Why Did Imperial Japanese Soldiers Carry Swords Into Battle?
In the 1930s as Japan became more nationalist and more imperialist the bushido – the way of the warrior – was revived and Japan s military moved away from European style sabers for ceremony to a sword that resembled the samurai katana.
Here s What You Need To Remember: The decision was more cultural than tactical - but the swords did serve a military purpose, and sometimes a gruesome one.
It is a scene from World War II movies and comic books; seeming fanatical Japanese soldiers charging out of the jungle wielding a samurai sword, swinging widely and yelling banzai. It isn t actually Hollywood or comic book fiction, however.
bad - but it has serious ergonomic problems and lacks several modern innovations (rails, for instance).
The standard issue rifle of the average soldier tends to be among the oldest equipment issued by a military. Russian Ground and Airborne Troops use variations of a rifle designed in the 1970s, the U.S. military uses variations of a design from the late 1950s. Japan stands in contrast, using a rifle designed in 1989 (albeit based on an earlier American design from the 1960s). But despite their usage of recent designs, the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) have fallen behind their Western and even Russian counterparts in updating their rifles to modern standards.
The M1 Abrams Tank is Getting Old
Since the M1A1 entered service in 1985 it has become one of the most lethal tanks in the world with its 120mm gun. It remains to be seen whether this will continue into the future.
Here s What You Need To Remember: The M1 Abrams still rules the roost, aided by periodic tweaks and the introduction of better weaponry. But the fundamental design has remained unchanged since the 1980s - and, as America s adversaries introduce newer tanks, it is unclear how much longer the Abrams will last.
In the 1970s, the situation for NATO tank forces in Europe was grim. The program to develop the next generation battle tank for both Germany and the United States, the MBT-70, was about to crumble and fail, and the next generation of Soviet tanks was about to reach the front lines.
(The below is a combination of several articles reposted for your reading pleasure.)
Who Is Kel-Tec?:
Kel-Tec is one of the most polarizing companies in the American gun industry, known for making exotic designs at cheap prices, but also with quality control issues. They are undoubtedly successful though, with an ever-increasing catalog of products and with demand for some of their products often outstripping their supply.
The current corporation, full name Kel-Tec CNC, Inc. was founded by George Kellgren in 1995 after some false starts earlier in the decade. When he founded Kel-Tec, Kellgren was an experienced gun designer, having worked for Husqvarna and Interdynamics in Sweden as well as firms in South Africa and Germany. Later he would move to the US, to work in the American arm of Interdynamics, Intratec, where he would participate in the design of the infamous TEC-9 pistol. The TEC-9 made extensive use of polymer, a trend that Kellgren would continue to utilize at Kel-Tec.
The Russian military and security services field quite a variety of firearms, Western and domestic.
But from all of these guns, which could be considered the best? Here is a few to consider:
1. AK-74M:
The AK-74M is ubiquitous in the Russian Armed Forces. In 2018, it is even replacing the shorter AKS-74U as the armament for support crew. The rifle is light, reliable, has low recoil and compact with the standard issue folding plastic buttstock.
While by some Western standards it may be considered outdated ergonomically, the AK-74M is one of the best AKs out there, with Russian special operations forces continuing to use the rifle in combat abroad and domestically.