Category: Arms & Munitions ID

British sub-machine gun development: an overview

We are excited to introduce the first in a series of collaborative videos produced by ARES Researcher Ian McCollum, who also runs the Forgotten Weapons blog and YouTube channel. Using access to unique collections facilitated by ARES, this series of videos will examine a range of interesting weapons over the coming months. Each video will be accompanied by a

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The Islamic State’s use of decoys to counter air power

Paul Mutter Tricks such as strapping mannequins onto spare horses and lighting extra camp fires have been used for centuries to deceive reconnaissance, especially by smaller or more technologically-limited forces. Both Axis and Allied forces made extensive use of decoys during the Second World War. However, modern forces have also seen the benefit of decoy

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Small Arms Survey releases Working Paper 25 “Global Development and Production of Self-loading Service Rifles”

ARES Director N.R. Jenzen-Jones has authored a new Working Paper released by the Small Arms Survey, tracing the history and development of the self-loading rifle in military service. In addition to describing the evolution of the self-leading rifle and discussing the turn toward so-called ‘modular’ designs, the Paper provides a definition of these weapons, estimates

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ARES Special Report: Indirect Fire

Artillery systems have played a critical role in modern warfare. Estimates place the total number of casualties inflicted by artillery during the conflicts of the 20th century at between 50 and 80 per cent. The vast majority of munitions fired from artillery systems deliver a high explosive payload and, increasingly, conflicts have taken place in

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‘AK-22’ sub-machine guns used in Dhaka attack

ImproGuns On 1 July 2016, five gunman attacked Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan Thana, Bangladesh, resulting in 29 deaths (20 patrons, two staff members, two police officers and all five of the attackers). Alongside clubs, knives and crude improvised hand greandes, the five gunmen were armed with locally craft-produced sub-machine guns (SMG) known to criminal groups as

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Iranian PG-7-AT (Nader) RPG-7 projectiles in Yemen

B. Khab. with Galen Wright Since early 2016, Yemeni forces belonging to the Aden-based Hadi government have been fighting Houthi militants and other forces loyal to ex-President Saleh in Hajja governorate, one of the few positions in northern Yemen controlled by the Aden-based government. The strategic Midi district has witnessed the fiercest battles ther, and

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Improvised grenade launching attachment for HMGs in Syria

ImproGuns A video posted to social media on 25 November 2016 shows Shi’a militia fighters making use of what appears to be an improvised grenade launching device attached to the muzzle of a DShKM type heavy machine gun (HMG) whilst engaging Islamic State militants near Deir ez-Zor airport in Syria. The device appears to be a

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ISOF Arms & Equipment Part 1 – Personal Equipment

Miles Vining Editor’s note: We are pleased to welcome Miles Vining as a contributing author on The Hoplite. Miles is a former US Marine Corps infantryman who now researches and writes on small arms and tactical equipment. This is the first part of a series examining the arms and equipment employed by the Iraqi Special Operations

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T-55 chassis fitted with S-60 57 mm gun in Iraq

Yuri Lyamin The ongoing conflict in Syria and Iraq has given rise to a wide range of different modifications of military equipment, especially the mounting of automatic guns, including heavy machine guns and cannon, on a variety of different chassis. One of the most popular systems this role is the Soviet-era 57 mm anti-aircraft gun

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Canadian NEA PDW-CCS self-loading rifles in service with Peshmerga and ISOF in Iraq

Miles Vining Recent photographs shared via social media have shown members of Kurdish Peshmerga and personal security detachments within the Iraqi Special Operations Force 1 Brigade (ISOF 1) carrying the 7.5″ PDW-CCS self-loading rifle produced by North Eastern Arms (NEA) of Ontario, Canada. The rifles in question are also pictured outfitted with NEA’s “Mini Can”

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