Magpul 5 & 10 Round Limiters

 

 

The PMAG 5 and 10 Round Limiter installs in standard PMAG 20 bodies, reducing the magazine capacity to 5 and 10 rounds. Designed for sporting and hunting applications, installation of the Limiter is simple, tool-less, and requires no permanent modification of the magazine body.

NOTE: This product does not make PMAG 20 magazines legal in jurisdictions where magazines with a capacity of 20 rounds are prohibited. Consult all local, state, and federal regulations prior to usage.

Made in U.S.A.

Soldiers to receive new precision mortar round

Photo credit U.S. Army
This illustration depicts an XM395 Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative round closing in on a target.

ARLINGTON, Va. (Army News Service, Feb. 2011) -- Early next month U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan will receive a first-of-its kind, GPS-guided 120mm mortar munition that can pinpoint targets at ranges up to 6,300 meters, service officials said.
The program, called Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative, or APMI, emerged out of a request from the field commander in Afghanistan in Feb. 2009. The precision rounds were recently test-fired at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz.
"The testing involved a significant amount of firing and safety requirements. The overall reliability of the round is meeting its requirement of greater than 90 percent. The testing, which has been going on since last fall, has gone extremely well," said Bruce Kay, Department of the Army systems coordinator, Mortar Systems. "This provides the commander with immediate response precision indirect- fire capability."

Overall, the Army plans to deliver 5,480 APMI rounds.

 

Source

CV-22 Osprey, first female pilot completes training

1st Lt. Candice Killian prepares to fly a CV-22 Osprey. Lieutenant Killian is the first qualified female CV-22 pilot. (U.S. Air Force photo/Stefan Bocchino)

After nearly three years of flight training with the Air Force, she recently became the first qualified female pilot of the CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.

It started with pictures of aircraft in her grandfather’s home. Then it was on to starting lessons to earn her private pilot’s license as a high school senior. It kept up through her Air Force training. First Lt. Candice Killian, a 58th Training Squadron student, has always wanted to fly.

“I had two major influences for initially getting interested in flying,” Lieutenant Killian said. “One was my grandfather. He flew civilian aircraft. I never got to see them because I was too young, but I saw pictures of them at his house and he would tell me stories. The other was a friend who flew. His father was in the Air Force. When my friend went to the Air Force Academy, he encouraged me to learn to fly.”

Lieutenant Killian said she went to her local airport to look into flying lessons. Within 18 months, she completed her private pilot’s license.

Lieutenant Killian said she wanted to join the Air Force to make a positive difference and to serve her country. It also fulfilled her desire to fly. She went to the Air Force Academy to start her training.

“I found out that I was going to fly for the Air Force my senior year at the academy,” Lieutenant Killian said. “The undergraduate pilot training track is very broad at first, but you find out where you’re going at the Academy at what we call ‘100 days.’ It’s a dinner and a celebration where they tell you where you’re going to go. It’s your senior year and you finally know where you’re going.”

From the academy, Lieutenant Killian went to initial pilot training at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. The initial training, on the T-6A Texan II training aircraft, took about six months and included flight training and academics. After that, she went to Fort Rucker, Ala., to learn how to fly the UH-1 Huey helicopter.

“I knew I wanted to fly helicopters,” Lieutenant Killian said. “I like the mission role that helicopters in the Air Force generally fly, the broad spectrum of things we can do. Upon completion of the course at Fort Rucker, you can get CV-22s, UH-1s or HH-60 (Pave Hawks). The mission of the Osprey is very appealing.”

Source: Stefan T. Bocchino for USAF.

Special Forces Soldier receives posthumous Medal of Honor

Photo Credit: Courtesy photo.

A personal photo of Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller posing in Afghanistan. Miller posthumously received the Medal of Honor for giving his life so his comrades could move out of an ambush kill zone.

I honestly believe what was going through his head was just concern for the team, because I think that's what we were all feeling that night...and so I think that was probably going through Robby's mind first and foremost."

