Vienna, Austria, 18 January 2008 -
Malaysia ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) on 17 January 2008, bringing the total number of ratifications to 143.
“We welcome the decision by Malaysia to ratify the CTBT”, said Tibor Tóth, the Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) in a statement: “This is very important internationally, but also regionally: Malaysia’s ratification tips the balance in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) where 6 out of 10 countries now have ratified the Treaty.”
In ASEAN, Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam have now ratified the CTBT, whereas Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand have yet to ratify it.
Malaysia is very active on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation issues. It chaired the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 2004-2006, and coordinates the NAM on CTBT issues in 2006-2009. Malaysia also hosts radionuclide station RN42 - one of the stations in the global alarm system that is being built to monitor compliance with the CTBT. The station is in an advanced stage of construction, and will be included in the global alarm system by the end of 2008. “This is an additional achievement and a very positive development”, said Tóth.
To date, 178 States have signed the Treaty. To enter into force, however, the Treaty must be signed and ratified by the 44 States listed in Annex 2 to the Treaty. These States participated in the negotiations of the Treaty in 1996 and possessed nuclear power or research reactors at the time. Thirty-four of these States have ratified the Treaty, including the three nuclear weapon States France, Russian Federation and the United Kingdom. The ten remaining States are China, Colombia, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the United States of America.
The CTBT bans all nuclear explosions. A verification regime is being built to monitor compliance with the Treaty. 337 facilities world-wide will monitor the underground, the oceans and the atmosphere for any sign of a nuclear explosion. Today, nearly 225 facilities have been included in the global alarm system and send data continuously to the International Data Centre at the CTBTO in Vienna.
http://www.fas.org/irp/news/2008/01/malaysia.html
Monday, January 21, 2008
Modern sniper rifles
The main purpose of the sniper rifle is to destroy valuable targets at extended ranges with aimed fire, and with as few ammunition as possible. In most cases, "the target" means the human being (enemy soldier, armed criminal, terrorist, president etc.), and the "as few ammunition as possible" often means "one shot". The range for sniper fire may vary from 100 meters or even less in police/counter-terror scenarios, or up to 1 kilometer or more - in military or special operations scenarios.
Some sniper rifles, mostly - large caliber ones, used also as anti-material weapons, to destroy, or, more often, render unusable or unoperable, targets such as radar cabins, jeeps, parked aircrafts etc.
History of sharp-shooting traces its ancestry well back into XIX or even into XVIII centuries. Early sniper rifles were standart issue army rifles, selected for accuracy, or privately purchased commercial target or hunting rifles. During WW I and WW II both sides used a lot of general issue bolt action rifles (such a Russian/Soviet Mosin M1991/30, US M1903A4, British SMLE No.4(t), German G98k etc.) fitted with some kind of telescopic sight. Some of general issued semi-auto rifles also were used in sniper role, such as Soviet SVT-40 and US M1 Garand.
bolt action rifle topped with powerful scope for long-range shots The practice of developing the military sniper rifles from standart issue firearms is still used in many countries. Ususally, manufacturer or special military unit select some rifles for their better-than-average accuracy, then adopt these rifles for sniper role (i.e. convert them from select-fire into semi-autos, add ajustable stocks, bipods, scope mounts etc.). Many of military sniper rifles, discontinued in service or currently in use, such as US M21, German G3-ZF and G3-SG/1, were made that way.
Some sniper weapons were made for marksmen use from the scratch, because the clients wanted some special characteristics, that were unavailable in any service or commercial weapons. One such example - Soviet SVD Dragunov rifle. It was designed on Soviet Army request as a lightweight, powerful and reliable semi-auto rifle, and remains in service for almost 40 years.
But wast majority of sniper rifles, especially - police ones, were designed on existing commercially available hunting or sporting rifles. The best examples - the US military sniper rifles M24 and M40, along with many custom police rifles, were (and still are) built on Remington 700 actions, available for general public in many hunting and target rifles. Famous SIG-Sauer sniper ifles also buil on their (SIG or Sauer) hunting rifles. Some sniper rifles, mostly also police ones, designed on target/sporting rifles. To name few: Blaser R93 Tactical (Germany), Sv-98 and MC-116 (Russia).Military sniper rifles used by different military units. Along with main requirements for accuracy and sufficient effective range, military use commands some other: military sniper rifle must not be too heavy, because sniper usually must carry it for the long hours, with ammunition and other stuff. Also, military sniper rifle must be extremely reliable in any weather and climatic conditions and could withstand hundreds of rounds fired without cleaning and maintenance and without any loss of accuracy. Third, military sniper rifle must be easy to fieldstrip and easy to repair in field conditions. Also, military sniper rifle often must have backup iron sights, in case of telescope breackage.
Another requrement is that military sniper rifle must use military ammunition, conforming to international war threaties and generally available to the troops. In most cases, military sniper rifle use variants of the standart caliber army cartridges (such as 7.62mm NATO or 7.62x54mm R), specially developed for sniping.
