Gregory Knowles
@2805662
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Part-time wanderer, full-time observer. Experiences may vary. Abrams fan, ‘German engineering’ sceptic. Views mine, RT =\= endorsement. @2805662 .bsky.social
Australia
Joined October 2010
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Australian, Canadian, UKian, & USian Air Force personnel inspect a ShinMaywa US-2 amphibian during Exercise Cope North 24.
Evidently, all four countries are about to immediately buy into the US-2 program for the RAAF, RCAF, RAF, & USAF 🙃
📸 LAC Kurt Lewis
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Effective illustration of different standards of protection.
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Perhaps the APKWS for Ukraine will utilise the L3Harris “Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment (VAMPIRE)”?
10/10 for the backronym, btw.
Two hour install, reportedly.
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Short, introductory, thread to silencers (h/t Hiram Maxim, the inventor), more recently known as ‘suppressors’ & the requirements surrounding them. This thread is within the modern conventional military context. Won’t be discussing suppressor performance measuring. 1/
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Upping operating pressures, increasing kinetic energy, chopping barrels, changing cover into concealment, & the small arms ballistic technology revolution that passed you by. Or, how the Next Generation Squad Weapon’s calibre is a distraction. 1/
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How can people be surprised that tanks aren’t invulnerable to literal *anti-tank* weapons?
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US Army commences fielding of XM7 rifle. XM250 ‘Automatic Rifle’, XM1186 6.8x51mm General Purpose round, & XM157 Fire Control with A Company, 3-502, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division.
h/t
@soldiersystems
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Another view of the proposed Australian coastal artillery.
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SIG/General Robotics RWS w/.338NM three-barrel Gatling gun.
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Better pics of the Meggitt cassette auto loader for Abrams. 34 round capacity.
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Never thought I’d see a suppressor fitted to a .50 cal M2 Browning. The demonstration video had the firer not even wearing earpro!
Interesting way to mitigate the damaging concussion of the John Browning’s century-old ammunition.
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As I talk to soldiers, engineers, ammunition techs, & procurement folk about the US Army’s recently-fielded Next Generation Squad Weapon program, it’s clear that it’s easier to focus on the firearm than on the ammunition.
To the uninitiated, these rifles look broadly similar. 1/
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Super brief overview of the what the US Army terms ‘enhanced projectile rounds’, how they came to be, what they are & aren’t, what they do, the problems they caused & solved, & how EPRs became the default standard round in the US Army. 1/
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DOT&E 2023 annual report has just dropped!
First cab off the rank is Next Generation Squad Weapon, comprising the XM7 rifle, XM250 automatic rifle (LSW to most folk), XM157 fire control, & a family of 6.8x51mm ammunition. 1/
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Boxer CRV Block 2 training in Germany.
An interesting one to watch, especially amongst emerging rumours that the Government may not proceed with the 191-vehicle Block 2 buy.
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The new, low-cost Toyota could be a good option to explore for military & paramilitary users.
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Safran/Optics1 PASEO sight unit. Selected for MPF, proposed for M1A2, & demonstrated on AbramsX.
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Next generation squad weapon completes Limited User Testing. Soldiers from Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) & 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment completed new equipment training before testing.
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Something a different but interesting.
Largest capacity seaplane facility in the world is being built in the Maldives, capable of accommodating 85 aircraft.
🎥 via LinkedIn
@eamonhamilton
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Looking good! First XM7 & XM250 marked with “Property of US Govt” on display. NGSW continues apace.
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New prototype Thales quad-NVG. >120 degree FOV, ~600 grams, folded optical path on the outboard objective lenses/tubes. Clever stuff.
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K2 Black Panther demonstrates its unique gun stabilisation capabilities 🙃
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The new HK421 assault MG. Compatible with FN MAG mounts & cradles.
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Delivery of Australia’s new M1A2 SEP v3 tank fleet is getting closer…
📸DOD
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Great opportunity to check out this beast up close during its first international exhibit. 25 metric tonnes, 3 crew, 40mm CTAS gun, RWS, more sensors & sub-systems than I’ve had got breakfasts. Fire/hit on the move capability apparently being implemented this year.
#IDEX2023
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The biggest stretch in 3 Body Problem is believing a Royal Navy principal warfare officer who commands a Type 45 destroyer would prefer to spend money buying drones as “they’re the future” instead of more ships.
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SIG Sauer MG338 twin mount shows off it’s alternate left/right feed & left/right charging handles. Also shown is the 7.62 NATO calibre exchange kit, primarily intended for training.
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Useful cross section of an earlier iteration of the Rheinmetall muzzle induction fuzing system for airburst ammunition.
The red outlined, black segments of the model represent the induction rings that measure muzzle velocity & impart time of flight data to the fuze.
