"Grendel", "Beowulf" and others

The famous M16 rifle, which was adopted by the US Army more than half a century ago, as it turned out at the beginning of the 21st century, was not ready for new challenges - and above all, in terms of the characteristics of its cartridge. Both arms giants and small firms and even lone enthusiasts have joined in the search for a solution.

Temporary temporary rifle cartridge

In October 1962, 42 American arms companies were informed about the SPIW (Special Purpose Infantry Weapon) project. By December, 10 firms had submitted formal proposals. After a two-month study, four projects were identified: the best were AAI and Springfield Arsenal samples, the other two were proposed by the former M14 rifle manufacturers - Harrington-Richardson and Winchester firms. Contracts were signed with them in February 1963.

The SPIW project was supposed to cost $ 21 million and was to be completed within a year. In 1964, the US Army adopted the XM16E1 rifle as a limited standard weapon to fill what was then believed to be the gap between the discontinued 7.62mm M14 rifle and the upcoming SPIW weapon. However, in November 1966, the SPIW program was closed, and on February 28, 1967, the US Army officially adopted the XM16E1 rifle under the designation "US Rifle, 5.56 mm, M16A1".

In general, the SPIW program and its predecessors, as well as other tricks performed by the US Department of Arms, as well as its relationship with Congress and especially Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, deserve a separate story. For now, just remember that the M16 rifle was put into service more than half a century ago as a temporary replacement. The 5.56 × 45 mm cartridge, which was adopted along with it, was to become just as temporary. Created on the basis of the hunting .222 Remington, it had a good flatness of the bullet trajectory, a small recoil impulse, and also a good destructive ability on a bio target. Due to the high velocity, the bullet, when it hit the body, fell apart, causing extensive damage to the internal organs both by the wound cavity and by numerous fragments.

Soldiers of the future will receive a hand-held howitzer

A new "pocket artillery" was developed for the Russian infantry.

In terms of its power, a disposable grenade launcher will not be inferior to a howitzer projectile, and its modern sight will make it possible to destroy enemy tanks and shelters at night as easily as during the day. The emergence of such weapons will provide soldiers with superiority in urban combat, experts say.

In Russia, the development of the newest 6S20 Smes assault grenade launcher is nearing completion, sources in the military-industrial complex told Izvestia. A trial batch of his thermobaric grenades of a volumetric explosion is being made for state tests. The new grenade launchers will be produced at Planta Chemical Plant JSC - the company has already received a set of documentation for their serial production.

According to the documents on the development schedule, the end of state tests is scheduled for the fall of 2021. Earlier, the Ministry of Defense reported that the Mixture is being developed taking into account the combat experience gained in modern conflicts. 

The 6S20 will include both an anti-tank grenade and an assault grenade with thermobaric charges of a volumetric explosion. These are especially effective for warfare in urban areas.

A special feature of the new complex will be a combination of disposable grenades in individual containers and a removable reusable high-tech sight. It combines not only day and night optics, but also a laser rangefinder. This will help to accurately determine the distance to the target and will dramatically increase shooting accuracy compared to the now traditional mechanical ones. The new grenade launcher will be part of a promising combat outfit for the Sotnik serviceman.

Ultra-precise "Krasnopol" of NATO caliber spotted in Algeria

This ammunition is designed to destroy various field fortifications, samples of armored vehicles, including main battle tanks. In this case, not only stationary targets are confidently hit, but also those that are in motion.

In addition to products made in the 152-mm caliber, traditional for domestic guns, there are also variants of the "NATO-type" - 155-mm, which can be used by almost all foreign artillery systems. It is known about the existence of two modifications - K155 and 155M.

The latter has improved technical characteristics. With its own weight of 54.3 kg, the mass of the warhead reaches 22.5 kg, 11 kg falls on the explosive. Length - 1200 mm. The maximum firing range is 26,000 meters.

An interesting feature of the shells is that they attack targets from above, diving at it, hitting, for example, tanks in the roof of the tower or in the area of ​​the engine compartment, that is, in the most vulnerable places.

The Malakhit portable artillery fire control system is used for detection and guidance; it is equipped with a laser rangefinder-target designator, a thermal imager, a special computer, satellite navigation and communication equipment.

According to reports, the Krasnopoli are using the PLZ 45 self-propelled artillery guns and the PLL01 towed howitzers in service with the Algerian army.

The American edition has compiled the top of the strangest ammunition

The American edition of We Are The Mighty has compiled a selection of the strangest ammunition for firearms. Some of them remained a concept, while some were used in real combat.

Dardik Triangle Ammo

Weapons designer David Dardik patented an open-chambered pistol known as Tround in 1958 (short for triangular round, meaning "triangular circle" or "triangular cartridge").

It was a hybrid of a conventional pistol and a revolver, where the cartridges were fed into the drum both through the magazine, and could simply be loaded from the side (the shells were also thrown out from the side). That is, unlike the classic revolver, the cartridge chambers were not O-shaped, but U-shaped. In addition to loading speed, another advantage was that the triangular shaped cartridges took up less storage space.

Gyrojet

This name hides a whole family of small arms developed in the 1960s in the United States, the main feature of which was that instead of traditional bullets, it used small missiles. Weapon designers tried to create a powerful armor-piercing weapon, which, moreover, would have a low noise level when firing (the hiss of a launched rocket is noticeably quieter than the sound of a shot).

The gun was considered, first of all, as a means of defending ships from boarding crews. It is noteworthy that Pakl presented two versions of his weapon - with conventional spherical and cubic bullets. The former, as more humane, were intended for the Christian enemies, and the latter - for the Muslim opponents. However, in the end, Pakl's gun did not impress the military of that time.

Hermes will fill the niche between artillery shells and tactical missiles

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The Army-2020 military-technical forum, which will take place in the Patriot park near Moscow, will be the venue for the premiere of a new Russian missile system created by specialists from the Instrument-Making Design Bureau.

“The exposition of KBP JSC will for the first time showcase the Hermes high-precision guided weapon system with an over-the-horizon firing range of up to 100 km. It is a new generation complex that occupies a niche between guided artillery shells and operational-tactical systems. The complex implements a salvo fire mode at several (up to 6) spaced targets, as well as automatic synchronization of laser target designation for hitting targets with high-precision ammunition with a miss of no more than 0.5 m, ”TASS reports. 

The Hermes system is equipped with an autonomous targeting system operating on the “fire and forget” principle.

It is stated that "Hermes" is adapted for installation on land vehicles, ships, as well as aviation and unmanned aerial vehicles. According to the publication, the missile system is being developed in two modifications - for firing at 20 km in the line of sight, and for hitting targets at a distance of up to 100 km outside the line of sight.