BAE Systems has unveiled its latest research on an advanced positioning system that exploits existing transmissions such as Wi-Fi, TV, radio and mobile phone signals, to calculate the user’s location to within a few metres. 

Military platforms commonly use Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to find their position and navigate. GPS rely upon a specific and relatively weak satellite signal that is vulnerable to disruption . Known as Navigation via Signals of Opportunity (NAVSOP), BAE Systems’ new system is able to calculate its position by making use of the hundreds of different signals that are all around us.

By exploiting such a wide range of signals, NAVSOP is resistant to hostile interference such as jamming (a particular weakness of GPS) and spoofing, where a bogus signal tricks a device into misidentifying its location. The new system can learn from signals that are initially unidentified to build an ever more accurate and reliable fix on its location. Even the signals from GPS jammers can be exploited by the device to aid navigation under certain conditions. 

The real beauty of NAVSOP is that the infrastructure required to make it work is already in place. There is no need to build costly networks of transmitters and the hardware behind the system is already commercially available. Another benefit is that it can be integrated into existing positioning devices to provide superior performance to GPS.

A major advantage of the system is its ability to function in places where GPS is unable to reach, such as dense urban areas and deep inside buildings. It is also able to work in the most remote parts of the world, such as the Arctic, by picking up signals that include Low-Earth-Orbit satellites and other civilian signals.

From aiding soldiers operating in remote or dense urban areas to providing improved security for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), which could face attempts to disrupt their guidance systems, NAVSOP has a wide range of potential military applications. 

Among those pioneering this area of research is Dr Ramsey Faragher, a Principal Scientist from BAE Systems Advanced Technology Centre, who recently led a team that received a prestigious award from the Institute of Navigation for a ground-breaking paper on how aspects of the technology work indoors. 

Dr Faragher said: “The potential applications of this technology are already generating huge excitement in both civilian and military circles. This research is a great example of BAE Systems working closely with potential customers to not only improve the performance of existing technology, but also tackle their weaknesses head on and find innovative ways to reduce or eliminate them.” 

James Baker, Managing Director at BAE Systems Advanced Technology Centre, said: “At a time when the need to be innovative and resourceful is more important than ever, this capability represents truly outside-the-box thinking by providing a cost effective system with a wide variety of different applications. This technology is a real game changer when it comes to navigation, which builds upon the rich heritage that both BAE Systems and the UK have in radio engineering.”

This research is generating interest in both defence and civilian domains where its uses could include helping fire and rescue services find their way through smoke filled buildings and enhancing the safety of lone workers and security staff.

Source

Pelvic Protection System

The introduction of the Pelvic Protection System provides a valuable new level of protection for the dismounted soldier. Dismounted Soldiers who encountered buried mines or improvised explosive devises (IEDs) were suffering significant injuries, not only to their feet and lower legs, but to their upper thighs and groin areas. These resulted in above the knee and even high hip amputations.

 

“There were a lot of significant injuries, and very traumatic injuries occurring to Soldiers in the lower extremity area,” said LTC Frank Lozano, Product Manager Soldier Protective Equipment. “It’s very traumatic, very heartbreaking, when Soldiers go through those types of events, and they are very young, and then they come home and they are not able to have children.” 

The Army developed the Pelvic Protection System. The system includes two layers of protection for Soldiers, including the Tier I protective under-garment, called the “PUG,” and the Tier II protective outer-garment, called the “POG.” The PUG is worn under a Soldier’s ACU pants in place of, or over the Soldier’s underwear. 

It resembles typical bicycle shorts, and is made out of a breathable, moisture-wicking material on the outer thighs with a tougher Kevlar mesh to provide added protection to the inner thighs and the femoral artery. The groin also receives additional protection. 

There are other benefits to wearing the PUGs. The material stops infectious debris such as dirt and manure from penetrating the skin when the Soldier is hit by an IED explosion. Even after many medical procedures some of this material can remain and cause infections that result in further amputations. 

The outer garment, the POG, provides even more protection for Soldiers, and is made of ballistic material similar to the soft panels in the improved outer tactical vest (IOTV). 

LTC Lozano recommends that Soldiers wear both garments. The Tier II has more ballistic protection but is a little more rigid. The undergarment is not only softer, it helps prevent the POG from chafing the Soldier. 

The Army first fielded the pelvic protection system in June 2011. To date, the POGs and PUGs have been fielded to approximately 15,000 Soldiers. The typical issue includes three PUGs and one POG. Fielding is happening now for Soldiers in theater and for Soldiers stateside.

Source

Daytime Gunships Galore

The U.S. Air Force is equipping its four engine AC-130 gunships with more powerful sensors and missiles that enable these four-engine propeller driven aircraft to fly high enough (6,500 meters/20,000 feet) to avoid ground fire and operate during the day. This is a major change in the way these gunships have long operated. These gunships are owned by SOCOM (Special Operations Command) although they support all combat troops, not just the Special Forces and SEALs. While SOCOM operators prefer to operate at night, they are often out during daylight, when the presence of a gunship overhead can be a real lifesaver. This use of missiles, instead of cannon, is a recent development and the success of this technique has changed the basic design of these gunships and how they are used. 

The current AC-130H gunship (nicknamed Spooky) is a 69 ton, four engine aircraft originally armed with two 20mm machine-guns, a 40mm autocannon, and a 105mm howitzer. While the aircraft can stay in the air for six hours (or more, if it refuels in the air), what really makes a difference is how well the weapons operate. Flying low (often under 10,000 feet) and at night, the gunship relies on night vision devices and well trained gunners to take out targets that are giving the troops on the ground a hard time. Four decades of continuous improvements have made the gunships increasingly lethal. But the troops have found that missiles can be just as effective as cannon fire and the AC-130 can launch missiles from higher altitudes (beyond the range of enemy anti-aircraft guns or missiles). 

The recently ordered AC-130J gunships will be equipped with more powerful sensors, armed with a single 30mm autocannon, and multiple launchers for Viper Strike and SDB glide bombs, as well as Hellfire and Griffin guided missiles. Viper Strike is a 90cm (36 inch) long unpowered glider. The 130mm diameter (with the wings folded) weapon weighs 20 kg (44 pounds). Because the Viper Strike comes straight down, it is better suited for urban warfare. Its warhead weighs only 1.8 kg (four pounds) and less than half of that is explosives. This means less damage to nearby civilians but still powerful and accurate enough to destroy its target. A laser designator makes the Viper Strike accurate enough to hit an automobile or a foxhole. 

The Griffin is a 15.6 kg (34.5 pound) guided missile with a 5.9 kg (13 pound) warhead which is larger than that carried by the larger (47 kg) Hellfire missile. To achieve this Griffin has a shorter range (4 kilometers), which is adequate for a gunship, which is designed to go after targets just below it, not far away. 

