#USArmy

Back in June, VK Integrated Systems, partnered with  Bachstein Consulting, broke cover to unveil their submission to the US Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon programme. The AR-platform XR-68 boasts a proprietary 6.8mm round and an integrated electronic rail system which offers some interesting possibilities. TFB were pleased to speak to Vasilios K. Kapogianis, VK Integrated Systems’ President and CEO, about the new rifle.

The Art Of Spotting and Sniping. In today’s selection of Photos we look at U.S. Army spotters and snipers in Germany at the European Best Sniper Team Competition.

The 82nd Airborne has been conducting jump testing of the Army’s new Compact Semi-Automatic Sniper (CSASS) rifle. In June, the 82nd’s snipers were issued the new sniper rifle and conducted operational testing during training exercises. The aim of the testing was to check that the rifle’s optic was retaining zero after parachute jumps. The test team used a mobile weapons boresight collimator to check for shift in zero.

We at TFB have been closely following the progress of the Modular Handgun System since the US Military launched its search for a new service pistol. Since the SIG Sauer P320’s selection back in January 2017, the pistol has undergone continuing evaluation and a steadily increasing roll-out to US combat troops and has begun to be fielded by other branches including the US Marine Corps and US Air Force.

Legendary firearms manufacturer Heckler & Koch will be supplying the U.S Army  Squad Designated Marksman Rifle known as the M110. The Army have recently been evaluating the rifle and various potential accessory setups. H&K is ramping up to supply 5,000 to 6,000 of the HK417 variants by early next year. Each rifle will receive upgrades and accessories from several U.S. manufacturers prior to final delivery. Additional details can be found in the press release below.

Unfortunately, a lot of the firearms we show as Picture Of The Day are unobtainable for a variety of reasons, so it’s always satisfying to find great pictures and be able to say to yourself “I own that“.

Today we have some cool photos of US and German troops training with each other. US troops from the South Carolina National Guard fire the Heckler and Koch P8 9mm pistol (adopted by the Bundeswehr in 1994) and the HK G36 (adopted in 1996). They’re taking part in the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge qualification, March 16, 2019 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

Today we have some more photos of the US Army’s new Modular Handgun System, the SIG Sauer M17, in action from a number of US Army units including the 1st Cavalry Division, 1-502nd Infantry Regiment and 108th Cavalry Regiment.

On April 8th, the US Army’s Contracting Command posted a Sources Sought notice seeking manufacturers able to compete 7.62x51mm  M110A1 rifles. The M110A1 was selected in early 2018 and is based on Heckler & Koch’s G28 rifle. It is currently unclear why the Army is seeking a manufacturer for the M110A1, but the notice is intended to “determine if there are potential sources capable of manufacturing new complete systems”.

It’s just under a year since the US Army announced its search for a new submachine gun with the Sub Compact Weapon programme. Today, it has been announced that the submission from B&T USA, the US arm of the Swiss small arms specialists B&T AG, has been selected by the US Army. Beating stiff competition from five other companies, a variant of the B&T APC9 K has been adopted with an initial order for 350 guns confirmed. While the news may have dropped on 1 April, it is certainly not an April Fools joke.

The United States Army held their annual seven-day Small Arms Championships, also known as “All Army”.  The event was held at Fort Benning, Georgia and included teams and individual shooters from all four components of the Army. The competition has 11 different courses of fire using primary and secondary weapons.   Dvids (Defense Visual Information Distribution Service) posted more images from the competition.  The primary weapons appear to include M16A4’s and M4A1’s.  The secondary weapons included both the Beretta M9 and the newly acquired Sig M17.

The US Army has been testing its new precision rifles, the Squad Designated Marksman Rifle and the Compact Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle and the first feedback from troops is coming in. Last year TFB reported the adoption of the two new rifles, which are both based on Heckler & Koch’s 7.62x51mm HK417.

The US Army’s roll out of the new M17 Modular Handgun System continues with the US Army Military Police School among the latest units to recieve the new SIG Sauer-made pistols. The US Army Training and Doctrine Command have posted an article announcing the Military Police School’s transition and getting some reactions from those now using the pistol.

The US Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiments (AEWE) facebook page has shared some interesting photos from a range session at their annual technologies event. The photos, posted on 11 February, show a new prototype suppressed Personal Defense Weapon from SIG Sauer.

The US Army has released some photographs taken at Fort Bliss, Texas, during testing of the Army’s new Squad Designated Marksman Rifle (SDM-R). The new 7.62x51mm rifle from Heckler & Koch has not yet officially been fielded and testing and tweaking continues.