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

US rifles for Indian special forces

American M-4 assault rifles — used by the US Navy SEALS to eliminate al-Qaida chief Osama Bin Laden — are being inducted into the Indian Army's special forces battalions for use in counter terrorists operations here.

India had recently signed a deal with the US worth several crore rupees for procuring these M-4 carbine rifles for the Army's eight special forces battalions, Army sources revealed. These guns have been used extensively by the US special forces in operations across Iraq andAfghanistan and are now being inducted into the eight battalions of Army's special forces, they said.

The guns were used by the US Navy SEALS to shoot down Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan's Abottabad in Operation Geronimo carried out in May last year.

Sources said the new guns will not be a replacement for the existing inventory of Israeli Tavor-21, Uzi and mini-Uzi rifles but will supplement the armoury. The Tavor-21s were also inducted only a few years ago into the SF battalions which were using the AK-47s till then. The Special Forces have been given responsibility to handle any 26/11 type attacks.

Πηγή

Dragunov (SVD)

The Dragunov Sniper Rifle (Russian: Снайперская винтовка Драгунова, Snayperskaya Vintovka Dragunova, abbreviated SVD, GRAU index 6V1), is a semiautomatic rifle designed by Evgeniy Fedorovich Dragunov in the Soviet Union between 1958 and 1963. It is basically a battle rifle with a scope. The SVD was the world's first purpose-built military precision marksman's rifle, and is common (along with several variants) throughout the former Eastern Bloc. The Dragunov SVD is one of two rifles made by Dragunov, the second being the Dragunov Tiger.

History

The need for a new precision platoon-level, semi-automatic rifle became apparent to Soviet military leadership in the 1950s, and in 1958 a contest among Soviet arms designers was opened for the creation of such a rifle. The winner of the contest was a rifle designed by a team headed by Evgeniy Fedorovich Dragunov. In 1963, the Dragunov Sniper Rifle was accepted into the arsenal of the Soviet Army.

Ballistics

The SVD is chambered for the 7.62 x 54R rimmed cartridge, with a muzzle velocity of about 830 meters per second. The rifle can accept the older Mosin Nagant M1891/30 cartridge, but a more accurate 7N1 round was designed specifically for it. The 7N1 was the original load developed by Russian armorer Sabelnikov in conjunction with the development of the SVD back in the late 1950s. It has a steel jacketed projectile with an air pocket, steel core, and a lead knocker in the base for maximum terminal effect. The 7N1 was replaced in 1999 by the 7N14 round. The 7N14 is a new load developed for the SVD. It consists of a 151 grain projectile which travels at the same 2723 ft/s, but it has a lead core projectile and is supposed to be the more accurate of the two. Nikolai Bezborodov, head of R&D at Izhmash, stated that it was the most accurate load for the SVD. However, the Soviet Union never offered this ammunition for export, and it is very rare outside of Russia. This ammunition can be identified by its packaging which has Russian: "Снайперские" (Sniper) stamped on its crates, cans, and paper wrap to prevent it from being wasted in other weapon applications.

Although the rifle is lethal at ranges above 1000 m, it is not really intended or designed for ultimate accuracy and can only reasonably engage targets at up to 600 m with standard ammunition, achieving 2 Minutes of arc at that distance. This range and accuracy can be improved upon with the specialty ammunition. Inaccuracy in this weapon is primarily due to the effects of the semiautomatic action of the SVD on the barrel harmonics; the accuracy of the rifle suffers at greater ranges. However, the weapon handles easily for its size, and is designed to be very durable; the gas system and bore are chrome lined to resist against corrosion and it is easy to clean. The rifle also has a bayonet lug for close-quarters combat, although the mounting of a bayonet will cause a slight change in center of gravity, affecting the handling qualities of the rifle, and possibly accuracy.

Equipment

The SVD comes standard with a PSO-1 scope, a 4×24 device which includes a battery-operated reticule and a passive infrared filter. At the time of its development, the PSO-1 scope was considered one of the most advanced sniper scope designs ever fielded. Its reticule consists of multiple aiming points (chevrons) which are used for distances beyond 1000 meters. There is also a range finder built in to the reticule which allows approximate distance calculations based on the height of an average human (which the Soviets felt was 1.7 meters tall). Many other conventional and night-vision optics are available. In case of scope failure, the rifle has non-detachable iron sights, a feature that does not exist on most sniper rifles. The SVD also came with a bayonet identical to that of the AK-47, a cheek rest, a carrying strap, magazine pouch and basic cleaning utensils and maintenance tools.

