Army Weapons
The United States Army arsenal of weapons includes weapons that are designed to give soldiers of all ranks a variety of offensive and defensive capabilities. It’s rare that any one weapon provides each of these capabilities equally, some are better than others for a specific purpose. But, when used in conjunction with each other as part of a well trained fighting force, each of them does their job extremely well. We know that it’s always best to pick the best tool for the job. The Army toolbox allows for the American soldier to do just that.
Here a some of the jobs that the army considers when adding a tool to the toolbox;
- Suppressing enemy positions
- Providing cover fire for friendly troops on the move
- Assaulting targets from far distances
- Neutralize fortified structures and vehicles
Suppressive fire allows combat units to fix the enemy in position or slow their movement. Basically, it is fire that degrades the enemy’s performance to the extent that it is prevented from fulfilling its mission. When used to protect advancing friendly units, we call it cover fire. Typically, it’s only effective for the duration of the fire but it can also strike fear in the hearts of the enemy causing them to keep their heads down and hide behind cover.
Fortifications are objects, buildings, and the like that are constructed for the defense of military objectives. The enemy can use vehicles for this purpose as well. Certain Army weapons are used to circumvent or destroy these fortifications as well as taking those vehicles out of action.
As previously stated, the United States Army weapons arsenal has weapons to accomplish each of these objectives. They can be separated into four basic categories or groups based on their primary capabilities. The categories that we’ll use for this post are; rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, and sniper rifles.
Rifles
A rifle is a long-barrelled gun designed to be readily carried and used by a single individual. It is a weapon designed for accurate shooting and features a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. Rifles are used extensively in land warfare and every soldier in the Army is trained and qualified to use one.
M4/ M4A1 Carbine
The M4 carbine is the standard weapon for brigade combat teams. It is a versatile weapon and can be configured with added firepower options. Three key features are that It is lightweight, mobile and adaptable. The M4 can be mounted with a M203A2 grenade launcher, M320A1 grenade launcher or an M26 modular accessory shotgun system making it highly effective on the battlefield. There is a fully automatic variant known as the M4A1 which is the fully automatic variant comes equipped with an ambidextrous fire control. The M4A1 also has a heavier barrel that helps to prevent the barrel from overheating under a sustained rate of fire.
M14 7.62mm Enhanced Battle Rifle
The M14 is a rack stock M14 rifle that fires 7.62mm ammunition and comes equipped with an enhanced aluminum billet stock, a Mark 4 tactical scope, and a cantilever mount. Features like a new adjustable buttstock, a cheek rest and a M4-style pistol grip make these weapons highly effective in close quarters combat. Yet, they are highly effective in the squad designated marksman role as well. Additionally, this rifle can be reconfigured and then returned to its original configuration with no permanent modifications.
Machine Guns
A machine gun is a fully automatic gun. Basically, these weapons are capable of automatically cycling the shooting process, without needing any more manual operation from the user beyond simply pulling and holding the trigger. They can be mounted or portable and are designed to fire rifle cartridges in rapid succession from an either an ammunition belt or a magazine.
It should be noted that not all fully automatic firearms are machine guns. Submachine guns, rifles, assault rifles, battle rifles, shotguns, pistols, or even cannons may be capable of fully automatic fire. One of the main characteristics that separates these weapons from machine guns is the fact that they are not designed for sustained fire.
As a class of “military rapid-fire guns”, machine guns are fully automatic weapons that are designed to be used as support weapons. Generally, machine guns are either mounted to a vehicle, mounted to a tripod, or stabilized on a bipod. Most of them also use belt feeding and open bolt (no round in the chamber) operation. These features are not normally found on rifles.
M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW)
The M249 squad automatic weapon is a machine gun that is generally used to engage the enemy with suppressive fires. It features a collapsible buttstock that allows the operator to fire the weapon in both the extended and collapsed positions. Commonly used in Infantry fire teams, the M249 features a shorter barrel that makes it perfect for maneuvering in close-quarters combat.
M240 B/L/H 7.62mm Medium Machine Gun
The M240 is a lightweight and sturdy medium machine gun. It has several variants that are designed for a variety of combat situations. While some variants are more suited for dismounted operations, it is also used as a troop engagement weapon mounted on both the Abrams main battle tank and the Bradley Fighting Vehicles. The configurations designed for ground applications are fitted with a buttstock, a bipod, iron sights, and forward rail assemblies.
