Sellier & Bellot’s .30-06 150 grain M2 ball

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On a recent visit to the CMP’s operation in Anniston, where green ammo crates were once stacked 30 feet high in a warehouse that could hide a Wal-Mart, the organization now only has about 20,000 rounds of surplus ammo left on hand, and that figure is rapidly falling.

What they do have in quantity is a loading they have worked with S&B to develop, a new man M2 FMJ doppelganger loaded to military spec.

Given 100 rounds to T&E, I hit the range to see how they worked, and the “ping” was with me.

More in my column at Guns.com

DARPA is making progress on their autonomous FLA program

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These things are pretty interesting, and could really save lives, especially in MOUT-style operations. The only human input is the target image, a basic map, and a bearing to the search area, then the quad is off, in fully autonomous flight without GPS or remote control (RC) communication links.

Phase 1 of DARPA’s Fast Lightweight Autonomy (FLA) program concluded recently following a series of obstacle-course flight tests in central Florida. Over four days, three teams of DARPA-supported researchers huddled under shade tents in the sweltering Florida sun, fine-tuning their sensor-laden quadcopter unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during the intervals between increasingly difficult runs. DARPA’s FLA program is advancing technology to enable small unmanned quadcopters to fly autonomously through cluttered buildings and obstacle-strewn environments at fast speeds (up to 20 meters per second, or 45 mph) using onboard cameras and sensors as “eyes” and smart algorithms to self-navigate.

And if you don’t think drones are the new thing in the modern battlefield, just look at the report below on how ISIS forces are using commercial quadcopters and the like around Rakka today.

Buy a Chinese-made RC copter, attach a mortar shell or hand grenade to an actuator, and you have a sub-$1K attack craft. Using swarms of these things, some local forces are reporting 10-15 drones strikes against them per day. The DGI Phantom is reportedly the go-to quad for the IS air corps for recon and attack.

A special Combat Gallery Sunday: The original Fighting Irish, on the eve of the Wheatfield, 154 years ago

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Absolution Under Fire, By Paul Wood, via the Snite Museum of Art Notre Dame. Note the drummer boys in distinctive Zouave uniforms and the famous green harp flag. Click to bigup

On July 2nd 1863, minutes before the Irish Brigade would charge the Wheatfield at Gettysburg, Father William Corby gave absolution to the men. Corby would later become President of Notre Dame University and the following quote from Col. St. Clair Mulholland comes from their web page on Corby:

Colonel St. Clair Mulholland was attached with the Irish Brigade and later gave this account of Corby’s famous absolution [Originally published in the Philadelphia Times, reprinted in Scholastic, April 3, 1880, pages 470-471]:

There is yet a few minutes to spare before starting, and the time is occupied in one of the most impressive religious ceremonies I have ever witnessed. The Irish Brigade, which had been commanded formerly by General Thomas Francis Meagher, and whose green flag had been unfurled in every battle in which the Army of the Potomac had been engaged from the first Bull Run to Appomattox, was now commanded by Colonel Patrick Kelly, of the Eighty-eighth New York, and formed a part of this division. The brigade stood in columns of regiments closed in mass. As the large majority of its members were Catholics, the Chaplain of the brigade Rev. William Corby, CSC, proposed to give a general absolution to all the men before going into the fight. While this is customary in the armies of Catholic countries of Europe, it was perhaps the first time it was ever witnessed on this continent… Father Corby stood upon a large rock in front of the brigade, addressing the men; he explained what he was about to do, saying that each one would receive the benefit of the absolution by making a sincere Act of Contrition, and firmly resolving to embrace the first opportunity of confessing his sins, urging them to do their duty well, and reminding them of the high and sacred nature of their trust as soldiers and the noble object for which they fought. The brigade was standing at “Order arms,” and as he closed his address, every man fell on his knees, with head bowed down. Then, stretching his right hand towards the brigade, Father Corby pronounced the words of absolution. The scene was more than impressive, it was awe-inspiring. Near by, stood General Hancock, surrounded by a brilliant throng of officers, who had gathered to witness this very unusual occurrence and while there was profound silence in the ranks of the Second Corps, yet over to the left, out by the peach orchard and Little Round Top, where Weed, and Vincent, and Haslett were dying, the roar of the battle rose and swelled and reechoed through the woods. The act seemed to be in harmony with all the surroundings. I do not think there was a man in the brigade who did not offer up a heartfelt prayer. For some it was their last; they knelt there in their grave-clothes — in less than half an hour many of them were numbered with the dead of July 2.