Hellfire weighs 48.2 kg (106 pounds), carries a 9 kg (20 pound) warhead, and has a range of 8,000 meters. The 130 kg (285 pound) Small Diameter Bomb (SDB, also known as the GBU-39/B) has a shape which is more like that of a missile than a bomb (nearly two meters, as in 70 inches, long and 190mm in diameter), with the guidance system built in. The smaller blast from the SDB resulted in fewer civilian casualties. The SDB carries only 17 kg (38 pounds) of explosives and can be dropped from high altitude, using laser guidance to hit very small targets below. 

Existing gunships are using all these missiles already. Equipping existing gunships to carry and fire all these missiles is neither difficult nor expensive. U.S. SOCOM (Special Operations Command) has also adopted a U.S. Marine Corps idea to provide an "instant gunship" system, which enables weapons and sensors to be quickly rolled into a C-130 transport and hooked up. This takes a few hours and turns the C-130 into a gunship armed with a 30mm autocannon and Viper Strike and Griffin missiles. 

Because of their vulnerability to ground fire, the AC-130s have long only operated at night. The last time an AC-130 was lost was at Khafji, Saudi Arabia during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. The aircraft was leaving the combat zone at sunrise and was visible to Iraqi gunners in the area. But in the last two years, more and more AC-130s have been out in daylight, flying high enough to avoid hostile fire and using their powerful sensors to get a close look at what’s down there and use their missiles on anything that looks hostile.

Source

Special Operations Command Seeks Bigger Role in Conflict Prevention

U.S. special operations forces are the nation’s most celebrated terrorist killers. But they also have underutilized skills that could help prevent wars, officials said. 

The war against al-Qaida and other Islamic extremist groups has become more complex since the 9/11 attacks, said Army Lt. Gen. John Mulholland, deputy commander of U.S. Special Operations Command. Navy SEAL raids and precision drone strikes alone will not be enough to defeat these enemies, he said.

“We have known for a long time that we are not going to kill our way to victory,” Mulholland said Nov. 28 at a Defense Strategies Institute conference, in Alexandria, Va.

What is needed, he said, are “preemptive efforts before the fight starts.”

Counterterrorism is “much broader than direct action,” he said. SOCOM Commander Adm. William McRaven is a strong believer in indirect methods of fighting terrorist groups, Mulholland said. 

McRaven would like to see special operations forces take on a larger role in the training of foreign allies — an activity known in military-speak as “building partner capacity.” Strengthening the internal security of friendly countries where al-Qaida and its affiliates are recruiting members would help counter these groups’ influence, and possibly prevent a wider conflict, SOCOM leaders believe. 

Army Special Forces, or Green Berets, have been deployed in these capacity-building roles for decades, but a more sustained effort is needed, said Mulholland. SOCOM’s skills and resources should help the United States stay “to the left of problems,” he said, instead of having to intervene later and put U.S. military forces in harm’s way.

Since McRaven took charge of SOCOM in 2011, he has sought to expand the command’s authorities in several areas, one of which is building partners’ capacity. The current process is “suboptimal,” Mulholland said, because it is rooted in the Cold War, when the world was bipolar. “We don’t believe it gives us what we need today to build capacity in areas of the world that matter,” he said. SOCOM would like more flexibility to establish long-term relationships with partners that are facing threats from al-Qaida and its affiliates, he said. “We lack the ability to deliver a program to a country that needs help. We’re looking for authorities to get at that challenge more meaningfully.”

Africa, particularly, is an area “where we should invest,” he said. Weak internal security in several African nations is raising concerns about these countries becoming safe havens for terrorist groups, Mulholland noted. A case in point is Mali, where al-Qaida's North African wing has taken over significant portions of the country.

SOCOM sees Mali as a cautionary tale. “We know what needs to be done with partners,” said Mulholland. “But we don’t have the tools.” 

SOCOM’s request for broader powers to fight terrorism has stirred controversy inside the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill. It was the topic of a House Armed Services Committee emerging threats subcommittee hearing in July. Linda Robinson, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and an expert on special operations forces, told the panel that SOCOM’s proposal had merit.

SOF units that currently are training partner militaries are “not properly resourced, organized or supported to fully maximize their potential,” she said. “Successful employment of the indirect approach requires both proactive involvement and patience for the effort to produce results.”

SOCOM officials recognize that Congress tends to be skeptical of open-ended efforts, and that their plan might be a tough sell.

“It requires placing SOF teams out in troubled regions for extended periods so they can gain familiarity, knowledge and relationships and then begin to execute solutions with the resident partners,” said Robinson. “This runs counter to a common tendency to wait until crises are full blown and action is imperative.”

She cited Colombia and The Philippines as examples of successful preemptive actions by SOF. In Colombia, more than a decade of “sustained, small footprint advisory assistance helped that country to greatly weaken the narco-terrorist insurgency known as the FARC,” Robinson said. “The Philippines is another case worthy of study to build a template for successful application of the indirect approach and achievement of enduring results.”

SOCOM’s desire for enhanced authority to deploy training teams in vulnerable countries is only one piece of a sweeping transformation that McRaven is seeking in how SOF units are employed worldwide.

The admiral raised hackles in Washington last year when he asked for direct control over the so-called theater special operations commands. TSOCs currently report to the geographic combatant commanders. But McRaven has argued that the TSOCs should be overseen directly by SOCOM to ensure they are sufficiently staffed and resourced to provide meaningful help to regional commanders. 

Robinson said TSOCs have “chronically lacked adequate staff and resources” and are considered “career-ending assignments.” TSOCs should, instead, be the place where SOF skills and regional expertise should come together, said Robinson.

McRaven has proposed that TSOCs become sub-unified commands of U.S. SOCOM. He has argued that this is not a power grab by the command, but rather an attempt to better support geographic commanders. “It does create for the first time a coherent connection between TSOC and mother SOCOM,” Mulholland said. He insisted that McRaven’s plan will allow SOF to respond to crises in a timely manner. When the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi was attacked Sept. 11, a SOF company assigned to U.S. Africa Command — known as “cinc in-extremis” force — was located at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Sigonella, Italy. 

“Those forces worked as advertised. They were in position,” Mulholland said. But they were physically too far from the action to be able to intervene quickly enough. Mulholland declined to discuss the particulars of the events in Benghazi but he did suggest that if SOCOM were given more discretion to move forces around based on anticipated threats, SOF quick-reaction units could be far more effective. “To be relevant in this security environment, you have to be ahead of the crisis,” he said.

If a geographic commander needs SOF assistance today, he has to submit a request for forces to the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. “That takes time,” said Mulholland. McRaven wants to be able to short-circuit that process and provide immediate help. If necessary, he would move forces horizontally from one theater to another.

Mulholland noted that only 6 percent of SOF are assigned to theaters. The majority of the 66,000-strong command is based in the United States and reports directly to SOCOM headquarters, in Tampa, Fla.

“Today McRaven doesn’t have a formal relationship with TSOCs. It’s bizarre,” Mulholland said.

