M1 Carbine Factory SBRs? Thanks, I hate it

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Don’t get me wrong, it looks kind of cool, almost like an “advisor gun” of the type that the original SF A-Teams (the “Gypsies of the Battlefield”) liked in the early days of the CIDG program in Vietnam, but I have to wonder if the juice is worth the squeeze and they got the dwell time worked out to where it works better than the old Universal Enforcer.

I give you, Auto-Ordnance’s factory SBR M-1 Carbine:

According to AO’s press release (emphasis mine):

Designed for optimal maneuverability and modern application, the M1 Carbine SBR boasts an overall length of just 30 inches, featuring a 12-inch barrel equipped with a standard 1/2-28 threaded muzzle for easy suppressor or compensator attachment.

To further bridge the gap between historic utility and current shooting requirements, the firearm includes integrated M-Lok slots along the bottom of the forearm, allowing for the seamless attachment of modern accessories.

Finished in a durable, non-reflective matte black, the SBR ships with either a 15-round (AOM230) or 10-round magazine (AOM240).

The new SBR M1 Carbine takes an already handy rifle and makes it even more useful in tight spaces. On top of that, the threaded barrel lets the shooter go quiet when silence is the best option.

This modernized platform is available now at an MSRP of $1,870 for both 10- and 15-round models.

Still, tax stamps (for now) on SBRs are zeroed out, and my last Form 4 went through in three days…so forgive me if something happens.

Rhinos Showing Up in the Boneyard

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Look who just popped up at AMARC at Davis–Monthan in Tucson: “Nutz”, an aggressor-livery F-18E series aircraft, late of the “Fighting Omars” of VFC-12 out of NAS Oceania.

Yup, the series is getting that old.

Boeing F/A-18E-54-MC Lot 23 Super Hornet (MSN 1530/E026) BuNo 165783 was part of the Low-Rate Initial Production 3 (LRIP 3) Rhinos, funded under the U.S. Navy’s fiscal year 1998 defense budget, and produced circa 2000-01.

So she is 25-26 years young and is probably high hours, being formerly of the “Eagles” of VFA-115, where she was Modex NK-202 then NF-302.

F/A-18E Super Hornet (VFA-115 / CVW-5) BuNo 165783 at MCB Hawaii, MCAS Kaneohe Bay – April 2023

The Eagles logged the first fleet Super Hornet combat deployment, flying 214 combat missions in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Southern Watch in 2002 from Abraham Lincoln, dropping 370,000 pounds of ordnance over Iraq. They then returned to OIF support in 2006 aboard Reagan, and 783 was surely there.

VFA-115 turned in their Rhinos in 2024 when they went to an F-35C outfit, which is likely when the Omars acquired 783, transforming her into Nutz, running the reduced “Mako scheme” to be a smaller Su-57 Felon.

Hopefully, Pima manages to pick her up for display eventually, complete with her aggressor scheme.

It’s all positional

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How about this great series of photos of T/5 Walter Barnett of Oklahoma City, captured in July 1943 at Fort Pepperrell, Newfoundland, showing the correct form for riflery in sitting, prone, and standing positions with an M1 Garand. Note the M1941 “Daisy Mae” Army boonie hat, HBT dungarees, and M1938 leggings.

Photographer: Cpl. Howard Warner, 21st Sig. Serv. Co., Photo Source: U.S. National Archives. Digitized by Signal Corps Archive. SC 364548

Photographer: Cpl. Howard Warner, 21st Sig. Serv. Co., Photo Source: U.S. National Archives. Digitized by Signal Corps Archive. SC 364546

Photographer: Cpl. Howard Warner, 21st Sig. Serv. Co., Photo Source: U.S. National Archives. Digitized by Signal Corps Archive. SC 364549

All the above are great for training on a flat range, but often went out the window in more kinetic situations when the targets moved and returned fire.

For those curious, Fort Pepperrell was one of the British bases in the “Destroyers for Bases” deal between FDR and Churchill in 1940.

