New Humvee weapons system keeps gunner covered inside

Stars and Stripes European edition ^ | February 8, 2004 | Lisa Burgess

[mark502inf]

I also remember the French Foreign Legion getting our Mk 19s (we got an interesting briefing from the French about how they destoried a Libyan Corps in Chad with our Mk19s....).

Now that's a little known episode. The French did us all a big favor when they kicked Qadaffi's butt down in Chad. He was not going to stop there--Libyan agents were arrested in Mauritania and even Nigeria. But his army was whipped so badly in Chad, he lost all his military mojo in northern Africa. His Army never again was a factor. Didn't know about the Mk-19s, though. Thanks.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

I wonder if you can convert M68 tank gun 105mm BEEHIVE to fire out of a howitzer?

[Cannoneer No. 4]

That looks like a Battery Close-in Defense Weapon to me

[Darksheare]

The flechette round is a beehive round.
But as mentioned, if we're in need of shooting at people close range perimeter defense with the howitzer, we likely shouldn't have been there to begin with.
*chuckle*
But it would be a heck of a nasty surprise to have a round that basically made the 105 into a huge super caliber shotgun.
Even better if the number one and number two man can move rounds fast enough and the a gunner can eject stuff often enough to make a difference.

[Darksheare]

Yeah, it does.
Sweet.

[archy]

I wonder if you can convert M68 tank gun 105mm BEEHIVE to fire out of a howitzer?

Don't need to, for a couple of reasons, aside from the fact that other than for sling-loading under helos, 105 towed arty is pretty well near out of the system now, and fading fast.

But the M546 APERS Flechette round is available for the M2A1 and M2A2, M101 and M103/M137/L119 *light guns*, throwing nasty little 6-grain steel flechette darts downrange...and there were the magnesium/aluminum powder *flashfire* rounds that turned a 105mm gun set for direct fire into a 100-meter flamethrower, an oversized version of the *Dragon's Breath* incendiary round for the 12-gage shotgun. I seem to recall one 9th Infantry 105 gunner getting his Medal of Honor for his use of 105mm APERS rounds when the NVA tried to overrun his base camp....

[Lurker]

I'd love to see that AA12 loaded with a combo of flechette, Dragons Breath, buck, and copper solid sabots cranked off at night. That would be a cool video.

Of course I wouldn't want to have to hump the ammo for that bad boy.

I've always thought the ideal close in perimeter defense weapon would be a belt fed 12 guage loaded with a variety of 'specialty' ammo.

I used to have a few of those 'Dragons Breath' shells. Of course I got rid of them when I found out they're not legal in my state. Those babies really put out a monster flash. I've got a video of me firing them around somewhere. I'll have to find it.

Those suckers threw a wall of flame at least 60 yards.

Regards,

L

[Yasotay]

You are welcome. They actually put Mk19s in pickup trucks (Toyotas). The FFL did a very good job, I think that was far more important then our bombing of Qadaffi (although there is an interesting tape of the lead F-111 bombing Qadaffi's home where the pilot is heard to say on weapon's release..."Knock ... Knock ... Mother F....". The French do have an honest claim to stopping Qadaffi in North Africa.

[Terabitten]

The M249 SAW (squad automatic weapon) is a protable, though large select fire rifle in 308 calibre.

Uhhh, the M249 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) is a small (15 pounds), just *slightly* larger than rifle sized, belt fed weapon that uses the 5.56x45mm round. For more information on the SAW, look here.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

CROWS works if RWS doesn't

[Cannoneer No. 4]

RCWS-30 next to CROWS

[Cannoneer No. 4]

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Czech APCs to Carry RAFAEL's RCWS-30

[Cannoneer No. 4]

ping

[Future Snake Eater]

This is almost exactly the same Remote Weapons System we have on the Stryker. Have fun HMMWV crews, ha...ha...HAAAA...

[Cannoneer No. 4]

The Kongsberg Protector M151 RWS is on the Stryker

The Czechs are buying Israeli 30mm RWS's.

Now what I want to know is, is the 30mm RAFAEL better than the .50 cal M151.

[archy]

One of my favorites was to equip infantry companies with lasers for Hellfires. The Hellfires were to be launched from a 5 Ton truck. The Apache crowd stopped that idea. Oh well .....

I recall an 82nd Airborne experiment of the late 1970s known as Slammer VI, essentially the mounting of six rocket pods from attack helicopters onto an M151A1 Jeep. The idea was to offer the airborne something with a capability beyond that of their 81mm mortars, if not that of a 155 SP battery, thereby freeing up the Airborne's helo-delivered 105mm Light Guns- or for those instances when they weren't available via helo delivery, or were needed for direct fire missions.

The Artillery folks at Ft Sill found out about it and were horrified: with 17-pound warheads, the setup put more steel on target than either the 81mm or 105 could deliver, nearly equalling the cannon's capability, and not only cheapbeyond belief, but using assets already organic to the airborne and light divisions. It became a threatr to the careers of those pushing the then-yet-untried MLRS system, and so was killed by orders from on high.

But now, there are terminal guidance warhead systems like the Army APKWS available for the HYDRA-70/2.75 inch rocket, a sort of *poor man's Hellfire*....And if it works off an Apache helo, it ought to work off a Jeep or Humvee....

[Jacob Kell]

Sounds cool. It would definely give our troops much more effective firepower. I suppose the Slammer VI experiment wasn't the first or only time a good idea was killed by politics.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Fox News just showed CROWS a few minutes ago.