-Staff Sgt. Eric Martin, Operational Detachment Alpha 3312

While no one will ever know for sure what was going through Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller's mind that frigid January night in 2008, Martin's words clearly reflect why Miller would forfeit his life to protect his brothers-in-arms during a fierce battle on the other side of the world.
More than two years later, Oct. 6, 2010, in the East Wing of the White House, President Barack Obama presented a posthumous Medal of Honor to the Miller Family for their son's actions-actions that allowed seven of his Special Forces teammates and 15 Afghan soldiers to escape an ambush kill zone.
In his comments, the president highlighted Miller's accomplishments as a special operations Soldier, saying that merely 1 percent of the nation's 300 million people wear the uniform, and only a select few of those earn the Special Forces tab.

"Today, it is my privilege to present our nation's highest military decoration-the Medal of Honor-to one of these remarkable Soldiers, Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller," Obama said, adding that courage was a defining factor in Miller's life.
"It has been said that courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point," Obama said. "For Rob Miller, the testing point came nearly three years ago, deep in a snowy Afghan valley. But the courage he displayed that day reflects every virtue that defined his life."
The president said Miller was a true leader, as demonstrated by two previous commendations for valor during his first tour in Afghanistan.

On his second tour there, Miller-Robby to his teammates, Family, friends and teachers-was killed after volunteering to serve as point for a night patrol with Operational Detachment Alpha 3312, in the Chenar Khar Valley near the Pakistan border, Jan. 25, 2008. He was just 24.
Around 9 p.m. on Jan. 24, ODA 3312 received word that a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle feed had picked up enemy fighters armed with RPGs moving into a house. Miller's unit was ordered to link up with Afghan soldiers and proceed into "ambush alley," traveling as far as possible in their up-armored Humvees, then dismounting and moving toward the compound on foot.
Once the unit was able to confirm the threat, the team's Air Force joint tactical air controller would radio for a few 500-pound bombs. After the bombs were dropped, the team would move in and conduct a battle-damage assessment-at least that was the plan.

Staff Sgt. Eric Martin recalled that as his team moved up the mountain in their vehicles. The 300-foot sheer cliffs on both sides of the road didn't allow much room for protection or counter-attacks, because their guns were already angled to maximum elevation. To make matters worse, the convoy came across two boulders at different intervals that had to be blown with C4.
"I was thinking, OK, we're gonna get hit from here, so we were trying to be as quiet as possible, until the explosion, obviously," he said. "The second boulder was nearly within sight of the objective, so we had to come to a stop again and blow that boulder. I believe that's when the enemy was tipped off."
The Afghan soldiers and ODA 3312 moved on until they were in position to begin the attack. Then, through their night-vision devices, Martin and his team noticed enemy fighters emerging from a house and taking up new positions.

When the firefight began, Martin thought everything was going well because the unit hadn't received any effective fire, and nothing impacted close to the team. As the unit returned heavy volumes of fire, it seemed pretty one-sided-like the enemy was trying to "bug out" of the area, he recalled.
"Nothing unusual about it," Martin said. "It became unusual after the initial bombs were dropped and we'd opened with heavy fire." The unit then sent a dismounted element, with Miller on point, ahead of the vehicles.
"This was Robby's second trip over and he had picked up Pashto on the first deployment. He had a talent for languages: He knew French, German, a little bit of Russian," Martin added. "He just had a gift, which is why he was out front talking to the Afghans and in the position he was in, because the ANA soldiers had moved out too quickly and we needed to slow them down to gain command and control."

The dismounted element led the convoy across a bridge. Still, everything seemed good. No shots had been fired, and more than a few bombs had been dropped, so they assumed they had taken out the enemy, until the sound of a Russian-built PKM machine gun split the air, answered by an M249 squad automatic weapon and M4 carbine fire. The entire hillside erupted into muzzle flashes and chaos.
Martin recognized the high-pitched cracks of the SAW, and knew Miller-who had left base without a suppressor and was rolling heavy with extra 200-round 5.56 mm drums attached to his kit-was behind the trigger.
"He didn't care about the weight...that mentality he had, that characterized the whole team.... 'We're gonna roll heavy; we're gonna make sure we're ready to fight and that we're prepared for it,'" said Martin.