McRaven’s proposed reorganization requires a revision to the Unified Command Plan. The president must approve any changes to the UCP, which was last updated in April 2011. "The current review process is still underway, but I don't have an estimate for its completion," Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. James O. Gregory told National Defense.

“We think it’s going well,” said Mulholland. But he cautioned against counting chickens before they hatch. “We think it will be successful. COCOMs [combatant commanders] support it.”

SOCOM is seeking expanded responsibilities at a time when the command is busier and bigger than ever. With 66,000 members — including both military personnel and civilians — SOCOM has doubled since 2001. Its budget of $10.5 billion is more than twice its 2001 inflation-adjusted budget of $4.2 billion.

“SOF operators have never been held in higher regard by our nation, by the public, by our international partners and, more importantly, by our adversaries,” said Garry Reid, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict.

SOCOM will grow to 71,000 members by 2018, Reid told the Defense Strategies Institute conference. 

Reid endorsed McRaven’s plan to bolster theater-based forces. “We need to regain some regional specialization,” he said. Before 9/11, SOF were spread around the world. But during the past decade, 85 percent of SOF has been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, in support of U.S. Central Command. “That comes at a price,” said Reid. “We want to get back to understanding other areas and languages.”

Even as current wars wind down, the demand for SOF will no subside, said Reid. In addition to traditional SOF assignments, “there’s an increased appetite for SOF ‘liaisons’” at embassies and across U.S. and foreign government agencies, he said. “That’s a lot of 04s and 05s [field grade officers] that come out of the operational force,” said Reid. “We have a bulge of requirements.”

Source

Διακλαδική Άσκηση Ειδικών Επιχειρήσεων

Πηγή

Αιφνιδιαστική άσκηση συνεργασίας των ειδικών δυνάμεων και της Αεροπορίας πραγματοποιήθηκε πριν λίγες ημέρες στη θαλάσσια περιοχή ανατολικά της Ρόδου, με εντολή του αρχηγού ΓΕΕΘΑ. 

Επρόκειτο για τη διακλαδική άσκηση “"Πυρπολητής 10"” με ενεργοποίηση τμημάτων της Δύναμης Ταχείας Αντίδρασης με σκοπό: 

-Τον εντοπισμό και εξουδετέρωση εχθρικού πλοίου αγκιστρωμένου σε ακτή νησιού. 

-Την εκτέλεση επιχείρησης Έρευνας Διάσωσης στην θαλάσσια περιοχή 

-Την αεροδιακομιδή με Ε/Π τραυματία από πλοίο του ΠΝ. 

Η άσκηση εκτελείται στην Ρόδο και την θαλάσσια περιοχή Ανατολικά του νησιού. Ειδικότερα το σενάριο της άσκησης προέβλεπε την αγκίστρωση του εχθρικού ταχύπλοου σκάφους μεγέθους πυραυλακάτου σε ακτή του νησιού το οποίο έχει αποβιβάσει εχθρικές δυνάμεις στο φίλιο έδαφος, ενώ ακολουθεί και δεύτερο κύμα. Η απάντηση των ελληνικών δυνάμεων είναι άμεση και διπλή, με την κινητοποίηση μαχητικών της ΠΑ και ειδικών δυνάμεων.. 

Τέσσερα F-16 απογειώνονται από την Κρήτη, με το ένα ζεύγος να έχει αποστολή την προσβολή στόχων εδάφους/επιφανείας και το δεύτερο την προστασία του εκτελώντας καθήκοντα εναέριας υπεροχής. 

Ειδικές δυνάμεις οι οποίες έχουν μεταφερθεί στο νησί με ελικόπτερα πραγματοποιούν στοχοποίηση του εχθρικού σκάφους με καταδείκτες λέιζερ για την προσβολή του από τα δύο F-16 που φέρουν όπλα με κατάδειξη λέιζερ (LGB). Στη συνέχεια πραγματοποιείται προσβολή του εχθρικού σκάφους ενώ ταυτόχρονα το σύνολο των ειδικών δυνάμεων «σφραγίζει» την περιοχή για να εξαλείψει την όποια εχθρική αντίδραση από τα τμήματα που έχουν πραγματοποιήσει την απόβαση, ενώ παράλληλα επιτηρεί και άλλα τμήματα που πιθανώς έχουν επίσης αποβιβαστεί. 

Την ίδια ώρα ένα ελληνικό μαχητικό έχει απολεσθεί 30 μίλια ανατολικά της Ρόδου με τον χειριστή του να έχει εγκαταλείψει το αεροσκάφος. Δύναμη CSAR της ΠΑ σε ελικόπτερο Super Puma υπό τη συνοδεία των F-16 που πραγματοποιούν αποστολή εναέριας αεροπορικής υποστήριξης πραγματοποιεί την διάσωση του πιλότου παρουσία εχθρικής αντίδρασης. 

Στην ακτή του νησιού κατά τη διάρκεια εξάλειψης του προγεφυρώματος από τις ειδικές δυνάμεις έχει υπάρξει τραυματισμός προσωπικού και ελικόπτερο από παραπλέουσα φρεγάτα πραγματοποιεί αεροδιακομιδή του στο σκάφος του ΠΝ για την προσφορά των πρώτων βοηθειών.

Πηγή

Jordan: US Forces Plan Shield Against Syria

RUSSEIFEH, Jordan -- From the edge of a steep mountain overlooking a desert compound built into an old rock quarry, machine gunfire echoes just outside hangars where U.S. special operations forces aretraining Jordanian commandos.

The Americans, who arrived in the kingdom a few weeks ago at the request of the Jordanians, are helping them develop techniques to protect civilians in case of a chemical attack from neighboring Syria, according to Jordanian officials.

On the Syrian border farther north, British military officers recently assessed the dangers of rockets constantly falling on the kingdom and ways to shield the Jordanian population and Syrian refugees as President Bashar Assad widens his military offensive against rebel enclaves in the vicinity, according to Jordan-based Western diplomats.

Jordan's King Abdullah II has repeatedly discussed plans for reinforcing security along the Syrian border and expressed concern over Syria's chemical stockpiles in meetings with visiting Western allies, according to the two diplomats, who monitor Syria from their base.

They said it is believed that Abdullah has also been shopping around for an anti-missile defense system to shield his densely populated capital, Amman -- home to nearly half of Jordan's population.

There is also talk of contingency plans for a quick pre-emptive strike if Assad loses control over his stock of chemical weapons in the civil war. The fear is that those weapons might otherwise fall into the hands of al-Qaida or Lebanon's Islamic militant group Hezbollah.

"There are dangers involved, and we have to ensure the safety of our country and the well-being of our citizens," a senior government official said in the first public Jordanian confirmation of the presence of foreign military personnel here. "We are benefiting from the experience of our allies as we prepare for the worst scenarios."

The presence of some 150 Americans at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center northeast of the capital is a clear message to Assad that Jordan's longtime Western allies stand ready to defend the country if it is dragged into the 19-month Syria conflict.

