugs are not Blondeau-type projectiles. Additionally, the larger “end” of the projectile is the forward portion. There also appears to be some confusion as to the purpose of these cartridges, with some sources claiming they are primarily used as breaching rounds. Unlike dedicated breaching cartridges, which typically make use of frangible projectiles of sintered metal powder, these slugs are not intended to disintegrate upon impact.

Suffice to say, these projectiles are lethal, and would not generally be fired in the course of a crowd-control action. Firing such cartridges against human targets certainly constitutes lethal force and, whilst effective within range constraints, would be an unusual choice. Other cartridge types would be more readily available, cheaper, and more effective if lethal force was required.

This article is courtesy of Armament Research Services (ARES) – www.armamentresearch.com

Armor-piercing (AP) 12 gauge shotgun projectiles fired in Kiev. Christopher Miller.

Armor-piercing (AP) 12 gauge shotgun projectiles fired in Kiev. Oleksandr Aronets

From left to right: a complete cartridge, an unfired projectile, and a wad column. Confidential source

Bienvenidos al Museo Militar

Construido en lo que alguna vez fue la casa del Prócer Antonio Ricaurte, es un Museo Histórico en donde a través de la labor de las Fuerzas Militares, de su armamento y elementos de dotación se enseña sobre la Independencia, la libertad y la conservación de la democracia de nuestro país.

En sus ocho salas y dos patios el visitante podrá sumergirse en la Historia Militar y ser partícipe de su construcción en el día a día, y a su vez convertirse en multiplicador de conocimiento para las nuevas generaciones.

What appears to be a Becker 20mm variant on a wheeled mount.

Colombia has a history rich in both cultural and military events. These are frequently inseparable, so a museum’s job is complicated by the need to wind the threads of both histories into their displays.

The museum was founded on August 6, 1982, with military weapons and equipment of the former Museum of Weapons of the Military Cadet School Jose Maria Cordoba. In the eight showrooms and two courtyards are the most representative pieces of the Military Forces of Colombia: the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.

There are many older artifacts in the Military Museum of Colombia, but they tend to be in the modern period (after the invention of firearms). This is not a display of weapons from the indigenous period. Europeans came to the area in 1499 with the Spanish explorers. There are excellent and very thorough displays of the development of military handguns and ammunition in use in Colombia, but the stars of the show are the machine guns and cannon. There are two Gatlings on display, as well as other early machine guns such as an 1895 Colt “Potato Digger” and a brass Maxim from Vickers Sons & Maxim.

One of the most interesting aspects of the museum is the improvised and adapted weapons of the La Violencia (The Violence) period in the late 1940s through the mid-1950s. Colombia was one of the USA’s staunch allies in the Korean War, but at home there was a lot of action as well. Many of the photos shown with this article are of homemade or adapted weapons from that fighting. This author’s favorite is the Lahti 1939 20mm anti-tank cannon that has been adapted to fire .50 BMG cartridges (12.7x99mm). This conversion has been attempted many times by recreational shooters in the United States, but this example in the museum is born of the necessities of combat.

Getting to the museum is fairly easy, and once your taxi drops you there, it’s easy to navigate the displays. The museum is housed in a beautiful older building that is restored and fits into the local facades very nicely. There have been recent renovations which are bringing the appearance of the display areas to a more modern and professional level, and the hard work is paying off. The building has a significant historical interest, as this was the home of the family of the Colombian hero Antonio Ricaurte, a courageous and brave captain who offered his life at the orders of Simón Bolivar in the Hacienda de San Mateo (Venezuela).

What appears to be a 20mm Hispano on naval mount

SADJ also suggests getting a map and setting up a walking tour of the area down to the main square and sampling the street food. There are dangers to visitors to Colombia, as there are in any area where there is some active conflict. It is best to consult your embassy and perhaps hire a driver and guide from your hotel to stay safe.

And please, don’t forget to make a donation to the museum fund on the way out, museums like this one can only share the history and artifacts with future visitors if they have your support.

Y por favor, no se olvide de hacer una donación al fondo de museo en la salida, museos como éste sólo pueden compartir la historia y los artefactos con los futuros visitantes si tienen su apoyo.

