#Weapon

If any of you still had doubts about the HK416’s rumored win of the French AIF (Arme Individuelle du Futur – Future Individual Weapon) contract, doubt no more. The French DGA (Direction Générale de l’Armement, their defense procurement office) has released the final decision for the contract, naming Heckler & Koch as the winner. The press release is replicated in machine-translated form below:

Back in May, Chris Baker released these three videos on DA/SA handguns for the LuckyGunner YouTube channel. They are all of the same high standard of quality I’ve come to expect from Chris, so I recommend my readers watch all three of them before continuing:

Previously in our introductory series on ballistics, we’ve discussed the concept of caliber, as well as ballistic coefficient and its close relative form factor. Today, we’re going to look at the concept of rifling, and how it relates to bullet stability.

Now, based on the four previous articles on gun operating mechanisms, some of my readers may be thinking “jeeze, Nathaniel, we already know all this stuff! Why are you telling us this?” Don’t worry! I haven’t forgotten about you, and that’s why I am sprinkling in more advanced topics as we talk about the more basic ones. We just spoke about the principle of gas operation, so let’s jump up a grade to 201 level, and talk about two of the most conceptually obvious incarnations of gas operation. I’m writing, of course, about the Bang, and gas-trap methods of tapping propellant gases.

Those of you who believe laser weapons are right around the corner may be more right than you think. Laser weapons promise unique capabilities for destroying the vulnerable sensors apparati needed for both early warning and for modern precision guided weapons to hit their mark. Further, lasers can also be used against thin-skinned ordnance such as missiles (where the laser beam’s instant flight time is a boon to hit probability), and against other targets where a silent attack is needed. General Atomics, makers of the infamous R/MQ-1 Predator drone, are working on a 150 kilowatt laser, which could potentially be installed on an AC-130 transport-derived close air support aircraft.  BreakingDefense reports:

Thanks to the effort of a guest poster for WeaponsMan.com, Internet arms and armor enthusiasts now have a rare look inside the armory of the famous Pontifical Swiss Guard, a five-hundred-year-old military unit tasked with guarding the Holy See in the Vatican. The unit is famous for its antiquated-looking formal dress and arms, but as we’ll see, they have access to much more modern weapons as their duties are not simply ceremonial. The full post is available over at WeaponsMan.com, but I have sample some of the most relevant bits for our readers. Still, I highly encourage you to follow the think and read the whole thing:

Electronic gunsights, such as those developed by TrackingPoint, will become an increasingly important aspect of military and civilian small arms development in the coming years. Such optics have already given dramatic improvement to accuracy and hit probability in larger military systems, for example tanks and other armored fighting vehicles. While TrackingPoint’s system is clearly geared towards the precision shooter, it hints at other capabilities that could be applied through electronic gunsights in other areas where small arms are used. In this article, I aim to speculate as to what some of those capabilities might be.

While browsing the Tortuga Trading Inc website I came across this bizarre knife/mini-cannon/pistol weapon. I can’t even figure out how it is supposed to be held. It is such a terrible idea that in comparison it makes the infamous Apache Pistol look ingenious.

The Atlantic has a published a fascinating photo essay showing the Libyan rebel weapons retrofitting and manufacturing ‘industry’.

The Indian state run Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and state owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) have developed a new carbine for the Army which The Times of India reports will soon be adopted by the India Army. The Milap carbine, as it currently called, is expected to cost Rs 50,000 ($1,110).

AutoWeapons.com is selling a AOW gun, called the CSG Companion, that chambers a single .410 shot gun shell and functions as a flashlight. It is selling for $895.

Swedish police discovered a double barrel shotgun disguised as a guitar when they raided the home of a man suspected of dealing in stolen weapons.

A reader email in a scan of McDonnell Douglas advertising material that promoted the McDonnell Douglas Scorpion. The scorpion was one of the entries in the US Army’s Multi-Purpose Individual Munition (MPIM) competition in the 80s. This (in my opinion) ridiculous weapon weighed more than the gun it was attached to!

Can any of you remember a time in your life where laser guns were not just a few years away? Sven found a photo that was published in a German military journal from 1964.

Just in case you had any doubts, the elite JASON scientists have reported that gravity weapons are impossible.