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ARES releases Special Report 5: Cluster Munitions & Submunitions in Syria

Armament Research Services (ARES) is pleased to announce the release of Special Report No. 5, Cluster Munitions & Submunitions in Syria: A Technical Appraisal. Special Report 5 is the culmination of nearly a decade of ARES research into the use of cluster munitions and submunitions in the Syrian Civil War, covering a wide range of

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3D-printed Firearms

ARES is a world leader in the identification, classification, and analysis of craft-produced and privately made firearms (PMFs), including 3D-printed firearms. ARES regularly consults to a range of law enforcement, intelligence, military, NGO, and media clients on a variety of arms and munitions related subjects, including 3D-printed firearms. We also deliver training courses and tailored

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Bersa Lusber 84 used in assassination attempt on Argentinian Vice President

Patrick Senft On the evening of 1 September 2022, Argentina’s Vice President, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, survived an assassination attempt outside her Buenos Aires home. The would-be assassin pointed his handgun at Ms. Kirchner (see Figure 1) and reportedly pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. Nonetheless, media reporting has claimed that the weapon was loaded—and thus

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Introducing the ARES Arms & Munitions Classification System (ARCS)

ARES is delighted to announce the first public release of the ARES Arms & Munitions Classification System, a new handbook designed to increase clarity and precision in how arms and munitions are defined and classified. The culmination of several years’ work by ARES and external specialists, ARCS offers a series of clear, technically focused definitions

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ARCS

The ARES Arms & Munitions Classification System (ARCS) The identification of small arms and light weapons by make and model has long been the subject of specialist literature, but the definition and classification of these items has received only sporadic—and often limited or incomplete—attention. At the time of publication, there is no universally accepted definition

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ARES Glossary

The ARES Glossary provides a reference tool for key technical terms used in ARES publications from July 2022 onwards, although the included terms are also likely to be encountered by readers of arms and munitions literature more broadly. Although originally developed to support the ARES Arms & Munitions Classification System (ARCS), the ARES Glossary will

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Craft-produced firearm used to assassinate Shinzo Abe

N.R Jenzen-Jones & Patrick Senft Around 1130 hrs local time on 8 July 2022, former Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe (Abe Shinzō; 安倍 晋三), was shot in Nara, Japan, with a craft-produced (‘privately made’) firearm. Videos of the shooting suggest that the assailant was within a few metres of the former Prime Minister when

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ARES releases Research Report 12: Digital Bazaar (online arms trade, Syria)

Armament Research Services (ARES) is excited to announce the release of Research Report No. 12, Digital Bazaar: The Online Trade of Arms & Munitions in Opposition-controlled Syria. The release of Research Report 12 marks the completion of a project which began with Research Note No. 11, ‘Analysing the Online Arms Trade in Opposition-controlled Syria’, and

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FGC-9 3D-printed firearm seized in Western Australia

N.R. Jenzen-Jones & Patrick Senft On 12 June 2022, the Western Australia Police Force (WAPOL) held a press conference to present the first fully functional 3D-printed firearm seized in the Australian state of Western Australia (WA) to date. The gun was reportedly seized on 3 June 2022 from an 18-year-old individual who had manufactured it

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Soviet 3-Z-2 incendiary mortar projectiles documented in Ukraine (2022)

Tony Salvo & N.R. Jenzen-Jones An image shared by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS) via social media in early May depicts what appear to be several Soviet 3-Z-2 (sometimes written ‘3Z2’) 120 mm incendiary mortar projectiles near the city of Mykolaiv, in southern Ukraine (see Figure 1). The items pictured display evidence of

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