Hours: Tuesday-Friday 0900-1600, Weekends 1000-1600

Website: http://museo-militar.webnode.com.co/

Email: museomilitarfm@gmail.com

Address: Calle 10 #4-92, Bogotá D.C.

Tel: +57 281-2548

In the Plaza de Armas de Artilleria, there are some very interesting variants of 20mm cannon adapted to the Colombian Army use.

some very interesting variants of 20mm cannon adapted to the Colombian Army use. BELOW:

Danish Madsen-Saetter light machine gun on correct tripod.

Twin high-speed Madsen machine guns in 8mm, with drum feeds, adapted to an M1917A1 tripod for ground use.

1939 Lahti 20mm anti-tank cannon, converted to .50 BMG, mounted on FN30 tripod. Note in the inset, how the magazine has been shortened to feed the .50 caliber round.

Colt Model 1895 “Potato Digger” on medium height tripod. Caliber appeared to be 7mm Mauser.

Original Colt 1877 ten-barrel “Bulldog” Gatling gun, in caliber .433, adapted for display on a 1917A1 tripod.

Ten-barrel open style Colt Gatling Gun, what appears to be a Model of 1895 on improvised cannon mount.

Number one,
you’ve got to
get us off
gunpowder… 

—Adm. Jonathan Greenert, Chief of Naval Operations, February 4th, 2015

Four-star Admiral Greenert, stating the Navy’s foremost priority before a distinguished audience of military, government, academia, and industry representatives in Washington, D.C. at the 2015 Naval Future Force Science and Technology Expo, repeated the enduring reality that, “Probably the biggest vulnerability of a ship is its magazine, because that’s where all the explosives are.”

But the Chief of Naval Operations wasn’t daydreaming about concepts existing only in science fiction. Greenert specifically noted that the Office of Naval Research’s (ONR) Laser Weapon System (LaWS) and the Electromagnetic Railgun – weapon programs vital to the future force – are up and running right now.

In a quantum leap from the gunpowder and shot armament of all American warships since the “Old Ironsides,” (the USS Constitution, which was commissioned some 216 years ago), the USS Ponce made U.S. Navy history in late 2014 by being the first warship publicly acknowledged to be deployed in the Persian Gulf with a fully operational, high power, anti-materiel laser as one of its standard weapon systems.

USS Ponce

Not coincidentally, the USS Ponce (AFSB(I)-15), originally an amphibious assault ship, has emerged from major refitting as an Afloat Forward Staging Base for multiple roles including that of a Special Operations mothership. With highly sophisticated command and control electronics along with a flight deck, enormous well deck for large tactical watercraft, and plenty of room for a lot of special visitors and all their associated gear, the Ponce is well suited for many tasks, including that of hosting the A/N SEQ-3 (XN-1) prototype Laser Weapon System, known as LaWS.

In operational demonstrations tests while underway in September through December 2014, LaWS, a collaborative effort between ONR, NAVSEA, NRL, NSWC Dahlgren Division, and industry partners led by Kratos Defense & Security, detonated small rocket warheads mounted aboard a speeding oncoming small boat, shot a Scan Eagle UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) out of the sky and destroyed other moving targets at sea.

This was not done with impact from solid or explosive-tipped projectiles. It was super heated by concentrated infrared beams from the Ponce’s 30 kW solid state laser traveling at the mind-boggling velocity of 186,000 miles per second – the speed of light. Targets are hit instantaneously, with perfectly straight line-of-sight precision, and taken out within seconds.

Radically departing from aiming limitations of conventional gun systems, there is no need for elevation calculations to compensate for plunging trajectory or even time-of-flight adjustments in leading a target moving at high speed.

Admiral aboard! 12 February 2015, Bahrain. Rear Adm. Peter A. Gumataotao, commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, views the Laser Weapon System (LaWS) installed aboard the USS Ponce. Some of the ship’s highly advanced electronic sensors can be seen on the superstructure above, providing target detection and identification data linked with the new system’s fire control suite. Credit: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sean Furey

While critical details of the system are understandably under wraps, credible open-source information says the weapon itself is based on the output of six off-the-shelf commercial infrared welding lasers that are combined at various power levels and projected with pinpoint accuracy. Beam efficiency is said to be as much as 35% of the juice being supplied to the system from a large, diesel-powered generator below decks.

