Infantry Marine, based in the Midwest. Specifically interested in small arms history, development, and usage within the MENA region and Central Asia. To that end, I run Silah Report, a website dedicated to analyzing small arms history and news out of MENA and Central Asia.
Please feel free to get in touch with me about something I can add to a post, an error I’ve made, or if you just want to talk guns. I can be reached at miles@tfb.tv
IDEF 2017 occurred in May of this year, but we missed this important Turkish development when it comes to ammunition. MKEK, the Turkish state-run armament company, and privately owned Aselsan signed agreements at IDEF 2017 to cooperate on the design and manufacture of [Read More…]
FightLite has released the new version of their squad automatic weapon, the MCR (Mission Configurable Rifle). The MCR is based upon the older ARES-16 AMG-2 ™ that has been on the Military/LE market for almost a decade and is an AR based solution to the M249 SAW. [Read More…]
FightLite has released the new version of their squad automatic weapon, the MCR (Mission Configurable Rifle). The MCR is based upon the older ARES-16 AMG-2 ™ that has been on the Military/LE market for almost a decade and is an AR based solution to the M249 SAW. [Read More…]
FightLite has released the new version of their squad automatic weapon, the MCR (Mission Configurable Rifle). The MCR is based upon the older ARES-16 AMG-2 ™ that has been on the Military/LE market for almost a decade and is an AR based solution to the M249 SAW. [Read More…]
In the development and testing phases since at least 2004, the German Ministry of Defense has purchased enough IdZ-ES (Infanterist der Zukunft-Infantryman of the future, also know as Gladius) Future Soldier Systems to outfit 68 platoons of mechanized infantry/2,460 [Read More…]
Several media outlets have reported that elements of the Ukranian Special Operations Forces are interested in procuring locally produced, Kiev based Zbroyar 7.62x51mm Z-10 rifles. The Z-10 is a locally manufactured AR10 derivative, spawning off a growing industry of [Read More…]
Infantry Marines from Battalion Landing Team 3/5 aboard the 31st MEU are currently participating in Talisman Saber 2017, a joint U.S. and Australian training exercise working on the amphibious and warfighting capabilities of both forces. However, more than a standard [Read More…]
Recent screen grabs from Chinese television have indicated that the 5.8x42mm QBZ 95-1 service rifle is being fielded among PLA soldiers with picatinny rails and assorted optics. Specifically, the unit shown is an Airborne unit preparing for an Airborne Platoon 2017 [Read More…]
The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office has posted an announcement on their Facebook page describing a sting operation in which they cooperated with ATF agents to purchase an unregistered SBR from a local trying to sell the rifle online. Peter Chirco, the owner of [Read More…]
FightLite is introducing a polymer cartridge case to the market with their newest offering. This particular case is unique because unlike hybrid polymer ammunition with a brass base, these rounds are entirely polymer, apart from the primer, powder, and bullet. Although [Read More…]
At the Partner 2017 Military and Defense exposition held in Belgrade, Serbia this year, an emerging company from Bosnia and Herzegovina named TRB (recently privatized) had a recently introduced handgun called the RS 9. The RS 9 is a 9x19mm Parabellum semi-automatic, [Read More…]
Marine Corps Systems Command has announced that it has awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to Trijicon Inc, for a total cost of $8,169,996. This contract specifies that the optics will be the Trijicon 4x32mm Rifle Combat Optic (RCO) with the [Read More…]
A recent photograph has been posted on the Kurdish forum Kurdistan Sky Scrapers depicting a Peshmerga fighter with a Beretta Defense Technology 5.56x45mm NATO ARX 160A2 with a 12 inch barrel instead of a standard 16 inch. The rifle sports factory sights, and has an [Read More…]
Earlier we reported on the Malaysian Counter-Terrorism Exercise Rimau that took place in a stadium and show-cased a number of Law Enforcement units rarely seen in the public sphere. Continuing the exercise with this post we have units that were present in the earlier [Read More…]