The first American troops, the “Old Guard” Regulars of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, arrived the following May, and by late 1942 some 5,500 yanks of all stripes were in attendance, ranging from Coastal Artillery and Army AAA units to Navy stevedores, civilian contractors, the USAAF’s 6604th Air Base Wing, and ground defense battalions. It was used primarily as a stepping stone to ship men and material across the Atlantic to Europe.

Following the post-war drawdown, the base transferred to the newly established USAF as Pepperrell AFB in 1947. Its runways and 208 buildings were handed over to the RCAF in 1961, well short of the original “99-year” lease.

A small portion of the old base is retained by the Canadian Forces as Garrison St. John’s under RCN control, with some 450 full-time military and civilian personnel, 1,500 reservists, and 5,000 cadets. Other sections are preserved as parks and have been developed for commercial use.

As to T/5 Burnett, I believe him to be Walter Loe Barnett, who graduated from Central High School, Oklahoma City, and served in the U. S. Army during WWII. He was 27 in the above photos (note the wedding ring). Post-war, he returned to the Sooner State, worked for Southwestern Bell for 42 years, and passed in 1997, aged 81. He left behind his wife, Peggy, and a host of family.

Reptar Disbands, 511th Stands Up

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You know the old 40th Tank Battalion of WWII from this amazing period Kodachrome, showing the outfit’s  M-4 Shermans lined up in a snow-covered field, near St. Vith, Belgium, just after the Battle of the Bulge.

M4 Shermans in temporary position near St. Vith, Belgium, fire on enemy positions beyond the city. 40th Tank Battalion. 7th Armored Division.” Date: 24 January 1945. Salis, U.S. Army Signal Corps photo 111-SC-199467

Constituted 13 January 1941 in the peacetime Regular Army, the 40th Armored Regiment soon became the 40th Tank Bn. It was attached to the 7th Armored Division for the duration of the European War, earning campaign streamers for Normandy, Northern France, the Rhineland, the Ardennes (Alsace), and Central Europe.

In the process of refitting with water-kit-equipped Shermans (as the 40th Amphibian Tractor Battalion) for the Olympic Landings in Japan, VJ Day caught up to the unit, and they were disbanded in February 1946.

Cold War reactivation saw the unit attached to the  4th Infantry Division (1948 to 1957), one of the only armored units in Alaska, as part of the 171st Infantry Brigade (1957 to 1969), then part of the Fort Polk-based 5th Infantry Division from 1987 to 1997, when it cased its colors once again.

Stood back up in 2005 as the 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment (Airborne) at Fort Richardson, Alaska; it has been part of the 25th Infantry Division and then the 11th Airborne Division in the past 21 years, with breaks to earn four campaign streamers in Afghanistan and two in Iraq over that period.

U.S. Army Soldiers walk through a stream during a patrol near Sar Howza, Paktika province, Afghanistan, Sept. 2, 2009. The Soldiers are deployed with Bulldog Troop, 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment. Photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew Smith

Since 2005, 1-40 CAV’s unit insignia, a t-rex holding a charged sword, earned it the nickname “Reptar.”

The troopers of the 40th earned their unique silver spurs, which included airborne wings and the 25th ID’s “electric acorn” patch, during the multi-day Denali Spur Ride rite of passage.

(U.S. Air Force photo by Alejandro Peña)

During this most recent stage of 1-40’s life, it became the last ground (not Air) cavalry squadron in the Regular Army and the final cavalry unit to be airborne-certified.

I say this because, last Friday, 1-40 CAV conducted its final airborne operation into Malemute Drop Zone, taking that “leap of faith” from C-17As of the 535th Airlift Squadron.

The same day, 1-40 CAV reflagged as the 1st Battalion, 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment, “restoring one of the Army’s most distinguished airborne lineages to active service as part of the Army’s ongoing transformation efforts.”