Range and burn-thru capabilities are classified, but an educated guess of effective engagements at somewhere around 1000 meters against thin-skinned targets can be made from video of testing posted by the U.S. Navy and its industry partners. Pretty good from a 30 kW system and we’re told that new ones that reach and surpass 100 kW are soon to follow.

“Laser weapons are powerful, affordable and play a vital role in the future of naval combat operations,” said Rear Adm. Matthew L. Klunder, Chief of Naval Research in an ONR release. “We ran this particular weapon, a prototype, through some extremely tough paces, and it locked on and destroyed the targets we designated with near-instantaneous lethality.”

4,500 rounds per minute! 12 June 2004, at sea aboard USS KEARSARGE. The MK15 Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS), now an essential companion to the Laser Weapon System (LaWS), fires its electrically-driven 20mm Gatling cannon during a systems test. Credit: U.S. Navy photo by PHAN Kenny Swartout

Real life video “game”

In addition to the offensive power, LaWS has proved useful as a surveillance tool due to its powerful optics that can detect objects at “tactically significant ranges” like a shipboard “Hubble Telescope,” Klunder said.

Laser gunners, sitting in climate-controlled comfort inside the ship, use live imagery feeds from a variety of sources for ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) to positively identify and lock on to potentially threatening targets. These sources include the system’s own high-power optical telescope and the USS Ponce’s cutting-edge radar and sensor arrays integrated with those of the Mk-15 Phalanx CIWS (Close-In Weapon System), the combat-proven 20mm Gatling.

Then, using a handheld controller that almost any avid gamer could instantly adapt to for precision tracking, the system can address various types of threats using a range of escalating options. These run from “warn-away” measures, such as optical “dazzling,” to lethal destruction, if necessary.

Not yet lethal ? 11 December 2014, Atlantic Ocean. Senior Chief Master-at-Arms Shannan Richardson receives training in the use of an LA-9/P laser aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington. Seen here mounted on a rifle stock, this hand-held GLARE/LA 9/P laser from B.E. Meyers, is used by individual Sailors out to 4 km at night and 1.5 km during daylight for hail and warning across linguistic and cultural boundaries. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Stevie Tate

That is not to say “lethal” in the sense of terminating personnel…current Rules of Engagement restrict LaWS to beam-blasting only non-human hostile targets.

Although this politically correct order allows defensive action against threats from drone aircraft and unmanned boats, imagine the legal nightmare it poses for the laser gunner and his entire chain of command in using the system against inbound helicopter gunships or fast attack boats with ship’s crew aboard. Inadvertently igniting the fuel-stained tee shirt of an Iranian “swarm boat” crew could lead to career destruction or even long, hard time in the brig.

While it’s not hard to imagine the scorn that Admiral “Bull” Halsey, that steel-tough icon of WWII, would have for these hindering rules from Pentagon lawyers and political appointees, we’re told not to worry; no such ridiculous restrictions are put on the other weaponry aboard the Ponce.

In a recent interview with the US Naval Institute, Rear Adm. Matthew L. Klunder assured, “The Captain of that ship has all of the authorities necessary if there was a threat inbound to that ship to protect our sailors and Marines [and] we would defend that ship with that laser system.”

So, use the laser to “light ‘em if ya got ‘em,” but when in doubt blast ‘em out with missiles, cannon or a wall of 20mm slugs at 4500 rpm from the radar/computer aimed CWIS, LaWS’ closely-linked shipmate.

Is a ground-mount LaWS next? 7 October 2010, East Imperial, California. Participating in an AH-1 Cobra Close Air Support exercise, US Marine Cpl. Mark A. Tirona sets a portable laser designator rangefinder (LDR) onto a target. Credit: USMC photo by Staff Sgt. Cruz G. Sotelo

Cheap shots

In addition to the potential for removing the catastrophic danger posed by shipboard storage of tons of expensive, powder-propelled and explosive-tipped conventional ammunition, Klunder pointed to the miserly cost of these laser shots, powered and cooled by electric current from an ordinary diesel-fueled generator.

