The Latest from Cactus Tactical: Weapons of the War in Afghanistan: Crew Served

Weapons of the War in Afghanistan

Infantrymen from 3rd Platoon, Viper Company 1-26 INF, 3rd BCT - 1st ID, overlooking the Korengal Road from the Sawtalo Sar Spur on the East side of the Korengal valley. PHOTO CREDIT: Shawn G

In the world of war, weapons and technology are ever changing, each war is characterized by the weapons and tactics used to fight it. As new environments and enemies are encountered, the parties to those wars develop new - more effective tactics, technologies, and weapons to counter and defeat their adversaries. The ingenuity seen in war has existed since (and most certainly before) the first wars of recorded history and continue to this very day.

Keeping with that theory, let’s take a look at the weapons that have characterized the wars and conflicts that the United States has been a party to over the course of it’s history. During the course of this series, I aim to breakdown the weapons used in each conflict by their classification, and to which party they were employed by. Having served in combat operations in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley, I would like to start our series with the War in Afghanistan.

For our first installment, let’s take a look at the most commonly encountered crew served weapons from the War in Afghanistan. Crew served weapons are those weapon systems that require two or more individuals to function at an optimum level. These may include medium to heavy machine guns, automatic grenade launchers, etc…

First up - The United States

The M2HB

M2HB at OP Rock overlooking Firebase Vegas and the Eastern Side of the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan.
PHOTO CREDIT: Shawn G

Whether mounted on a tripod or on a vehicle, this bad-boy has been the Infantryman’s hammer since 1933. Whether up against a wave of enemy infantry, unarmored or lightly armored vehicles and boats, light fortifications or low-flying aircraft, or maybe you just need to reach out and touch somebody, the “Ma Deuce” has you covered.

M2HB at OP Rock overlooking Firebase Vegas in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan. August 2008.

PHOTO CREDIT: Shawn G

The Browning machine gun caliber .50 HB, M2 is a belt-fed, recoil-operated, air-cooled, crew-served machine gun. The gun is capable of single shot, as well as automatic fire, and operates on the short recoil principle. The machine gun is capable of being fed from either the right or left by re-positioning certain parts. The weapon has nonfixed headspace that must be set. Timing must also be adjusted to cause the gun to fire slightly out of battery to prevent damage to moving parts. The force for recoil operation is furnished by expanding powder gases, which are controlled by various springs, cams, and levers. Maximum surface of the barrel and receiver are exposed to permit air cooling. Perforations in the barrel support allow air to circulate around the breach end of the barrel and help in cooling the parts. A heavy barrel is used to retard early overheating.

Cartridge: .50 BMG (12.7x99mm NATO)
Effective Range: Point target 1,500 m; Area target 1,830 m; 6,764 m Maximum range.
Weight: 83.8 lbs / 38 kg (empty, no accessories); M3 Tripod 44 lbs / 20 kg.
Rate of Fire: 450-600 Rounds per minute
Capacity: 100 Round linked belt (can link together as many belts as desired).

The Mk19

Mk 19 at OP Rock overlooking Firebase Vegas and the surrounding area; Korengal Valley, Afghanistan.

PHOTO CREDIT: Shawn G

The Mk 19 is used extensively in the remote mountainous regions of Eastern Afghanistan for base security and convoy operations, allowing heavy volumes of explosive fire to stave off enemy attacks on small platoon sized outposts, and to engage enemies in dead space that cannot be reached by direct fire.

Mk 19 at OP Rock overlooking the southeastern side of the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, towards the Village of Chichal. PHOTO CREDIT: Shawn G

The Mk 19 is a belt-fed, blowback-operated, air-cooled, crew-served, fully automatic weapon that is designed not to cook off. The weapon operates on the blowback principle, which uses the chamber pressure from each fired round to load and re-cock the weapon. The MK 19 supports the soldier in both the offense and defense. It gives the unit the capability of laying down a heavy volume of close, accurate, and continuous fire.

The MK 19 can also:

Protect motor movements, assembly areas, and supply trains in a bivouac.
Defend against hovering rotary aircraft.
Destroy lightly-armored vehicles.
Fire on suspected enemy positions.
Provide high volumes of fire into an engagement area (EA).
Cover obstacles.
Provide indirect fires from defilade positions.