The Special Forces team-members found themselves in a close-quarters ambush less than 50 feet from Taliban fighters. The team's leader, Capt. Robert B. Cusick, was wounded almost immediately.
That's when Miller took command, taking out a machine-gun nest, always moving forward, firing constantly and throwing grenades. His teammates, meanwhile, moved in reverse from the kill zone with their wounded captain, radioing for a medevac helicopter and working to regain control of the situation. It was the last time any members of Miller's team saw him alive.

"I think he wanted to provide that extra firepower for his buddies so they could get out of the kill zone," said Cusick. "He bounded forward; we moved back.... He saved lives that day. It was just in his personality...he was a go-to guy, very reliable, very eager and one of the better in-shape guys on the team."
Cusick said Miller was always quick to volunteer and to take on more responsibility. He recalled Miller's final night, when the team picked up the Afghan soldiers: "As soon as I said we're good to go, he went over and introduced himself to the Afghans, speaking Pashto to get them up for the mission."
Aside from his physical capabilities, knowledge of tactics and desire to speak fluent Pashto, Miller served as the detachment's resident gemologist in his off time-he was the guy his teammates deferred to when they wanted to make sure a gemstone was a good deal, added Cusick.
"After he was killed, the team passed Robby's gem detecting kit back to his Family...that meant a lot to them," Cusick said.

Several of those gems have since been mounted, one of which Miller's mother Maureen wears in a necklace. A few others were turned into earrings worn by his sisters in memory of their oldest brother.
Martin, his teammates and the captain believe that Miller's concern for the team is what drove him, though no one will ever know what Miller was thinking when all hell broke loose.
"I think in combat the biggest fear I have, and I think the other guys have, is letting down the guy to the left and right," Martin said. "It's about doing the right thing and not letting our brothers down."
Philip Miller, Robby's father, said his wife, three other sons and four daughters knew a large part of Robby's responsibility was working and training with local nationals, and they were vaguely aware of some of his day-to-day activities. But the Family didn't really hear too much about combat actions, because Robby didn't want to worry them or divulge sensitive information about what he was doing.

Between deployments, at his parent's home in Ovieda, Fla., he would share photographs and video clips with his Family-he loved the scenery of Afghanistan and talked about his passion for learning Pashto, and sipping tea and interacting with the Afghans.
"All of us wonder if we can perform the same way, and keep our head and do what we have to do in an extreme situation like that, and take a calculated risk that you know you'll have to take and which may mean you won't survive," Philip Miller said. "You start to look at all the stories of what people do, including the people in this same firefight, and then you realize how remarkable it is that they're keeping their heads under incredible, intense, dangerous conditions, and doing the right thing. It's amazing to imagine anybody could behave like that.
"I'd like everybody to remember that he loved what he was doing and he was very good at it; he was extremely enthusiastic about it and it was very clear he really embraced the work, the mission and the people he worked with-American and Afghan," Miller's father added.

"When we learned about the details of what Robby had done to receive the Medal of Honor nomination, we weren't surprised, and we also weren't surprised at his reaction (during battle), because that was the sort of person he was. That's what his training taught him to do and be," said Miller's mother, Maureen. "I think the fact that he died doing something that he loved and thought worthwhile was an important factor in helping us deal with the situation."
Miller always wanted to be a Soldier. Maureen said he enlisted for a variety of reasons, including his sense of adventure and his belief in the importance of military service-something that runs in their family. She also credited Miller's deep appreciation for the freedom and opportunities available in America-something he learned early on, after hearing stories from childhood friends who were Cambodian refugees.
"Receiving the Medal of Honor on behalf of our son is obviously extremely important to us, because it represents the gratitude of the country to one of their Soldiers who performed so well and effectively in combat," Miller's father, who was also a Soldier, said. "Our son will become part of the written history of the United States."

