The full caliber machine gun remains the most effective weapon in a platoon at most ranges.
Here s What You Need To Remember: Interestingly, none of these weapons are American-made.
The man-portable machine gun is one of the most important weapons in an infantry unit. While improvements in standard-issue assault rifles, marksman rifles, squad automatic weapons, and grenade launchers have all increased the casualty-producing potential of other soldiers in a squad, the full caliber machine gun remains the most effective weapon in a platoon at most ranges.
But which could be considered the best?
1. PKM
The PKM is one of the most common machine guns in the world. Produced in great numbers by the Soviet Union, the PKM is found in the arsenals of almost every developing nation around the world as well as those of formerly Soviet-aligned states.
The F/A 18 Super Hornet Isn t Going Anywhere
Despite the Navy s decision to stop further production of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, it will remain the primary strike power from U.S. carriers for the next decade.
Here s What You Need To Remember: The F/A-18 doesn t come up in the news much - it s overshadowed by the newer, improved F-22 and F-35 jets - but it remains an impressive fourth-generation aircraft with no retirement plan.
This would bring to an end the F/A-18 program that began in the 1970s with the development of the McDonnell Douglas designed twin-engine F-18 fighter and attack aircraft. The F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet is the final variants of that original multirole fighter aircraft, and features a 20% larger airframe, 7,000lb. empty weight and 15,000lb. heavier maxim weight than the original Hornet. The Super Hornet can also carry 33% more internal fuel, which can increase its mission range by 41% and its endurance by 50% over the earlier aircraft. Moreover, despite the
The M103 Tank Didn t Do Much - But Was a Heck of a Deterrent
It was a tank that could do some hard-hitting and wouldn t need to run from a fight.
Here s What You Need To Remember: In the late 1940s and early 1950s, there was fear in Washington over the Soviet Union s superiority in armored warfare. The Chrysler M103 was certainly not an ideal weapon - but it helped to alleviate those fears.
When the tank was originally conceived during the First World War by the Landship Committee, the concept was to have a lumbering vehicle that would be truly massive in size. That proved to be impractical but as tank development continued tanks of different sizes were devised. This included light tanks able to scout and exploit breakthroughs, while a medium tank would offer firepower and mobility.
The Nimitz-Class Aircraft Carrier: An American Symbol of Power
These nuclear-powered carriers, which have two reactors and four shafts for propulsion with a top speed of 30+ knots (34.5mph), were the largest warships in the world until the USS Gerald R. Ford, the lead ship of her class of carriers entered service in 2017.
Here s What You Need To Remember: The
Nimitz-class aircraft carrier is unquestionably a symbol of American might and power projection abroad. But that isn t necessarily a bad thing - just ask the many recipients of carrier-based humanitarian assistance programs.
At 1,092 feet, the
Nimitz-class supercarriers are more than three times the length of a football field, and with a crew of 3,200 sailors and 2,480 airmen, these are essentially floating cities. The lead ship of the class, USS
In 1972 the Air Force s Prototype Program Office at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, launched the Lightweight Fighter (LWF) program, and the request for proposals (RFP) called for a highly maneuverable fighter with a significant emphasis on reduced weight but also cost. The program wasn t originally intended to lead to a production aircraft, but rather to determine what was possible at what cost.
While five contractors competed for the LWF two finalists emerged – General Dynamics and Northrop, which would build two prototypes of their respective designs, the YF-16 and YF-17. As the program continued four European members of NATO – Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway – sought to replace the F-105Gs with a lighter and more affordable fighter.