The old 511th, formed in 1943, was one of the 11th’s regiments during WWII and is best known for its combat jump onto Tagaytay Ridge and its role in the Raid at Los Baños, where paratroopers helped liberate more than 2,100 civilian internees from a Japanese prison camp. The unit had such a reputation for being on hopeless “behind the 8-ball” missions that they even added it to their patch

General Kruger Discussing Plans For A Paratroop Drop With Officers Of The 11Th Airborne Division, 511Th Parachute Infantry Regiment. 4:30 a.m., 23 June 1945, at Lipa Airstrip, Luzon, In The Philippine Islands. (U.S. Air Force Number A60741AC)

During the war, the regiment earned two Medals of Honor, nine Distinguished Service Crosses, 326 Silver Stars, 1,126 Bronze Stars and 884 Purple Hearts before serving in the occupation of Japan. The regiment was inactivated in 1957.

So, out with one storied lineage in for another.

Welcome back 511th!

 

Italy Selling off 16,000 Vintage SMGs

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The Italian Defense Industries Agency (L’Agenzia Industrie Difesa) recently announced it is accepting bids for 16,165 assorted Moschetti Automatici Beretta, or MAB, submachine guns. Brig. Gen. Massimo Boschetto detailed in a tender announcement that the guns are located at three naval bases, Taranto (7,512), La Spezia (8,404), and Augusta (249), and are being sold as-is/where-is and sans magazines.

The MAB, Beretta’s Model 1938 submachine gun in 9mm Para, was a big hit for the company and can still be found in limited service around the world.

Moschetti Automatici Beretta Model 1938 sub machine gun
The MAB was a staple not only of the Italian military during WWII but also saw widespread use with guerrilla/resistance groups of all stripes and ultimately was in service with over 30 nations. 
Moschetti Automatici Beretta Model 1938 sub machine gun
It was one of the more successful sub-guns of the conflict and was a favorite of Italian marine, mountain troop, and paratrooper units, seen here with “samurai” magazine holders. 

A brainchild of Beretta’s storied chief engineer Tullio Marengoni – who also designed the Beretta M15, M17, M35 and M51 pistols, the latter the basis for the famed Model 92 – the MAB was first fielded in 1938 and remained in production until the early 1960s when it was replaced in the company’s catalog by the M12 SMG.

It is believed over 1 million MAB/Model 1938s were produced in a dozen variants.

Moschetti Automatici Beretta Model 1938 sub machine gun
This case in the Beretta Private Collection is full of assorted Model 38s with early circa 1930s Model 38As to the left and more simplified Model 38/44s and 38/49s to the right. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Moschetti Automatici Beretta Model 1938 sub machine gun
Several MAB variants exist in U.S. museums and in the collection of the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, brought back from all over the globe. (Photos: SANHS)
Moschetti Automatici Beretta Model 1938 sub machine gun
Even after the Italian army and national gendarmerie (Carabinieri) hung up the MAB in the 1960s and 70s, it remained in service with the Italian air force, as seen in these images during a NATO exercise in 1985, vibing alongside U.S. Air Force Security Police at Aviano Air Base. (Photos: USAF via the National Archives). 
Moschetti Automatici Beretta Model 1938 sub machine gun
And it endured with the Italian navy for both base and ship defense, seen here aboard the training ship Amerigo Vespucci, which recently took part in the Sail 250 events in Norfolk, Baltimore, New York, and Boston. (Photos: Italian Navy).

While current ATF import regulations don’t allow for these beautiful and historic guns to be brought in intact for commercial sale, should a U.S. importer manage the high bid (which is likely), we could soon see some very nice parts kits show up over here.

Final Great War Q-ship heads to the Breakers

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The 1,200-ton HMS Saxifrage is the last of 112 Flower-class sloops constructed during WWI, the last of 366 Q-Ship “Special Service Vessels” from the same conflict, and only one of three remaining British warships from the era.

IWM SP 1650

After the war, she then spent a full six decades, from 1922 to 1988, as a floating Royal Naval Reserve drill ship, HMS President, including training gun crews during WWII.

Britain’s sea soldiers in training. Men of the Maritime Royal Artillery are now being given elementary training in seamanship at HMS PRESIDENT, the DEMS base on the Thames. Here several men are being initiated into the mysteries of “Bends and Hitches” (knots) by Leading Seaman W J Bateman, Enfield, Middlesex. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205149660

As such, she was the last Royal Navy warship to wear Victorian battleship livery of black hull, white superstructure and buff yellow funnel and masts.

