Tag Archives: arms ID
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 […]
TS308 sniper rifles (B&T APR copies) in Kiev
I’ve written a new piece for the ARES company blog, The Hoplite, on Ukrainian made copies of Brügger & Thomet APR rifles deployed in Kiev during the ongoing civil unrest. You can read the full article here. The Ukrainian copies are produced under license by Tactical Systems Ltd (TS). According to B&T, the license for the entire […]
North Korean Helical AK Magazines
A new piece, written by the Oryx Blog team is available over at The Hoplite. Several new developments in North Korean armaments can be witnessed amongst the recent flow of propaganda released by Pyongyang after Kim Jong-un’s ascension to power. One such development is what appears to be a new magazine model for the North Korean copy of […]
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 […]
Update: Alleged CW munitions in Syria
This piece is an update to my two earlier pieces examining the unidentified munitions alleged to have been used in chemical weapons (CW) attacks in Syria. It should be stressed that this is still a preliminary analysis of the photographic and videographic material available. It is still not clear whether these munitions carried a CW payload, nor are their […]
Alleged CW munitions in Syria fired from Iranian Falaq-2 type launchers
Note: this piece is intended as a follow-up to my earlier, preliminary analysis of the unidentified munitions claimed to have been used to deliver chemical agents in Syria. It will repeat a little of the material covered in the earlier piece as it is intended to be translated and made available in Arabic. It should be stressed […]
Anti-Assad fighters in Syria modify PG-7 projectiles
Anti-Assad fighters from the Mujahid Battalion of the Caucasus Emirate have posted a Russian-language video to their website, outlining how to modify the VP-7M type fuze to disable the self-destruct mechanism present in PG-7 type warheads. Typically, these warheads self-destruct at around the 920m mark. Disabling this feature extends the maximum range of the weapon, though […]
The Rogue Adventurer 