Assault Power

Written by Peter Buxbaum

SOTECH 2010 Volume: 8 Issue: 1 (February)

The SOF Warrior Goes to War wtih a Number
of Tools to Support Both Indirect and Direct
Action.  His Weapon is Perhaps the Most Personal.

SCAR was developed by the U.S. Special Operations Command to provide a modular weapon system that could be adapted to various operational missions and training requirements. Also important to USSOCOM was reducing the logistics footprint by replacing six legacy weapon systems.

SCAR is one of several new or improved weapons systems that could enhance the performance and ease the burden of special operations ground forces in the coming years. Increased modularity, reliability and use life are among the key goals sought in the development of future generations of infantry weapons, as is reduced weight. Legacy weapons are also constantly being improved to increase their reliability and to enable them to accommodate the latest war fighting apparatus, such as night vision equipment.

SCAR has been in development since November 2004. “User assessments and operational test events evolved the design to increase performance and optimize ergonomics,” said Air Force Major Wes Ticer, a USSOCOM spokesperson. In June 2006, low rate initial production began; initial operational test and evaluation was successfully completed in November 2008.

“The capabilities SOCOM was seeking with SCAR included increased accuracy, reliability, and service life to meet the full spectrum of operational requirements of special operations forces,” said Ticer. “The modular barrel design allows the operator to configure the weapon specific to the mission. These weapons are more accurate, more reliable, and have a longer service life than their predecessors. Additionally, the preponderance of the maintenance is at the operator level.”

At present there are four weapons within the SCAR program: the MK 16, which takes 5.56x45 mm ammunition and the MK 17, which uses 7.62x51 mm cartridges, both of which come equipped with interchangeable short, standard, and long barrels; the MK13 40 mm enhanced grenade launcher module (EGLM), which can be outfitted to each of the assault rifles as well as a stand-alone stock; and the sniper support rifle (SSR).

In addition to modularity, SCAR provides greater durability over the current crop of assault rifles, according to Gabe Bailey, marketing director for combat rifles at FNH USA, a McLean, Va.-based subsidiary of FNH, the Belgian company that won the SCAR contract.

“Current systems are wearing out at around 10,000 rounds,” he said. “The average SOF operator will fire around 15,000 rounds per year, including training prior to deployment and deployment. So the current weapon was not lasting through a complete cycle. SOCOM wanted a weapon that would last a minimum of 15,000 rounds.”

FNH does not receive official after-action reports, but Bailey has heard positive unofficial reactions. “The 7.62 caliber was reported to have better knock down power and better range,” he said.

Bailey expects a final assessment of the weapon in mid- 2010, at which point USSOCOM will decide whether to proceed with mass production of the weapons. If FNH gets good news it could be producing 12,000 to 16,000 SCARs for special forces and other units.

As for possible future SCAR developments, “ongoing and future developments continue to be driven by operational requirements,” said Ticer. “These developments will be promulgated once all SCAR requirements have been fully identified.”

Meanwhile the Army announced it will hold a carbine competition later this year. “We believe SCAR will be strong candidate for that program,” said Bailey.

Lightening the load of special operations forces is also a key goal of infantry weapons development. Soldiers’ gear these days, including rucksack, weapon, ammunition, helmet and other equipment can weigh over 130 pounds. “Infantry soldiers carrying a load of 101 pounds for 12.5 miles had a decrease of 26 percent in marksmanship, a 33 percent increase in distance from the target center, and an increase in back pain,” said General Peter W. Chiarelli, the Army vice chief of staff at a 2009 congressional hearing.

Reducing the weight burden on warfighters, while maintaining the current level of performance, is at the crux of a technology demonstration program known as Lightweight Small Arms Technologies (LSAT) being worked by AAI Corporation, an operating unit of Textron Systems.

“We have successfully developed and demonstrated a prototype weapon and ammunition that provides up to a 50 percent reduction in weight compared to the current assault weapon carried by infantrymen, as well as a 50 percent reduction in t ammunition weight,” said Paul Shipley, the AAI LSAT program manager. “The weapon design maintains the lethality and reliability of existing assault weapons while offering improved ergonomics.”

The AAI system lightens the weight of the weapon from 17.5 pounds for an M249 rifle to 9.8 pounds and the ammunition from 20.8 pounds to 13.6 pounds. “That makes the load for a machine gunner carrying 600 rounds 15 pounds lighter,” said Shipley, “yet the weapon provides the exact same performance.”

The LSAT program began in 2004 with the objective of reducing the weight of the weapon and ammunition by up to 50 percent. “We began with a clean slate,” said Shipley. “We didn’t have to fit the same envelope as current weapons and ammunition.”