Cartridge: 40x53mm Grenade
Effective Range: 1,500 m, 2,212 m Maximum range
Weight: 77.6 lbs / 35.2 kg (empty, no accessories); M3 Tripod 44 lbs / 20 kg.
Rate of Fire: 325-375 Rounds per minute
Capacity: 32 or 48 round grenade belts weighing 42 and 60 pounds respectively.

M240B

M240B in a fighting position at Firebase Vegas in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan.PHOTO CREDIT: Shawn G

The M240B is part of the supporting fire for infantry platoons. While out on patrol or conducting combat operations, the gun teams from an infantry platoon's weapons squad will generally set up in an overwatch position while the main element continues their movement. When SHTF the M240B has your back, providing high volumes of accurate, lethal suppressive fire on an enemy position, allowing fire teams of the main element to flank and overrun the enemy position.

M240B in a fighting position at Firebase Vegas facing the northeastern side of the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan.

PHOTO CREDIT: Shawn G

The M240B is a general-purpose machine gun. It mounts on a bipod, tripod, aircraft, or vehicle. It is belt fed, air cooled, gas operated, and fully automatic. It fires from an open bolt. Ammunition feeds from a 100-round bandoleer with disintegrating links. The gas from firing one round provides the energy to fire the next one. Thus, the gun fires automatically as long as it has ammunition and the gunner holds the trigger to the rear. As the gun fires, the links separate and eject from the side. Empty cases eject from the bottom. Each M240B is issued with a spare barrel. The gunner can change barrels quickly, because the weapon has a fixed head space. The bore of the barrel is chromium plated, reducing barrel wear to a minimum.

Cartridge: 7.62x51mm NATO
Effective Range: Bipod 800 m; Tripod 1,100 m; 3,725 Maximum range.
Weight: 27.6 lbs / 12.5 hg, M192 Lightweight ground mount 11.5 lbs / 5 kg.
Rate of Fire: 650-750 Rounds per minute
Capacity: 100-200 round belts (w/ disintegrating links can link together as many belts as desired), 50-100 round pouches.

Gun Cleaning Supplies

Mk 48 MOD 0

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AMk_48_PEO_Soldier.jpg

The Mk 48 MOD 0 fills the same role as the M240B, but in a much lighter package more suited to movement in the treacherous terrain of Afghanistan's eastern mountains.

The Mk 48 Mod 0 is a gas-operated, air-cooled, fully automatic belt-fed machine gun. The design is based on an early 7.62×51mm NATO prototype of the M249 SAW, modified to be a scaled-up version of the 5.56 mm Mk 46 Mod 0. As with the Mk 46, the Mk 48 Mod 0 does not have an M249-type magazine feed port, in order to save weight. The weapon can be fed from a loose belt, separate belt boxes, or clip-on ammunition pouches for 100 rounds. There is a high degree of parts commonality between the Mk48, M249 and Mk46 machine guns, which simplifies maintenance and repair. The use of M1913 "Picatinny" rails allows the fitting of various accessories from the SOPMOD kit, such as the ECOS-N (Enhanced Combat Optical Sight) red dot sight and other sighting or target-designating devices. While heavier than the 5.56×45mm NATO M249 due to its larger chambering and heavier barrel, the Mk 48 Mod 0 is still 17% lighter and 8.4% shorter than the M240.

Cartridge: 7.62x51mm NATO
Effective Range: 800 m, 3,600 m Maximum range
Weight: 18.1 lbs / 8.2 kg unloaded, 24.7 lbs / 11.2 kg w/ 100 rounds.
Rate of Fire: 710 (± 50) Rounds per minute
Capacity: 100-200 round belts (w/ disintegrating links can link together as many belts as desired), 50-100 round pouches.

Tactical Gear

Taliban, Mujahideen, al-Qaeda, affiliates & local insurgencies

DShK(M)

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The DShK is the Russian "Ma Duece," often called "Dushka" meaning "Sweetie" or "Dear." Many DShKs were used by the Russians and Mujahideen during the Soviet-Afghan War, and many are still left there today in the hands of anti-coalition/anti-afghan forces. When high volumes of rock exploding, cover destroying fire rains down on your position from a spur across the valley chances are someone is firing a DshK at you.