 

One of Parker’s cranks, 119 years later

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Colt Model 1895, serial number 1040. It was one of four Gatling’s under the command of Lieutenant John Parker during the Battle of San Juan Hill, where it was fitted to a rolling carriage.

Via the National Firearms Museum:

In the late 1890s, the Gatling gun was still considered a relatively new innovation in firearms technology. By the time America entered into war with Spain in 1898, Gatling guns had only seen limited use during the American Civil War. Their practicality in battle was considered equivocal to the United States Army.

It was the suggestion of West Point graduate John H. Parker , a 1st lieutenant of the 13th US infantry, that troops preparing for the invasion of Cuba would benefit from a mobile Gatling gun unit. It was an experimental notion, yet Parker’s idea for a Gatling gun detachment caught the interest of a few commanding officers and his proposal was approved. Parker’s intentions were to create an artillery unit capable of providing infantry with heavy cover fire when engaging the enemy in the field.

The Gatling Guns by Charles Johnson Post.

On July 1, 1898, US troops in Cuba were advancing on the Spanish occupied port of Santiago. It was here that Parker’s famed artillery unit would finally be put to the test. Just after noon, United States Expeditionary Forces were ordered to assault a 4,000 yard ridgeline known as San Juan Heights. The hill was heavily fortified with hostile Spanish forces. As the troops charged the ascent, Parker’s Gatling gun detachment swept the summit with over 6,000 rounds of continuous .45-70 fire. The barrage adequately suppressed the enemy and allowed US troops to successfully take the hill.

In the days that followed, reports of the battle traveled back to the American home front. News of Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders’ “charge” would forever be immortalized in public memory. The Gatling guns of Parker’s artillery unit played a pivotal role in the skirmish and preserved here today is a Colt model 1895, serial number 1040. It was one of four Gatling’s under the command of Lieutenant John Parker during the Battle of San Juan Hill.

Buy another $100 War Bond, quick!

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Colonel Lewis’ light machine gun, a pre-WWI design, though snubbed by the Army was well-liked by the Navy and Marines and was still used to one degree or another on a number of U.S. Navy vessels early in WWII. Case in point below:

(Office of Emergency Management Collection. Lot-3474-14. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. LC-USE6-9717)

Original caption, “There goes a $100 war bond. A $100 bond buys 2,000 rounds of steel-jacketed .30 caliber shells for this naval gun. Two-thousand rounds can bring down plenty of Japanese airplanes”

For reference, 2,000 rounds of new Federal 150-grain M2 ball these days goes for about $2300.

Buy bonds!

About your grandpa’s old machine gun in the closet…

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A Japanese Type 11 light machine gun– Kijiro Nambu’s take on the French 8mm Hotchkiss chambered in 6.5x50mm Arisaka– captured on Kwajalein Atoll in 1944 by American troops. Such guns, if not registered before 1968 and not demilled, are illegal in the U.S. (Photo: Rock Island Auction)

Many veterans legally brought back captured enemy weapons from overseas in the wake of America’s wars. Provided they had the right paperwork, some could properly register NFA items as Title II firearms before 1968. Others, who either didn’t have the paperwork or chose not to register, illegally owned their trophies after that date and often these guns are still in circulation– putting the possessor at risk of up to 10 years in prison.

Well that could change.

Legislation introduced in both chambers of Congress Tuesday would open a 180-day amnesty for veterans or their family to register guns captured overseas.

The bipartisan Veterans Heritage Firearms Act aims to allow former service members or their family to declare guns brought back to the states before Oct. 31, 1968 without fear of prosecution.

The bill would briefly open the National Firearm Registration and Transfer Record to veterans and their family to register certain firearms. The NFRTR is the federal government’s database of National Firearms Act items including machine guns, suppressors, short barreled rifles and shotguns, and destructive devices.

More in my column at Guns.com.

USCG keeps swelling FRC ranks

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The big 154-foot Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters, built to replace the 110-foot Island-class patrol boats of the 80s and 90s, (which in turn replaced the 1950s era 95-foot Cape-class cutters, et.al) are fast becoming a backbone asset for the Coast Guard. Designed for five day patrols, these 32-knot vessels have a stern boat ramp like the smaller 87-foot WPBs, but carry a stabilized 25mm Mk38 and four M2s as well as much more ISR equipment. In a hattip to the fact they are so much more capable, the USCG uses the WPC hull designation, used last by the old “buck and a quarter” 125-foot cutters of the Prohibition-era with these craft, rather than the WPB patrol boat designation of the ships they are replacing.

You can bet these cutters are being looked at for littoral work such as in the Persian Gulf where the Navy has a whole squadron of 170-foot Cyclone-class (PCs) that are showing their age.