Battlefield Usage

While the Soviet army was in operation each squad was issued one SVD. Soldiers issued an SVD typically are specially trained for the weapon. They move with their squad and are intended to increase the range of their infantry squad up to and above 600 m (without an SVD, the effective range of a squad when the rifle began production would have been 300 m due to the limitations of the AK-47). As such, it is not a sniper's rifle in the sense used by, among others, the U.S. military, but the first example of what is today known as a designated marksman's weapon.

Designed with the simple purpose of extending a squad's range, the weapon is rugged and durable. This shows in the fact that it is designed to have a mounted bayonet and has backup iron sights in case the scope fails. The rifle's reliability is still recognized, and the weapon is still fielded by the Russian army and Russian law enforcement agencies.

Russian small arms are generally regarded as very sturdy and this has led to widespread use and long "careers" for particular Dragunovs. The rifle has been used in numerous conflicts around the world such as the Vietnam War, the Lebanese Civil War, Chechnya, Operation Desert Storm and in the Iraq War to name only a few. As seen in the picture, guerilla forces may adopt considerably more informal tactics than used by professional armies: this insurgent may make up to some degree for a lack of a spotter by adopting positions on the fly.

Modernization

In the 1980s, Evgeniy Fedorovich Dragunov developed the SVDS (Snayperskaya Vintovka Dragunova Skladnaja), a version of the SVD with a folding metal stock, shortened (590 mm) but heavier barrel, and a shortened flash suppressor, intended for paratroopers and motorized infantry. The bayonet lug has also been removed.

Initial versions of the SVD were manufactured with wooden furniture (stock, pistol grip and handguard). Today the SVD is made with polymer furniture to decrease weight and manufacturing costs and increase ergonomics.

Variants

USSR/Russian: SVD, SVDS, SVU (a bullpup version of the SVD with a shorter (520 mm) barrel, bipod and a flash/sound suppressor), SVU-A (SVU with selective fire capability).

VSS vintores is a silenced and shortened version of the Dragunov SVD.

Chinese: Type 79 and Type 85 (military designation), Norinco NDM-86 (commercial export in .308 Winchester).

Polish: SWD-M, a modernized version with heavier barrel, detachable bipod, new side mount and PCO LD-6x42 scope. About 70 were created in ZM Lucznik for Polish Army and Ministry of Internal Affairs units before the project was canceled in favour of buying new 7.62 mm SAKO TRG-21 rifles.

Civilian version of the rifle is called Tigr (Russian: Тигр, Tiger). It is also available in a variety of large game hunting calibers including .308 Winchester.

Πηγή

M122A1 Tripod

The M192 is an improved-capability ground mount that replaces the M122A1 Tripod. The M192 is a compact and collapsible ground mount that reduces the Soldier’s combat load and improves Soldier mobility. At 11.5 pounds, the M192 features a lower profile and weighs approximately six pounds less than the M122A1 Tripod it replaced. 

The mount provides an integral traversing and elevation (T&E) mechanism that allows for quicker, more accurate target engagement and allows for onehanded operation. This T&E mechanism eliminates the user’s need for adaptors for separate machine gun pintles and T&E devices. 

Other features include a traverse limit stop, a built-in spent case deflector, and the ability to fold up into the spare barrel bag. The mount is constructed with corrosion-resistant materials.

Source

New Assault Rifle from ST Kinetics

This week ST Kinetics (a subsidiary of ST Engineering), makers of the bullpup SAR-21 rifle, have been displaying a new conventional assault rifle at the Singapore Air Show 2012. The rifles looks a lot like the current generation of FN SCAR / Beretta ARX / Remington ACR rifles. The below photo is taken from the show magazine.

New Assault Rifle

The ST Kinetics SAR-21A, a modernized version of the SAR-21, was supposed to have gone into production last year.

Source

FNAC (FN Advanced Carbine)

FNH USA's entry into the Army Individual Carbine competition is the FNAC (Advanced Carbine). The most notable difference between the FN SCAR and the FNAC is that the FNAC has a non-reciprocating charging handle and that the FNAC is 0.3 lbs lighter then a similarly configured FN SCAR Mk. 16.

The barrel is 14" long and feature a M9 Bayonet compatible lug. Like the FN SCAR PDW and FN Mk. 20 SSR , the FNAC's gas block is not topped with a folding front sight, and like the FN SCAR HAMR, the upper receiver lacks the cuts-outs above the barrel.

