Photo Of The Day and we have something that has gone Ka-Boom further down in the desert. We’re visiting the Syrian Defense Forces (SDF) as they conduct a live-fire exercise alongside U.S Soldiers in Syria. According to the caption, live-fire exercises like this [Read More…]
Photo Of The Day and we go back in history a few years. We’re looking at Syrian Democratic Forces soldiers providing security during a simulated patrol mission in the Deir ez-Zor province, in Syria, 2018. As you can see in the following pictures, they’re [Read More…]
The Department of Defense recently released some interesting photos of members of Special Operations Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve familiarising themselves with the Smart Shooter system. The training session took place at a range near At-Tanf Garrison, [Read More…]
In this video, I give a quick rundown of some of the newer small arms presented by Kalashnikov group at ARMY-2018 expo: AK-200 series, AK-308, AM-17 and AMB-17. For the last three years, “Army” remains to be the biggest and most popular military/small arms exhibition in Russia. With [Read More…]
The Twitter analyst Everest65 has shared photographs of some bullpup Kalashnikov experimentation within the arms trade social media groups in Syria. There are a couple of iterations of the design, some appear to be more experimental and might be low in production while [Read More…]
The craft-modified bullpup PKM design that has popped up in different iterations (albeit sparingly) throughout Syria, Yemen and Libya takes its roots in the Russian 7.62x54mmR Pecheneg PKP GPMG that became popular within the Russian Ministry of Interior due to the need [Read More…]
Russian media has reported on the recent acquisition of .50 BMG HS .50 patterned Anti-Materiel rifles by the Syrian Arab Army in the fight against the ongoing insurgent groups within Syria. The article claims that the rifles are assembled from Iranian components [Read More…]
An image of the sidearm that has replaced the Beretta M9 in U.S. Army service has recently surfaced through DOD media outlets. The image is of a soldier from the “Brave Rifles” 3rd Cavalry Regiment that is currently deployed to Operation Inherent Resolve in [Read More…]
This is Marawan M.’s second guest post for TFB. His first guest post is about the Istanbul Military Museum: Small Arms of the Ottoman Empire if readers are interested in reading more from him. In addition, we previously reported on the Sham R-3, but as promised [Read More…]
The Fiscal Year 2019 Department of Defense Budget Proposal has been submitted to Congress and will take some time before we find out if it is approved or denied. But within it there is a specific budget document titled “Counter-Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [Read More…]
al Masdar News has recently shared photographs of so-called Islamic State fighters using belt-fed 12.7x108mm W85 (Chinese derivative of the Soviet DShK) Heavy Machine Guns mounted on commercial motorcycles. The machine guns appear to be using a standard pintle [Read More…]
A new remotely controlled weapon system has recently emerged from Syria. The Sham R3 is the third variation of the original Sham series of remotely controlled weapons stations that use a 12.7x108mm DShK Heavy Machine Gun to engage targets from a stationary position. One [Read More…]
A recent propaganda film put out by the al-Rahman Corps (a rebel group currently fighting in the Ghouta suburb of Damascus) showcases an entire industry of craft produced and almost semi-industrial small arms and light weapons production facility. Most of what is [Read More…]
A recent media video following a platoon of the Syrian Arab Army take over of al-Bukamal, a city in the eastern portion of Syria, on the border with Iraq shows a soldier with what appears to be the receiver, trigger guard, and stock of a shotgun (Remington 870 from the [Read More…]
Recent so-called Islamic State propaganda videos and an individual Twitter account within Syria have posted numerous examples of improvised suppressors in use on a wide variety of precision rifles and anti-material rifles.The Twitter account simply mentions that the [Read More…]
It seems that human augmentation devices have seen their first practical application. Passive exoskeletons – perhaps less glamorously called “full body orthopedics” have been spotted in use by Russian sappers in Palmyra, Syria. The sappers – [Read More…]
Russian presenter Sergey Badyuk has partaken in a very informative discussion on Kalashnikov rifles in use by various Syrian groups within Assad controlled portions of Syria. He is a prior Russian serviceman himself and certainly knows his rifles. Now obviously, we can’t accept the information [Read More…]
Two Arabic news sources (Military-Zones, Middle East Panamera) have published independent posts about a remote control vehicle currently at least in the developmental phase of design within the highly contested Aleppo province in Syria. The designers are in areas still in control by Assad’s [Read More…]
Recent photographs out of the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib show a thorough manufacture of improvised anti-material rifles, all in 14.5mm. Local gunsmiths in the rebel-held city appear to be using the discarded barrels of 14.5mm KPV heavy machine guns, of an [Read More…]
Green lemon posted a few interesting pictures on Twitter. It seems we’re looking at an MP40 sub-machine gun in Syria. The markings on the machine gun suggest it was made in the late Styer production, 1942. One benefit with this gun (versus an Stg 44 which are also [Read More…]
This past week a Serbian product, the 40mm/6 M11 made by Yugoimport SDPR J.P. was seen in use by the Safwa Islamic Brigade & Suqur al-Shamal opposition groups in northern Aleppo. The launcher isn’t very prevalent outside of Serbia and thus it’s [Read More…]
The Rahman Corps is a Syrian Rebel group operating in the Damascus region. It is independent of the Free Syrian Army, but is on friendly terms with the opposition group. Via the group’s Youtube channel, some videos have been released showing what appears to [Read More…]
A reader of TFB who resides in rebel held Syria recently emailed us saying … You must know that I do not reside in the U.S.; I am in Syria, amidst the sweeping turmoil. And, surprisingly enough, a couple of years past, a multitude of StG’s surfaced up in [Read More…]
ARES Armament Research Services identified the XM2010 platform in Syria on social media last week: An image shared via Twitter on 17 June shows a member claiming to be affiliated with the New Syrian Army (NSyA) or an allied group operating in Syria’s Aleppo [Read More…]
In a recent broadcast by a channel called France 24, French reporters in Syria unexpectedly came across a coalition special operations unit, coordinating air strikes and working with Kurdish YPG units in the fight against Daesh in Shaddadi (northern Syria). Somewhat [Read More…]
A recent article shows that at least one Canadian made PGW Defense .50 BMG LRT-3 SWS with suppressor is in use with Houthi rebels in Yeman, currently engaged in both a civil war, and a fight with Saudi Arabian armed forces on the border. In addition to the LRT-3, the [Read More…]
Thanks to Ronaldo for sending this one to us. The video says this is a New Year’s Eve celebration in Syria. More importantly there is a considerable amount of anti-aircraft tracer rounds being fired out into the night sky. I wonder what happens to those [Read More…]
Russian and Arabic language news sites are reporting that the Russian MTs-116M sniper rifle has been seen in use with Syrian Arab Army forces, specifically female fighters. The rifles, based on the successful MTs-116 target/hunting rifle, are equipped with 5- or 10-shot [Read More…]
There’s been a lot of interesting firearms being spotted in Syria during the recent conflict over there. From vintage WWII weapons, Bubba’d Mosin Nagants to a remote controlled Sturmgewehr 44. Here’s another interesting rifle, a homemade 23mm [Read More…]
The use of antiques in combat is something that often is overlooked, as many find greater interest in more modern weapons. However, though these older weapons are as obsolete as they are antique, they are still relevant articles of war, and still certainly lethal. [Read More…]
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