Firearms failure

Today is Memorial Day, a day to remember those who gave everything for our country. This post covers a topic that upsets me quickly. Our standard issue rifle in the military is the M4, a shorten version of the M16A2. It uses the standard NATO 5.56x45 mm ammunition or .223 Remington. This rifle is controversial for several reasons.

1. The lack of kill force from the smaller .22 bullet is a problem if the bullet travels at subsonic velocities.
2. Smaller mechanical components often fail to move causing the rifle to jam during combat in dirty conditions
3. Direct-impingement gas operation causes premature aging of the rifle's mechanical components due to excessive heat and fouling from direct exposure to the barrel.

When the initial M16s were given to soldiers in Vietnam, the weapons were a disaster. The inherent flaws mentioned above made the initial design useless to a soldier as they constantly jammed in the hot, humid jungles. After significant redesign (and change in powder), the rifle then became somewhat useful. Fast forward to the 1980's and beyond with the newer updated versions of the M16XX, the A2, A3 and A4. The newer incarnations limited the issues listed above through engineering improvements, but still it is a flawed design in nature. No other current assault rifle uses the direct-impingement system. It is a failed design and should be replaced with a short stroke or long stroke gas operating system. The internal moving parts also should have greater clearances preventing the rifle from jamming due to contamination.

The longer 20 inch barrel makes the NATO 5.56x45 mm ammo useful on the battlefield, but to what degree is still a topic of hot debate. Other countries use this round for their troops, thus it has validity as a reliable munition. Decreasing the barrel to 14.5 inches as in the M4, the velocity decreases to the point it is ineffective. This article reveals the inadequacies of the M4 in our current Afghanistan conflict. The Army even admits at long range,

But a U.S. Army study found that the 5.56 mm bullets fired from M-4s don't retain enough velocity at distances greater than 1,000 feet (300 meters) to kill an adversary. In hilly regions of Afghanistan, NATO and insurgent forces are often 2,000 to 2,500 feet (600-800 meters) apart.

At the end of the article, the expert's opinion rings true,

Martin Fackler, a ballistics expert, also defended the 5.56 mm round, blaming the M-4s inadequate performance on its short barrel, which makes it easier for soldiers to scramble out of modern armored vehicles.

"Unfortunately weapon engineers shortened the M-16's barrel to irrational lengths," Fackler said. "It was meant for a 20-inch barrel. What they've done by cutting the barrel to 14.5 inches is that they've lost a lot of velocity."

When a soldier's rifle fails, he is defenseless. Not only does he become an easy target, others in his company are easier targets for the enemy. This is a serious problem.

There is an easy, intermediate solution. Immediately replace the issued M4 with the M16A4 and it would not cause a large ordinance supply problem. It seems politics rule the day and our soldiers are paying with their lives. Since the M16 was not replaced years ago, it demonstrates who dominates our modern military, the military industrial complex.

Fighting Israeli's

Ever since its inception in 1948, Israel has been at a state of war or constantly on the verge of war with their Arab neighbors. Actual major conflicts since independence include the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the Six-day War, the Yom Kippur War and a pair of conflicts with Lebanon. Currently, all of Israel's neighbors are hostile and terrorists such as Hezbollah within the occupied territories would love to wipe Israel off the map. It is no wonder that Israel spends over 7 % of its GDP being ranked 6th highest in the world on military expenditures in this category.

This tank system dubbed the "Trophy" seems to be the latest in the Israeli military's arsenal. It is an active defense system to knock down anti-tank missiles or rockets. It uses a radar system and shoots quickly at incoming targets.

The tiny Trophy system, lodged behind small rectangular plates on both sides of the tank, uses radar to detect the incoming projectiles and fires a small charge to intercept them, said Gil.

After firing, the system quickly reloads. The entire process is automated, holds fire if the rocket is going to miss the tank, and causes such a small explosion that the chances of unintentionally hurting friendly soldiers through collateral damage is only 1 percent, the company says.

I am curious what the small "charge" is they are referring to. The only 1 % collateral damage would make this quite a unit if the claim is true. The article has capabilities for the system at quite a high standard.

Developers say the Trophy can stop any anti-tank rocket in the formidable Hezbollah arsenal, which struck dozens of Israeli tanks and killed at least 19 Israeli tank crewmen during their month long war.

"We can cope with any threat in our neighborhood, and more," said Gil, the Trophy's program manager at Rafael. Citing security considerations, the company would not permit publication of his last name.

I am guessing the date weapons of Isreal's neighbors would not stand a chance against this unit. Modern weapons most likely would defeat the Trophy. Looking through the article, one key factor appears as with all nifty high tech weapons, cost.

Israeli analyst Yiftah Shapir said it is premature to tell whether the Trophy can make a major difference, however. He said the army must cope with the high costs of the system and determine exactly how it will be used.

"When everyone knows that it works properly, it will change the battlefield," he said.

Israeli media have said the cost is about $200,000 per tank. Rafael refused to divulge the price of the system, saying only that it's a "small fraction" of the cost of a tank.

This might prevent deployment of the weapon. Israel is price sensitive to unproven, expensive weapons due to the country's small size. We shall see Trophy's outcome over the next couple of years.

Ghost chili fights back

Just when you thought every simple, conceivable weapon has been invented, the Indians (India, Asian) are going to weaponize their bhut jolokia or ghost chili. Yes folks, they have figured out the practical application of pepper heat besides burning your mouth and your innards with hot Indian cuisine. What are they going to do beside force you to gulp water in excessive amounts? It appears as if they are going to make a form of mace out it.

"This is definitely going to be an effective nontoxic weapon because its pungent smell can choke terrorists and force them out of their hide-outs," R. B. Srivastava, the director of the Life Sciences Department at the New Delhi headquarters of the DRDO said.

Srivastava, who led a defense research laboratory in Assam, said trials are also on to produce bhut jolokia-based aerosol sprays to be used by women against attackers and for the police to control and disperse mobs.

I always thought the hottest chilis in the world were habaneros, but I was wrong. It appears these ghost chilis are the hottest in the world according to the Scoville scale. The article makes a comparison to the common jalapeno pepper demonstrating their true heat.

It has more than 1,000,000 Scoville units, the scientific measurement of a chili's spiciness. Classic Tabasco sauce ranges from 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville units, while jalapeno peppers measure anywhere from 2,500 to 8,000.