C:\WEBSHARE\WWWROOT\GLOBAL~1\WEAPONS\ASSAULT.HTM

Infantry weapon developments

Assault weapon buyers are spoilt for choice

Alex Taylor reports on the numerous well-designed and produced weapons
on the international assault-weapon market.

The right tool for the job: Steyr's new rail mounting accommodates a variety of sights.

Assault weapons are at the sharp end of all military operations including peacekeeping, internal security and full-scale war. An army's choice of assault weapon tells observers a great deal about its potential. Armies that equip soldiers with the latest small arms are obviously well funded but beware defence ministries that buy the latest weapons for the sake of fashion because their frontline soldiers are rarely given an opportunity to learn how to use them properly.
User feed-back is essential for the good design of assault weapons and those without it are a liability on the battlefield. However, there have been no revolutionary advances in recent assault weapon design, instead manufacturers have concentrated on refining and improving their existing products. Users appear spoilt for choice at present so a trip to the range to see what's making a noise on the assault weapon market could be very instructive.

Steyr
Austria's Steyr Armee Universal Gewehr (AUG) is performing well and has overcome initial customer resistance to its space-age design. The company continues to improve the design and has introduced a new rail mounting to allow a variety of sights to be fitted.
The FN Herstal 5.56mm FNC assault rifle sells well and is a popular replacement for the 7.62 mm FAL/SLR that was widely exported.

A new player on the world's small-arms market in recent years has been Bulgaria's Arsenal JSC that began large-scale sales campaigns with its versions of the Soviet Kalashnikov AK-47 and 74 series weapons. Products include folding stocks, increased magazine capacity, reduced lengths, new furniture and grenade launchers. China's NORINCO also is a large exporter of the Kalashnikov family of weapons, including the Type 865 bullpup version.
A clone of the Gaul assault rifle is Croatia's 5.56mm APS95 that copies the working parts of the famous Israeli weapon but has a radically altered external appearance.
Prior to entry into NATO, the Czech Republic has completed work on re-chambering the CZ2000 weapons family to fire 5.56mm x 45mm standard NATO ammunition.

German advances
Perhaps the most interesting development on the assault-weapon market in recent years has been the launch of Heckler & Koch's new 5.56mm G36 family of weapons for the German Bundeswehr. This departs from the tried-and-tested H&K roller-locking systems and goes for a rotary bolt and six-lug action. The system comprises a gas piston impinging on a short-stroke actuator rod to provide the motive force for all operations without gas entering into the receiver area. The weapon requires relatively little maintenance.
Poland's Zaklady Metalowe Lucznik that has been making Kalashnikov clones for many years, now markets weapons re-chambered for 5.56mm x 45mm NATO ammunition under the TANTAL name. Romania also sells NATO standard-ammunition chambered versions of the Kalashnikov.

The new AK

In 1995 the Russian Federation accepted into service the 5.45mm AN-94 assault rifle incorporating a dual cycle rate in the fully automatic mode. The first two rounds fired leave the barrel at 1,800rds/min and subsequent rounds cycle down to 600rds/min. This increases accuracy and probability of a first-time hit. According to manufacturers Izmash Joint Stock Company, the weapon has a mean time between failures of over 40,000 rounds. Singapore's Chartered Firearms Industries is now marketing its upgraded SR88A series of weapons that is available in carbine and full- length stock weapons.

Sure weapons handling during a
NATO training exercise.

Vector range displays its impressive
refinements to the Galil

Vektor in South Africa has been aggressively promoting and improving its R4/R5 family of weapons. These are versions of the Israeli Gaul with improved plastic handguards, magazines and folding stocks. Vector also produces the R6, a short-barrelled version for vehicle crews and special forces.
US armed forces continue to rely on the Ml6 family of weapons as the standard assault weapon with the Ml6A2 as the principle rifle-squad weapon. Proven in combat, the Ml6A2 proved to be a significant improvement on its predecessors after replacement of the fully automatic capability with a three-round burst in the interest of conserving ammunition. A shorter-barrel version, the M4 carbine, has been developed for the US Army's airborne forces. The M4A1 or Ml6A3 is an updated version with improved sighting options.

Given the large commercial small arms industry in the US, a large number of private venture products with very innovative designs have been developed including the Arms Tech 5.56mm Compak 16, a very compact modular personal weapon for special operations, vehicle crews and rear-area forces. The Buchmaster Ml7 bullpup rifle is America's answer to the Steyr AUG but connoisseurs of classic weapons can sleep easy knowing that the Ml4 Springfield rifle is still in production for private sales.

To Weapons Contents Global Defence Review