 

Source

Picatinny cobalt alloys show promise for sustained firepower

Photo Credit: Jesse Glass.

Far right, engineer Vinny Leto holds one of the various cobalt alloy barrels produced using the flow forming technique. The shortest barrel was the first produced, followed by full length barrels without rifling and later a prototype with rifling like the one that was tested. Other team members, from left, Michael Hespos and Keith Koehler.

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. -- During a firefight, the last thing a machine gunner wants to do is stop fighting to change barrels, but that's how it has always been done with standard, single steel-barrel machine guns.
The reason for the barrel change is that at high temperatures barrels lose "strength properties," according to engineers working on a promising alternative.

One of the engineers is Vinny Leto, systems project engineer, of the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, or ARDEC, Weapons System Technology Directorate. During a test firing of a proof-of-concept barrel in December, Leto witnessed a measure of success with the High Performance Alloys for Weapons Applications Project.
During testing, the first rifled, cobalt-alloy machine gun barrel ever produced using the "flow forming" process consistently reached high temperatures without degraded performance.
The proof-of-concept barrel was made of an alloy that contains more than 50 percent of the metal cobalt. Cobalt alloys are erosion- and corrosion-resistant metals that are designed to retain high strength during long-term exposure to high temperatures.

Cobalt alloys are frequently used in the aerospace industry, such as the hot-gas section of turbine engines, explained Leto. Cobalt alloys are also used as short liners for machine gun barrels.
"If you look at steel in a machine gun environment, it gets very hot at a high rate of fire," said Leto. "The benefit of the cobalt alloy is that it is designed to operate in high-temperature, high-stress environments. It has the added benefits of corrosion and erosion resistance."
While cobalt alloy barrel liners have been produced for years, it is very difficult with existing machining techniques to impart rifling. "The material, for all of its phenomenal properties, is very difficult to manufacture and machine," said Leto.

Different from machining, flow-forming is an advanced process used to manufacture precise cylindrical components. The process consists of high-pressure rollers exerting pressure on the exterior of a cylinder, pressing material against a rod-called a mandrel-on the interior of the cylinder. For this project, the flow-forming process was modified to produce the rifling in the barrel bore.
More testing and data gathering will be required before engineers know if flow forming manufacturing can be achieved with the alloy.
Success, however, would provide warfighters with three potential benefits: lightening their load, increasing barrel service life, and giving them a barrel that could operate at higher temperatures compared to a steel barrel, Leto said.

Soldiers and Marines typically carry spare barrels into battle so that they have a cool barrel to exchange if they engage the enemy in a firefight, explained Leto. Having that strength at higher temperatures means that barrels may not need to be changed during a firefight, eliminating the need for the extra barrel and maintaining a steady stream of firepower.
Engineering team members met all of their proof-of-concept test objectives when they fired more than 24,000 rounds and achieved an 1,100 degrees barrel temperature. Leto said the alloy barrel was fired from the ARDEC-designed Advanced Remote/Robotic Armament System.
Steel begins to lose strength at approximately 1,000 degrees, Leto noted, and the test yielded data needed to assess and design the next round of improvements. The team is planning to produce another prototype that will be fired from a fielded infantry weapon later this year.
Previously, the engineers had produced a half-length barrel as an initial demonstration of the flow-forming process before moving on to manufacturing full-length barrels.

The Office of Naval Research assigned the engineers as principal investigators into the flow forming manufacturing technology. They are leveraging ARDEC's expertise with metallurgy and small arms design and analysis. Prototype testing will be conducted here at the Armament Technology Facility, which is ARDEC's small arms design and evaluation facility.
Previously, the engineers had worked with the Office of Naval Research in development of lightweight 60mm and 81mm mortar tubes made with a nickel-based alloy.
The team is also working with the Joint Services Small Arms Program, which is also based at Picatinny Arsenal. The JSSAP office oversees the day-to-day implementation of the plan by the joint services regarding the development and investment in small-arms technologies.

