Selecting the best weapon system for a selected state of affairs performs an necessary function within the final result of a army operation.
As with most issues in life, the selection of a weapon system is extremely subjective. Extra so in a U.S. Army Special Forces crew, through which the particular operators have extra flexibility to decide on what weapon system they carry and methods to personalize it.
Prescribing to the favored adage “don’t carry a knife to a gunfight,” Special Forces operators must select their weapon methods rigorously to make sure a constructive final result.
Certainly, Special Forces operators have all of the extra of a purpose to select their weapon methods rigorously as a result of, as a rule, they’re at a numerical drawback in comparison with the enemy, and guaranteeing firepower superiority might spell the distinction between life and loss of life.
What follows is a quick listing of 5 weapon methods. The listing makes an attempt to establish 5 particular person and crew-served weapon methods which are common with Special Forces detachments.
M4A1 SOPMOD II
The U.S. Particular Operations Command (SOCOM)—beneath which the Army Special Forces Regiment falls—has developed a standard-issued bundle for the M4A1 rifle. The SOPMOD II bundle incorporates a number of completely different equipment for the army’s standard-issued rifle, together with rails, magnifying scopes, grips, flashlights, flash suppressors, lasers, and grips. It falls beneath the Special Forces operator to select what he desires for his rifle and customise it to his need.
Sgt. Jacob Harrison, a U.S. Army Reserve Soldier from the 377th Theater Sustainment Command, takes purpose along with his M4A1 carbine on the M4 Reflexive Hearth occasion through the 2021 U.S. Army Reserve Finest Warrior/Finest Squad Competitors at Fort McCoy, Wis., Could 22. Roughly 80 Troopers from throughout the nation travelled to Fort McCoy to compete within the annually-recurring occasion working Could 19-28. It brings in the perfect Troopers and squads from throughout the U.S. Army Reserve to earn the title of “Finest Warrior” and “Finest Squad” amongst their friends. Rivals are evaluated on their particular person and teamwork talents to adapt and overcome difficult eventualities and battle-focused occasions, which take a look at their technical and tactical talents beneath stress and excessive fatigue. (U.S. Army Reserve photograph by Workers Sgt. Christopher Hernandez/Launched)
Capt. Kirk Freeman with the 98th Coaching Division and a member of the U.S. Army Reserve Marksmanship Staff, qualifies along with his M4 rifle through the first day of the U.S. Army Forces Command Weapons Marksmanship Competitors Sept. 21, 2015, at Fort Bragg, N.C. The three-day FORSCOM competitors options 27 marksmen from the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserve, and the Nationwide Guard in occasions for the M9 pistol, the M4A1 rifle, and the M249 SAW, or Squad Computerized Weapon, to acknowledge Troopers who’re past skilled marksmen. The multi-tiered occasions problem the opponents’ capacity to precisely and rapidly have interaction targets in quite a lot of circumstances and environments. (U.S. Army photograph by Timothy L. Hale/Launched)
Mk 18
The Mk 18 is a brief model of the M4A1 particularly designed for particular operations forces. With a barrel of 10.3 inches, the Mk 18 is greater than 4 inches shorter than the usual M4, which has a barrel size of 14.5 inches.
(June 5, 2007) – U.S. Navy SEALs (Sea, Air, Land) carry out a dwell hearth train for the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) The Honorable Dr. Donald C. Winter on the Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek’s taking pictures facility. U.S. Navy photograph by LCDR Keith Williams.
The Mk 18 is geared for shut quarters battle and combines the hitting energy of the M4 with a compactness of a submachine gun. Though it was first adopted by the Navy SEALs for use within the confined areas of warships, the Mk 18 has proliferated all through the particular operations neighborhood, and Special Forces operators typically use it if the state of affairs calls for it.
HK416
The HK416 was made for particular operations models.
Delta Power, the U.S. Army’s tier 1 particular mission unit, labored with Heckler and Kock, a German arms producer, to supply the HK416, which is developed across the M4.
A Norwegian soldier of the Telemark Battalion, fires the HK416 with clean rounds towards a simulated goal at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, June 13, 2020. Coalition forces’ coaching is used to reinforce base protection operations to offer higher safety in Iraq. (U.S. Army photograph by Spc. Derek Mustard)
A Norwegian soldier in Afghanistan, armed with the HK- 416 N.
Nevertheless, the HK416 has a short-stroke gasoline piston system to recycle rounds and is thus much less vulnerable to malfunctions. Special Forces operators are identified to have used the weapon, which is extraordinarily common inside Delta Power and the Naval Particular Warfare Improvement Group (DEVGRU), previously often known as SEAL Staff 6. Fascinating tidbit: the Navy SEALs who killed Osama bin Laden carried HK416s.
The HK416 fires the 5.56mm spherical.
MK 48
The MK48 is gas-operated, air-cooled, belt-fed machine gun that fires the 7.62mm spherical. The weapon system was, as soon as once more, developed for particular use by particular operations forces (the Navy SEALs on this case).
The MK48 is a vital addition to this listing as a result of it offers Special Forces detachments some actual punch downrange.
With an efficient vary of 800 meters and a charge of fireside of 730 rounds per minute, the MK48 is a formidable addition to a small Special Forces crew. If the crew packs a few MK48s, it may give the impression to an enemy that they’re dealing with a a lot bigger power. Certainly, that firepower superiority may give a Special Forces detachment the mandatory momentary benefit that may translate into victory on the battlefield.
The MK48 has confirmed to be a extremely dependable and efficient weapon system and is now being utilized by typical models too.
The standard ammo loadout for the MK48 is between 800 to 1,000 rounds, with members of the Special Forces crew carrying extra belts of ammunition that they’ll go to the MK48 gunner relying on the state of affairs.
M79
First launched through the Vietnam Struggle, the M79 is a single-shot grenade launcher that fires 40mm munitions. In distinction to traditional troops that carry the M203 grenade launcher beneath M-16 or M-4 rifles, Special Forces operators typically go for the standalone M79 due to the improved vary and accuracy it brings with its longer barrel.
The M79 can hearth quite a lot of rounds, together with excessive explosive, tear gasoline, smoke, and buckshot. Just like the MK48, the grenade launcher affords the Special Forces crew an edge in a struggle and the chance to achieve the essential firepower superiority that may spell the distinction between life or loss of life.
A Coast Guardsmen hundreds an M-79 with a non-lethal spherical. The Coast Guard was at Camp Lejeune testing various kinds of non-lethal weapons.
Special Forces vs Particular Operations
Right here it must be famous that the time period Special Forces within the U.S. refers back to the U.S. Army’s Special Forces Regiment, often known as the Inexperienced Berets due to their distinctive headwear. And the time period “Particular Operations” applies to all commando models.
For instance, a Navy SEAL platoon and a Inexperienced Beret detachment are each known as Particular Operations, but when one mentioned Special Forces, one could be referring to particularly the Inexperienced Berets.
This distinction is necessary as a result of within the worldwide army nomenclature, the time period Special Forces has the identical connotation as Particular Operations, and if this method is used within the U.S., one dangers the mortal hazard of being invertedly inaccurate.
Skilled Biography: 1945’s New Protection and Nationwide Safety Columnist, Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned protection journalist specializing in particular operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (nationwide service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins College graduate. His work has been featured in Enterprise Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