Effective range for the standart-caliber sniper rifles against the single human-sized target may be estimated as 700-800 meters for first-shot kills. To extend effective range beyond 1000 meters, often used sniper rifles, designed to fire more powerful ammunition, such as .300 Winchester magnum (7.62x67mm) or .338 Lapua magnum (8.6x70mm).
Military sniper rifles may be further separated in two tactically diffrent categories: the sniper rifles itself, designed to achieve aimed hits at long distances, and the Designated Marksman Rifles (DMR), designed to provide accurate fire support for line troops. While the "true" sniper rifles usually are bolt action ones, to achieve maximum accuracy, the DMRs usually are semi-autos, such as Russian SVD or German G3ZF or MSG-90, to gain higher rate of fire. But the difference lays more in tactical applianses, than in the rifles itself.
Police / Law Enforcement (LE) sniper rifles are somewhat another kind of tools. If in most military/war scenarios wounded enemy is equivalent to killed enemy, or even better, in LE and counter-terror (CT) scenarios wounded criminal or terrorist may lead to many innocent wictims. Sometimes, the LE or CT sniper must not only kill the terrorist, but hit the particular part of the body - head, or hand, holding the gun, etc. So, in general, LE and CT sniper rifles require more accuracy, but at shorter distances. The majority of LE or CT scenarios require precision shooting at the distances lesser that 300, or even 100 meters. These scenarios also require really few shots per scenario - sometimes one and the only one shot. This also require extreme accuracy and stability of results in any weather conditions. LE and CT snipers also has no limitations on caliber and ammunition selection, so they could select almost any caliber/cartridge they department want, or can afford.
Usually, LE/CT sniper rifles had completely ajustable stocks to suit snipers of different statute, sometimes they got half-of-dozen ajustable screws. This is absolutely unsuitable for military sniper rifles, but for LE sniper rifles, which are usually carried to the point of action in special cases, this is OK.
Many USA made LE sniper rifles are built on the hunting "varmint" rifles. Varmint rifles are small or medium caliber hunting rifles, designed to kill small pests, such as squirrels, rabbits etc., at extended distances. Some LE sniper rifles, such as Remington 700 Police, are simply Remington 700VS varmint hunting rifle barreled actions, bedded into sniper-style stocks.
In Europe, some sniper rifles built on sniper rifles (such as Mauser 66, SIG-Sauer SSG2000, Blaser R93 Tactical), and some built on hunting rifles (such as Steyr Scout Tactical). LE/CT sniper rifles use many kinds of ammunition, from .22LR for training and short-range sniping, to .308 Win, 6.5x55mm, .300 Win magnum etc.
Special Purpose sniper rifles may be, in turn, splitted into 2 sub-categories:
Large-caliber rifles for ulra-long range sniping and ani-material use, and silenced rifles for covert operations.
Large caiber sniper rifles usually built to use heavy machineguns ammunition, such as .50BMG (12.7x99mm) or 12.7x108mm. Effective range of such rifles is up to 1500 meters and above, depending on size of target and quality of the ammunition. General purpose machinegun ammo usually produced not-too-good accuracy, but recently some special "sniper" rounds developed in .50BMG caliber.
Silenced sniper rifles usually are used with special sub-sonic ammunition and removable or integral silencers to produce lower sound report. Sub-sonic ammo decreases effective range down to 300-400 meters, but it's worth. With the correct ammo and silencer, the sound of the gunshot could be easily mised completely at the distances of 100-200 meters at night, or even at 30-50 meters - in daily urban noize.
Sniper rifle Accuracy
The most common way of describing the accuracy of the sniper rifle is to measure average diameter of the circle, that may be drawn arount the group of bullet holes in the target. Usually, the rifle is fired from the rest with groups of the 5 (or 3) rounds, and then every group is measured. Average group diameter is the most common criteria of rifle accuracy.
Today, the thin line between "good" and "poor" accuracy is usually laid in 1MOA group. 1 MOA (Minute Of Angle) is measure of the angle, that formed with the triangle with muzzle as the top and the group as the base. 1 MOA is roughly equivalent to 1 inch group diameter at 100 yards (91 meter), or to 2 inches at 200 yards etc. So, if you read that rifle XXXX shooths 1MOA groups, it means that at 300 yards this rifle could place 5 or so bullets in circle of no more than 3 inches in diameter. Many modern sniper rifles, when loaded with right ammunition, could shoot 0.5MOA, or even 0.3MOA, which mean 1 inch groups at 300 yards, or 2 inch (50 millimeters!) groups at 600 yards (550 meters).
In general, all sniper rifles may be rougly separated into 3 major categories: Miltary sniper rifles, Police/Law Enforcement tactical/sniper rifles, and Special purpose sniper rifles.