 

Source

Army swaps sit-ups for combat run in new PT tests.

(AP Photo/Brett Flashnick)

FORT JACKSON, S.C. – The Army plans to toughen its fitness tests for the first time in 30 years to make sure all soldiers have the strength, endurance and mobility for battle, adding exercises like running an obstacle course in full combat gear and dragging a body's weight.

Officials at Fort Jackson, a major Army training center, said Tuesday the new regimen would replace twice-a-year testing that focused on push-ups, sit-ups and a two-mile run. Trials are starting this month at eight bases and the plan could be adopted Army-wide after reviews later this year.

The shift follows other Army efforts to overhaul training, improve diets and help older soldiers keep fit.

Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, the head of Army training, said the fitness test had to be revamped because repetitive exercises like sit-ups don't translate into survival on the battlefield.

Unveiling the pilot to reporters, he said the service was also adopting lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans who had to learn in the field to carry anywhere from 40 to 70 pounds of weapons and body armor.

U.S. Army Sgt. Cornelius Trammell, center, and Staff Sgt. Timothy Hoenfelt, left, drag a 180-pound sled through an obstacle course as they demonstrate the Army's new Combat Readiness Test, at Fort Jackson, in Columbia, S.C., Tuesday, March 1, 2011. The Army plans to toughen its fitness tests for the first time in 30 years to make sure all soldiers have the strength, endurance and mobility for battle.

(AP Photo/Brett Flashnick)

"Soldiers like to be challenged. This will definitely challenge them," Hertling said. "This is a good, combat-related test."

The pilot program comprises two new tests in place of the current exam.

The new "physical readiness" test adds such things as a 60-yard shuttle run and a standing long jump to one minute of push-ups and a 1.5-mile timed run. This might be given every six months, said Frank Palkoska, head of the Army's Fitness School at Fort Jackson.

A "combat readiness" test includes running 400 meters with a rifle, moving through an obstacle course in full combat gear, and crawling and vaulting over obstacles while aiming a rifle. Soldiers also have to run on a balance beam while carrying a 30-pound ammo box and do an agility sprint around a course field of cones.

To test pulling a fallen comrade from the battlefield, soldiers must drag a sled weighted with 180 pounds of sandbags. That combat portion of the test might be given only before deployments, but that has not been decided.

The tests will be given to all soldiers and officers, including Army Reserves and National Guard, even those recalled soldiers who are now 60-years plus, officials said.

Specific standards for men, women and by age ranges are still being worked out, Palkoska said.

"This is about training smarter, not just training more," said Hertling.

Photo Credit: Initial Military Training. This diagram maps out how leaders can set up the Army Combat Readiness Test in their units.

The pilot will begin this month and test data will be given to Army leaders by October. The program could be implemented Army-wide during the fiscal year that starts in October, Palkoska said.

Besides Fort Jackson, the program will be tested at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; Fort Benning, Ga.; Fort Sill, Okla.; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort Lewis, Wash.; and at the Army's military academy at West Point.

 Source: Susanne M. Schafer for The Associated Press.

UAE BMP-3 Infantry Fighting Vehicle Upgrades

The UAE and Russia are to work together to upgrade the UAE Armed Forces’ fleet of BMP-3 amphibious IFVs.

These land and water-capable Infantry Fighting Vehicles are Russian-made military designs that date back to the 1980s. Weighing close to 19 tonnes each, they’re capable of accommodating up to ten military personnel and boast an array of firepower including a main 100mm rifle gun.

BMP-3s are in service with many nations, including Kuwait, Sri Lanka and the Ukraine. The United Arab Emirates has more than anyone else – the latest published data indicates a fleet comprised of almost 600 examples. These were supplied from 1992 to 2000.

Infantry Fighting Vehicle Upgrades

Now, approximately 30 per cent of them will be enhanced with new technologies through an agreement with Russia’s main arms export group – Rosoboronexport. The Infantry Fighting Vehicle upgrade contract has a value of $74m and will boost the BMP-3s to mid-life BMP-3M status.