“At less than a dollar per shot, there’s no question about the value LaWS provides,” said Klunder. “With affordability a serious concern for our defense budgets, this will more effectively manage resources to ensure our Sailors and Marines are never in a fair fight.”

Preliminary lessons and cautions

While ONR reports “the system exceeded expectations for both reliability and maintainability,” note that it comes with its own swarm of highly-trained civilian contract engineers and technicians. Keeping this complex weapon system operational in the long run is no small matter.

Also, considering the report that the Ponce’s sailors who “worked daily with LaWS over several months” said it “performed flawlessly, including in adverse weather conditions of high winds, heat and humidity,” (and even in a desert dust storm blown out into the gulf) we join others in awaiting release of verifiable data on a host of challenges.

Some of these questions concern range, time to burn through various target surfaces, speed of power-up, between-shots duration, and performance in heavy fog, torrential rain and snowfall.

Adversaries and Countermeasures

While today’s Pentagon denies America’s sailors the authorization to employ DE weaponry against hostile personnel, you can damn well bet our current and future adversaries are not similarly disarmed. These forces already have lethal laser capabilities and have demonstrated the will to use them against manned and unmanned targets.

Pyramid power? In anticipation of Office of Naval Research-funded plans to test a prototype electromagnetic railgun installed aboard a joint high-speed vessel in fiscal year 2016, this artist’s rendering shows a railgun installed in an interestingly configured turret on the flight deck aboard the USNS Millinocket. U.S. Navy photo illustration

Among numerous incidents kept officially under wraps for various reasons, some have managed to get out. Communist China is said to have used a powerful ground-based laser to blind a U.S. reconnaissance satellite in near-earth orbit, and the CIA reports the Soviets used a vehicle-mounted laser weapon in their Afghanistan debacle. Laser damage to eyes is also of great concern, such as that damage reported by an American aviator overflying one of the Kremlin’s spy trawlers.

ONR’s CDEW (Counter Directed Energy Weapons) program is intent on blocking threats such as those from high-power lasers or microwaves, “known and projected.” Countermeasures against frying eyes, internal organs and electronic circuits include a wide range of practical measures from laser-defeating eyewear to protective coatings for ships and aircraft. More spooky things are hinted at, such as what sci-fi buffs would call “force fields.”

Electric Railgun

While decidedly more tangible than laser beams and microwaves, ONR’s Hypervelocity Projectile is the “directed energy” of a streamlined, super-hardened metal arrow launched at astonishing velocity.

Eliminating the inherent limitations of any kind of explosive propellant in an enclosed chamber attached to a barrel, the HVP railgun system uses electromagnetic levitation, accelerating the projectile down parallel rails from zero to more than 5,000 mph.

While plenty of electrical power is needed for each shot, it has no powder magazine and each shot costs only what it takes to make the slug and generate the electricity. Also, no explosive warhead is needed. It “kills” with devastating efficiency by kinetic energy shock and penetration.

Well along in development, two railgun prototypes from competing contractors are scheduled for a seaborne “shoot out” in 2016.

(Editor’s Note: A follow-on feature by Robert Bruce on ONR’s spectacular railgun program is in the works. Stay tuned.)

Future

Navy sources say that the Ponce’s yearlong LaWS trial is expected to lead to similar deployments on other ships, most notably plans for a 100 to 150 kW version in 2016 or 2017.

An ONR release states, “Data regarding accuracy, lethality and other factors from the Ponce deployment will guide the development of weapons under ONR’s Solid-State Laser-Technology Maturation program. Industry teams have been selected to develop cost-effective, combat-ready laser prototypes that could be installed on vessels such as guided-missile destroyers and the Littoral Combat Ship in the early 2020s.”

And, as might be expected, “The revolutionary technology breakthroughs demonstrated by LaWS will ultimately benefit not only U.S. Navy surface ships, but also airborne and ground-based weapon systems.”

This last includes ONR’s GBAD DE OTM (Ground-Based Air Defense Directed Energy On-The-Move) that will protect USMC maneuver elements from hostile drone aircraft armed with recon cameras (and perhaps even weaponized drones).

Additionally, ONR is collaborating with DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and counterparts in other U.S. and allied armed forces on a host of directed energy programs. Some prominent examples are DARPA’s Excalibur and HELLADS, the U.S. Army’s HEL MD, the USAF’s Joint High Power Solid State Laser.