In 2014, as part of the First World War commemorations, her hull was covered once more in a distinctive ‘dazzle’ design, courtesy of artist Tobias Rehberger.

After being decommissioned and serving as a floating venue on the River Thames for decades, she was moved to Chatham Docks in Kent in 2016.

Sadly, her life has come to an end.

We profiled her a full decade ago, when she was already on the bubble, and in those past 10 years, nothing concrete came to pass.

Because the site operator requires the berth for redevelopment, the absentee owner and site operators arranged to have her towed and dismantled at a scrapyard in Erith.

She was delivered to the breakers over the weekend.

GPS Iberia and GPS Arcadia with HMS President leaving Chatham for Erith, Photo by Marquis

GPS Iberia and GPS Arcadia with HMS President leaving Chatham for Erith, Photo by Marquis

GPS Iberia and GPS Arcadia with HMS President leaving Chatham for Erith, Photo by Marquis

GPS Iberia and GPS Arcadia with HMS President leaving Chatham for Erith, Photo by Marquis

The Day Old Frankie took the Plunge

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Some 105 years ago, 18 July 1921, off the Virginia Capes

Successive leisurely flights of land-based Army and Navy bombers dropped an assortment of bombs over the moored and abandoned 6,600-ton German Wiesbaden-class scout cruiser SMS Frankfurt, formerly of the Kaiser’s High Seas Fleet, and (eventually) sank same.

To help with aimpoints, she even conveniently had two round targets painted on her deck, fore and aft.

From the Alfred A. Cunningham Collection (COLL/3034) at the Archives Branch, Marine Corps History Division

Frankfurt, commissioned in October 1915, survived Jutland specifically, the Great War as a whole, and even scuttling at Scapa Flow.

She was hard to kill.

The German Wiesbaden-class scout cruiser SMS Frankfurt, late 1918, Scapa Flow. IWM (Q 64195)

Ceded to the U.S. as a war prize on 11 March 1920 in England, commissioned there on 4 June as USS Frankfurt, she was towed to the East Coast and disposed of via SINKEX.

Capable of over 27 knots on a 31,000shp plant, she was built for speed, not to take punishment. Her armor scheme only included a 2.4-inch belt and deck coverage over her vitals (magazines and fire/engine rooms), and 3.9 inches on the conning tower.

Moored about 50 miles, 83 degrees true, off the Virginia Capes, the bombing took place from 0912 that morning until 1651 that afternoon.

A total of 74 bombs, a mix of 250, 500, 520, and 600-pounders, were dropped in sticks by the Navy and singly by the Army, with only two direct hits and 10 very near misses (counted as hits). She settled on the bottom 28 minutes after the final drop. The average passing speed for the lumbering bombers was about 85 knots.

From an Air Service report:

The tests of the Frankfurt began with an attack by Navy planes carrying 250-pound bombs. Twenty-four of them were dropped, scoring five direct hits. This was followed by an attack by Army planes which dropped twenty-nine 500-pound bombs, registering two hits. Navy planes then dropped seven 520-pound bombs, of which three were hits. The final attack, with fourteen 600-pound Army bombs, scoring two hits, resulted in sinking the vessel.

It would be fair to conclude, then, that attacks upon light cruisers should be with bombs of 500 pounds or heavier. Of the Navy bombs scoring hits, none of the 250-pound bombs detonated, and one of the 550-pound bombs failed. All Army bombs detonated.

NH 44010

NH 44015

NH 44012

NH 44017

NH 44026

The final dive. NH 44016

Frankfurt now rests in about 400 feet of water in the Southern Drill Grounds. 70 miles off the Virginia Capes, and has been extensively surveyed by NOAA.

Maybe the Mk 110 isn’t *that* Bad

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Check out this recent test by the Swedish Navy of the BAE Bofors 57mm Mk3 naval gun system (the Mk 110 in the U.S. Navy), engaging aerial and surface drone targets during live-fire counter-drone exercises aboard the Göteborg-class corvette HMSwS Sundsvall (K24), based at Berga naval base and part of the 4th Naval Warfare Flotilla.