(c) Max Popenker, 2001
http://world.guns.ru/sniper/sn00-e.htm
Some sniper rifles, mostly - large caliber ones, used also as anti-material weapons, to destroy, or, more often, render unusable or unoperable, targets such as radar cabins, jeeps, parked aircrafts etc.
History of sharp-shooting traces its ancestry well back into XIX or even into XVIII centuries. Early sniper rifles were standart issue army rifles, selected for accuracy, or privately purchased commercial target or hunting rifles. During WW I and WW II both sides used a lot of general issue bolt action rifles (such a Russian/Soviet Mosin M1991/30, US M1903A4, British SMLE No.4(t), German G98k etc.) fitted with some kind of telescopic sight. Some of general issued semi-auto rifles also were used in sniper role, such as Soviet SVT-40 and US M1 Garand.
bolt action rifle topped with powerful scope for long-range shots The practice of developing the military sniper rifles from standart issue firearms is still used in many countries. Ususally, manufacturer or special military unit select some rifles for their better-than-average accuracy, then adopt these rifles for sniper role (i.e. convert them from select-fire into semi-autos, add ajustable stocks, bipods, scope mounts etc.). Many of military sniper rifles, discontinued in service or currently in use, such as US M21, German G3-ZF and G3-SG/1, were made that way.
Some sniper weapons were made for marksmen use from the scratch, because the clients wanted some special characteristics, that were unavailable in any service or commercial weapons. One such example - Soviet SVD Dragunov rifle. It was designed on Soviet Army request as a lightweight, powerful and reliable semi-auto rifle, and remains in service for almost 40 years.
But wast majority of sniper rifles, especially - police ones, were designed on existing commercially available hunting or sporting rifles. The best examples - the US military sniper rifles M24 and M40, along with many custom police rifles, were (and still are) built on Remington 700 actions, available for general public in many hunting and target rifles. Famous SIG-Sauer sniper ifles also buil on their (SIG or Sauer) hunting rifles. Some sniper rifles, mostly also police ones, designed on target/sporting rifles. To name few: Blaser R93 Tactical (Germany), Sv-98 and MC-116 (Russia).Military sniper rifles used by different military units. Along with main requirements for accuracy and sufficient effective range, military use commands some other: military sniper rifle must not be too heavy, because sniper usually must carry it for the long hours, with ammunition and other stuff. Also, military sniper rifle must be extremely reliable in any weather and climatic conditions and could withstand hundreds of rounds fired without cleaning and maintenance and without any loss of accuracy. Third, military sniper rifle must be easy to fieldstrip and easy to repair in field conditions. Also, military sniper rifle often must have backup iron sights, in case of telescope breackage.
Another requrement is that military sniper rifle must use military ammunition, conforming to international war threaties and generally available to the troops. In most cases, military sniper rifle use variants of the standart caliber army cartridges (such as 7.62mm NATO or 7.62x54mm R), specially developed for sniping.
Effective range for the standart-caliber sniper rifles against the single human-sized target may be estimated as 700-800 meters for first-shot kills. To extend effective range beyond 1000 meters, often used sniper rifles, designed to fire more powerful ammunition, such as .300 Winchester magnum (7.62x67mm) or .338 Lapua magnum (8.6x70mm).
Military sniper rifles may be further separated in two tactically diffrent categories: the sniper rifles itself, designed to achieve aimed hits at long distances, and the Designated Marksman Rifles (DMR), designed to provide accurate fire support for line troops. While the "true" sniper rifles usually are bolt action ones, to achieve maximum accuracy, the DMRs usually are semi-autos, such as Russian SVD or German G3ZF or MSG-90, to gain higher rate of fire. But the difference lays more in tactical applianses, than in the rifles itself.
Police / Law Enforcement (LE) sniper rifles are somewhat another kind of tools. If in most military/war scenarios wounded enemy is equivalent to killed enemy, or even better, in LE and counter-terror (CT) scenarios wounded criminal or terrorist may lead to many innocent wictims. Sometimes, the LE or CT sniper must not only kill the terrorist, but hit the particular part of the body - head, or hand, holding the gun, etc. So, in general, LE and CT sniper rifles require more accuracy, but at shorter distances. The majority of LE or CT scenarios require precision shooting at the distances lesser that 300, or even 100 meters. These scenarios also require really few shots per scenario - sometimes one and the only one shot. This also require extreme accuracy and stability of results in any weather conditions. LE and CT snipers also has no limitations on caliber and ammunition selection, so they could select almost any caliber/cartridge they department want, or can afford.
Usually, LE/CT sniper rifles had completely ajustable stocks to suit snipers of different statute, sometimes they got half-of-dozen ajustable screws. This is absolutely unsuitable for military sniper rifles, but for LE sniper rifles, which are usually carried to the point of action in special cases, this is OK.