New features to be added include hi-tech UTD-32 engines rated at 660 horsepower, better firing abilities and a boost in protective armour.

In related news, the UAE Armed Forces is to get new land-based vehicles, too. These will be provided by Oshkosh Defense in collaboration with local conglomerate the Al Jaber Group.

The vehicles involved in this deal will be Global HETs (Heavy Equipment Transporters), which have 700hp engines and can carry loads of up to 70 metric tons. This gives them the capacity to transport MBTs (Main Battle Tanks), construction equipment and other armoured vehicles.

UAE BMP-3 Infantry Fighting Vehicles

Global HETS are modified versions of the standard HET design, with improvements made to ensure they can still be effective under the hot sun of the desert, where they will operate alongside the UAE’s BMP-3 Infantry Fighting Vehicles.

“We are pleased to partner with the Al Jaber Group to deliver and support the Oshkosh Global HET vehicle in the UAE”, Oshkosh Defense International Programs general manager and senior vice president, Serge Buchakjian, stated in a company press release issued at the end of February 2011.

“We are committed to serving the Middle East region, and our relationship and initial sale to Al Jaber Group will allow Oshkosh vehicles to play an important role in supporting the UAE’s Armed Forces programs”, he added.

UAE BMP-3 image courtesy of the US Army

MQ-8B Fire Scout LCS Sea Trials Successful

An unmanned helicopter design for the US Navy has successfully carried out a new set of initial flight tests at sea, its maker – Northrop Grumman – reported in a late February 2011 press release.

The MQ-8B Fire Scout is a multirole UAV intended to be used for precision targeting support, situational awareness and reconnaissance.

It made its first flight in 2002 and, since then, has been involved in a whole series of flight tests, linking it up with existing US military technologies. Correspondingly, these most recent Fire Scout sea trials weren’t the first time the helicopter design had landed on a ship, but they saw the UAV and a brand new LCS (Littoral Combat Ship) work together, which has never happened before.

Fire Scout Sea Trials

Previous Fire Scout sea trials had seen it operate from three other US Navy vessels - the USS Nashville (LPD-13), the USS McInerney (FFG-8) and USS Halyburton (FFG-40).

Ultimately, the Littoral Combat Ship fleet – which remains in the development phase - will host production model Fire Scouts and, on this occasion, the lead ship, USS Freedom, was involved. USS Freedom formally joined the US Navy in 2008 and already has several deployments under its belt.

The Fire Scout LCS test flights saw the unmanned helicopter carry out several autonomous take offs and landings while the parameters around them (wind direction, ship speed etc) were altered. These tests yielded valuable data that will be drawn on when the Fire Scout deploys onboard USS Freedom and its brother vessels for real.

MQ-8B LCS Sea Trials

Although the MQ-8B LCS sea trials were actually carried out in November, details of then have only now entered the public domain.

“This was a great opportunity to witness the pairing of the LCS with Fire Scout because it represents what the Navy will use for future littoral security missions”, Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems Tactical Unmanned Systems Vice President, George Vardoulakis, stated in the company press release.

He added: “We used the opportunity to demonstrate system performance capabilities with the ship, maintenance crew and other key logistical support functions.”

MQ-8B Image courtesy of Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems

Black Hills Ammunition Video

From Black Hill blog:

We owe our reputation of unmatched dependability, accuracy and high performance to our people: the dedicated souls who clock in every day to our factory.
They’re Americans. More specifically, South Dakotans. Gun aficionados. Ballistics geeks and picky inspection ladies who can sense and then find the tiniest
of flaws. Because of their nitpickiness, their zeal and their grit – evident through every part of the production process – Black Hills Ammunition is counted
among the finest in the world.

Black Hills Ammunition released a video over the weekend, which gives us some insight into the company and their employees.  It is well produced and interesting.  Well worth the four minutes to watch.

Photo of the Month February 2011

Click picture to enlarge

Hellenic Army National Guard MG3 in a shooting range.