Gunreference1
08-30-2010, 08:52 AM
New military rifle lighter, more powerful
By NBC13 Staff | Media General News Service
Published: August 29, 2010
It will be able to fire two different caliber bullets.
It was designed with input by U.S. Special Operations Command warriors for special ops missions to be lighter, more maneuverable and longer lasting.
Earlier this month, the MK-17 – dubbed the SCAR by its Belgian manufacturer FNH – went into "full rate production" making it the first new assault carbine to be purchased by the U.S. military since the M-16 and M-4 rifles went online four decades ago. The rifle is expected to be particularly valuable in situations like those faced by soldiers fighting in Afghanistan, where the weapon's additional range will provide a significant upgrade.
The new rifle meets Special Operations Command's, or Socom's, goal of providing a flexible firearm to special operators that essentially puts the capabilities of five weapons into one, says Maj. Wes Ticer, spokesman for the command, headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base.
"This is the first modular weapons system, with the first interchangeable barrel, that the operator can change in the field," Ticer says.
The advantage, says Ticer, is that special operators, who carry as much as 75 pounds of gear in extremely difficult terrain, can now carry a single, lighter weapon that can be used in close quarters or for longer-range shooting. It can also fire the standard 5.56mm bullets now used in the M-4 – the mainstay of special operators – or the larger, 7.62mm bullet, which is more effective at longer distances.
The MK-17 won't replace the M-4, says Ticer. But it will fill a gap in a lighter-weight weapon that fires the larger rounds.
"There is a capability gap," says Ticer. Socom, he says, has no assault rifle that can fire the 7.62 round.
"This is smaller and more maneuverable than the existing weapons," like the M110, the MK-11 and the MK-14 Enhanced Battle Rifle.
At 7.9 pounds with a standard barrel, the MK-17 is 4.5 pounds lighter than the MK-14.
The MK-17 won't be able to fire both calibers until early next year, when the weapons are outfitted with what is called a "common receiver," according to FNH Marketing Director Gabe Bailey.
Another advantage of the new rifle is durability, says Ticer. The MK-17 barrel is designed to last 15,000 rounds with accuracy, says Ticer, "twice as much as any weapon we currently have."
The combat assault rifle system – which eventually became the MK-17 and includes the MK-13 grenade launcher and the MK-20 sniper rifle – has been in the works since 2003, when Socom began looking for "caliber modularity," says Ticer.
In March, 2009, Socom began field testing about 1,800 weapons – half of them the 5.56mm MK-16. After the $19 million test program, which included research and development costs, Socom opted to purchase the MK-17 but not the MK-16.
The reason, says Ticer, is that while the MK-16 proved an able weapon, it did not surpass the capabilities of the M-4 enough to overcome budget constraints to replace it.The MK-17 system is a huge step forward, says David M. Fortier, a nationally known military weapons expert who writes for publications like Shooting Times.
"It brings something to the military that is currently unavailable," he says. The MK-17 "is a modern design rather than a rehash design from the 1950s, and provides extended reach and range and improved terminal performance over the 5.56" bullet.
The weapon, says Fortier, is particularly effective in Afghanistan, where the Taliban and other insurgents fire at U.S. and allied forces from longer ranges.
"This weapons system allows gives our soldiers the capability to reach back at father ranges than with the standard rifles," he says.
Unlike the M-16 and the M-4, which were already developed when purchased by the military, the MK-17 is the first assault rifle ever to include input from operators at every step of the design process, says Ticer.
"It was truly designed by the operator, for the operator," says Ticer.
While operators were glad to have a hand in developing a weapon they will use, including them in the design phase was challenging, says Bailey, a former government contractor who has fired more than 100,000 rounds from the weapon system.
The natural turnover in Socom personnel meant that a new set of operators got involved in the design process between 2004 and 2009, when the rifle was rolled out, says Bailey.
One of the biggest changes, as a result, was the design of the selector lever that switches the rifle from safe to semiautomatic to full automatic.
At first the lever was at 90 degrees. Then, after a new set of operators came on board, it was changed to 180 degrees. Though that might seem like a small detail, it was time-consuming, says Bailey.
Socom has requested $3 million in the 2011 budget to purchase about 800 weapons, says Ticer. That includes spare parts and interchangeable barrels as well as the MK-13 grenade launcher. Future purchases will be determined with each year's budget request, Ticer says.
Initially, the rifles will be made in Belgium, says Bailey, until a domestic manufacturing plant can be brought on line to produce them. Components will be made at FNH's plant in Columbia, S.C., he says.
The first batch of the new weapons should reach Socom logistics centers either by the end of the year or early in 2011, Bailey says.
http://www2.nbc13.com/news/2010/aug/29/new-military-rifle-lighter-more-powerful-ar-759271/
Steve
By NBC13 Staff | Media General News Service
Published: August 29, 2010
It will be able to fire two different caliber bullets.