Many USA made LE sniper rifles are built on the hunting "varmint" rifles. Varmint rifles are small or medium caliber hunting rifles, designed to kill small pests, such as squirrels, rabbits etc., at extended distances. Some LE sniper rifles, such as Remington 700 Police, are simply Remington 700VS varmint hunting rifle barreled actions, bedded into sniper-style stocks.
In Europe, some sniper rifles built on sniper rifles (such as Mauser 66, SIG-Sauer SSG2000, Blaser R93 Tactical), and some built on hunting rifles (such as Steyr Scout Tactical). LE/CT sniper rifles use many kinds of ammunition, from .22LR for training and short-range sniping, to .308 Win, 6.5x55mm, .300 Win magnum etc.
Special Purpose sniper rifles may be, in turn, splitted into 2 sub-categories:
Large-caliber rifles for ulra-long range sniping and ani-material use, and silenced rifles for covert operations.
Large caiber sniper rifles usually built to use heavy machineguns ammunition, such as .50BMG (12.7x99mm) or 12.7x108mm. Effective range of such rifles is up to 1500 meters and above, depending on size of target and quality of the ammunition. General purpose machinegun ammo usually produced not-too-good accuracy, but recently some special "sniper" rounds developed in .50BMG caliber.
Silenced sniper rifles usually are used with special sub-sonic ammunition and removable or integral silencers to produce lower sound report. Sub-sonic ammo decreases effective range down to 300-400 meters, but it's worth. With the correct ammo and silencer, the sound of the gunshot could be easily mised completely at the distances of 100-200 meters at night, or even at 30-50 meters - in daily urban noize.
Sniper rifle Accuracy
The most common way of describing the accuracy of the sniper rifle is to measure average diameter of the circle, that may be drawn arount the group of bullet holes in the target. Usually, the rifle is fired from the rest with groups of the 5 (or 3) rounds, and then every group is measured. Average group diameter is the most common criteria of rifle accuracy.
Today, the thin line between "good" and "poor" accuracy is usually laid in 1MOA group. 1 MOA (Minute Of Angle) is measure of the angle, that formed with the triangle with muzzle as the top and the group as the base. 1 MOA is roughly equivalent to 1 inch group diameter at 100 yards (91 meter), or to 2 inches at 200 yards etc. So, if you read that rifle XXXX shooths 1MOA groups, it means that at 300 yards this rifle could place 5 or so bullets in circle of no more than 3 inches in diameter. Many modern sniper rifles, when loaded with right ammunition, could shoot 0.5MOA, or even 0.3MOA, which mean 1 inch groups at 300 yards, or 2 inch (50 millimeters!) groups at 600 yards (550 meters).
In general, all sniper rifles may be rougly separated into 3 major categories: Miltary sniper rifles, Police/Law Enforcement tactical/sniper rifles, and Special purpose sniper rifles.
(c) Max Popenker, 2001
http://world.guns.ru/sniper/sn00-e.htm
Heckler & Koch PSG-1 sniper rifle (Germany)
Caliber: 7.62 x 51mm NATO (.308 Win)
Action: Semi-automatic, roller-delayed blowback
Barrel: 650 mm
Overall length: 1208 mm
Weight: 8.10 kg with scope and no magazine
Magazine: 5 or 20 round detachable box
Scope: Hendsoldt 6x42, 6 settings from 100 to 600 meters
Expected accuracy: Sub-1MOA with match grade ammunition
The PSG-1 sniper system (PrazisionsSchutzenGewehr, or "high-precision marksman's rifle" in English) had been developed by the German company Heckler - Koch by the mid-1980s as an ultimate police and counter-terror weapon. Some German elite law-enforcement groups, like GSG or KSK-9, participate in this development, and since its introduction the PSG-1 had been adopted by various police forces in Europe and Americas. It is way too heavy and somewhat too gentle for military use, so it never seen any military use. Instead, HK developed two more sniper weapons. The first, that actually preceded the PSG-1, was the G3-SG1, an accurized and scope-fitted version of the basic G3 automatic rifle for German Army. And in the mid-1980s HK also developed a derivative of the PSG-1, called MSG-90, for export military sales. The PSG-1 is still offered by the HK, and is one of the most expensive factory-made sniper rifles on the market, hitting the $10.000 price tag in the basic package.
Technically, the PSG-1 is no more than a heavily modified G3 rifle. It features the same roller-delayed blowback action, derived from earlier CETME rifles, and the same stamped steel receiver with separate detachable trigger unit. The heavy barrel is precisely made by the cold hammer forging process with polygonal rifling for improved accuracy and longer life. Special trigger unit features a semi-automatic only hammer group and the adjustable trigger with trigger pull of about 1.5 kg (3 lbs). The ergonomically shaped pistol grip features an adjustable palm stop. Plastic buttstock is also adjustable for height and for length of pull. Another non-typical feature of the PSG-1 is the "silent bolt closing device", actually similar to the forward assist, found on M16 rifles. This is apparently to be used in situations where a complete silence must be maintained until the shot is fired. The devise is no more that a pushbutton, located just behind the ejection port, and linked to the bolt carrier by the ratchet-like device. The rifle is fed using standard 20-rounds G3 magazines or special 5-rounds magazines. There's no open (iron) sights on the PSG-1. Instead, it is fitted with the Hendsoldt 6X42 fixed power telescope sight with illuminated reticle. The scope has built-in range adjuster that works in ranges from 100 to 60 meters, so 600 meters is considered the maximum effective range. Most strangely, the PSG-1 had no integral bipod. Instead, it is often used with the separate rest, mounted on the compact tripod.