Assad's regime, which is believed to have one of the world's largest chemical weapons programs, has said it might use them against external threats but not against Syrians.

But the Jordanians worry that Assad may use his chemical weapons against his neighbors, or his countrymen, if he felt that his days in power were numbered.

In May, the U.S. held joint exercises with Jordan, nicknamed the "Eager Lion," which focused on the ways to deal with a chemical weapons attack.

On Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said at a NATO conference of defense ministers in Brussels that the U.S. has been working with Jordan to monitor chemical and biological weapons sites in Syria and was helping Jordan deal with refugees pouring over the border.

Although the senior government official insisted that the Americans were "advisers, not troops," two senior U.S. defense officials said most were Army special operations forces. The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly about the mission.

The troops are operating out of a military center near Amman and have moved back and forth to the Syrian border. Their work involves gathering intelligence and planning joint Jordanian-U.S. military maneuvers, one U.S. official said.

The revelation of U.S. military personnel so close to the Syrian conflict suggests an escalation in theAmerican involvement, even as the Obama administration pushes back on any suggestion of a direct intervention in Syria.

The Jordanian official insisted that the kingdom was "capable of shielding itself from Syrian attack," but London-based Mideast analyst Rosemary Hollis disagreed.

"For Jordan, the more unstable Syria becomes, the deeper the crisis proceeds, the more likely Jordan will suffer from all kinds of spillover, but they are incapable of doing anything to intervene to try to turn the conflict in one direction rather than another unless they have the ballast, cover and involvement of serious international forces, which is the Americans," Hollis said.

She also saw the American military presence as a step toward possible future military operations to secure Syria's chemical stockpiles.

Torbjorn Soltvedt, a senior analyst with the Britain-based Maplecroft risk analysis group, said he saw the current situation as a "monitoring and training stage."

"Given the degree to which Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles have been dispersed across the country, an operation to secure them would be extensive and require significant numbers of troops," he said. "The Pentagon has estimated that an operation to secure Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles could require as much as 75,000 troops given the presence of several chemical agent manufacturing plants and many more storage sites throughout the country."

Panetta said that while the U.S. believes the weapons are still secure, intelligence suggests the regime might have moved some to protect them.

Steven Bucci, an expert in chemical weapons at the Heritage Foundation, has told Congress there might be as many as 50 chemical weapons sites in Syria. He said in an interview Wednesday that Syria's stockpile is potentially "like a gift from God" for militants since they don't have the know-how to assemble such weapons, while some of Syria's chemical agents are believed to have already been fitted into missile warheads.

At the desert facility, stretching 25 kilometers (16 miles) on the edge of this predominantly Palestinian suburb, Jordanian soldiers guard the walled compound, where Iraqi and Libyan special forces once received training. They refused to allow reporters in.

Jordanian officials were eager to downplay the U.S. role, concerned about the possibility of raising tensions with Syria and giving the kingdom's largely conservative population the impression that they were allowing foreigners to use Jordan as a potential launching pad for a pre-emptive attack against another Arab country.

The senior government official and two others who discussed the American military role all spoke on condition of anonymity, citing possible diplomatic sensitivities with Syria. Assad is thought to have sleeper cells scattered across the kingdom and plotting attacks on Syrian opposition and Jordanian figures.

Information Minister Sameeh Maaytah, the only official who spoke on the record, said the U.S. presence was part of "routine training exercises."

"Jordan and U.S. forces exchange visits regularly, and the presence of tens of their forces here is part of efforts to expand cooperation, exchange capabilities and protect regional stability," he said in an interview. He declined to elaborate or comment on any link to the Syrian crisis.

Amman has long had bumpy relations with Damascus because of its alliance with the United States -- Jordan's largest donor of economic and military aid -- and its 1994 peace treaty with Israel.

Jordan would like to see the Syrian regime toppled because of growing concern that Assad's key ally, Iran, is trying to spark Shiite uprisings in Arab countries ruled by members of the rival Sunni sect. Assad's ruling Alawite minority is an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

Abdullah was the first Arab leader to warn in 2004 of the sweep of Iran's "Shiite crescent," stretching from Lebanon through Syria and Iraq.

Jordanian officials have advocated a buffer zone inside the Syrian border to protect civilians fleeing bombardment. There is mounting speculation that Jordan would dispatch highly skilled special forces to secure such a zone when Assad's regime falls to prevent chaos on its border.

In the past six weeks, more than 20 Syrian rockets have fallen on Jordanian villages near the border. At least two people were wounded, including a 4-year-old Jordanian girl.

The two Western diplomats said the Britons, about a half-dozen officers specialized in intelligence gathering and special operations techniques, visited Jordan a few times over the past three months. The diplomats insisted on anonymity, saying that public comment may hamper their information gathering on Syria.

The Jordanian army already has an extensive presence on the border and has been assisting waves of Syrian refugees, who are straining the country's meager resources, mainly health care, water and utilities.

Jordan hosts some 200,000 Syrian refugees, more than any other neighboring country. Some come under constant firing from their army as they cross into the kingdom. Jordanian border guards have been wounded and a 6-year-old Syrian boy was killed in July.

Jordanian men also are moving the other way across the border, joining what intelligence officials have estimated to be about 2,000 foreigners fighting alongside Syrian rebels trying to topple Assad

Source

Under cover, underwater: Special forces in Canada, U.S. eyeing mini-su

OTTAWA - Special forces in both Canada and the United States are taking a close look at Canadian-made mini-submarines for the murky world of covert operations.

The cutting-edge subs, some of which are built in Canada, are seen by some in the U.S. Special Forces community as essential for specialized top-secret operations against threats such as al-Qaida in coastal countries.

One defence source in Washington, who spoke on background, said the U.S. Navy has been impressed with the submarine rescue system it purchased a few years ago from B.C.-based OceanWorks International, which also sells 7.6 metre submersibles capable of carrying a handful of soldiers.

The elite, secretive U.S. Special Forces is interested and also believes the subs would "be an ideal fit" for their Canadian counterparts, said the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly.

No program has been requested or planned, however, said Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson, the commander of Canada's special forces.

"It is an area of interest," Thompson said in an interview with The Canadian Press. "It is potentially another tool for the toolbox."

Domestic concerns and the safety of the highly trained soldiers were some of the reasons Thompson asked staff to examine the boats in the spring of last year.

Rather than operating in waters far from home, the military is concerned about missions in the three cold oceans that border Canada.

"Given the condition of the sea water that surrounds Canada, once you put a diver in the water, he really can, depending on the temperature of the water, only be effective for so long," said Thompson.

"It's all about stealth and extending the time you can leave a guy submerged — and by submerged, I mean hidden, depending on what the mission set is."

In Canada, the ultra-secret special-forces commandos known as Joint Task Force 2 have been paying particular attention to the country's coastlines.

Last year, it was revealed JTF-2 had turned to the private sector for help in early warning of possible terror threats coming from the sea. The organization tapped into an existing fisheries surveillance contract with Provincial Airlines Ltd., a subsidiary of Provincial Aerospace Ltd. of St. John’s, N.L., to monitor the movements of vessels of interest off the country's coastline.

