SCAR-H
The Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle (SCAR) is a modular rifle made by FN Herstal (FNH) for the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) to satisfy the requirements of the SCAR competition. This family of rifles consist of two main types. The SCAR-L, for "light", is chambered in the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge and the SCAR-H, for "heavy", fires 7.62x51mm NATO. Both are available in Long Barrel and Close Quarters Combat variants.
The FN SCAR systems completed low rate initial production testing in June 2007. After some delays, the first rifles began being issued to operational units in April 2009, and a battalion of the US 75th Ranger Regiment was the first large unit deployed into combat with 600 of the rifles in 2009. The US Special Operations Command has currently cancelled their purchase of the Mk 16 SCAR-L and are planning to remove the rifle from their inventory by 2013. However, they plan to purchase 5.56 mm conversion kits for the Mk 17, supplanting the loss of the Mk 16. The SCAR is now one of the competing weapons in the Individual Carbine competition which aims to find a replacement for the M4 Carbine.
The FN SCAR systems completed low rate initial production testing in June 2007. After some delays, the first rifles began being issued to operational units in April 2009, and a battalion of the US 75th Ranger Regiment was the first large unit deployed into combat with 600 of the rifles in 2009. The US Special Operations Command has currently cancelled their purchase of the Mk 16 SCAR-L and are planning to remove the rifle from their inventory by 2013. However, they plan to purchase 5.56 mm conversion kits for the Mk 17, supplanting the loss of the Mk 16. The SCAR is now one of the competing weapons in the Individual Carbine competition which aims to find a replacement for the M4 Carbine.
M4
The M4 carbine is a family of firearms tracing its lineage back to earlier carbine versions of the M16 rifle, all based on the original AR-15 rifle designed by Eugene Stoner and made by ArmaLite. The M4 is a shorter and lighter variant of the M16A2 assault rifle, with 80% parts commonality.
It is a gas-operated, magazine-fed, selective fire, shoulder-fired weapon with a telescoping stock. A shortened variant of the M16A2 rifle, the M4 has a 14.5 in (370 mm) barrel, allowing its user to better operate in close quarters combat. The M4 has selective fire options including semi-automatic and three-round burst (like the M16A2 and M16A4), while the M4A1 has the capability to fire fully automatic instead of three-round burst (like the M16A1 and M16A3). The carbine is also capable of mounting an M203 grenatde launcher (the M203A1 with a 9-inch barrel as opposed to the standard 12-inch barrel of the M203 used on the M16 series) as well as its successor, the M320 grenade launcher.
The M4 carbine is heavily used by the U.S. military. It is eventually going to replace the M16 rifle for most combat units in the United States Army. The winner of the Individual Carbine competition might supplement the M4 carbine in U.S. Army service. This is for the US Army only while all other services will continue to use the M4 carbine and M16 rifles.
It is a gas-operated, magazine-fed, selective fire, shoulder-fired weapon with a telescoping stock. A shortened variant of the M16A2 rifle, the M4 has a 14.5 in (370 mm) barrel, allowing its user to better operate in close quarters combat. The M4 has selective fire options including semi-automatic and three-round burst (like the M16A2 and M16A4), while the M4A1 has the capability to fire fully automatic instead of three-round burst (like the M16A1 and M16A3). The carbine is also capable of mounting an M203 grenatde launcher (the M203A1 with a 9-inch barrel as opposed to the standard 12-inch barrel of the M203 used on the M16 series) as well as its successor, the M320 grenade launcher.
The M4 carbine is heavily used by the U.S. military. It is eventually going to replace the M16 rifle for most combat units in the United States Army. The winner of the Individual Carbine competition might supplement the M4 carbine in U.S. Army service. This is for the US Army only while all other services will continue to use the M4 carbine and M16 rifles.
A-91
The A-91 bullpup assault rifle (also known as A-91M) was developed during the 1990s by KBP (Instrument Design Bureau) in Tula, as an offspring of the A-91 family of compact assault rifles described above in the 9A-91 article. While the A-91 retains the basic gas-operated, rotating bolt action and a trigger unit design from 9A-91, it features a bullpup polymer housing, with an integral 40 mm single-shot grenade launcher mounted under the barrel. The earliest prototypes of the A-91 bullpup were fitted with the grenade launcher above the barrel, and with a front vertical foregrip; current models are fitted with the underbarrel launcher, which also serves as a forearm. The A-91 features a forward ejection system, initially developed in Tula by designers like Afanasiev during the early 1960s. In this system, the ejection port is located above the pistol grip, and points forward. Extracted cases are fed from bolt head through the short ejection tube to the ejection port, and fall out of the gun well clear of the shooter's face, even when firing from the left shoulder. As for now, the A-91 is made in small number and, probably, is used by some elite law enforcement units in Russia; it is also offered for export and domestic military and police sales.
G36C
A cut down version of the German Armyʹs full size G36 rifle, the C in G36C is stands for Commando or Compact. The weapon uses 5.56x45mm NATO rounds fed by non-standard translucent 30-round magazines, with a rate of fire of 750 rounds per minute. It is a variant of the original G36K carbine, which is solely based on the original G36. Equipped with a number of rails for accessories and a set of backup iron sights instead of the integrated optics and carry handle of the G36, the G36C is a Carbine with significant customization options. Its great ergonomics and short length make it excellent in short range encounters. The G36C also includes a 2 Round Burst mode.