http://world.guns.ru/sniper/sn14-e.htm
Heckler-Koch MSG-90 sniper rifle (Germany)
Caliber: 7.62mm NATO (.308 Win)
Operation: Semi-auto, Roller delayed blowback
Barrel: 600 mm
Weight: 6.4 kg
Length: 1165 mm
Feed Mechanism: 5 or 20 round detachable box magazines.
The MSG-90 sniper rifle had been introduced by the German company Heckler-Koch in 1987 as a "militarized" offspring of their PSG-1 police sniper rifle. It was built to military specifications, and is much lighter and somewhat cheaper than the HK PSG-1. It shares most essential features of the PSG-1, including overall design, the roller-delayed blowback, semi-automatic only action. The barrel of the MSG-90 is somewhat shorter and lighter, but still is of match grade, and is manufactured using cold hammer forging process. On the original model the barrel is equipped with additional muzzle weight, added to improve barrel harmonics and thus increase shots consistence. The buttstock is of different shape, adjustable for length of pull and for height of the cheekpiece. The trigger unit is made from plastic integral with pistol grip. The trigger with adjustable shoe is set at 1.5 kg (~3 lbs). The forend is fitted with underrail that accepts the detachable folding bipod. There's no open sights on the MSG-90, and it's fitted by standard with 10X telescope sight with range settings from 100 to 1200 meters. The scope is mounted on the MilStd scope rail, that allows for many various scopes and night vision devices to be mounted interchangeably.
The latest variant is the MSG-90A1, originally known as the MSG-90DMR. This rifle was built for US DOD DMR (designated Marksman Rifle) program, and has some additional characteristics and features, not found on the original MSG-90. That is, the MSG-90A1 is fitted with the barrel, threaded on the muzzle, to accept screw-on silencers, and is equipped with low signature flash hider. The MSG-90A1 also is equipped with open sights - a typical HK hooded front sight, combined with adjustable rear sights, marked up to 1200 meters and similar in design to HK 21 machine gun rear sight. The ejection port is fitted with brass deflector, which allows the gun to be fired from the left shoulder. Otherwise it is similar to the MSG-90.
http://world.guns.ru/sniper/sn27-e.htm
Barrett "Light Fifty" M82A1 M82A2 M82A3 (USA)
Caliber: .50 BMG (12.7 x 99mm)
Operation: Short Recoil, Semi-Automatic
Overall Length: 1448 mm
Barrel Length: 737 mm
Feed Device: 10 Round Detachable Box Magazine
Sights: 10X Telescopic
Weight: 12.9 kg empty
Muzzle Velocity: 854 m/s (M33 Ball)
Max Effective Range: 1800 meters
Expected accuracy: 1.5 - 2.0 MOA or better
The Barrett Firearms company was founded by the Ronnie Barrett for a single purpose of building semi-automatic rifles chambered for powerful .50BMG ammunition, originally developed for and used in Browning M2HB heavy machine guns. Barrett began his work in early 1980s and first working rifles were available in 1982, hence the designation M82. Barrett continued to develop his rifle through 1980s, and developed improved M82A1 rifle by 1986. The first real success was the purchase of about 100 M82A1 rifles by the Sweden Army in 1989. Major success followed in 1990 - 1991, when US Military purchased numbers of the M82A1 during the operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Kuwait and Iraq. About 125 rifles were initially bought by US Marine Corps, orders from US Army and Air Force followed soon. The M82A1 is known for US Military as the SASR - "Special Applications Scoped Rifle", and it was and still is used as an anti-materiel weapon and EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) tool. The long effective range along with high energy and availability of highly effective ammunition such as API and Raufoss M213 allows for effective operations against targets like radar cabins, trucks, parked aircrafts and so on. M82 also can be used to defeat enemy snipers or criminals from standoff range or when targets are behind the cover, but the anti-personnel work is not a major application for Barrett M82 (or any other .50BMG rifle, for that matter).
