JASSM Cruise Missile

“We need some options on the table!” Yells a military commander sitting in the Pentagon.

“How about the option to hit them with stealth cruise missiles, sir?” Says a lowly defense analyst in the back.

“What did you say!?” Screams the general.

“Well sir, we can just have our jets launch these JASSM cruise missisles from about 230 miles out sir. No one is put at risk but them, and they cost $300,000 less than Tomohawk missiles. We’ll save some money and take out the targets.”

“Brilliant! Order the strikes. What did you say your name was? How would you like me to take you out to Chilis for some fajitas?”

APFSDS Armor - Piercing Fin

A Kinetic energy Projectile is one that can pierce through advanced armor more efficiently due to a smaller penetration surface and a high rate of speed. As you can see the munition bursts apart leaving a small rod that can penetrate advanced armor technology such as reactive armor. Typically the penetrator rods are constructed of extremely high-density metals such as depleted uranium or tungsten. The purpose of a sabot with rounds such as these is to increase the velocity of the projectile when fired. The sabot acts to harness more of the force from the blast used to fire the round, then is discarded mid-flight to the target.

AGM-86C Conventional Air

This particular Cruise Missile is launched by a B52 Bomber and propelled by a turbofan jet engine at approximately 500 MPH. The AGM-86C is very hard to detect with radar due to its small profile. The missile is Guided using a Global Positioning System and an Inertial Navigation System or (GPS) and (INS).

Hellfire 2 – Fire and Forget Missile

“Can be launched from multiple air, sea, and ground platforms, autonomously or with remote designation. HELLFIRE II is a highly successful, combat-proven weapon system for precision kill of high-value armor, air defense, ships, waterborne, and fixed targets. The missile may be employed by lock-on before or lock-on after launch for increased platform survivability.”

Cornershot Rifle

Innovative weapons designs are typically developed to serve problem areas highlighted during the heat of battle. The Israeli military, through their extensive experience with urban combat and counter terrorism operations, developed an idea to provide the war fighter with an exceptional first-strike capability. Which brings us to a recently revealed design from the Israeli firm whose corporation is the rifles namesake, The Cornershot.

Heckler and Koch MP7

M4A1 Carbine

If I hark back to the days of the Wild Wild West, during the heydays of American machismo otherwise known as Manifest Destiny, I can only think of the ever popular shoot out.  The quick and dead, the fast draws, the lawlessness, and the cowboys.  Don’t be misled about the speed of the draw though, the quickest isn’t always the victor, one must be on target to be left standing alive.  What a timeless lesson we’ve learned.

AS50 BMG Sniper Rifle

This awesome weapons represents the British attempt at designing the worlds greatest sniper rifle. Similar in design and features to the Barrett M107 .50 caliber sniper rifle, the Accuracy International AS50 certainly exhibits the pinnacle of futuristic sniper rifle engineering. The greatest difficulty to overcome when designing a rifle of such high caliber is how to effectively and efficiently disperse the recoil, and the AS50 employs a free-floating barrel with a dual chamber muzzle brake to accomplish this feat.

One important thing to note about this rifle though, is that it is truly designed as an anti-material weapon, meaning that it is intended to be armor-piercing to take out lightly armored vehicles such as APCs and trucks rather than intended as anti-personnel. However though, the accompanying video definitely stirs the imagination when it shows the melons, the perfect shape for a human head, being blown apart after the round penetrates some concrete blocks. I’m just waiting for the X-ray vision scope to be put on this bad boy, watch out everyone!