At a rare public appearance last summer during the military's annual northern exercise, JTF-2 commandos stormed a mock "vessel of interest" at sea while the prime minister, the defence minister and the media looked on.

The subs aren't cheap: each one — some of them currently operate as underwater tour boats with up to 20 available seats — carries a price tag of $5 million.

Sea Urchin Submersibles and Nuytco Research Ltd., a subsidiary of Can-Dive Construction Ltd., are the two other Vancouver companies with underwater technology that has caught the attention of the special forces community.

Nuytco offers one-man and two-man deep sea diving suits. Can-Dive markets small diesel-electric submarines, but does not build them.

Over the last 40 years, Vancouver has become a centre of excellence in deep-diving research and technology, said a May 4, 2011 briefing note prepared for Thompson.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version incorrectly said the U.S. Navy had purchased a submarine-rescue system from B.C.-based International Submarine Engineering. In fact, the Vancouver company was a sub-contractor on the project, which was awarded to OceanWorks International.

Source

'Out of Greece!': Special forces march in uniform, chant in anti-Merkel protest

Scores of commandos, sailors and paratroopers in their uniforms gathered in Athens on the day of the German Chancellor’s visit – but not to help with keeping the peace. Instead, they staged a march, chanting “Merkel, out of Greece!”

Marching in formation, they also chanted "Together, together, Nazis get out!"

The crowd in the street supported the reservists with rousing cheers. Many of the viewers joined the protesters in their disciplined march.

The demonstration was one of many anti-Merkel protests to hit Athens on Tuesday, as some 50,000 demonstrators took to the streets. The rallies had strong anti-Nazi sentiment. At one occasion demonstrators burned a swastika.

Most of the Tuesday protests went peacefully, but some violence erupted as several dozen demonstrators clashed with police. Around 200 people were detained in the result of the clashes.

Merkel came to Athens for another round of austerity talks with the country's prime minister. It was her first visit to the country in three years.

Germany has been seen by many Greeks as the main engine behind the drastic austerity program introduced in their country. Public outrage with Berlin and Merkel has been taking curious forms: last October, the streets of Athens were flooded with posters featuring Merkel dressed as a Nazi officer.

Source

Tracking The Tiny Terrors

The U.S. Air Force is spending nearly $4 billion to build a S-Band radar on Kwajalein Island in the Pacific. This will make it easier and cheaper to find and track small (down to 10mm/.4 inch) objects in orbit around the planet. Such small objects are a growing threat and Space Fence will make it possible to track some 300,000 10mm and larger objects in orbit.

Getting hit by an object 100mm (4 inch wide), if it’s coming from the opposite direction in orbit, results in an explosion equivalent to 20 kg (66 pounds) of TNT. That's all because of the high speed (7 kilometers a second, versus one kilometers a second for high-powered rifles) of objects in orbit. Even a 10mm object hits with the impact of 50-60 g (2 ounces) of explosives. In the last 16 years eight space satellites have been destroyed by collisions with one of the 300,000 lethal (10mm or larger) bits of space junk that are in orbit. As more satellites are launched more bits of space junk are left in orbit. Based on that, and past experience, it's predicted that ten more satellites will be destroyed by space junk in the next five years. Manned space missions are at risk as well. 

Three years ago a U.S. Space Shuttle mission to fix the Hubble space telescope faced a one in 229 chance of getting hit with space junk (that would have likely damaged the shuttle and required a backup shuttle be sent up to rescue the crew). Smaller, more numerous, bits of space junk are more of a danger to astronauts (in space suits) working outside. The shuttle crew working outside to repair the Hubble satellite had a much lower chance of being killed by space junk because a man in a space suit is much smaller and the space suits are designed to help the person inside survive a strike by a microscopic piece of space junk.

The U.S. is spending nearly a billion dollars a year in an attempt to better identify, and track, the larger, more lethal bits of space junk. Two years ago the U.S. Air Force put a special Space Based Space Surveillance system (SBSS) satellite into orbit. This $830 million system uses a satellite that contains a digital camera to take pictures of space debris and make it easier to count and track the growing quantity of space junk. Getting a better and timelier look at space junk has become a priority.

The U.S. has proposed using a space based laser to destroy much of the space junk. The laser either vaporizes debris or damages the larger bits so that its orbit "decays" and the junk moves down into the atmosphere and burns up. Many nations object to this proposal, as such a laser system could also be used as an anti-satellite weapon. However, if the growing swarm of space junk destroys a lot more satellites, that attitude may change.

After over half a century of humans putting objects into orbit there is a lot of junk circling the planet. There are nearly 18,000 objects 100mm (4 inches) or larger. These can do some catastrophic damage to satellites or spacecraft. There are millions of objects smaller than 10mm, and these are responsible for many satellites failing early because of cumulative damage from getting hit by a lot of these micro objects.

SBBS has a military purpose, to spot and track hostile KillSats sent up to destroy American satellites. If the initial SBBS continues to be successful more will be launched, to provide real time surveillance of orbital space. But most of the time SBBS will serve to make space safer from catastrophic accidental collisions. The two or three ground based Space Fence radars will complement the satellites in finding and tracking dangerous space junk.

Source

"Αμερικανικά μεταγωγικά αεροσκάφη στη Σούδα". Τι σενάριο "παίζει"

Ένα σκηνικό προετοιμασίας στρατιωτικών επιχειρήσεων στον Κόλπο, αλλά και στη Βόρεια Αφρική περιγράφει σε ανάλυσή του το Stratfor. Η ανάπτυξη αμερικανικών και γαλλικών δυνάμεων δεν περνά απαρατήρητη και σ΄ αυτή εμπλέκεται και η Σούδα.

Δώδεκα αεροσκάφη MC-130H, HC-130N, HC-130P και AC-130 Υ και ελικόπτερα διέσχισαν τον Ατλαντικό Ωκεανό στις 13 Σεπτεμβρίου και προσγειώθηκαν ,σύμφωνα με δημοσίευμα του Stratfor στη Σούδα. 

Το Stratfor χαρακτηρίζει με νόημα “ενδιαφέρουσα” αυτή τη “μαζική” αποστολή αεροσκαφών τα οποία συνδέει με αποστολές Ειδικών Δυνάμεων.

Στις 24 Σεπτεμβρίου ,επισημαίνει το Stratfor αεροσκάφη F/A-18 προσγειώθηκαν στην αεροπορική βάση Moron στην Ισπανία. Οι πληροφορίες θέλουν τα αεροσκάφη αυτά να κατευθύνονται προς τον Περσικό Κόλπο.

Την ίδια ημέρα οι New York Times δημοσίευσαν ένα άρθρο ,σύμφωνα με το οποίο μετά από συμφωνία με το Ιράκ, αμερικανικές ειδικές δυνάμεις θα επιστρέψουν στη χώρα.