Because we know it is inevitable that our current and future adversaries will be fielding the full range of lethal laser weapons from space-based platforms to human-portable devices, it’s an arms race that the free world’s forces can’t afford to lose.

Reporting for test duty, Sir! 8 July 2014, San Diego, California. An electromagnetic railgun prototype, built by BAE Systems for Office of Naval Research, is on display aboard the joint high speed vessel USNS Millinocket. Credit: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kristopher Kirsop

ONR: High Tech for the High Seas

The Office of Naval Research is science on the cutting edge; coordinating, executing and promoting a mind-boggling array of S&T (science and technology) programs for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.

Prominent among its many forward-looking components is Department 35, Naval Air Warfare and Weapons, supporting “the Navy’s power projection needs, fostering the technology development of naval aircraft, structures, propulsion, autonomy, energetics, directed energy and electric weapons.”

Our request for additional information on DE and related activities, routed through official channels, was rewarded by this response from Peter Morrison, ONR Program Manager:

“The Office of Naval Research (ONR) funds science and technology efforts which explore the potential of laser weapons in the maritime environment, including the Laser Weapons System (LaWS). Investments in LaWS include upgrading to enable a quick reaction capability to operationally field it for a near term deployment on the USS PONCE, bringing the science fiction futuristic nature of laser weapons into the reality of today’s warfighting needs for countering both small boat and unmanned drone threats.

The lessons learned from this operational deployment on the USS PONCE will help to inform our science and technologies (S&T) investment strategies, and help identify and support critical research areas for solid state lasers (SSL) at still higher power levels. Critical research coming from ONR’s SSL program and other cooperative programs, including the Ground Based Aviation Defense (GBAD) system and those in the Army HEL Mobile Demonstrator, and Air Force S&T efforts – combined with joint investments with the High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office and DARPA, means the services are making informed “Buying Power” decisions and able to leverage each other’s work in new innovative ways, every day.

In addition, ONR works with other services, industry and academia to investigate the S&T that support Counter Directed Energy Weapons capabilities, where lasers and high power radio interference may call for individual warfighter or systems protection. These protections can be as simple as offering upgraded or new protective glasses for lower power lasers and laser pointers to pilots, to far more elaborate and complex improvements in structural or electromagnetic protection methods.”

ONR’s extensive website www.onr.navy.mil has excellent overviews of its many DE (Directed Energy) initiatives with links to programs including High Energy Laser, Solid State Laser Maturation, Solid State Fiber Laser, High Energy Fiber Laser System, Free Electron Laser, Ground-Based Air Defense Directed Energy On-the-Move, Counter Directed Energy, and Hypervelocity Projectile.

While the layman should be excused for wondering why several of these appear to overlap, we’re assured that their individual missions are both distinct and complement one another.

Don’t miss some particularly interesting tidbits tucked away here and there on both the website (search “Swampworks”) and ONR’s Facebook page.

(Special thanks to David Smalley, a public information and media relations contractor for ONR Corporate Strategic Communications.)

Resources and Videos

Office of Naval Research www.onr.navy.mil
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency www.darpa.mil
Directed Energy Professional Society www.deps.org
BAE Systems www.baesystems.com
Boeing www.boeing.com
General Atomics www.ga.com
Kratos Defense www.kratosdefense.com
Lockheed Martin www.lockheedmartin.com
Northrop Grumman www.northropgrumman.com
Raytheon www.raytheon.com

A large number of excellent videos are available on YouTube. Search suggestions: “Navy Laser” or “Navy Railgun”

As computing systems get more advanced, there are increased opportunities to automate previously mundane or tedious tasks. In automating common tasks, systems are able to better screen data for errors and process data more efficiently than the prior manual systems. The U.S. Government has discovered that automating systems in the import and export arena makes transactions easier and faster, without sacrificing screening and compliance checks. Within the past several years, ATF has implemented an E-forms systems for digital submission of common forms, to include the ATF Form 6 import permit application. Although partially automated, ATF still accepts the bulk of data submissions the old-fashioned way – via written paper submission of forms.