The latest FRC accepted, USCGC Oliver Berry (WPC 1124), is the 24th of 58 envisioned for the service.

Coast Guard Cutter Oliver Berry (WPC 1124) cruises out of Key West, Fla., following the cutter’s delivery to the Coast Guard, June 27, 2017

And kudos to the worst-funded branch of the military for keeping to solid naval naming conventions in honoring past heroes by naming these ships after them, rather than for politicians and the like.

From the presser this week on Berry‘s acceptance:

The cutter’s namesake, Oliver Berry, is the first enlisted helicopter mechanic in naval aviation history and was an instrumental part in pioneering the use of the helicopter for search and rescue after World War II. In September 1946, he successfully disassembled a helicopter in Brooklyn, New York, organized transportation from New York to Newfoundland, Canada, and reassembled the helicopter for use to rescue 18 stranded passengers of a Belgian airliner that crashed near Gander, Newfoundland. He subsequently received the Silver Medal of the Order of Leopold II from the Belgian monarchy for his efforts.

Wanna see the Glock MHS entry?

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With the Army’s Modular Handgun System contract now firmly in the hands of Sig Sauer, images of Glock’s entry for the M17 and M18 pistol have emerged and they have a number of differences from their standard offerings.

These include a lanyard ring at the bottom of the grip, black ambi surface controls, a lack of finger grooves, a manual thumb safety, extended mags, and a flat dark earth finish. The models offered outwardly seem like otherwise variants of the Gen 4 G19 in 9mm and G23 in .40S&W. Not pictured are threaded barrels, a contract requirement, or ammunition, which was provided by Federal.

More in my column at Guns.com.

A Bakers’ dozen ‘Near Coastal Patrol Vessels’ on tap

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Meet the Near Coastal Patrol Vessel (NCPV), an 85-foot Damen 2606 design to be built in Louisiana for about $4.1 million a pop

Jeanerette, Louisiana-based Metal Shark just picked up a U.S. Navy contract to build Near Coastal Patrol Vessels (NCPVs) for United States partner nations through the Department of Defense Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.

Details:

Metal Shark’s proposal was selected by Naval Sea Systems Command from a field of six competing shipyards.

Under the terms of the award, potentially worth upwards of $54 million, Metal Shark will build up to 13 85-foot Defiant-class welded aluminum cutters for the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and other United States partner nations. Additionally, Metal Shark will supply electro-optical infrared sensors, diagnostic equipment, in-country reactivation, crew familiarization, and test support to NCPV operators.

The new vessels are based on Damen Shipyards’ Stan Patrol 2606 design, tailored by Metal Shark to suit the requirements of the NCPV mission. The versatile cutter can accommodate a wide range of mission profiles including search and rescue, border patrol, police and customs duties, counter-narcotics operations, and securing waters of economic importance.

The company is also building 18 45-foot welded-aluminum patrol boats under FMS for the Vietnam Coast Guard, the first of which were delivered last month.

Curiously, Bollinger, also based in Louisiana, has built 73 87-foot Marine Protector class patrol boats (based on the Damen STAN 2600 design developed for the Hong Kong police) for the USCG, as well as a four-pack for the navies of Malta and Yemen at a price of $3.5 million each. Sure, there is likely some inflation that can be added to that but it would seem like the trade off is there for greater interoperability, especially on SOUTHCOM/Coast Guard Tradewinds missions.

 

The Queen underway

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Here we see the view from the bridge of the Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland (F81) as she trails HMS Queen Elizabeth off Rosyth at a stately 16 knots.

Here is a wider shot.

HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) under escort by frigates HMS Iron Duke (F234) & HMS Sutherland (F81)

And below is night time footage of the big carrier as she passes under the Forth rail bridge on her maiden voyage. At one point she reportedly only had about 40cm of room on each side during her exit from the builder’s ways.

HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales are the biggest warships ever built for the Royal Navy – four acres of sovereign territory, deployable across the globe to serve the United Kingdom on operations for 50 years. They will be the most advanced warships in the Royal Navy fleet.

As noted by Defense Industry Daily: “Queen Elizabeth has began sea trials after leaving BAE’s shipyard in Scotland on Monday. During the next six weeks her crew will test the vessel’s speed, maneuverability, power and propulsion, and weaponry before returning to its shipyard Rosyth for further testing and maintenance and then return to sea to test mission systems. She will later transfer to Portsmouth Naval Base to be handed over to the Royal Navy later this year.”

You can track her here via AIS

Her first F-35Bs, however, may not be ready until 2018 and she is not expected to be deployable with an all-Fleet Air Arm wing of them until 2023, using loaned USMC squadrons until then.

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