Further development led to the M82A2 bull-pup rifle (1987), which was designed to be fired from the shoulder, but did not succeed, and was soon dropped from production. The M82A2 was obviously designed as a cheap anti-helicopter weapon, suitable for use against highly mobile targets when fired from the shoulder. The latest derivative of the M82 family is the M82A1M rifle, adopted by USMC as the M82A3 SASR and bought in significant numbers. This rifle differs from M82A1 in that it have a full length Picatinny rail that allows a huge variety of scopes and sighting devices to be mounted on the rifle. Other changes are addition of the rear monopod, slightly lightened mechanism and detachable bipod and muzzle brake. The Barrett M82 rifles were bought by various military and police countries from at least 30 countries, such as Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, UK, USA and others. The M82 also is widely used for civilian .50 caliber long range shooting competitions, being fired accurately out to 1000 yards (911 meters) and even further.
As a side note I must point out that the Barrett M82A1 rifle was recently (2002) used as a platform for experimental OSW (Objective Sniper Weapon) prototype. The M82A1 rifle was fitted with shorter barrel of 25mm caliber, and fired low-velocity high explosive shells developed for 25mm OCSW automatic grenade launcher. The experimental OSW showed an increased effectiveness against various targets but the recoil was beyond the human limitations.
The M82 is a recoil operated, short barrel stroke, semi-automatic firearm. When gun is fired, barrel initially recoils for a short distance (about an inch - 25 mm) being securely locked by the rotating bolt. After the short travel a post on the bolt, engaged in the curved cam track in the receiver, turns bolt to unlock it from the barrel. As soon as the bolt unlocks, the accelerator arm strikes it back, transferring some part of the recoil energy of the barrel to the bolt to achieve the reliable cycling. Then barrel is stopped and the bolt continues back, to extract and eject a spent case. On its return stroke bolt strips the fresh cartridge from the box magazine and feeds it into the chamber and finally locks itself to the barrel. The striker also is cocked on the return stroke of the bolt. The gun is fed from the large detachable box magazines, that hold 10 rounds.
The receiver is made from two parts (upper and lower), stamped from sheet steel and connected by cross-pins. Heavy barrel is fluted to improve heat dissipation and save weight, and fitted with large and effective reactive muzzle brake. On the earlier models the muzzle brakes were of round cross-section, latter M82 rifles are equipped with two chamber brakes of rectangular cross-section. M82A1 rifles are fitted with scope mount and a folding backup iron sights. M82 rifles are often equipped with Leupold M series 10X telescope sights. The M82A1M (USMC M82A3) rifles have long Picatinny accessory rail mounted on the top of the receiver, that can accept wide variety of scopes, day or night. Every M82 rifle is equipped with folding carrying handle and with a folding bipod (both are detachable on M82A3). M82A3 also fitted with the detachable rear monopod under the butt. The buttpad is fitted with soft recoil pad to further decrease the felt recoil. M82A1 and M82A3 rifles could be mounted on the M3 or M122 infantry tripods (originally intended for machine guns) or on vehicles using special Barrett soft-mount. M82A1 can be fitted with carry sling but according to those who carried it in the field, M82 is way too uncomfortable to be carried on sling due to excessive length and heavy weight. It is usually carried in special carry soft or hard case.
The M82A2 differed from M82A1 mostly in that the pistol grip along with trigger had been placed ahead of the magazine, and the buttpad has been placed below the receiver, just after the magazine. Additional forward grip was added below the receiver, and the scope mount has been moved forward too.
http://world.guns.ru/sniper/sn02-e.htm
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Mechem NTW-20 (South Africa)
20 mm version: Caliber 20 x 83.5 mm. 14,5 mm version: MG151 14.5 x 114 mm Russian. Operation: manual bolt action. Barrel length 1000 mm, 1220 mm Weight 26 kg, 29 kg Length 1795 mm, 2015 mm Feed Mechanism detachable box magazine, 3 rounds Maximum effective range 1500+ meters 2300+ meters
This rifle was designed in the early to mid 1990s by South African arms designer Tony Neophytou, who also took its part in designing the Neostead combat shotgun. Initial development was under the Aerotek name, and later the Mechem division of the DENEL Group, a major South African arms manufacturer, purchased all rights for this design. In the 1998 South African National Defense Forces adopted this weapon and began to purchase it in some numbers. It is also offered for export sales. The NTW-20 is a long range anti-materiel rifle, developed to reach out across wide plains of South African landscape and to deliver substantial firepower in a relatively compact, two men portable package. It is available in two versions, 20mm and 14.5mm, and could be easily converted from one variant to another by simple replacement of the barrel, bolt, magazine and scope, which will take about 1 minute in the field conditions. These two versions had slightly different applications: 20mm version, built around WW2-era German MG-151 aircraft gun round, can deliver high explosive, fragmentation or incendiary shells with good accuracy, so a relatively "soft" targets could be disabled by the blast and / or fragments. When the long range and armor penetration is an issue, the 14.5mm version comes into the play. It is built around another WW2-era round, Soviet 14.5mm high velocity, armor-piercing cartridge, developed for PTRD and PTRS anti-tank rifles and still widely used in Russian KPV / KPVT heavy machine guns on armored cars and in anti-aircraft mounts. While probably not so accurate as the specially developed .50BMG (12.7x99mm) rifles, mostly due to unavailability of the "match grade" ammunition in the 14.5mm and 20mm, NTW-20 offers significantly more terminal effectiveness than any .50BMG rifle / round combination. 20 mm version could be most effective against targets like parked aircrafts and helicopters, command and communications equipment, radar cabins, fuel dumps, unarmored cars. 14.5 mm version will be more effective against armored personnel carriers or relatively large "soft" targets at extended ranges. Anti-personnel work is by no means a primary task for this huge rifle.