It looks like FNH USA has merged the best features of the SCAR family into one rifle, and added a few new features of their own, to make one neat package. It will be interesting to see if FN Herstal (Belgium) adopts any of these features for the next iteration of the FN SCAR carbines.

Πηγή

Weapons And Equipment of U.S SEALs

Everyone knows that members of the SEALs and Special Forces in general are highly qualified and enormously disciplined, but what about their weapons and equipment?

The SEALs operate all over the world in a variety of extremely arduous situations. The core of SEAL training involves becoming ingrained with the ability to adapt to nearly any type of environment where actual or potential conflict exists. Here are some of the premier components of the SEAL inventory.

 ASSAULT RIFLES 

The M4 Carbine is a modified M16 semiautomatic rifle and it is perhaps the quintessential SEAL weapon. The M4 Carbine has a collapseable stock and is compatible with a variety of add-ons such as scopes, night vision and grenade launchers. The M4 is equipped with a standard 5.56mm round, making the rifle highly preferable for close-quarters combat.

The M4 offers a highly necessary amount of tactical versatility and this is mainly supported by the addition of Special Operations Peculiar modification, or SOPMOD. The SOPMOD consists of accessories which Accommodate a wide variety of needs to meet special operations situations.

Quite a bit of thought and research goes into designing the basic SOPMOD kit to ensure that it acts as an optimal advantage towards increasing the capacity for a SEAL operative to both survive scenarios and dispatch enemies in hostile encounters. This is mainly accomplished by creating accessories that focus on target acquisition, fire control and overall weapon performance.

 SUB-MACHINE GUNS 

A weapon category which complements the more precision oriented M4 would be the submachine gun, with the 9mm MP5 model being the most commonly used. Variants of the MP5, the 40 caliber and 10mm, were employed at one but have since been discontinued. Versatility is most definitely key when it comes to weapons employed by the SEAL, and the MP5 showcases perhaps the best in terms of tactical options. One of the most variable forms of the MP5 would be the MP5-PDW which features vertical foregrip, folding buttstock, and a barrel which can accommodate a wide variety of attachments. The trigger options consist of semiautomatic and fully automatic.

 SEAL DELIVERY VEHICLE 

Since SEAL members are generally inserted directly into hostile remote regions, well equipped transportation is key. The Dry Deck Shelter (DDS) provides nuclear powered submarines with an increased capacity when mobilizing SEAL team members and other Special Forces Operatives. While completely submerged, the DDSs utilize Combat Rubber Raiding Crafts and/or SEAL Delivery Vehicles for the purposes of fully implementing the deployment of Special Forces to shore or other craft.

Πηγή

LSAT: SAW Replacement Lighter

PICATINNY ARSENAL, NJ – Any Soldier who has ever served as a squad automatic weapon gunner is resigned to the burden of lugging a heavy weapon and ammunition on patrol.

Soldiers may soon have a solution, however, one that cuts the weight of small-arms ammunition nearly in half and provides a potential replacement for the SAW that weighs a whopping 8.3 pounds less than the current M249.

The weight reduction comes in the form of a new light machine gun and ammunition developed by engineers from the Lightweight Small Arms Technologies program, or LSAT.

The program is managed by the Joint Service Small Arms Program, which is part of the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center at Picatinny Arsenal.

“LSAT is all about reducing Soldier load,” said Maj. Matt Bowler, a military adviser to the small arms program.

“We know that the Soldier is overburdened,” he continued. “The Soldier carries too much weight so anything we can do to reduce Soldier load increases the Soldier’s effectiveness, his capability on the battlefield and his survivability.”

The weight reduction provided by the LSAT will have a significant impact for the SAW gunner, the most heavily burdened Soldier in the squad.

According to a study conducted in 2005, the average fighting load for the SAW gunner is 79 pounds. That is nearly twice the weight a Soldier should carry, according to Army doctrine.

Excess weight significantly affects the speed of maneuver of the SAW gunner and therefore the entire squad, which relies on suppressive fire from the SAW gunner to support its movement.

So how is such a tremendous weight reduction achieved?

“We are using cased telescoped ammunition which uses a strong plastic case instead of a traditional brass case,” said Kori Phillips, a systems management engineer with ARDEC.

Weight reduction for the weapon was achieved by designing the new weapon platform using the latest materials technologies as well as modeling and simulation to achieve minimal weight without compromising performance.

