You’ll remember that we reported the initial fielding of the XM320 side-loading H&K 40mm grenade launcher last summer. Well, a look at the current budget docs shows the Army is asking for $38 million to purchase over 9,000 of the guns both using regular procurement funds and so-called “overseas contingency operations” funds.
Documents show the Army has already budgeted for about 12,000 of the guns since 2009.
There’s also money in the budget for the XM26 modular shotgun, you’ll remember we gave this a whirl a few years ago and got (not much of) a real kick out of the idea. The Army bought about 5,000 of the shotguns in 2009, none in 2010, and is asking for 3,600 in 2011.
Anyone out there who’s used this system, ping us at the Tip Line or in the comments section and let us now how it works.
I wasn’t sure my post from yesterday would garner such a reaction, but I’d say the pros outweigh the cons 10:1.
Many of you mentioned that the last known bayonet charge might have been executed by a squad of Brit troops in Basra back in ’04.
Well, a little Googleing and low and behold it turns out that bunch of maniac Scots from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders got ambushed by about 100 Mahdi militiamen near Basra, fought it out, and when they ran low on ammunition, fixed bayonets and went to town.
Based on an after-action report found at this link, the intimidation factor of the bayonet and the surprise such a charge caused among the enemy used to engagements at a distance were pivotal.
The bayonet charge by British troops in Basra achieved tactical success primarily because of psychological and cultural factors. It also shows that superior firepower does not guarantee success by either side. In this case, the value of surprise, countering enemy expectations, and strict troop discipline were three deciding characteristics of the bayonet charge.
And, reading the report, you can’t help but come away from it thinking that while the insurgent is courageous in a sense that he’s willing to commit suicide in an attack on his enemy, and that he’s cunning in his building and implementation of weaponry, and that he’s agile in his ability to move quickly in tight spaces and mingle with the population — in the end their internal propoganda that the coalition are wusses just doesn’t make sense.
Propaganda by Sunni and Shiite jihadists regularly advertised the perception that American and British soldiers were cowards. Similar rhetoric increased after the battles of Fallujah in April2004, perhaps to steady the resolve of militia fighters in the face of aggressive coalition attacks.
In addition, British convoys did not engage significantly during previous ambushes, which probably validated the narrative for many Mahdi militiamen. Because many of the Mahdi fighters were teenagers, it is also likely that the Mahdi army used these ambushes for training and recruiting. The attacks were an opportunity for young fighters to use weapons in combat with little risk of serious reprisal.
Who would you pick in a hand-to-hand standoff — in a eyeball to eyeball fistfight? A Scot highlander or a pencil-necked Mahdi bomb clacker?
I pick the guy who eats haggis. Like this dude…
“I wanted to put the fear of God into the enemy. I could see some dead bodies and eight blokes, some scrambling for their weapons. I’ve never seen such a look of fear in anyone’s eyes before. I’m over six feet; I was covered in sweat, angry, red in the face, charging in with a bayonet and screaming my head off. You would be scared, too.”
Corporal Brian Wood Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment
In the end, the Brit counterassault killed 35 bad guys and left three UK troops lightly wounded.
Keep the bayonets brother!
PS — And here’s another young Brit who had to resort to his rifle blade when the chips were really down:
I read with sorrow a story this morning on Military.com that reported the head of Army basic training is moving to do away with bayonet skills.
It’s funny that just a few days ago I was discussing with a colleague why the military has all but abandoned the bayonet. I mean, there is no more intimidating device than said blade protruding from the barrel of a rifle. Think of a squad of Marines storming a house in the battle of Fallujah with bayonets fixed…talk about devil dogs.
There’s military effectiveness in having such a secondary weapon in close quarters battle when the quarters are REAL close. Taking the one and a half to two seconds to draw your combat knife from your armor could mean the difference between life and death. Having the bad boy already deployed for action could buy you those few precious seconds.
