Category Ammunition & Ordnance
Two New Publications: Ammunition in Syria & AGLs for the ADF
Whilst the bulk of my attention lately has gone into writing for (and running!) Armament Research Services (ARES) and our blog, The Hoplite, I have had two new pieces released elsewhere recently. First, for the Small Arms Survey, I wrote a report examining small-calibre ammunition documented in Syria. From the Survey press release: The Working Paper Following […]
5.66 x 39 mm MPS cartridges documented near Kiev
This post originally appeared on The Hoplite, the ARES company blog. The seizure of former president Viktor Yanukovych’s estate in Mezhyhirya, an hours drive from Kiev, turned up a range of interesting arms and munitions. Nearby, a variety of ammunition was recovered from a private lake, including the cartridges shown in the image above. These are 5.66 x 39 […]
Yuri Lyamin and I have written on the recent capture of Syrian Khaibar-1 rockets by the IDF. An extract is below, but you can read the full article here. One of the greatest mysteries of the Syrian military industrial complex is a 302 mm rocket system known as the Khaibar-1 (also referred to as the […]
Improvised use of S-5 rockets in land warfare
Yuri Lyamin and I have authored the first ARES Research Report, “Improvised Employment of S-5 Air-to-Surface Rockets in Land Warfare”, which aims to provide a brief history and technical appraisal of a battlefield phenomenon which has received little attention to date. Below are some extracts from the publication, which can be read in full here […]
9M55K cargo rockets and 9N235 submunitions in Syria
Yuri Lyamin and I have written a new post for the ARES company blog, The Hoplite, on the presence of 9M55K cargo rockets and 9N235 fragmentation submunitions in Syria. Two interesting videos have surfaced from the area around the town of Kafr Zita, in the northern part of Syria’s Hama governorate. In recent days, heavy […]
9K310 MANPADS captured from rebels in South Sudan
This post originally appeared at The Hoplite, the ARES company blog. Seen at the bottom centre in the photo above is a 9K310 Igla-1 (NATO designation: SA-16 Gimlet) man-portable air defence system (MANPADS). The weapons pictured were purportedly captured by soldiers of the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) stationed in South Sudan to protect key […]
Armour-piercing shotgun projectiles fired during protests in Ukraine
New on the Armament Research Services (ARES) company blog, The Hoplite, is a brief report examining armour-piercing (AP) 12 gauge shotgun slugs that have been recently documented in conjunction with protests in Ukraine. The projectiles shown are specialist armour-piercing (AP) 12 gauge shotgun projectiles, believed to be developed and produced by the Spetstekhnika (‘Specialised Equipment’) […]
SAR 80 rifle and 5.56 x 45 ammunition in the Central African Republic
In the photo above, anti-Balaka militia forces near Bouar in the Central African Republic (CAR) can be seen posing with some of their weapons. The fighter at the far right is holding what is likely a Chinese Type 56 assault rifle, whilst his compatriot in yellow is holding a Singaporean SAR 80 rifle. The SAR […]
Small-calibre ammunition in Libya: an update
The Small Arms Survey has just released my latest report examining the small-calibre ammunition. Written as an update to my earlier, longer-format report on small-calibre ammo in Libya, this piece examines some new headstamps documented in the country, as well as looking at proliferation out of Libya. Small-calibre ammunition has proliferated out of Libya to […]
Did Chinese HJ-8E ATGWs in Syria Originate in Sudan?
In recent months, Chinese HJ-8E anti-tank guided weapons (ATGWs) have been documented in the hands of anti-government fighters in Syria. The HJ-8 (Hong Jian-8, or “Red Arrow-8”) is a second generation ATGW, operating on the semi-automatic command to line-of-sight (SACLOS) principle. Use of the HJ-8 requires that the operator continually keep the target in the […]
The Rogue Adventurer 