NTW-20 is a manually operated, rotating bolt action rifle. The barrel is locked by the rotating bolt that has 6 lugs. The barrel along with the receiver could recoil inside the chassis frame against combined hydraulic and pneumatic damping system. Large two-chamber muzzle brake also helps to keep recoil at the acceptable level. NTW-20 is fed from the detachable box magazine, that is inserted from the left side and holds 3 rounds. The rifle could be disassembled and carried in two man-portable packs, each weighting about 12 - 15 kg. One pack carries the frame, stock, butt and bipod while the other carries the barrel, sighting equipmentand magazines. NTW-20 is equipped with a 8X magnification, long eye relief telescopic sight on the quick detachable mount. No open sight are fitted by default. The folding bipod is mounted under the receiver, and a non-folding frame above the receiver serves as a carrying handle and a scope protection bracket.
NTW-20 is a manually operated, rotating bolt action rifle. The barrel is locked by the rotating bolt that has 6 lugs. The barrel along with the receiver could recoil inside the chassis frame against combined hydraulic and pneumatic damping system. Large two-chamber muzzle brake also helps to keep recoil at the acceptable level. NTW-20 is fed from the detachable box magazine, that is inserted from the left side and holds 3 rounds. The rifle could be disassembled and carried in two man-portable packs, each weighting about 12 - 15 kg. One pack carries the frame, stock, butt and bipod while the other carries the barrel, sighting equipmentand magazines. NTW-20 is equipped with a 8X magnification, long eye relief telescopic sight on the quick detachable mount. No open sight are fitted by default. The folding bipod is mounted under the receiver, and a non-folding frame above the receiver serves as a carrying handle and a scope protection bracket.
PGM Ultima Ratio 'Hecate II' (France)
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Caliber(s): .50BMG (12.7x99 mm) Operation: bolt actionBarrel lenght: 700 mm Weight: 13.8 kg Length: 1380 mm Feed Mechanism: 7 rounds detachable box mag.
Ultima Ratio rifles are made by PGM Precision company in France. Hecate II is the largest of the whole UR family rifles.
Hecate II rifle utilise 'metallic skeleton' design similar to other UR rifles (scaled up, of cause) with solid machined receiver and free floating precision made fluted barrel, fitted with huge muzzle brake/compensator. Bolt locks into receiver with three forward-located lugs, and has overpressure vents to secure the shooter from powder gases in the case of the cartridge case rupture.
Hecate II rifles feature ajustable stock, with folding bipod and retractable rear leg.
Hecate II rifle utilise 'metallic skeleton' design similar to other UR rifles (scaled up, of cause) with solid machined receiver and free floating precision made fluted barrel, fitted with huge muzzle brake/compensator. Bolt locks into receiver with three forward-located lugs, and has overpressure vents to secure the shooter from powder gases in the case of the cartridge case rupture.
Hecate II rifles feature ajustable stock, with folding bipod and retractable rear leg.
Crew 4
Dimensions and weight Total weight in combat order 62.5 t Overall length 9668 mm Chassis length 7722 mm Overall width 3740 mm Overall height 2480 mm
Armament Main gun 120-mm smoothbore gun Rh-M-120 L44 Barrels length 46.7 caliber Machine guns 2 x 7.62-mm Traverse range 360 degrees
Combat load Main gun 42 rounds Machine gun 4750 cartridges
Mobility Engine power 1500 h.p. Maximum road speed 72 km/h Autonomy on roads 500 km
Maneuverability Slope 30 ° Vertical step 1.15 m Ditch 3 m Ford with preparation 4 - 5 m.
Dimensions and weight Total weight in combat order 62.5 t Overall length 9668 mm Chassis length 7722 mm Overall width 3740 mm Overall height 2480 mm
Armament Main gun 120-mm smoothbore gun Rh-M-120 L44 Barrels length 46.7 caliber Machine guns 2 x 7.62-mm Traverse range 360 degrees
Combat load Main gun 42 rounds Machine gun 4750 cartridges
Mobility Engine power 1500 h.p. Maximum road speed 72 km/h Autonomy on roads 500 km
Maneuverability Slope 30 ° Vertical step 1.15 m Ditch 3 m Ford with preparation 4 - 5 m.
