By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com December 4, 2009 Updated on 12/15/09 Marine Times (a.k.a. Marine Corps Times) is reporting on the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) selecting the Heckler & Koch Infantry Automatic Rifle–or HK IAR, for short–to replace the FN M249 SAW/LMG (Squad Automatic Weapon/Light Machine Gun). The HK IAR is a 5.56x45mm NATO (5.56mm NATO) gas …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com April 13, 2009 Updated on 4/26/09. My good friend and professional contact, prolific infantry small arms/machine gun designer Jim Sullivan (a.k.a. L James Sullivan), has complained to me quite a bit about U.S. military infantry warfighters not having an American version of the Russian RPG-7 / RPG-7V shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade weapon …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com November 24, 2008 Updated on May 6, 2009 Ever since he won the presidential election, the press has been following President-Elect Barack Obama around Chicago like a bunch of hungry (and annoying) puppies. Whether he’s going to his transition office in the Kluczynski Federal Building in the Loop (dowtown Chicago professional district, …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com DefenseReview has covered the 6.8 SPC (a.k.a. 6.8 Remington SPC a.k.a. 6.8x43mm SPC a.k.a. 6.8mm Remington SPC a.k.a. 6.8mm SPC) round for quite some time now. We’re a proponent of the cartridge, due to its superior efficacy over 5.56x45mm NATO (5.56mm NATO)/.223 Rem. within its (6.8 SPC) operational envelope of 400-500 yards, …

by David Crane david at defensereview.com All photos contained in this article were taken by DefenseReview.com, and are the exclusive property of DefenseReview.com. Advanced Armament Corp. (A.A.C.) had a large assortment of silencers / sound suppressors (a.k.a. "muzzle cans") for tactical firearms (a.k.a. tactical small arms a.k.a. tactical weapons) for 2007, including models from their Blackout silencer line. The first …

by David Crane david at defensereview.com Small arms designer/developer J.D. Jones of SSK Industries has developed what may just prove to be a superior solution to the 6.8x43mm SPC (a.k.a. 6.8 SPC) and/or 6.5 Grendel (6.5x39mm) cartidges as a replacement for the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge for U.S. military general infantry and Special Operations (USSOCOM) use. Mr. Jones is calling it …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com DPMS Panther Arms is currently making a civilian-legal replica of the semi-auto-only 5.56mm (5.56x45mm) U.S. Army Squad Designated Marksman Rifle (SDM-R), which is designed to allow squads to engage enemy targets at ranges of 600 meters (600m). According to the 2005 U.S. Army Field Manual, "The primary mission of the SDM [Squad Designated Marksman] is to …

by David Crane david at defensereview.com This article has been updated with digital photos (JPEG format), as well as a link to the KAC CQB PDW fact sheet/spec sheet.  Click on the photos below to view them full-size.   Knight’s Armament Company (KAC) has just (formally) introduced a 6x35mm PDW (Personal Defense Weapon) with AR-15/M16 controls for the Mil/LE market (tentatively) called the …

by David Crane david at defensereview.com – Vltor Weapon Systems is now manufacturing Russian-type 7.62mmx54R (7.62x54mm) PKM General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG) for U.S. military forces. It’s our understanding that the Vltor PKMs will be used for familiarization training, and possibly OPFOR (just seems logical). DefRev got to view and handle one of these guns at the Vltor booth, and …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com On January 11th (2006), DefenseWatch/Soldiers For The Truth (SFTT) published an article by DW/SFTT editor Nat Helms about a critical/damaging U.S. Marine Corps forensic study on Interceptor OTV body armor, titled Interceptor OTV Body Armor Costs Lives, An Internal USMC Report Shows.Two days later, on January 13th (2006), DefenseReview reported on the current Pinnacle Armor Dragon …