Besides, most of the combat knives hanging off Joes’ armor and MOLLE aren’t ever going to be used for anything more than tearing open a packet of country captain chicken.
But more than the tactical use of the bayonet, there’s that strategic objective — the intimidation factor. You have one of those bad boy Ka-Bars attached to your M4/M16, you’re going to get noticed…and in a good way. The enemy is going to focus on that blade coming at them instead of you, when the doors are being kicked — and besides, think of what the bad guys would think when they see that squad of Joes coming toward their compound with knives attached to their guns: they mean business.
Look, I understand Gen. Hurtling’s dilemma: too much training means we gotta shave off some marginal skills. And and sure some of you are going to generate some convincing arguments that knives should be kept off the end of rifles based on today’s longer-range engagements.
But let’s take a step back and maybe get a little medieval on someone for a change. Maybe the intimidation alone will keep the enemy from firing a shot.
Bushmaster has recently released its civilian version of the Adaptive Combat Rifle and displayed both the Civvie model and the so-called “Enhanced” version of the ACR intended for military customers.
Bushmaster rep Ryan Smith went through the features of the gun formerly known as the Magpul Masada and explained the Bushmaster was working the state national guard and law enforcement customers, while Remington was working the military deal.
As you well know, the Army is in the middle of an internal look at whether to replace the M4 as the standard issue carbine, and the ACR would be a strong candidate for the job. The ACR is the only rifle in the running that can undergo a quick and easy caliber change. A source with Bushmaster who declined to be quoted on the record said that Remington plans to offer the ACR in both 5.56mm and 6.8mm.
The Army could buy the Improved Carbine and Personal Defense Weapon all in one package…?
A DT reader sent us a note on the tip line directing us to a CNN story that states the US Military will remove the biblical cititations from its current inventory of Trijicon ACOG sights and that the company says it will no longer put the verses on their US military sales scopes.
Gen. David Petraeus, commander of United States Central Command, said Wednesday — apparently before learning of the company’s announcement — that the references were a “big concern” to the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps, which have contracts for the scopes.
“I hope you can sense … this is of serious concern to me and the other commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan because it can indeed create a perception that is absolutely contrary to what it is that we have sought to do,” he said.
He said U.S. troops are much more sensitive “about this kind of thing,” apparently, than is the contractor involved.
I have reached out to Trijicon for the official statement, but until then, take a look at the CNN story.
We met some reps from EMA Tactical at the SHOT Show media day and learned about a couple items they’re flacking to the US market.
Mike Grandy showed us their new Countdown Magazine for the M4 class of weapons, which diverges from the traditional see-through countdown mags by incorporating a an actual rotating counter showing exactly how many rounds remain. The numbers are color coded green, yellow and red to indicate which 3rd of the load you’ve got left.
He gave us a detailed look at the Micro T1, a popular sight with SEALs, other spec ops and some Rangers. One of the things he mentioned off camera was that snipers like to use the Micro T1 as a side-mounted sight to help acquire closer in or moving targets so that you don’t have to adjust the big boy.
Walking around the show, I did see a tricked out Knight’s Armament Mk11 with a side-mounted Micro T1 in desert Marpat.
We spoke with reps at rifle sight maker Aimpoint at the media day shoots on Monday, and learned a little about their recently-released Comp M4S, which takes the current M4H and tweaks it a bit to make it more rugged, easier to use and help the battery life.
It’s a popular sight (over 500K fielded primarily to Army units) and the new unit can stand up to the concussion of a flash bang…
Military.com sister site HM Forces has an interesting story today on the debate raging across the pond over effective calibers for long range engagements in Afghanistan.
It looks as if the UK MOD has issued what the US calls a “designated marksman” rifle for its forces there.
The Ministry of Defence has spent £1.6million on 440 semi-automatic rifles, which use 7.62mm ammunition.
The order from U.S based company Law Enforcement International followed concern that UK forces’ 5.56mm rounds were unsuitable for battle in Afghanistan.