In the second part of the 80-ties in West Germany intensive work to create new main battle tank "Panzerkampfwagen-2000" (also known as Leopard 3) which had to change main battle tank Leopard 1 in Bundesver armed forces. In 90-ties changed political situation caused the end of this project in 1996. However new technologies intended to use in "Panzerkampfwagen-2000" project were used to modernize existing German tanks Leopard 2. There were three modernization programs known as KWS I, KWS II and KWS III. The first programs main objective was to In the second part of the 80-ties in West Germany intensive work to create new main battle tank "Panzerkampfwagen-2000" (also known as Leopard 3) which had to change main battle tank Leopard 1 in Bundesver armed forces. In 90-ties changed political situation caused the end of this project in 1996. However new technologies intended to use in "Panzerkampfwagen-2000" project were used to modernize existing German tanks Leopard 2. There were three modernization programs known as KWS I, KWS II and KWS III. The first programs main objective was to instal more modern 120-mm gun and to develop modernized projectiles for new barrel. II - control systems deep modernization and additional armor. III - was researching ability to use 140-mm main gun.
Later KWS II was used in Leopard 2A5 and KWS I in Leopard 2A6 EX.
The biggest part of modernization work was done by "Krauss-Maffei" company. In 1990 it presented test tank TVM-2 which became etalon for Leopard 2A5 modification after some years of polygon and armed forces tests.
Leopards 2A5 main difference is solidly increased armored defense. Turret frontal part is covered by wedge shaped module additional armor. Modules have built-in dynamic armor elements which can be changed in field conditions. Increased turrets weight made necessary to change electro hydraulic turrets rotation mechanism into more powerful and reliable electrical mechanism. The biggest developers merit is that increased tank's weight doesn't affected somehow on mobility. These both improvements solidly increased tanks combat vitality in the battlefield. Drivers equipment was increased by installed electronic view systems allowing to change direction on the move without amount of speed. Changed transmission.
Increased tanks fire power. Appeared ability to use tank against low flying air targets by main gun fitted with special projectiles.
"Krupp-Atlas-Electronic" company modernized fire control systems. Tanks commander got panoramic sight with integrated thermo vision system which results are shown on special indicator. This improvement allowed commander personally to observe battlefield at night. Commander also got Global Positioning System (GPS) devise. Gunners combined sight has laser rangefinder with modernized processor preventing appearance of second false echo signal.
Modernized Leopard 2A5 is one of the most modern tanks comparing mobility, fire power and defense. However it's weight in 62 t makes it hard to transport and maintain.
Initially Bundesver armed forces decided to modernize all 2125 Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Leopard 2A5 standard but in case of financial problems this number was decreased till 669 main battle tanks. Till 1998 Bundesver got 225 modernized Leopards 2A5.
Germany was followed by other countries which had Leopards 2 in their armed forces. Spain was planning to built under license 250 new Leopards 2A5 till year 2003 by Santa Barbara. Tanks are also built in Sweden under license under indexation Strv-122.
The latest modernization on Leopard 2 main battle tank became Leopard 2A6 EX.
Later KWS II was used in Leopard 2A5 and KWS I in Leopard 2A6 EX.
The biggest part of modernization work was done by "Krauss-Maffei" company. In 1990 it presented test tank TVM-2 which became etalon for Leopard 2A5 modification after some years of polygon and armed forces tests.
Leopards 2A5 main difference is solidly increased armored defense. Turret frontal part is covered by wedge shaped module additional armor. Modules have built-in dynamic armor elements which can be changed in field conditions. Increased turrets weight made necessary to change electro hydraulic turrets rotation mechanism into more powerful and reliable electrical mechanism. The biggest developers merit is that increased tank's weight doesn't affected somehow on mobility. These both improvements solidly increased tanks combat vitality in the battlefield. Drivers equipment was increased by installed electronic view systems allowing to change direction on the move without amount of speed. Changed transmission.
Increased tanks fire power. Appeared ability to use tank against low flying air targets by main gun fitted with special projectiles.
"Krupp-Atlas-Electronic" company modernized fire control systems. Tanks commander got panoramic sight with integrated thermo vision system which results are shown on special indicator. This improvement allowed commander personally to observe battlefield at night. Commander also got Global Positioning System (GPS) devise. Gunners combined sight has laser rangefinder with modernized processor preventing appearance of second false echo signal.
Modernized Leopard 2A5 is one of the most modern tanks comparing mobility, fire power and defense. However it's weight in 62 t makes it hard to transport and maintain.
Initially Bundesver armed forces decided to modernize all 2125 Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Leopard 2A5 standard but in case of financial problems this number was decreased till 669 main battle tanks. Till 1998 Bundesver got 225 modernized Leopards 2A5.
Germany was followed by other countries which had Leopards 2 in their armed forces. Spain was planning to built under license 250 new Leopards 2A5 till year 2003 by Santa Barbara. Tanks are also built in Sweden under license under indexation Strv-122.
The latest modernization on Leopard 2 main battle tank became Leopard 2A6 EX.
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