What weapons are being used by the US forces?

Answer 1

m16 mark19 240-bravo charlie echo 50 caliber m204 howitszer (sp?) saw flash and fragmented grenades 12gauge tazer Some of the current weapons used in the U.S. Arsenal include: Rifles: M-4 Carbine: Used by Army, Air Force, and Some Naval and Marine Units. It is a shortened version of the M-16A2 rifle that has been used in one version or another by the U.S. Military since the mid 1960's. It has a 14.5in barrel and collapsible butt stock in place of the original 20 inch barrel used in the M-16 series rifles. It fires a 5.56mm NATO round from 30 rd magazines. The description used in publications is a light-weight, shoulder fired, gas operated, magazine fed, carbine capable of firing in both semi-automatic and 3 round burst mode. The newest versions are made with a rail system on top to which the M-68 close quarter battle optic is affixed as well as a back up iron sight in case the primary optical sight fails. The original versions had a carrying handle on top with adjustable iron sights integrated into the handle. It has a maximum effective range of approx. 500-600 meters depending on the size of the target, and has a maximum range of 3600 meters with NATO standard M855 ball ammunition. Also US Special Forces units use an improved version of the M-4 known as the HK-416; basically the same rifle but uses a different and improved gas system to operate the weapon. M-16A4 Rifle: Used by the U.S Marine Corp. instead of the M-4 carbine. It is the same basic weapon except the barrel is same original length of 20in as used on the earlier M-16 rifles. It has the same flattop rail on the top of the receiver allowing the use on optics. The Marine Corp. typically uses the Trijicon ACOG sight a compact 4x telescopic sight with an illuminated reticule normally in the shape of a chevron that allows for aiming and also rudimentary range estimation. The combination of the longer barrel and telescopic sight allows for greater accuracy and further range compared to the M-4 carbine, this being the primary reason the USMC chose this rifle over the M-4. It does however suffer slightly in close quarter environments and in entering and exiting vehicles due to it's slightly larger size. Some other rifles in use by specialized units include: M-14: A 7.62mm semi-automatic magazine fed weapon first introduced in the mid 1950's to replace the WWII era M1 it was largely replaced by the M-16 family of rifles in front line service however many units have recently rediscovered it's accuracy and increased power especially over long ranges encountered in Afghanistan, it serves as a step between the standard M-4/16 and a specialized sniper rifle, however when fitted with optics it can be used effectively out to 1000 meters and beyond and due to it's semi-automatic firing system and 20 round magazines it allows the shooter to put a lot of lead on the target when needed. Sniper Rifles: M-40 (USMC) M-24 (USA and USAF) M-21 (USA) M-107 (widely know as Barrett .50 caliber) also some units are using accurized versions of the M-16 and AR-10 at a squad and platoon level. Sub-Machine Guns: HK MP-5, some 9mm versions of M-4 carbine are still seeing limited use by some units however their use is limited and hard to track. The M-16A2 Rifle is still used by some units classified as non-combat or support roles Pistols: M-9: This pistol used by the majority of U.S. forces and is manufactured by Berretta it fires the 9x19mm NATO round also known as 9mm Luger and 9mm Parabellum round. It is constructed of aluminum alloy for the frame and steel for the slide and barrel. Plastic is used to make the hand grips. It is a semi-automatic pistol that fires from a 15 round box magazine. It has fixed sights and is accurate to approx. 50 meters. The M-9 is a DA/SA pistol with a combination safety/de-cocking lever affixed to the slide. The safety/de-cocking lever is ambidextrous and the magazine release located behind the trigger guard can be easily reversed for left handed shooters. M-11: This pistol is made by Sig-Sauer and is issued to specialized, normally investigative units that require a pistol for concealed carry such as USAF OSI, USA CID and USN NCIS. It is basically the Sig-Sauer P-228 with the addition of tritium night sights. It is slightly smaller and lighter then the M9 pistol however it fires the same round and is as accurate at the same ranges, if not more so due to its different locking system and increased manufacturing tolerances. It has a frame mounted decocking lever instead of the Beretta's slide mounted type and lacks a manual safety instead relying on the long heavy first pull and the discipline of the shooter. Other Pistols: Various types of the M-1911 pistols are still in use by specialized units including USA Special Forces and USMC Force Recon teams as well as USMC MEUSOC and FAST teams. The USN SEAL teams typically use the Sig-Sauer P-226. The HK MK-23 SOCCOM pistol is also used by some teams in limited cases when a silenced pistol is needed. Medium Machine Guns: M-249 SAW/AR: A lightweight belt-fed machine gun used at a squad level. It fires the same 5.56mm as the M-4 and M-16 rifles. Normally 2 are carried per 9-13 man squad. It is gas operated and fires from the open bolt position. It also has a quick change barrel allowing for extended use without over-heating. It is normally carried by one person who also carries the ammunition and spare barrel. It can be mounted in fixed positions on a tripod or mounted on vehicle using a pintle mount such as a HUMVEE turret. It can also be fired using the integral bi-pod on the weapon when the shooter is in the prone position or over cover. It can also be fired from the shoulder or hip, however due to its size and weight this can be rather tiring for the user. It uses 200 round belts normally packed in plastic battle packs; the normal load is 800 rounds for combat patrols. It can be fired using the M-4/16 magazines in emergency circumstances, however this should only be used as a last resort due to the damage caused to the magazines and the possibility of plastic from the magazine follower entering the receiver as the bolt slides across the follower after the last round is fired, thereby jamming the weapon. It has a rate of fire of approx. 