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Odds & sods, hitting for the fences, risk it for a biscuit, & looking for business: the modern-day paper panzer, a.k.a. the Tradeshow Special.
Or why seeing a vehicle on a defence trade show floor is a poor indicator of maturity. 1/
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SIG MG338 machine gun.
Chambered in .338 Norma Magnum w/ a 7.62mm NATO calibre change kit, it’s lighter than M240/MAG/GPMG/MAG58, including suppressor. Full & semi automatic.
Projectile energy at >1,000 metres = 7.62mm NATO’s muzzle energy.
Man portable .50 calibre firepower.
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MG338’s spade grip enters production. Tool-free conversion from flex mount to an infantry-carried gun in a single assembly.
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Spitballing some thoughts on medium calibre turrets & the integration challenges they present. 1/
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Great illustration of the relative sizes of current Australian Army protected & armoured vehicles of the wheeled persuasion, using small scale models.
📸Pics/models courtesy of model/CAD geek mate, Ash.
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The M113 & variants get a bad rap. Perceptions of poor survivability (mobile field crematorium) ignore the versatility of the vehicle. A niche subset of the M113 internationally was/is the addition of a two-crew turret. 1/
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Hanwha Defence Australia team in Korea as part of Driver Exposure Training on the AS21 Redback.
First time I’ve seen Redback in ROKA colours.
📸 via LinkedIn.
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DSEI23 - more Boxer variants, both real & conceptual, than you can poke a stick at.
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Bloody hell! That proprietary 30x173mm & associated packaging is bonkers!
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Some cracking shots from the 1st Armoured Regiment birthday parade.
📸 Matt Welsby
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Drones continue to evolve, with form following function. 🇩🇪
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Some more views of the AbramsX. Some obvious “trade show concept car” flourishes present of somewhat dubious utility, but still an interesting concept.
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More Next Generation Squad Weapon imagery, this time of the XM250.
Can honestly say the so-to-be M250 will eventually replace both the M249 & M240 in US Army service.
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FN’s .264 experiment for US SOCOM. Some interesting design features, clearly a lot of lessons learned from the SCAR experience.
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The US Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon program continues: 34xXM7, 44xXM250, & ~300,000 rounds of 6.8×51 Common Case Architecture loaded as General Purpose, Reduced Range, & Blank cartridges have been delivered by SIG for Product Qualification Testing. 1/
h/t
@soldiersystems
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50mm for a chain gun doesn’t sound absolutely enormous…until you see it.
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Elbit’s 120mm Crossbow mortar. Don’t know what to think about the coaxial .50 cal, tbh.
Ammunition loading carousel is visible on the second pic.
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Another day, another 120mm mortar!
500kg all up, 36 rounds stowed, 8 ready rounds, 16 rounds per minute rapid, 4 rpm for 20 minutes sustained, 1 min in/out action, & a self-contained 24 vDC & hydraulic system.
Ideal for your average 1-tonne payload truck.
#IDEX2023
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Some more pics of Jaguar. The more I see this truck, the more I’m impressed with the level of integration.
Great opportunity to check out this beast up close during its first international exhibit. 25 metric tonnes, 3 crew, 40mm CTAS gun, RWS, more sensors & sub-systems than I’ve had got breakfasts. Fire/hit on the move capability apparently being implemented this year.
#IDEX2023
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Chinese QBZ191 5.8x42mm assault rifle.
Interesting features include ambi safety selector 0/2/1, left side bolt release catch, five-position telescoping scope, last round hold open, & adjustable gas system: a general impression of quality.
Rifle, carbine, & DMR variants.
#IDEX2023
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Soldiers from 6RAR live fire in South East Queensland. The suppressed EF88 rifle is notable.
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Any pics out and about of a Wiesel next to a turreted Boxer?
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NASAMS undergoing introductory activities with Australian Army soldiers.
The Australian Army’s project Land 19 Phase 7B continues to gain momentum with NASAMS Fire Distribution Centres & Canister Launchers being delivered by Kongsberg Defence Australia to prime contractor Raytheon.
📸 via LinkedIn.
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More on the US Army’s XM250 & the associated LMG. Calibre change between 7.62mm NATO, 6.5mm Creedmoor, & 6.8x51mm with a barrel change. All calibres are hybrid cartridge capable, all weighing in at less than a legacy F89/M249/Minimi.
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Someone appears to be unhappy with the selection of Leopard over Black Panther!
Leaked FMV (Norwegian procurement agency) report recommends the South Korean tank.
As always, procurement of major platforms takes more than technical superiority & value into consideration.
Interesting report: each of Norway’s 54 new Leopard 2A7s weigh in at $USD18.9 million.
Contract values are always complicated, ofc.
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Boxer Block 2 V&V model as part of the set dressing for ze German 30mm Boxer buy.
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