Because the 5.56mm bullets – used in the standard-issue SA80A2 assault rifle – are smaller and lighter, they are less effective from 300 yards or further away.
It means insurgents – who use 7.62mm ammunition for their AK47s – back off and shoot at British troops from greater distances. Half of all battles in Helmand are fought between 300 and 900 yards.
Now the MoD has splashed out on the gas-operated LM7 semi– automatic rifles – renamed the L129A1 – which can hit targets up to a mile away.
Of course, caliber doesn’t necessarily equate to range, but we get the point.
I did a little research and found some info on the LM7 from a random UK-based gamer forum. The LM7 looks a lot like a DM rifle in 7.62 with an adjustable stock. The tone of the AP report posted on HM Forces indicates the Brit military is wavering between the 5.56 SA80A2 and a higher-caliber rifle, but I seriously doubt that.
It is interesting to see the same debate cropping up in the UK over whether going back to 7.62 makes more sense:
Tory MP Bernard Jenkin, a member of the Commons defence select committee, said: ‘This goes to the heart of the Nato decision back in the 1980s to go for a 5.56mm standard Army rifle. It made the SA80 rifle all the more controversial.
‘The realisation that the SA80A2 does not throw a heavy enough round for combat operations opens up the whole question of what is the right standard rifle for the British Armed Forces.’
I’ve never fired one, but it seems the SA80 is a pretty good rifle and I just don’t think it’s realistic to assume that NATO militaries are going to go back to the 7.62 as the standard issue. Anyone with more gouge from across the pond on this, please dive into the comments and tip lines to let us know more about what’s going on with this.
A man who holds more knowledge about small arms (and crew served weapons) in the tip of his pinky finger than most “experts” will learn in a lifetime, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jeff Eby had one of his usual “couldn’t care less what people think” conversations with my alma mater, Marine Corps Times, which ran with a story from him saying that H&K had won the competition for the Corps’ Infantry Automatic Rifle.
Our friends at Soldier Systems piled on, saying they’d heard that shooters actually liked one of the Colt versions tested rather than the FN or HK ones.
I love Gunner Eby and have worked with him on stories in the past. He’s a treasure for the Corps as an institution and a boon for reporters trying to cover it. He’s a CWO5, so he’s safely in place and couldn’t care less what his commanders think about who he talks to or what he says. But he’s an advisor, not the final decisionmaker.
So Syscom wrote me back a vaguely-worded email response to a query about all this, seemingly denying that the service had made a final decision on the IAR and stating only that the Corps had ordered “24 weapons” from an “existing contract” that was let back in December ’08. That would most likely be the original contract to Colt, FN and HK for the IAR downselectees. They have not answered my follow up questions on which weapons (make and model) and whether, definitively, they have or have not decided on an IAR winner.
This vagueness could also stem from the service’s internal debate over whether to even go through with the IAR program. Loud voices within the Corps and the joint community argue against limiting a SAW gunner to 30 rounds, despite the weight boon from a rifle-style machine gun. Syscom seems less than enthusiastic about the program from the start, but one shouldn’t read their incomprehensible responses (or total lack thereof) to questions about this program as emotional.
UPDATE: Just got an email from Syscom stating that the order was for 24 more HK 416s and that the Marine Corps is “still testing the IAR” whatever that means.
Recent Comments
Guys this platform is about CAS but not in the...
ANGRYTACP
Blaming the contractors for a development system created...
G Lof
'Nor really stealthy'? LOL! – Only in...
SMSgt Mac
That is not a 120mm mortar please check it out. My was 11C...
Jim
With the exception of his Boeing Tanker blindspot
SMSgt Mac
i heard recently that rules of engagement in...
mad mike
Would I be correct in assuming that means a noise or...
bduff509
RE: But their advantage is reduced by daytime...
SMSgt Mac
And to get back on topic…Don’t think...
SMSgt Mac
RE: "shown your contempt for every service...
SMSgt Mac