750-950 rounds per min; the variance is due to an adjustable gas system allowing the weapon to be used when dirty by allowing the more gas to enter the system and more forcefully driving the bolt to the rear to over come any dirt or sand in the weapon. It has an adjustable iron sight on top of the receiver and newer models have an integrated rail system similar to the M-4 allowing the use of optics. M-240B/G MG: A medium weight belt-fed machine gun firing the more powerful 7.62x51mm NATO round. It replaced the M-60 machine gun which had been in use since the early 1960's. It is normally assigned to a two person team consisting of the gunner and assistant gunner. Normally one is carried per 9-13 man squad, the load of 800 rounds and the spare barrel is split between the gunner and assistant gunner. It uses a quick change barrel and similar gas system as the M-249. It is utilized most often in fixed positions and from vehicles and aircraft. It also has a similar bi-pod to the M-249 allowing it to be used in much the same way. It is fed from 100 round belts of ammunition but lacks the m-249's ability to utilize magazines in case of emergency. It features adjustable iron sights and the same rail system for the use of optics. M-60: The predecessor to the M-240 fires the same 7.62mm ammunition. It is slightly smaller and shorter and has a slower rate of fire compared to the M-240. It used design features from the German MG-34 and MG-42 machine guns from WWII. When first introduced is was very reliable and offered a significant increase in firepower compared to the magazine fed BAR it replaced, however as the years went by and the average usage per unit increased reliability issues began to surface. It was and is however well loved by many who used it including this writer, it was known to many by its affectionate nickname of the "The Pig." It is still used by some units as the M-60E4 a newer version with a shorter barrel, rail system and forward vertical hand grip for increased controllability. Mostly in use by USN SEAL Teams and Navy construction battalions "Seabees" Heavy Machine Guns: M-2 .50 cal: Fully automatic belt fed weapon in use by the US Military since 1918, it is accurate reliable and very heavy, necessitating it's use mostly from mounted positions such as vehicles and aircraft. It can cause huge amounts of damage to both persons and vehicles. It has seen use in every major US conflict since WWII and its rhythmic thump has been a sound of relief to many US troops when more firepower is needed. It is a truly feared and respected weapon by our enemies. It fires from the open bolt and uses a somewhat antiquated recoil system where as the entire barrel recoils a short distance when first fired and travels backward with the bolt until the bullet has exited the barrel and the pressures inside the chamber have fallen to safe levels. It uses adjustable iron sights on the top of the receiver and unlike most weapons has two handles and a butterfly trigger mounted at the rear of the receiver necessitating it be fired from some sort of mount be it tripod or turret mount. MK-19 Grenade Launcher:Fires a high velocity 40mm explosive round from belts. It can bring a massive amount of fire power to a fight, however due to its size as well as the size and weight of it's ammunition it is almost always vehicle mounted. It has about the same amount of explosive power as an M-203 round however it has more then 5 times the range and much more penetrating power when used against armored targets. It has a slow rate of fire of only about 250 rounds per min which considering the size and weight of it ammunition not to mention the effect a single round can have on a target is a smart design feature. It also uses a receiver and barrel mounted adjustable iron sight system. Other:M-203 grenade launcher:A 40mm low velocity grenade launcher attached to the underside of the M-4/16 family of rifles. It is a single shot breach loaded weapon, it is loaded by depressing a latch on the left side and sliding the barrel forward, when this is done the used round is pulled free and ejected to the side, a new round can then be inserted and the barrel pulled back into battery. It lacks hand grips of its own and instead the user grasps the magazine of the rifle to fire the weapon as its trigger falls just in front of the magazine well of the rifle. It can fire a wide variety of ammunition include explosive armor piercing, illumination, and smoke. Recently new "less lethal" rounds have been introduced for use in crowd/riot control, these normally fire some sort of stabilized beanbag or foam bullet. Though classified as "less lethal" they can be dangerous at close ranges and must be used properly to reduce chances of death to persons on the crowd. The explosive rounds normally have about the same destructive force of the common hand grenade and can be fired accurately out to 350 meters. It has "battle sights" or leaf-sights mounted to the top hand guard of the rifle it is attached to, these are quite fast to use but not as accurate. When mounted to an M-16 series rifle with a carrying handle a more accurate, but slower, sighting system can be mounted. LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon): A disposable rocket used against enemy armor or fortified positions. AT-4: A more powerful re-loadable rocket also used against armor and fortified positions: Javelin Missile System:Newest generation of man portable anti-tank rockets, capable of destroying the most modern battle tanks in the world. If used against tanks it flies forward a short distance then flies high into the air an attacks the tank from above hitting the top of the tank where typically their armor is the weakest/ Stinger Missile: A Heat seeking anti-aircraft missile, it is a so called fire and forget, meaning once fired it tracks the target itself requiring no direction from the shooter. Used to great effect by the Mujaheddin in Afghanistan against the Soviet helicopters during the Russian invasion of the 1980's