The U.S. State Department has required electronic submission of export license applications for several years, but has gone a step further in that it no longer accepts paper submissions in any form. Initial registration, submission of export licenses, Commodity Jurisdiction requests, and General Correspondence are all now accepted via an on-line electronic portal. It only makes sense that a similar system would be set up for outbound export shipments.

The need to declare outbound export shipments is not new. Prior to AES, the system was paper based, labor intensive, and prone to errors. Launched in 1995, AES is a joint venture between U.S. Customs, the Census Bureau, the U.S. Commerce Department, the U.S. State Department, other Federal agencies, and the export trade community. AES is the system by which an exporter notifies U.S. Customs of a pending export shipment. Export information is collected electronically and edited immediately, and errors are detected and corrected at the time of filing, thereby eliminating reporting errors. Since 1997, AES has been available for all outbound vessels (air or ocean) at all ports throughout the United States.

Until recently, AES was not well known outside of the export industry. It should be noted that AES filings are required for all exports of a commercial nature – regardless of commodity. An AES filing is not limited only to small arms and ammunition. AES filings are required for the export of vehicles, olive oil, and binoculars, for examples. Nevertheless, this article provides examples of AES requirements as it relates to the small arms industry.

Recently, the U.S. State Department, (in its desire to automate all aspects of its operations) determined that temporary exports of firearms outside of the United States must be reported via AES. Previously, hunters heading out of the U.S. would file a CBP Form 4457, and have their firearms inspected by U.S. Customs prior to leaving the country. Upon return, presentation of the completed Form 4457 would be sufficient to allow the firearms back into the country. This scenario changes with the requirement of an AES filing prior to travel. As a portal intended for industry, a basic test must be completed prior to registering for access to the AES portal. Once online, the system is not difficult to navigate with some experience and knowledge of export procedure. For the casual traveler, filing an AES report is not easy, nor practical. Because there is little reason for the casual international hunter to become AES trained, U.S. Customs announced that its officers will help travelers with firearms fill out CBP Form 4457 “to ensure that no traveler attempting to legally take their firearm out of the country experiences significant delays.”

What about permanent exports? Not all firearm parts require an FFL to manufacture. Some firearms, namely those manufactured prior to 1898 (or replicas of pre-1898 firearms,) do not require an export license. While there may be no ATF or State Department oversight over these items, an AES filing would still be required prior to export. As an example: A replica pre-1898 Blunderbuss rifle would require no ATF paperwork to build, and could be exported without an export license from the U.S. State Department. But, if the blunderbuss was shipped outside of the U.S., an AES filing would be required. Similarly, there are export license exemptions for small transaction that do not exceed $500. Filing an AES filing places U.S. Customs on notice that the shipment is outbound, allows U.S. Customs to confirm that the transaction fits within the confines of the exemption, and helps the exporter ensure compliance with U.S. export regulation and law.

Failure to file with AES prior to shipping will often result in seizure of the shipment and a potential fine. The minimum fine levied by U.S. Customs for an AES violation is $500, and escalates upward quickly. Failure to pay the fine usually results in surrender (and loss) of the goods being shipped.

Automation on the part of the Government will continue to increase. Automated systems are getting better at verifying compliance, at a lower cost, and with greater efficiency than manual verification. The AES is but one means for the Government to ensure compliance with export law, whether by verifying the quantity and value of the items being exported, or the proper use of an exemption. The scope of automation sometimes seems to be over-reaching – namely in the case of the temporary export of a firearm by a U.S. hunter. Nevertheless, automation allows Customs and other Federal agencies to focus on more important aspects of law enforcement, and allows U.S. exporters to effectively and efficiently ship their products worldwide.

Mr. Wong is a Washington licensed attorney. He regularly provides legal counsel to the firearm and defense industry via his law firm, The Firearms Law Group. Mr. Wong also maintains Hurricane Butterfly, an import/export company that assists U.S. firearm manufacturers and foreign buyers wade through the regulatory morass of U.S. import/
export regulations.

The guidance provided within this article was correct and current at the time it was written. Policies and regulations change frequently. The preceding article is not intended as legal advice, and should not be taken as legal advice. If the reader has specific legal questions, seek competent legal counsel.