The 2.36 inch M1A1 “Bazooka” entered service midway through the Second World War in the U.S. campaign in North Africa. From there it become widely liked that the rocket launcher was issued at the infantry platoon level and used with much success against German and Japanese enemy [Read More…]
In negotiations since last year, some of the small arms shipments from China to the Government of the Philipines arrived amid much fanfare and public ceremony, with the Filipino President Duterte himself presiding over the festivities. Although it does coincide with the [Read More…]
Recent photographs and information have come to light detailing the possible adoption of the Heckler & Koch G28 by Turkish special operations groups. Specifically the Turkish Combat Search & Rescue (Muharebe Arama Kurtarma) component of the Turkish Air Force has [Read More…]
We first reported on the Podavach magazine loader in January this year, mentioning that it had some unique features in an industry saturated with “unique”. First and foremost, more than a simple magazine loader, it incorporates a multi-caliber design, with [Read More…]
An Israeli Defense Force platoon leader was recently fatally shot when he was working with his soldiers on a training scheme, involving simulating a knife-wielding attacker. Unfortunately for the platoon commander, Lieutenant David Golovenchick, one of his soldiers [Read More…]
Corey joined us for a talk about rifle grenades and launchers in use by U.S. Infantrymen during the Second World War. Particularly we focused on the M1 Launcher for the M1903 Springfield rifle, however we also discussed some of the aspects of the M7 Launcher for the M1 Garand, and a very similar one [Read More…]
The French National Police and Gendarmerie Nationale law enforcement branches have recently posted a solicitation for a submachine gun chambered for a 9x19mm Parabellum round. The solicitation was placed on Boamp.com, a French government run contract posting website. [Read More…]
The Armed Forces of the Netherlands will be receiving an order of 10,000 9x19mm NATO Gen 4 Glock 17s with the latest contract announced by the Dutch Ministry of Defense as reported by the Polish magazine Mil Mag. This comes after an initial purchase of 6,300 Gen 4s in [Read More…]
The state-owned Ordnance Factory Board’s most recent rifle submission has failed the Indian Army’s initial rifle qualification trials, in the words of the Hindustan Times it “miserably failed”. This most recent trial comes right on the heels of [Read More…]
Red Oktober is a competition very unique in the regard that it caters specifically to the Kalashnikov platform. Debuted in 2016 at a range in southern Utah, it attracted a significant number of collectors, shooters, and builders throughout the country, even coming so far as Alaska or jumping through [Read More…]
Last December we reported on the Uzbek originated group Malhama Tactical, offering the equivalent of private military services to numerous belligerents within the Syrian conflict. Rather than fade away from the scene, the group has actually appeared to have grown, with [Read More…]
We at TFB realize the substantial work that the Transportation Security Administration does to protect the skies above the United States, on a 24/7 basis. However, the frustrations and tribulations of one being passionate about firearms can cause concerns at the [Read More…]
Asian Defense News recently published a compilation of high-quality photographs lifted from various Mandarin news sources such as Ifeng and Nownews of Chinese Military Police competing in a skill of arms competition, in Yunnan Province. The literal Mandarin [Read More…]
The multi-lug rotating bolt as used in a number of semi-automatic firearms today has a significant number of advantages over numerous other designs, to include tilt locking or blowback operated mechanisms. Ability to unlock becomes easier than a standard two lug design, the forces on the lugs are [Read More…]
The Iranian press has released news of the Islamic Republic’s newest rifle design from a recent press conference held on the Zulfiqar modular rifle in Tehran. Milmag has what appears to be an excellent overview of the rifle in Polish, gathering photographs from [Read More…]
Aybars is a Turkish Twitter analyst who very recently has been sharing a number of very detailed photographs concerning precision rifles among Turkish security forces. Primarily these are from the infantry deployed in Syria, however, he has also focused on Special [Read More…]