Aimpoint announced the company’s FCS12 fire control system passed through field trials and has been placed in active duty with the Swedish Army. The system will be used on the 84mm M3 recoiless rifle.
The M3 is a multi-purpose, man-portable weapon capable of anti-armor, anti-personnel, anti-bunker and other roles. The Aimpoint optic incorporates a laser range finder with a targeting computer that automatically corrects the point of aim based on the munition used.
I suppose everyone knows the US military’s standard sidearm is the M9, which is also the Beretta 92FS pistol. A lot of people know the US Navy SEALs issue the Mk25 pistol, also known as the SIG SAUER P226. Fewer people are familiar with the M11 pistol, or that civilians can purchase an exact duplicate of the M11-A1.
I.O. Inc is now importing the Archer rifle, a civilian version of the Polish Beryl assault rifle. Essentially a high-quality AK-47 variant, the Archer is a semi-automatic rifle chambered in 5.56 NATO.
The Military Arms Channel on YouTube put together a really good review of the Archer, so rather than spouting off all of the gun’s stats, I recommend watching the video:
The FN SmartCore was rolled out at the EUROSATORY 2012 last week. Formerly known as the FN Black Box, the SmartCore is very similar to the recording devices found in airplanes that the project was originally named after.
The FN SmartCore is essentially a "black box" that records data on military rifles and transmits the data, in real time, to battlefield commanders.
The SmartCore is an electronic system that records and examines the firearm’s use for a variety of purposes. It does several rather mundane things like help armorers keep track of which weapons are in need of service.
One of the more interesting aspects of the recorder is its ability to transmit use information to military commanders. This allows the chain of command to know specifically which units are engaging the enemy, and at what location, without the need for radio communications.
The United States Marine Corps is pushing for caseless ammo and a compatible light machine gun. The combination would allow Marines to carry 25 pounds less than they do now, or to add a lot more ammunition to their load out.
According to a Marine Corps Times article, a new LMG and ammo could be fielded within two years if Congress and the brass get the, um, lead out. Read the full article here.
I’m headed to the 2012 SOFIC in Tampa this morning. SOFIC is the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference, which is a meeting of commanders and operators inside the special forces community along with allied partners from the defense industry.
Think of it as a very specialized SHOT Show.
I’m headed to the conference this morning, and I hope to bring you some information on the small arms being shown. For obvious reasons, operational security is important, so I will not be able to get nearly as many photos as I might like.
Also, vendors are not showing the civilian versions of their gear. So, if you want to know about a California-compliant anything, forget about it. However, if your interest is more to the FN heavy machine guns…well, I might be able to help.
Bin Laden’s dead and gone, but the men and women who fight for us are still in harm’s way. I ask that you remember them in your prayers and offer support in any way you can for their families back home.
NRA’s Life of Duty put together this video of appreciation for their service. If you don’t already, make sure you check out their site. Life of Duty is putting together some amazing videos and an incredible online magazine.