The mount is using Bofors’ 6-mode programmable 3P (Pre-fragmented, Programmable, Proximity- fused) ammunition, of which both the Swedish and Finnish fleets agreed to purchase $171 million worth of shells.

Of interest, the USN currently fields at least 50 of these mounts with more on the way, used on both classes of LCS, the new FFG, the planned FF, and the most modern blue water USCG cutters. Word came from all the counter-drone stuff off the Bab

The USN uses the mount with the Bofors 6-mode 3P (type classified as the 57mm Mk 295 Mod 0) and spent $28 million in 2019-20 for 1,000 of the “golden bullet” L3 High Explosive-4 Bolt Guided (HE-4G) Cartridge (type classified as the Mk 332), which does all sorts of gee-whiz stuff.

Plus, the Navy just dropped another $21 million to Nammo for more HE-PD rounds for the Mk 110 as well.

Contract awarded 25 June 2026:

Nammo Perry Inc., Perry, Florida, is awarded a $21,500,000 modification to a previously awarded, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N0017423D0005) to increase the ceiling for 57-mm high explosive- point detonating cartridges, used in the MK110 Gun Weapon System. Work will be performed in Perry, Florida, and is expected to be completed by September 2028. No funding will be obligated at the time of award. The Navy Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division, Indian Head, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Sit back and enjoy the Bastille Day Parade

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In case you missed it, this week’s Bastille Day parade was the largest in more than 20 years.

With contingents from 35 countries (including Ukraine for the first time, some piloting second-hand Mirages overhead), it included 6,686 troops on foot, 98 aircraft, 315 motorized vehicles, and 193 horses of the Republican Guard parading down the Champs-Élysées.

Enjoy!

Coast Guard shifts PATFORSWA to Westpac, ends 24 Year Persian Gulf Mission

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With the Navy being patrol-craft-poor during OIF in the summer of 2002, Big Blue asked its poor uncle, the USCG, to temporarily shift a few 110-foot Island-class patrol boats to CENTCOM control in Bahrain.

Soon after, four East Coast-based Islands, USCGC  Adak, Aquidneck, Baranof, and Wrangell, were carried via heavy lift vessel to the Persian Gulf and eventually became Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA) while four others, USCGC Bainbridge Island, Grand Isle, Knight Island, and Pea Island, were shifted to the Mediterranean as PATFORMED.

While the Med mission evaporated by 2004 due to Turkey not wanting to help support OIF and was stood down, those four cutters sent TDY to PATFORSWA never saw the U.S. again and were decommissioned there decades later, the force augmented to a full six-pack with the addition of Island-class sisters, USCGC Maui and Monomoy.

Persian Gulf (April 27, 2005) – Coast Guardsmen aboard U.S Coast Guard Cutter Monomoy (WPB 1326) wave good-bye to the guided missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 74) after the first underway fuel replenishment (UNREP) between a U.S. Navy cruiser and a U.S. Coast Guard Cutter. Antietam completed fuel replenishment with the Monomoy in about two hours and saved the 110-foot patrol boat a four-hour trip to the nearest refueling station. Antietam and Monomoy are conducting maritime security operations (MSO) in the Persian Gulf as part of Commander, Task Force Five Eight CTF-58). U.S. Navy photo by Journalist Seaman Joseph Ebalo (RELEASED)

The force was recently refreshed with six brand-new 154-foot Sentinel-class cutters: USCGC Charles Moulthrope, Robert Goldman, Glen Harris, Emlen Tunnell, John Scheuerman, and Clarence Sutphin Jr arriving, and the old Islands disposed of in-theatre.

220822-A-KS490-1182 STRAIT OF HORMUZ (Aug. 22, 2022) From the left, U.S. Coast Guard fast response cutters USCGC Glen Harris (WPC 1144), USCGC John Scheuerman (WPC 1146), USCGC Emlen Tunnell (WPC 1145) and USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr. (WPC 1147) transit the Strait of Hormuz, Aug. 22. The cutters are forward-deployed to U.S. 5th Fleet to help ensure maritime security and stability across the Middle East. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Noah Martin)

Now, with the NWU-camo wearing 300-member force (six cutters, an extra crew, and 150 shoreside personnel) pulled out of the Gulf ever since February, as the 154s aren’t really built to operate against non-stop drone attacks, it seems the Navy finally threw in the towel on PATFORSWA’s mission and is shifting them to where they can win more hearts and minds, the Western Pacific.