In service since the mid 1970’s, these dependable weapons have an excellent track record during combat operations. It has a titanium structure and a unique fabrication that results in a weight of just 21.8 lbs for the M240L and 27.6 lbs for the M240B. The gun has a maximum effective range of 1,800 meters.
M2A1 .50 Caliber Machine Gun
The M2A1 .50 caliber machine gun is an enhancement to the M2 featuring a quick-change barrel. It is sometime affectionately referred to as the “Fifty Cal”. The M2A1 offers the Army’s soldiers substantially increased performance along with some new features and design improvements that make it easier and safer to employ. Some of the features of the M2A1 include a fixed headspace and timing configuration, a flash hider to decrease visibility, and a removable carrying handle which all serve to greatly increase the performance of the battle-proven M2.
Grenade Launcher
Grenade launchers are weapons that fire a specially-designed large-caliber projectile that features an explosive, smoke or gas warhead. Nowadays, the term generally refers to a class of dedicated firearms that fire single grenade cartridges. The most common types are mounted to other man-portable, shoulder-fired weapons that the Army issues to individuals. In contrast, the Army arsenal includes a larger crew-served launcher.
MK19 Grenade Machine Gun
The MK19 grenade machine gun is capable of delivering a high volume of accurate and continuous fire against enemy personnel and lightly armored vehicles. Primarily, it fires 40mm grenades that explode on impact and affect a radius of five meters from the point of impact. The MK19 can be mounted on a tripod for firing from a ground position or mounted on multiple vehicle platforms. It’s the primary suppressive fire weapon for combat support and combat service support units throughout the Army’s branches.
Sniper Rifles
A sniper rifle is a high-precision, long range rifle. Some of the requirements of sniper rifles include accuracy, reliability, mobility, concealment and optics that are suitable for anti-personnel, anti-materiel and surveillance uses. The sniper rifle, as currently understood, entered military service in the mid 1800s. It soon acquired the reputation of being one of the most effective and ruthless weapons of war. This was due to their psychological impact in addition to their lethality.
The modern sniper rifle is a portable shoulder-fired weapon system that presents a choice of either a bolt-action or a semi-automatic action. They are fitted with a telescopic sight that gives these guns extremely high accuracy and are chambered for a high-ballistic performance centerfire cartridge.
M24 Sniper Weapon System
The M24 sniper weapon system is a 7.62mm bolt-action gun. It is a six-shot rifle that chambers 7.62 x 51mm M118 long-range ammunition. M24 features include a day optic sight that gives the shooter 10-x magnification and adjustable focus along with metallic iron sights. Along with the rifle, it comes with deployment kit, cleaning kits (rifle and optic), and cases designed to protect the rifle and the optics. There is also an optional bipod available.
M107 Semi-Automatic Long Range Sniper Rifle (LRSR)
The M107 Semi-Automatic Long Range Sniper Rifle (LRSR) is a sniper’s dream. It fires a large .50-caliber round giving the shooter the capability of delivering precise, rapid fire on targets out to 2,000 meters. The M107 shines on the urban battlefield where its greater firepower and standoff ranges serve to increase the effectiveness of counter-sniper tactics. This is the weapon of choice when one sniper engages another.
M110 7.62mm Semi-Automatic Sniper System
The M110 7.62mm semi-automatic sniper system is an anti-personnel and light materiel weapon. It fires 7.62mm ammunition and can be used to engage targets out to a range of 800 meters with high accuracy. It has the distinction of being the first of the United States Army’s weapons to integrate a quick attach/detach suppressor that reduces the firing signature. The M110 exceeds both the rate of fire and lethality of the M24 sniper weapon system.
XM2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle
The XM2010 enhanced sniper rifle is derived from the M24 sniper rifle. It features a fully adjustable right-folding chassis system. It fires .300 Winchester Magnum (7.62×67mm) ammunition which provides for a 50 percent more effective range than is provided by the the 7.62×51mm round fired by the M24. The new optics improve the XM2010 shooter’s ability to sight a target quickly without calculations of range estimation. And, the shooter interface can be custom configured to accommodate a wide range of shooter preferences.
Summary
The weapons in the United States Army arsenal provide for a range of offensive and defensive capabilities. Each of them fits as a unique piece of the puzzle. With proper training and the right weapon, American soldiers are the most effective on the battlefield. Whether the mission requires providing suppressive or cover fire, long-range targeting, or the neutralization of fortified target… there is a tool for it in the toolbox.