#SmallArms

Japan’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) showcased the Japan Ground Self Defense Force’s (JGSDF) latest standard-issue rifle, the Type 20 Howa at the DSEI Japan expo held in Chiba from 15 to 17 March. Overt Defense was able to speak with Howa’s Firearms and Ammunitions Department Deputy General Manager Kazuhiro Kimura, JGSDF light weapons instructor Master Sgt. Kentaro Ota, and with Engineer Yuichi Omote from Asahi-Seki’s Ammunition & Precision Engineering Division about the rifle. Asahi-Seiki is the company responsible for the new 5.56x45mm J3 cartridge which is fired by the rifle.

The Canadian government has confirmed that shipments of ‘lethal’ military aid will be shipped to Ukraine as the crisis with Russia continues. The military aid will take the form of small arms and ammunition and will follow earlier non-lethal equipment which has already been sent by Canada.

Longtime readers of TFB will know our very own Vladimir Onokoy as not only a very competent writer but also an insightful specialist on non-American weaponry from various countries including Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, and 12 other countries, mostly as a security contractor. Vlad likes to train, shoot competitively and has also been published in various print firearms magazines as a featured author and has also worked on several online video series with personalities like Larry Vickers. You can reach Vlad through TFB as well as his various social media outlets listed below.

Small arms ammunition has seen its fair share of ups and downs in terms of both price and availability over the last couple of years but that hasn’t stopped the insatiable appetite of our armed forces and their need for reliability and quality ammunition for training and mission duties. Winchester, the largest manufacturer of small arms ammunition for the United States Military recently announced that they have been awarded a $13 million contract for the 7.62mm cartridge (presumably M80 ball).

The recent and hasty withdrawal of the United States Armed Forces from the country of Afghanistan has been somewhat of a controversy. Many say that the withdrawal of US forces was irresponsible while others are lauding the decision as a step towards a more peaceful world. No matter what side you fall on, if you’re a serious gun aficionado then you are probably curious about all the shiny new hardware the Taliban has found themselves now owning. Today we’ll take a brief look at some of the new weapons of the Taliban and how they are already starting to integrate some US and European weaponry into their arsenal.

TFB reader, Stimpy75, was very kind to provide the following photos from the International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF 2019) that took place in early May, 2019.  There were some small arms on hand, including the Tokat 571 machine pistol we posted about, but armored personnel carriers, tanks and ships were bountiful.  From the photos provided, it seems that remotely fired, large and small caliber hardware was the name of the game. Many platforms, from shoulder fired rifles to 25mm mounted guns, mortars and artillery were all featured with remote controlled systems. In case you’re wondering, yes, the title image is a laser guided missile designed to be fired from a shoulder fired grenade launcher.  We won’t cover all that was to be seen at IDEF 2019, but below are most relevant to TFB’s scope, with a little indulgence here and there.

On the 20th February, FN Herstal was awarded a ‘major contract’ for rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers by NATO’s Support & Procurement Agency (NSPA) on behalf of the Portuguese Army. The contract is said to be for “5.56mm and 7.62mm NATO caliber FN SCAR assault rifles, FN40GL grenade launchers, MINIMI 5.56 and 7.62 Mk3 light machine guns.”

There have been some significant changes to the British Army’s small arms load out in recent months with the announcement that the long mooted removal of the FN Minimi, 60mm Mortar and L86 Light Support Weapon from service was official. The British Army is now moving to rebalance its infantry weapons at the section level.

The British Army has announced some major changes to its infantry small arms. Confirming that it will drop the FN Para Minimi or L110A3 at the fire team level. Additionally, the M6-640 60mm mortar will also be phased out and the L86A2 light support weapon will also be removed from service.

There certainly exist a large number of myths and misconceptions about small arms in Afghanistan. Everything from the names of certain firearms available to how they are perceived in the country has been over exaggerated or hyped up to the point of no return. Surprisingly there are almost as many myths in the country of Afghanistan itself than those that exist in the United States and Europe. Some of these are quite harmless but others involve safety and safe firearms handling which can at times lead to negligent discharge and death.

At an AUSA breakfast conference yesterday, US Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley gave us a hint at exactly what the US Army’s next rifle could look like, and the focus was on extended range capability. The rifle, Milley said, will give a 10x improvement in capability through the type of ammunition, optics, and degree of chamber pressure specific to it, with the aim of providing the soldier a weapon with much more accuracy and range than the current M4 Carbine. Milley also clarified that the term “10x” was not intended to be a precise measurement of the capability growth, but rather a term indicating significant improvement. The new rifle will come as part of an effort that also includes new artillery, tanks, aircraft, and virtual reality training facilities, Milley said.

Is the US Army pushing for a new high-powered 6.Xmm caliber with their new NGSAR program? Recently, the listing for the NGSAR industry day in December was updated with a document describing in part the agenda of the second conference. Scheduled for 9:45 in the morning in the document is a 15 minute long presentation on “Ammunition Data – Surrogate Projectile and Specs”, presented by Todd Townsend, David Charowsky, and Mark Minisi. Minisi’s name may not be well-known, but it will be familiar to astute students of recent wound ballistics literature: It was Minisi who developed the finite element analysis-based tissue damage model, which has been refined over the past decade at ARDEC through PM Maneuver Ammunition Systems (PM-MAS). Mr. Townsend is also likely representing PM-MAS, now under the leadership of Colonel Hector Gonzalez. 

Mortal combat has been the cause of study for military historians since the Greek teacher Herodotus. But what it is like being on a two-way shooting range? What sorts of thoughts and emotions are experienced by those who participate as Infantrymen or Law Enforcement? Myself and a friend of mine sat down and talked at length about what exactly goes on in combat and the sorts of situations it would put us in. We specifically discussed our experiences while serving with 1st Battalion 9th Marines in Helmand Province, Afghanistan during the years of 2011 and 2013-2014. But much of what we went through has a baseline that can be traced back through the ages and will certainly be felt by future generations.

In the comments section of my recent Brief Thoughts article regarding caseless ammunition, there was a discussion about whether the cookoff issues of caseless would also be problem for LSAT-style polymer cased telescoped ammunition. Based on conversations I have had with subject matter experts regarding polymer cased ammunition in general, I noted that a lower cookoff threshold is one of the challenges I would expect CT ammunition developers to face. However, after some back-and-forth in the comments, I decided to contact LSAT/CTSAS program officer Kori Phillips regarding this issue (as it was not something I covered in my three-part interview with her), and she kindly agreed to allow her comments on the matter to be published here on TFB. They are below:

Caseless: The ammunition designer’s holy grail, and the engineer’s worst nightmare. It would obsolete the cartridge case overnight, resulting in cheaper, lighter, and more compact ammunition. Weapons would be able to carry 50, 60, or more rounds in slim, inexpensive magazines, and expel them at a rate of fire much higher than current weapons are capable of – not only because the ammunition is lighter and therefore more could be carried to feed such thirsty guns, but because the extraction and ejection cycles of the weapons themselves could be eliminated.