From USCG PAO:

The United States Coast Guard transitioned its Expeditionary Cutter Squadron (ECS), historically called Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA), to operate in the Western Pacific conducting maritime security operations and cooperative maritime activities with allies and partner nations in the region, in response to national security requirements.

The Expeditionary Cutter Squadron will be capable of performing missions as part of the U.S. Joint Force. The squadron is currently operating in the U.S. Pacific Command area of operations to protect the homeland and maritime approaches, including Guam and the Pacific Islands.

For more than 20 years, the Coast Guard has provided forward-deployed capabilities to support U.S. Central Command and U.S. Naval Forces Central Command from Bahrain. The unit has successfully executed maritime security, maritime interdiction, and maritime domain awareness missions throughout the Middle East.

“Coast Guard forces have always adapted to meet urgent national needs,” said Adm. Kevin Lunday, Commandant of the Coast Guard. “The Expeditionary Cutter Squadron enhances the Coast Guard’s ability to deploy our forces in support of Combatant Commanders and national security objectives. Our expeditionary cutter forces provide Combatant Commands with uniquely capable maritime assets, leveraging the Coast Guard’s military and law enforcement authorities to advance U.S. national security objectives in the Western Pacific and Western Hemisphere.”

Expeditionary Cutter Squadron forces will integrate with U.S. Combatant Commands to conduct exercises and maritime cooperative activities that enhance interoperability, strengthen strategic partnerships, and advance shared security objectives throughout the region.  The transition of the Expeditionary Cutter Squadron reflects the Coast Guard’s intent to provide agile, capable, and responsive maritime forces. These forces will rapidly support national security objectives across a range of operational theaters while leveraging the Service’s unique authorities.

This explains open-source images of the entire PATFORSWA force seen shipping past Singapore in March.

WarshipCam -Official, March 29 at 4:49 PM. All six Bahrain-based USCG Sentinel-class cutters eastbound in the Singapore Straits – USCGC Charles Moulthrope (WPC-1141), USCGC Robert Goldman (WPC-1142), USCGC Glen Harris (WPC-1144), USCGC Emlen Tunnell (WPC-1145), USCGC John Scheuerman (WPC-1146) & USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr. (WPC-1147) – March 2026 SRC: X-@StraitsSights

As well as Tunnnell and Moulthrope popping up in the Philippines a couple of weeks ago exercising with the locals in the South China Sea and during Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) in Thailand last week.

Philippine Coast Guard Teresa Magbanua-class multi-role response vessel BRP Melchora Aquino (MMRV 9702) and U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter USCGC Charles Moulthrope (WPC 1141) sail in formation during part of the Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) in the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone, June 27, 2026. The U.S. Navy routinely operates with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and partners and allies through MCAs to continually develop, exercise, and enhance multi-domain tactical interoperability to uphold peace and security in the region. (Courtesy photo by U.S. Coast Guard)

The squadron is forward-deployed west of Guam, as noted by Janes:

“The cutters are approved to operate from Singapore and Subic Bay in the Philippines through September [2026], with command and logistics handled out of Singapore and vessels rotating through Subic Bay,” the spokesperson said. “These operations reflect a long-standing commitment to a free and open Pacific and support a region where all nations, large and small, can operate freely, safely, and lawfully at sea.”

Are they going to remain there or fall back to Guam?

Of note, the service already has three 154s currently based in Guam, replacing two aging Island-class WPBs. They have been conducting some seriously long-legged (like 5,380nm) patrols as of late.

So does this mean there will be nine 154s in Guam?

Likely not, but you could see these new-to-the-WestPac boats soon spread out across allied Operation Blue Pacific nation partners that have little-to-no maritime forces, such as the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu– most of which have very real problems with incroachng Chinese influence, smuggling and illegal fising.

Winning hearts and minds in the WestPac littoral via white hulls with racing stripes.

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