It was designed with input by U.S. Special Operations Command warriors for special ops missions to be lighter, more maneuverable and longer lasting.
Earlier this month, the MK-17 – dubbed the SCAR by its Belgian manufacturer FNH – went into "full rate production" making it the first new assault carbine to be purchased by the U.S. military since the M-16 and M-4 rifles went online four decades ago. The rifle is expected to be particularly valuable in situations like those faced by soldiers fighting in Afghanistan, where the weapon's additional range will provide a significant upgrade.
The new rifle meets Special Operations Command's, or Socom's, goal of providing a flexible firearm to special operators that essentially puts the capabilities of five weapons into one, says Maj. Wes Ticer, spokesman for the command, headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base.
"This is the first modular weapons system, with the first interchangeable barrel, that the operator can change in the field," Ticer says.
The advantage, says Ticer, is that special operators, who carry as much as 75 pounds of gear in extremely difficult terrain, can now carry a single, lighter weapon that can be used in close quarters or for longer-range shooting. It can also fire the standard 5.56mm bullets now used in the M-4 – the mainstay of special operators – or the larger, 7.62mm bullet, which is more effective at longer distances.
The MK-17 won't replace the M-4, says Ticer. But it will fill a gap in a lighter-weight weapon that fires the larger rounds.
"There is a capability gap," says Ticer. Socom, he says, has no assault rifle that can fire the 7.62 round.
"This is smaller and more maneuverable than the existing weapons," like the M110, the MK-11 and the MK-14 Enhanced Battle Rifle.
At 7.9 pounds with a standard barrel, the MK-17 is 4.5 pounds lighter than the MK-14.
The MK-17 won't be able to fire both calibers until early next year, when the weapons are outfitted with what is called a "common receiver," according to FNH Marketing Director Gabe Bailey.
Another advantage of the new rifle is durability, says Ticer. The MK-17 barrel is designed to last 15,000 rounds with accuracy, says Ticer, "twice as much as any weapon we currently have."
The combat assault rifle system – which eventually became the MK-17 and includes the MK-13 grenade launcher and the MK-20 sniper rifle – has been in the works since 2003, when Socom began looking for "caliber modularity," says Ticer.
In March, 2009, Socom began field testing about 1,800 weapons – half of them the 5.56mm MK-16. After the $19 million test program, which included research and development costs, Socom opted to purchase the MK-17 but not the MK-16.
The reason, says Ticer, is that while the MK-16 proved an able weapon, it did not surpass the capabilities of the M-4 enough to overcome budget constraints to replace it.The MK-17 system is a huge step forward, says David M. Fortier, a nationally known military weapons expert who writes for publications like Shooting Times.
"It brings something to the military that is currently unavailable," he says. The MK-17 "is a modern design rather than a rehash design from the 1950s, and provides extended reach and range and improved terminal performance over the 5.56" bullet.
The weapon, says Fortier, is particularly effective in Afghanistan, where the Taliban and other insurgents fire at U.S. and allied forces from longer ranges.
"This weapons system allows gives our soldiers the capability to reach back at father ranges than with the standard rifles," he says.
Unlike the M-16 and the M-4, which were already developed when purchased by the military, the MK-17 is the first assault rifle ever to include input from operators at every step of the design process, says Ticer.
"It was truly designed by the operator, for the operator," says Ticer.
While operators were glad to have a hand in developing a weapon they will use, including them in the design phase was challenging, says Bailey, a former government contractor who has fired more than 100,000 rounds from the weapon system.
The natural turnover in Socom personnel meant that a new set of operators got involved in the design process between 2004 and 2009, when the rifle was rolled out, says Bailey.
One of the biggest changes, as a result, was the design of the selector lever that switches the rifle from safe to semiautomatic to full automatic.
At first the lever was at 90 degrees. Then, after a new set of operators came on board, it was changed to 180 degrees. Though that might seem like a small detail, it was time-consuming, says Bailey.
Socom has requested $3 million in the 2011 budget to purchase about 800 weapons, says Ticer. That includes spare parts and interchangeable barrels as well as the MK-13 grenade launcher. Future purchases will be determined with each year's budget request, Ticer says.
Initially, the rifles will be made in Belgium, says Bailey, until a domestic manufacturing plant can be brought on line to produce them. Components will be made at FNH's plant in Columbia, S.C., he says.
The first batch of the new weapons should reach Socom logistics centers either by the end of the year or early in 2011, Bailey says.
http://www2.nbc13.com/news/2010/aug/29/new-military-rifle-lighter-more-powerful-ar-759271/
Steve