Το Stratfor επισημαίνει και την αυξημένη κινητικότητα των Γαλλικών Ενόπλων Δυνάμεων στη βόρεια Αφρική ,όπου το Παρίσι ανέπτυξε ειδικές δυνάμεις στη νότια Σαχάρα και στο βόρειο Μάλι. Αμερικανικές δυνάμεις έχουν εντοπιστεί στη Λιβύη.

Όπως σωστά επισημαίνουν οι Αμερικανοί αναλυτές κανείς δεν μπορεί να αγνοήσει την ανάπτυξη αυτών των δυνάμεων και να μην την συνδέσει με όσα γίνονται στη Συρία,το Αφγανιστάν,αλλά και στη βόρεια Αφρική.

Source

NIGERIAN ARMED FORCES: AIRBORNE AND SPECIAL FORCES MANEOUVRES AT THE NIGERIAN ARMY DAY CELEBRATION (NADCEL 2012)

Posted on September 29, 2012 

Nigerian Army paratroopers jump off an Alenia G222 plane during ‘NADCEL 2012′ at Jaji

Nigerian Army Special Forces commandos rappelling off a NAF Mi-24V during ‘NADCEL 2012′ at Jaji

Source

US Special Forces Deployed in Iraq, Again

By Tom Hayden, THE NATION

Despite the official US military withdrawal last December, American special forces “recently” returned to Iraq on a counter-terrorism mission, according to an American general in charge of weapons sales there. The mission was reported by the New York Times, in the fifteenth paragraph of a story about deepening sectarian divides.

The irony is that the US is protecting a pro-Iran Shiite regime in Baghdad against a Sunni-based insurgency while at the same time supporting a Sunni-led movement against the Iran-backed dictatorship in Syria. The Sunni rebellions are occurring in the vast Sunni region between northwestern Iraq and southern Syria where borders are porous.

During the Iraq War, many Iraqi insurgents from Anbar and Diyala provinces took sanctuary in Sunni areas of Syria. Now they are turning their weapons on two targets, the al-Malaki government in Baghdad and the Assad regime in Damascus.

The US is caught in the contradictions of proxy wars, favoring Iran’s ally in Iraq while trying to displace Iran’s proxy in Syria.

The lethal complication of the US Iraq policy is a military withdrawal that was propelled by political pressure from public opinion in the US even as the war could not be won on the battlefield. Military “redeployment”, as the scenario is described, is a general’s nightmare. In the case of Vietnam, a “decent interval” was supposedly arranged by the Nixon administration to create the appearance of an orderly American withdrawal. During the same “interval”, Nixon massively escalated his bombing campaign to no avail. Two years after the 1973 Paris peace accords, Saigon collapsed.

It is unlikely that the Maliki regime will fall to Sunni insurgents in Iraq, if only because the Sunni population is approximately twenty percent of the population. However, the return of US Special Forces is not likely to restore Iraqi stability, and they may become trapped in crossfire as the sectarian tensions deepen. The real lesson may be for Afghanistan, where another unwinnable, unaffordable war in support of an unpopular regime is stumbling towards 2014.

Source

US Special Forces involved in Syria

An analyst says Western countries stoke violence in Syria, supporting death squads who ravage the local population, as well as undermine the functioning government.

The United States has announced that it will be providing an additional USD 45 million to the insurgents fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government. 

The US has already provided some USD 25 million to the armed groups. 

Some European and Arab countries have also provided weapons to the insurgents fighting against the Syrian government. 

Press TV has conducted an interview with Stephen Lendman, a writer and radio host from Chicago, to further discuss the issue. The following is a rough transcription of the interview. 

Press TV: Why is Turkey doing this to itself? Let’s start off with the “why” of this to begin with, why is Ankara even involved in trying to overthrow a neighboring country? 

Lendman: Well, in a word, Turkey is involved because Turkey is a NATO country; 28 countries; every country is obligated to the other 27. 

Washington leads NATO. Washington gives the orders. The conflict in Syria, it’s a proxy war; it’s a Western proxy war. 

One correction on what Johnny Miller said, it is not a civil war. There is nothing civil about what’s going on. It’s an invasion. It’s a Western-generated invasion. 

The militants that are in Syria, they are death squads, the same type of death squads that ravaged Nicaragua in the 1980s. They are killers. They are hired paramilitaries; they are hired to kill local people, to stoke terror, to stoke fear.

They can keep coming. There are many of them who, I guess, can be recruited for a buck, for ideology, whatever reason they may have. 

I can’t imagine what Turkey can gain out of this except staying on Washington’s good side. 

But aside from the expense internally in Turkey, and the internal opposition from its own people, what on earth does Turkey want to get involved with a country that over many years it had good relations with and it kept the PKK from stirring up too much trouble? 

Well, exactly the opposite is going on now. 

Everybody is losing on this. The Turkish people are losing. The Syrian people are losing. 

The opposition in Syria, most of the internal opposition is non-violent. You never hear that reported in the major media. 

There is opposition in every country. There is plenty of opposition in America. They don’t go out on the streets, shooting people and blowing up buildings. The people doing that are the Western-recruited death squads brought in from the outside. They’re responsible for the massacres, for the killing. 

Press TV: I saw you shaking your head when our previous guest [John Hajjar] was talking. Your take on what he was saying, that basically the focus of attention is not what we’re calling these armed infiltrators in Syria but on the government itself, and that Turkey is actually not a secular government as many of us have believed, but an Islamic one. Your take, Stephen Lendman. 

Lendman: Your guest from Boston, my home city, he sounds more like a propagandist who appears on Fox News in America. He simply doesn’t know what he’s talking about. 

Number one, Turkey is a secular government. It’s not an Islamist government. It’s run pretty much by the military. It has civilian heads but the military is the ultimate power in Turkey, and it certainly is a secular government. It has been that way for a long time. 

As far as Assad, Assad is doing what any responsible leader would do. Syria was invaded from the outside by killers. These death squads have been imported from surrounding countries; they’re coming from Libya; they’re coming from Iraq; they’re coming from Jordan; Israel is very much involved.

America is supplying all kinds of things by proxy. The so-called humanitarian money that’s being donated, that’s a cover. That’s a cover. There are American weapons being used. These people are being supplied; they’re being directed. The CIA is involved. US Special Forces are being involved. 

British intelligence have been involved. They’ve been involved since last year. These are the facts that are going on in the country. 

Any government would do exactly what Assad has done. He is fighting these killer invaders that have come into his country. 

If they came into Chicago, the Chicago police would do the same thing. If they couldn’t handle it, the National Guard would do the same thing. They’d come out with guns, with tanks. 

If they couldn’t handle it, the US Marines would come in, and they would come in with F-16s, and they would get rid of these people; they would route them; they would kill them. 

If I was Assad, I would do exactly what he is doing, and I am absolutely non-violent. If the Syrian people don’t have Assad to protect them, who do they have? They’re aligned with him. 