AK74u
Derived from the AKS-74, the AKS-74u (Russian: Автомат Калашникова образца 1974 года or "Kalashnikov automatic rifle model 1974") is a shortened Carbine with the power of a rifle cartridge but the size of a submachine gun. Often called by its nickname “Krinkov” the shortened barrel makes the weapon inaccurate at medium ranges but extremely effective in close quarters. Due to its incredibly short length the AKS-74U cannot mount a bipod.
The rifle first saw service with Soviet forces engaged in the 1979 Afghanistan conflict. Presently, the rifle continues to be used by the majority of countries of the former USSR. Additionally, unlicensed copies were produced in Bulgaria (AK-74 and AKS-74U), the former East Germany (MPi-AK-74N, MPi-AKS-74N, MPi-AKS-74NK) and Romania (PA md.86). Besides former Soviet republics and eastern European countries, Mongolia, North Korean Special Forces, and Vietnamese People's Naval infantry use AK-74s.
M4A1
Essentially a shortened version of the M16 the M4A1 Carbine traces its roots to weapons designed for US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) during the Vietnam War. the M4A1 has the capability to fire fully automatic instead of three-round burst (like the M16A1 and M16A3). The carbine is also capable of mounting an M203 grenade launcher (the M203A1 with a 9-inch barrel as opposed to the standard 12-inch barrel of the M203 used on the M16 series) as well as its successor, the M320 grenade launcher.
sg553
The SG553, a slightly improved version of the SG552, is the SBR (Short Barrel Rifle) version of the SIG SG550. The SIG SG553 is an extremely flexible, very compact and light primary intervention weapon for Special Forces and the field of Law Enforcement in calibre 5.56 mm x 45 NATO (.223 Rem.). Due to its robust design, compact dimensions, its outstanding precision and the ability to aim rapidly, it is ideally suited for use in short to medium distance up to 300 meters. In all types of environment and terrain from desert, jungle or in arctic climate zones the performance is outstanding. For Close Protection and Counter Terrorism duties, this weapon is easy to conceal and operate.
acw-r
The Bushmaster ACR (Adaptive Combat Rifle), previously known as the Magpul Masada before Bushmaster and Remington took over production, is an assault rifle developed initially and proposed for the future replacement of the venerable M16 family of assault rifles. The ACR uses the standard 5.56x45mm NATO round but is also intended to be modifiable to employ the 6.5 Grendel, 6.8mm Remington SPC and the Russia39mm M43 rounds. Similar to other weapons such as the M416 and the SCAR family of rifles, it uses a piston instead of the direct impingement of the M4/M16 series of weapons.
It is known in the Battlefield series as the Adaptive Combat Weapon-Rifle, (ACW-R), similar to how the Magpul PDR is known as PDW-R in the Battlefield Series.
It is known in the Battlefield series as the Adaptive Combat Weapon-Rifle, (ACW-R), similar to how the Magpul PDR is known as PDW-R in the Battlefield Series.
MTAR-21
The TAR-21 (or simply Tavor) is an Israeli bullpup assault rifle chambered for 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition with a selective fire system, selecting between semi-automatic mode and full automatic fire mode. It is named after Mount Tabor, while "TAR-21" stands for "Tavor Assault Rifle – 21st Century". Since 2009, it has been selected as the standard issued weapon of the Israeli infantry. The MTAR-21 (Micro Tavor) was recently selected as the future assault rifle of the Israeli Defense Forces, and some infantry division are being issued with the rifle, replacing the bigger and standard TAR-21.
The TAR-21 uses a bullpup design, first used in bolt action rifles such as the Thorneycroft carbine of 1901. Bullpup rifles are configured in a layout in which the bolt carrier group is placed behind the pistol grip; this shortens the overall length but does not sacrifice barrel length. The TAR-21 provides carbine length, but rifle muzzle velocity. The bullpup design is also used to minimize the silhouette of soldiers and to maximize effectiveness in turning corners in urban warfare.
The TAR-21 uses a bullpup design, first used in bolt action rifles such as the Thorneycroft carbine of 1901. Bullpup rifles are configured in a layout in which the bolt carrier group is placed behind the pistol grip; this shortens the overall length but does not sacrifice barrel length. The TAR-21 provides carbine length, but rifle muzzle velocity. The bullpup design is also used to minimize the silhouette of soldiers and to maximize effectiveness in turning corners in urban warfare.
G53
The HK53 is a carbine made by German firearms manufacturer Heckler & Koch. It is a variant of the HK33 assault rifle, and operates on the same principal as the G3 battle rifle and the MP5 submachine gun, but it is chambered in the 5.56x45mm NATO round and is fed from 30-round box magazines.
qbz-95b
The QBZ-95 (Chinese: 轻武器步枪自动一九九五 Qīngwǔqì Bùqiāng Zìdòng, 1995; English: Light weapon, Rifle, Automatic, 1995), or Type 95, is a bullpup style Chinese assault rifle designed in 1995 and manufactured by Norinco and Jianshe Corp(Chinese: 北方工业公司), China South. It is in service with the People's Liberation Army. It uses the Chinese 5.8x42mm DBP87 cartridge with a typically 30 round magazine, has a rate of fire of around 650 rounds per minute and an effective range of 400 meters, with a maximum range of 600 meters. It also has a specialized and optional 4x telescopic sight.