With a basic load of 1,000 rounds, the LSAT light machine gun and its cased telescoped ammunition is 20.4 pounds lighter than a traditional SAW with the same amount of standard, brass-cased ammunition.

To try out the new lightweight ammunition and machine gun, a small group of Soldiers and members of the Army and Navy Senior Executive Service attended a live-fire demonstration in June at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Va.

One Soldier who appreciated the lack of brass during the live-fire demonstration was Maj. Gen. Nick Justice, commanding general of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command.

“I’m used to getting hot brass in my face since I am left handed,” Justice said.

The Army’s chief scientist, Scott Fish, also attended the demonstration and tested the weapon first-hand. He later said he was extremely impressed and eager to learn more about the system.

As chief scientist, Fish identifies and analyzes technical issues and brings them to the attention of Army leaders. Additionally, he interacts with operational commanders, combatant commands, acquisition, and science and technology communities to address cross-organizational technical issues and solutions.

Sgt. Jason Reed of the Soldier System Center in Natick, Mass., demonstrated firing both the LSAT LMG and the SAW from various positions -- from prone to kneeling to standing while in full combat protective equipment.

“The difference between the two weapons is night and day,” Reed said.

Before his assignment with Natick, Reed was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment in the 82nd Airborne Division and carried the SAW as an Automatic Rifleman for a total of two years, including a deployment to Iraq.

“The main thing I would take away from this is the weight issue, especially when firing in the standing position,” Reed said. “Bringing up the SAW, especially if you have it up for a long duration of time, it starts to get the best of you and you have less accuracy on target.”

Despite the significantly reduced weight of the LSAT LMG and its ammo, there is no degradation in accuracy or lethality.

“The cased telescoped ammo still provides the same muzzle velocity, range and accuracy as the brass-cased ammo,” Phillips said. “We’re not sacrificing lethality for weight. The plastic case does the same job.”

In addition to significant weight savings, the LSAT is designed to provide other advantages over the current SAW. With a rotating chamber design, the cased telescoped light machine gun improves reliability.

“We’ve avoided the common problem of failure to feed and failure to eject,” Phillips said. “In the current SAW system, that’s one of the places where you primarily have failures and malfunctions.”

The chamber is unique in that the cartridge goes straight through from feed to eject.

“With a regular SAW, or M249, the chamber and barrel is one piece,” Phillips explained. “But in this new light machine gun, the chamber rotates back and forth. The system works in a cyclical pattern, so there’s no interference.”

Additionally, the rotating-chamber design provides better heat management. Combined with the insulating properties of the plastic ammo cases the LSAT LMG has potential to decrease the possibility of a cook-off or eliminate them altogether.

Another significant feature is the long-stroke, soft-recoil design, which provides a noticeable reduction in felt recoil over the current SAW. This significantly increases control, thus providing the shooter the ability to put more rounds on target and making the weapon much easier to fire from the standing position as a result of decreased muzzle rise.

Moreover, the LSAT LMG has one other unique feature that the current SAW lacks: the ability to switch to a semi-automatic mode. This feature increases the flexibility of the weapon, allows for the precise engagement of point targets, and helps to conserve ammunition in situations where full-automatic fire may not be necessary or desired.

In September, the weapon and ammunition will undergo a Military Utility Assessment that is intended to demonstrate the advantages that the LSAT LMG provides for the warfighter, as well as possibly influence the user community to develop a Capability Development Document, or CDD.

A CDD is required before the system can transition to a program of record and enter the engineering and manufacturing development phase.

That is a significant milestone. It has taken six years to get from a concept to a fully functioning weapon that is ready to be evaluated by Soldiers.

Thus far, the ARDEC team, along with prime contractor AAI Corporation, has built four light machine guns and has test-fired more than 12,000 rounds of cased telescoped ammunition. They plan to have a total of eight weapons and produce more than 100,000 rounds in time for the assessment.

The LSAT development is much broader than just a new light machine gun. It is applicable to a broad range of calibers and platforms to include a carbine that also fires the lightweight cased telescoped ammunition.

The carbine is the same overall weight and length as the standard M4, but with its modified design, there is more than a one-inch gain in barrel length, which provides a slight increase in muzzle velocity over the current M4 Carbine.

Also under development is a caseless variant of the ammunition that provides a slightly greater weight savings and a significant decrease in volume, providing a 50 percent reduction in weight and a 40 percent reduction in volume compared to current brass.

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