They are not war crimes. They are not war crimes. War crimes are committed by the mercenaries.

Πηγή

French Special Forces operating in Libya and Mali

The principle of military action against AQIM (al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb) is now established. The capitals of countries are actively working to develop a politico-military scenario intended to rid the region of the terrorist threat. Because that is targeted by AQIM , France is at the forefront of future operation, which will be composed of the backbone forces of ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West Africa.

Bogged down in Afghanistan for over ten years, the victims of strokes plane strain their budget numbers, the French armies were warned that their participation in overseas operations now limited to a multilateral framework. The colonial past of France and the threat that weigh on the lives of the hostages if Paris was at the forefront in the Sahel also call for moderation. “We just want to have a facilitating role. No question of sending ground troops, “said a French diplomat. The Defence Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, promised a “logistical support” to help resolve the crisis.

French Special Forces in the region

But France is getting impatient. One hundred members of French Special Forces have been deployed in the region. They should soon be strengthened, in particular by the commandos of the French Navy. French aid also includes maritime patrol aircraft, who gather intelligence and surveillance system based in Niger. According to the hypotheses, notably in Paris, it would form an action force of a few hundred men to reconquer northern Mali, held for several months by armed Islamist groups.

A core group of 40 men, a first circle 200 to 400 men and footmen from 3000 to 4000 that men are Islamist. “This is not the Russian campaign,” says one expert dossier. “They are actually quite few. A thousand men occupies part of a state that no longer existed, “he says. The operation should not be limited to “give a kick in the anthill then go, warns an expert on the issue. Must be entered in the action duration, otherwise the problem will resurface six months later. ”

According to the daily El Khabar, an Algerian newspaper knowledgeable about security issues, the result of French Special Forces African military in Libya. “This is not information that surprises me. The French interests in the region, as Libya to Niger. Intervention but requires caution and tact due to entangling alliances uncertain actors and influence of foreign powers who have their own agenda, “said Liess Boukra, the former director of the ACSRT a Centre for the Study of Terrorism based in Algiers.

Algeria, which is to keep the pressure on terrorism outside its borders – and if possible to push towards sub-Saharan Africa – rejects any interference in the Sahel. This position does not prevent maintaining links with some ambiguous protagonists of the crisis, as the Islamist Ansar Dine Tuareg who control Kidal, one of the major cities of northern Mali. “There is something in the attitude trouble Algiers,” says a French diplomat.

Chadians in ambush

The French could be strengthened to address the shortcomings of the African Standby Force. Niger has announced its intention to provide troops and Burkina Faso and Senegal could follow. Reinforcements from Chad, a country where France has military bases could actively participate in the operation. But Chadian fighters, hardened in combat in the desert, scare their neighbors because of their reputation of soldiers uncontrollable.

For their part, Malians are divided and destroyed their army. Now, everyone knows that ECOWAS can hardly play more than a “buffer role” in this case, in the words of a diplomat. “His military capabilities are limited. ECOWAS will never be able to form the core of the intervention. ”

To support Africans, Britain has sided with France. Between the two countries’ cooperation is excellent, “says an officer. Germans and Poles have pledged support intelligence. Italians and Spaniards, their political contest. The Russians were assured that they not block the Security Council of the UN an operation in the fight against international terrorism. The Chinese seem to share this view. As for the Americans, they have offered their support, including intelligence, while denying the leading role.

Several steps are difficult to negotiate, must still be completed before the start of the operation. Acting President Traoré Dioncounda asked ECOWAS to help Mali to restore its territorial integrity. An agreement on the conditions for the deployment of an African peacekeeping force, with headquarters in Bamako, was found Sunday. If Malians refuse any deployment of foreign forces in the South, Bamako gave a discreet green light to reconquer the North. A special envoy for the Sahel will be appointed. The name of the Gabonese diplomat Jean Ping is mentioned. Its role would be to involve the African Union (AU) folder.

Source: Le Figaro

Το βρετανικό Τυφέκιο L129A1

Στρατιώτης επιδεικνύει το τυφέκιο L129A1 (Φωτογραφία: mod.uk)

To L129A1 έχει χαρακτηριστεί ως όπλο “τυφεκιοφόρου – σκοπευτή” (Designated Marksman Rifle – DMR) το οποίο κατατάσσεται μεταξύ ενός τυφεκίου εφόδου και ενός ειδικού τυφεκίου ελευθέρου σκοπευτή. Ως εκ τούτου , ο σκοπευτής τυφεκιοφόρος έχει οριστεί να προσφέρει τα εγγενή πλεονεκτήματα και των δύο τύπων μαχητών, του ελευθέρου σκοπευτή και του τυφεκιοφόρου – να τροφοδοτείται μόνος του με πυρομαχικά και να εκτελεί επαναλαμβανόμενα πυρά ακριβείας στο εχθρό, σε αποστάσεις οι οποίες ξεπερνούν τις δυνατότητες των συνηθισμένων τυφεκίων. Ο τυφεκιοφόρος – σκοπευτής, δεν έχει εκπαιδευτεί στις λεπτομέρειες του ελεύθερους σκοπευτή και αντί αυτού διαθέτει ικανότητες που μοιάζουν περισσότερο με τις τακτικές μάχης ενός απλού στρατιώτη.

Στη φωτογραφία τo μεγάλης εμβέλειας (800 μέτρα), διαμετρήματος 7.62x51mm, ημιαυτόματο τυφέκιο L129A1 (Φωτογραφία: Wikipedia)

Οι Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες της Αμερικής (ΗΠΑ) δημιούργησαν το δικό τους στοιχείο τυφεκιοφόρου - σκοπευτή, ως αποτέλεσμα της εμπειρίας στα θέατρα των επιχειρήσεων του Αφγανιστάν και του Ιράκ και ήταν σε θέση να αναπτύξουν σωστά το συνοδευτικό οπλισμό δια μέσου καθιερωμένων προγραμμάτων και εγκαταστάσεων για τον στρατό και τους πεζοναύτες.

Όταν ο Βρετανικός Στρατός προσπάθησε να ακολουθήσει το παράδειγμα των ΗΠΑ, συνειδητοποίησε ότι δεν είχε το κατάλληλο οπλισμό για την συγκεκριμένη ειδικότητα, τα μικρού διαμετρήματος τυφέκια εφόδου L85 δεν ήταν κατάλληλα για την αποστολή, ιδιαίτερα στην αντιμετώπιση εχθρικών δυνάμεων σε μεγάλες αποστάσεις – ή τις κατάλληλες εγκαταστάσεις για να κατασκευάσει το τυφέκιο.

