Tag: Small Arms & Light Weapons

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

Continue Reading

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

Continue Reading

Weapons & equipment seized from alleged Russian saboteurs in Ukraine (2022)

Mick F. Editor’s Note: This article has an information cut-off date of 9 March 2022. On the morning of 24 February 2022, the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine. The opening strikes were made with air-delivered and surface-to-surface guided and unguided munitions, with the ground invasion commencing immediately after the first attacks.  The invasion was focused on

Continue Reading

Common Training Hand Grenades of the Warsaw Pact

Kristóf Nagy This short article offers a brief, inexhaustive overview of the most common training hand grenades used by Warsaw Pact forces primarily during the Cold War period—although some remain in use today. The training devices featured in this article include examples manufactured by the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Poland, the German Democratic Republic (GDR; East

Continue Reading

Analysing the Online Arms Trade in Opposition-controlled Syria: July 2021 update

Jack Shanley & Mick F. The conflict in Syria fuels a diverse trade in arms and munitions. Many transactions are performed online, providing an opportunity for remote analysis. This article is the sixth in a series of monthly updates to ARES Research Note 11: Analysing the Online Arms Trade in Opposition-controlled Syria. Readers should refer

Continue Reading

Analysing the Online Arms Trade in Opposition-controlled Syria: February 2021 update

Jack Shanley & Mick F. Introduction      The conflict in Syria fuels a diverse trade in arms and munitions. Many transactions are performed online, providing an opportunity for remote analysis. This article is the first in a series of monthly updates to ARES Research Note 11: Analysing the Online Arms Trade in Opposition-controlled Syria. Readers

Continue Reading

Firearms Seized from Venezuelan Smugglers in Florida

Matthew Moss On 15 August 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers took two Venezuelan nationals into custody at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida. The two men were about to depart aboard a private jet loaded with a cache of firearms and ammunition. As a recent ARES report into the illicit online

Continue Reading

Beretta unveils ARX 200 designated marksman rifle

Like many Western forces, the Italian military’s experiences in Afghanistan have been a driving force in the acquisition of additional longer-range firepower at the infantry platoon level. The Italian Army will be deploying the Beretta ARX 200 designated marksman rifle, chambered for 7.62 x 51 mm, in order to meet this capability requirement. The long-awaited rifle was

Continue Reading

ARES publishes Research Note No. 6 – An Introduction to Basic AK Type Rifle Identification

Armament Research Services (ARES) has released its first published Research Note, Research Note No. 6 – An Introduction to Basic AK Type Rifle Identification. ARES Research Notes are short form publications, designed to give brief, accurate information on a single topic or concept. Authored by Jonathan Ferguson and N.R Jenzen-Jones, Research Note No. 6 aims

Continue Reading