AAI focused on developing weapons and ammunition as a system so that both could be optimized at the same time, according to Shipley. The program features parallel development of lightweight cased and caseless telescoped ammunition. The caseless ammunition completely eliminates the cartridge and adapts the propellant to provide structure to the round.

The cased ammunition utilizes a plastic cartridge, which significantly reduces the weight of the ammunition as compared to brass cartridges. Accommodating a plastic cartridge involved designing a new kind of interface between the barrel and the chamber.

“In the case of conventional weapons, the path from the belt to the chamber has the cartridge bumping up or down,” Shipley explained. “With our design, the chamber is separate from the barrel. The chamber pivots when it is in the feed position and it delivers the ammunition directly into the chamber. That method allowed the use of a plastic case.”

The separation of the barrel and chamber also minimizes heat transfer, also an important factor in the use of the plastic casing. “Otherwise, the plastic would melt and get stuck,” said Shipley. “That is not a problem with brass casing.”

The plastic cased ammunition is 40 percent lighter than conventional ammunition and the caseless rounds halves the weight of the ammunition carried by warfighters.

“The performance of the LSAT machine gun is the same as its predecessors by design,” said Shipley. “The requirements were to fire the same bullet at the same muzzle velocity so you do could compare the weapons side by side. In terms of what the Army is looking for, the weight reduction we have been able to achieve is quite significant.”

AAI completed an initial LSAT contract between 2004 and 2008. It is now working on a second contract, which will stretch through fiscal year 2011, to further mature the technology. “During this time we will finalize the design of the machine gun and demonstrate the system to technology readiness level seven,” said Shipley. “At that point the government will decide what it wants to do with the technology.” If the decision is to move forward, AAI could be awarded yet another contract which would focus on the system development and demonstration (SDD) phase.

Improvements to the M240 7.62x51mm NATO machine gun are also designed to reduce its weight. First introduced in the 1970s, the FN M240 L is a product of a U.S. Army program to reduce the weight of the M240. “The FN M240 L sheds approximately five pounds compared to a similar M240 B, via the extensive use of titanium alloy in the receiver while maintaining the durability and reliability of the weapon” said FNH USA’s Gabe Bailey. “This critical weight savings translates into far greater mobility with less fatigue for the operator.”

Other legacy weapons are also constantly being evolved to accommodate newly introduced equipment and to improve design and performance. In the case of the M60, a standard issue Army infantry rifle since the 1960s, improvements have been made to enhance operator safety, reliability and use life, according to Steve Helzer, general manager of U.S. Ordnance, which has been manufacturing the M60E4 variant of the weapon since 2000. (The MK 43 is the Navy nomenclature for the same weapon.) The Mod 1 version of these weapons is sold to U.S. and NATO forces. A Mod 0, which includes fewer improvements, is designated for foreign military sales.

U.S. Ordnance set out to eliminate the weaknesses that had been identified in the weapon’s long history, especially in the ammunition feed system. “A 30 percent improved belt pull provides increased reliability,” said Helzer. “The receivermounted ammunition hanger provides a stable and secure mounting point for the ammunition pouch and isolates the feed tray from accidental damage. A new flat spring latch on the trigger assembly prevents accidental detachment of the trigger assembly.”

On the modernization side, the M60E4/Mk43 Mod 1 features a redesigned machined aluminum feed cover with an integrated M1913 Picatinny rail. An aluminum M1913 rail handguard provides for the mounting of optics, infrared laser aiming devices, and other sensors.

This last enhancement was introduced in 2005, said Helzer. “It came in response to the request of warfighters to be able to mount night vision equipment on the weapon,” he added.

USSOCOM has also developed a special operations peculiar modification (SOPMOD) kit to provide accessories for the widely-used M4A1 carbine. The kit allows special forces operators to configure their weapons to individual preferences and mission requirements. The SOPMOD kit included Picatinny rails, advanced optical gunsights, night vision sights and mounts, grenade launcher mounts, target pointer laser equipment, as well as other optional equipment.

“The SOPMOD program provided weapon accessories for the M4 and is now providing like accessories for the M4A1 and SCAR,” said USSOCOM’s Ticer. “The various accessories have improved the target location, identification, and engagement capability of the current weapon system. The SOPMOD weapon accessories have significantly improved the combat effectiveness and survivability of our SOF warfighters.”

Many of the kit items have become service-common, Ticer noted. “Future modifications,” he added, “would improve performance, reliability, and maintainability and reduce size, weight, and signature.” ♦

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