Είχε, ωστόσο, αποφασιστεί ότι ένα νέο σύστημα τυφεκίου εξοπλισμένο με διαμέτρημα μεγαλύτερο από 7,62 χιλιοστά έπρεπε να αποκτηθεί. Ένα τυφέκιο το οποίο θα μπορεί να εκπληρώνει τις απαιτήσεις που έθετε το Βρετανικό Υπουργείο Άμυνας (ΒΥΑΜ) συμπεριλαμβανομένων της εύκολης συντήρησης, ευκολίας χειρισμού – που για τον χειρισμό του να απαιτείται μόνο η βασική εκπαίδευση τυφεκιοφόρου – μικρό μέγεθος για εύκολη μεταφορά και ευκολία μεταφοράς σε αναγνωριστικές επιχειρήσεις και – φυσικά – να έχει επαναλαμβανόμενη ακρίβεια σε απομακρυσμένους στόχους με ύψος ανθρώπου.

Βρετανός στρατιώτης στο Αφγανιστάν κρατώντας το τυφέκιο L129A1 (Φωτογραφία:arms-cool)

To ΒΥΑΜ ξεκίνησε ένα εσωτερικό πρόγραμμα τυφεκιοφόρου – σκοπευτή για το οποίο η εταιρεία Lewis Machine & Tool (LMT) κατέθεσε μία τυποποιημένη έκδοση του εξαιρετικού τυφεκίου των 7,62 χιλ. LM308MWS, μετά από μία εκτενή διαδικασία αξιολόγησης, επιλέχθηκε για περαιτέρω δοκιμές το L129A1 καθώς κατάφερε να χτυπήσει, σε διαδοχικές βολές, “στόχο” κάτι που προανήγγειλε θετικές εξελίξεις για το τυφέκιο.

Επιπλέον, η LMT διέθετε ιδιόκτητες πιστοποιημένες εγκαταστάσεις κατασκευής, κάτι το οποίο βοήθησε την πρόταση της. To LM308MWS είχε να συναγωνιστεί κορυφαία τυφέκια, το Γερμανικού Hecker & Koch HK417 και το Βελγικού Fabrique-National SCAR-17. To τελικό αποτέλεσμα έδειξε νικητή το LM308 το οποίο έγινε αποδεκτό ως το νεώτερο όπλο, εδώ και δεκαετίες, στο Βρετανικό Στρατό με την κωδική ονομασία L129A1 και διαμορφώθηκε για τις δύσκολες συνθήκες της μάχης.

Εξωτερικά, το L129A1 έχει συμβατική διάταξη. Η κατασκευή του χρησιμοποιεί βαριά μεταλλικά εξαρτήματα όπως επίσης και χαμηλού βάρους πολυμερή εξαρτήματα ανθεκτικά στη σκουριά . Ο κορμός διαθέτει όλες τις απαιτούμενες εξωτερικές λειτουργίες όπως επίσης και τους εξωτερικούς μοχλούς βολής και στις δύο πλευρές (κοντά στην πιστολοειδή λαβή) που ευνοεί των αμφιδέξιο χειρισμό. Έχει δύο επιλογές βολής “ασφάλεια” και “ημιαυτόματο” που συμβολίζονται με ένα κόκκινο και λευκό αυτοκόλλητο στη θέση του επιλογέα.

Βρετανοί πεζοναύτες στο Αφγανιστάν (Φωτογραφία: mod.uk)

Ο μοχλός όπλισης και η θύρα απόρριψης καλύκων βρίσκεται στη δεξιά πλευρά του κυρίως κορμού, και ευνοεί τους δεξιόχειρες χειριστές, αλλά, επίσης κράτα τους απορριπτόμενους κάλυκες μακρυά από το πρόσωπο του χειριστή.

Στη διαδικασία βολής εμπλέκεται το δοκιμασμένο σύστημα τροφοδοσίας φυσιγγίων με την επ’ενέργεια των αερίων, κοινό στα τουφέκια της ίδιας κατηγορίας.

Η πιστολοειδής λαβή και ο μηχανισμός της σκανδάλης έχει παρόμοια σχεδίαση με το Μ16, η λαβή έχει την σωστή γωνία προς τα πίσω και είναι εργονομικά σχεδιασμένη για σταθερό κράτημα.

Ο 20 φυσιγγίων, αποσπώμενος, ελατηριώτος γεμιστήρας που τροφοδοτεί φυσίγγια, βρίσκεται μπροστά από τον μηχανισμό της σκανδάλης.

Η πάνω πλευρά του κυρίως κορμού διαθέτει ράγες Picatinny όπου μπορούν να προσαρμοστούν διάφοροι τύποι οπτικών. Ο συνηθισμένος τύπος διόπτρας για το Βρετανικό Στρατό, σε ότι αφορά, το L129A1 είναι η διόπτρα Advance Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG) με νηματόσταυρο BDC (οι περισσότερες διόπτρες ACOG δεν χρησιμοποιούν μπαταρίες για το φωτισμό του νηματόσταυρου, έχουν ενσωματωμένο φωσφόριζε φωτισμό ο οποίος παρέχεται από τη ραδιενεργό διάσπαση του τριτίου.)

Επιπρόσθετες βοηθητικές ράγες υπάρχουν κατά μήκος των πλευρών και της κάτω πλευράς του χειροφυλακτήρα της κάννης στο τελευταίο τμήμα είναι δυνατή η τοποθέτηση ενός αναδιπλωμένου μοχλού για πιο σταθερό χειρισμό. Το κοντάκιο τύπου SOPMOD υποστηρίζεται από μία σωληνωτή βάση και εκτείνεται για να διαμορφωθεί πλήρως στο ώμο του χειριστή – το κοντάκιο ειναι ρυθμιζόμενο σε έξι προκαθορισμένες θέσεις.

Τυφέκιo L129A1 (Φωτογραφία: world.guns)

Η 16 ιντσών (40,64 χιλιοστά) ανοξείδωτου ατσαλιού, Free-floating κάννη προεξέχει από το διάτρητο χειροφυλακτήρα της κάννης και καλύπτεται από ένα φλογοκρύπτη (κάννη Free-floating είναι ειδικού σχεδιασμού τεχνολογία που χρησιμοποιείται από τα τυφέκια υψηλής ακριβείας, συγκεκριμένα τα αγωνιστικά τυφέκια, για να αυξηθεί η ακρίβεια του όπλου. Στα κανονικά τυφέκια η κάννη εδράζεται στο κοντάκιο. Η κάννη Free-floating είναι αυτή που έχει σχεδιαστεί ώστε να μην έρχεται σε επαφή με κανένα σημείο του κυρίως κοντακίου.)

Το ΒΥΑΜ έχει επιλέξει το L129A1 για να αντικαταστήσει το bolt-action τυφέκιο της σειράς Accuracy International, L96. Καθώς το τυφέκιο L96 δεν μπορεί να εκπληρώσει τις απαιτήσεις της αποστολής του DMR. Μέχρι σήμερα το ΒΥΑΜ έχει παραγγείλει (και πιθανόν να έχει παραλάβει) περίπου 440 τυφέκια L129A1.

Η κάννη είναι πλήρως αποσπώμενη και μπορεί να αλλαχτεί όποτε χρειαστεί.

Πηγή