DShK 12.7x108mm round that punched straight through cover, just missing my head.

The DShK is a gas operated, belt fed, air cooled machine gun that fires from an open bolt and in automatic mode only.The gas piston and chamber are located below the barrel; the gas piston is of the long stroke type, and is attached to the bolt carrier. The heavy barrel is finned for better cooling, and is fitted with a large muzzle brake. The barrel can be detached from the weapon, but it hardly can be called “quick detachable”; it is screwed into the front of the receiver, and then fixed there by the cross-bolt,which is also screwed in place. The ammunition feed is via non-disintegrating steel belts, from the left side only. The belt feed unit was designed as an afterthought for the originally magazine-fed DK machine gun, so it is clamped to the top of the receiver. On DShKM guns, belt feed uses simplified slider-type belt traction unit, also powered through the swinging arm, and somewhat similar in design to the feed of the RP-46 gun. Standard sighting equipment is an open sight adjustable for range (up to 3500 m in 100 m increments) and windage. Additional anti-aircraft sights can be installed for AA use. The standard mount is an universal setup, which can be used for both ground and AA roles.

Cartridge: 12.7x108mm
Effective Range: 2,000 m, 2,500 maximum range
Weight: 75 lbs / 34 kg gun, 346.1 lbs 157 kg on universal wheeled mount with shield.
Rate of Fire: 600 Rounds per minute
Capacity: 50 round belt

AGS-17

By Almi92 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Like the DShK the AGS-17 rains down long range explosive (literally), cover destroying firepower. Being fired upon by the AGS-17 is like being hit with a barrage of mini mortars. Another left over weapon of the Soviet-Afghan War, the AGS-17 is the Russian equivalent of the Mk 19, but in a smaller, lighter, more transportable package.

The AGS-17 is aircooled, belt fed, blowback operated grenade machine gun / launcher that fires from the open bolt. The AGS-17 is fed from special belt drums that hold 29 linked rounds. Loaded belt drum weights about 14kg (31 lbs). To reduce rate of fire and decrease dispersion, the bolt of the AGS-17 is fitted with a hydraulic recoil buffer. The standard sight is 2.7X magnification PAG-17 optical; it has a range-finding reticle, and top cover of each gun has a ballistic table for both direct and indirect fire. Standard mount is SAG-17 (official designation 6T8); it is a tripod with adjustable height and traverse and elevation mechanisms, including fine adjustment elements. For transportation and carry tripod can be folded and carried as a backpack using supplied slings. The AGS-17 gun also can be carried in a special backpack; this allows the complete weapon to be transported "on foot" by the crew of two men.

Cartridge: 30x29mm Grenade
Effective Range: 800m point target, 1700 m maximum range
Weight: 39.7 lbs / 18 kg, plus 26.5 lbs / 12 kg tripod
Rate of Fire: 350-400 rounds per minute
Capacity: 29 round belt with round box magazine.

Gunsmithing Tools

PKM

By Habiermalik (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The PKM is by far the most commonly encountered machine gun in Afghanistan. If you are out on a patrol in the Korengal Valley and you suddenly come under intense enemy machine gun fire, you can be confident one or more of these are trained on your element.

The PKM is a gas operated, Belt-fed, air-cooled, automatic only, machine gun. It fires from an open bolt and has a quick detach barrel. The gas system consists of a gas chamber with a manual gas regulator, and a long stroke gas piston located below the barrel. Locking is achieved through a rotating bolt with dual locking lugs. The PKM is a development of Kalashnikov's AKM assault rifle and the accompanying RPK light machine gun design that featured stamped receivers. The PKM uses the 7.62×54mmR Eastern Bloc standard cartridge.

Cartridge: 7.62x54mmR
Effective Range: 1,000 m, 3,800 m maximum range
Weight: 16.5 lbs / 7.5 kg
Rate of Fire: 650 rounds per minute
Capacity: 100, 200, and 250 round belts (100 round detachable box)