Headstamp Publishing has just announced the launch of their first Kickstarter campaign, serving as a pre-order mechanism for Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles, 1866 – 2016, authored by ARES Researcher Ian McCollum, who also runs the popular Forgotten Weapons YouTube channel. As Headstamp writes: French small arms have played a unique role in global firearms
Armament Research Services (ARES) is delighted to announce the second instalment in our field guide series, Introduction to Photogrammetry: Using perspective analysis to infer the trajectory of incoming munitions. Released yesterday, this Field Guide is intended to familiarise readers with the use of perspective analysis in conflict zones. It introduces and explains key concepts central to performing
ARES Director N.R. Jenzen-Jones and two well-respected colleagues from the firearms research industry have formed a new publishing concern, Headstamp Publishing, which will produce authoritative books on arms, munitions, and military history. Headstamp leverages its leadership’s exceptional access to top-tier collections around the world, as well as an extensive network of subject matter specialists, to
Arms and ammunition are evidence. Many weapons carry marks that, combined with their physical characteristics, reveal important information about them, including their manufacturer, age, and origin. This information, in turn, provides vital clues about the sources and flows of weapons in the area in which they were found. ARES personnel have worked with the Small
ARES staff have updated two research notes for the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, with a particular focus on improving technical clarity and precision. Both draw on earlier work from Survey staff. One research note examines man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS), whilst the other looks at anti-tank guided weapons (ATGWs). Both are types of guided light weapon found in current
Ian McCollum, a Researcher with ARES and the Editor of Forgotten Weapons, recently interviewed ARES Director N.R. Jenzen-Jones. They discussed a wide range of topics addressing the adoption, stockpiling, use, and proliferation of (primarily) modern arms and munitions, both in the hands of states and non-state actors. This interview supports an ongoing series of videos
The Libyan revolution deposed the Qaddafi regime in 2011, bringing to an end the tight regulation of the domestic arms trade. Military stockpiles were raided, and small arms and light weapons made their way into the hands of non-state armed groups and private sellers. The subsequent conflicts after the fall of the Qaddafi regime have
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
As part of their strategic mandate to improve human security, The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) launched the final results of their Characterisation of Explosive Weapons research project on 6 February 2017, which sought to describe and explain key types of explosive weapons and their destructive effects on humans and structures. The research
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
