Category: Video

Gulf War Homemade SA80 / L85A1 Front Grip

There is a rich history of attaching home-made, ad-hoc forward grips to weapons within the British military. In the 1940s troops fashioned home-made forward grips for Sten machine carbines while in the 1960s at least one member of the SAS operating in Borneo during the Indonesian Confrontation attached a carved wooden foregrip to his M16. In the 1980s the operators with the SAS’ counter-terrorism teams attached L1A1 SLR pistols grips to their MP5s.

British troops in Northern Ireland with L1A1s fitted with makeshift front grips made using a spare pistol grip attached with a jubilee clip

The intermittent tradition appears to have continued into the early 1990s with one member of the Staffordshire Regiment seen to have mounted a pistol grip to the forend of his L85A1. The soldier and his adapted rifle appeared in a number of photographs and some footage taken during a field exercises in Saudi Arabia.

Commandos on parade with STEN MkIIs equipped with ad-hoc front grip, at Kabrit in June 1943 (IWM A17755)

The battalion deployed to Saudi Arabia as part of 7th Armoured Brigade in October 1990, as part of Operation Granby. During the phase of operations in the Gulf which the US designated Operation Desert Shield allied forces prepared to liberate Kuwait and took part in a number of field exercises.

On 10 November, 1990 Sgt. Dave Miles, a British Army photographer filmed up-close footage of C Company, 1st Battalion during a live fire exercise. During one brief section of the footage the L85A1 with foregrip can be seen firing. On 6 January 1991, C Company took part in another live fire exercise which again saw them filmed and the same rifle features in several brief sections. It also appears in photographs taken by AP photographers Patrick Baz and Sadayuki Mikami, an unnamed British Army photographer and US Army photographer PFC John F. Freund.

Company C, 1st Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment, during a live fire training exercise assaulting a mock village and trench complex, 6 January 1991. (XVIII Airborne Corps History Office photograph by PFC John F. Freund)

Unlike some of the earlier examples of wooden ad-hoc foregrips this one appears to be fashioned from a spare SA80 pistol grip attached to the rifle’s plastic forend by a bolt. While mods like this one weren’t that uncommon they are rarely so well documented in photographs and videos. It’s also interesting to see just how common painting weapons was.

Royal Marines Commandos in Afghanistan c.2006. An LSW rear grip fitted as an ad-hoc foregrip (Commando: On the Front Line)

Similar modifications were made using the rear grip from the L86A1 Light Support Weapon. These were again bolted through the vents in the underside of the rifle’s plastic handguard. One of these modifications was seen a number of times in the hand of a member of the Royal Marines Commandos during the 2007 documentary Commando: On the Front Line.

Generally the addition of foregrips make for handier, more pointable weapons. Arguably, the soldier from C company was ahead of his time as later, following the L85A2 refits and the Afghanistan urgent operational requirements, Grip Pod vertical front grips were paired with the rifles.

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Turkish M2s in Ukraine

By far best known for providing Ukraine with Bayraktar TB2 UAVs, Turkey has provided a plethora of weapons and munitions ranging from artillery shells to APCs.

The Turkish arms industry has also provided heavy machine guns with Canik’s M2 QCB being seen on a number of occasions in recent months. The M2 Browning is fast becoming ubiquitous in Ukraine, provided in large numbers by a number of nations, the heavy machine guns equip large numbers of armoured vehicles and have also been seen in use in the ground role fairly regularly.

Canik introduced the M2 QCB in August 2022, unveiling an M2 and M3-pattern version of the weapon – the M2F. Back in April, Ukraine received a shipment of dual mounted M2F guns which were seen mounted on Nisan pickup trucks. These guns were seen in a photograph of President Zelensky inspecting new equipment for Ukraine’s border guard service. It’s unknown how many M2Fs have been delivered but they were reportedly procured to combat small drones.

Turkish-made M2s are also likely mounted on the significant number of armoured personnel carriers which Turkey has provided to Ukraine including the 4×4 BMC Kirpi. The Kirpi can be mounted with either a GPMG or an M2, they are often seen in theatre with M2s mounted. Over 200 Kirpis have been ordered and batches have been delivered since August 2022.

BMC Kirpi’s in Ukraine, not the mounted M2s (via АрміяInform)

On 28 July, weapons researcher War_Noir shared photographs of a suspected M2 QCB showing the gun in a carry case and setup at the range.

Most recently on 3 August, Wagner PMC shared a video of a captured Turkish-made M2 on their Telegram. The video clearly shows Canik receiver markings.

A close up of the markings on the M2 held by Wagner (via social media)

Being largely identical externally to other M2-pattern heavy machine guns its difficult to ID the Turkish-made guns from much of the imagery shared from Ukraine. It is currently difficult to gauge how many are in theatre.

RDS40

An RDS40 and a FORT-600 (via War_Noir)

At the same time another fairly uncommon Turkish-made weapon has been confirmed to be in use in Ukraine with at least one RDS40 rotary 40mm grenade launcher seen with Ukrainian forces. Manufactured by Repkon Defence the RDS40 has a very recognisable pistol grip assembly with a guard which encloses the whole hand. It is unknown how many RSD40s are in Ukraine with no further sightings made at the time of writing.

Updates:

13/09/23 – Another sighting of a Repkon RDS40.

14/09/23 – Video of an RDS40 being fired at a range.

20/09/23 – Imagery of Ukrainian troops with a Canik-manufactured M2 heavy machine gun was shared anonymously on the /k/ chatboard on 15 September. The original poster states that his brigade’s M113 APCs were to be armed with the guns but reliability issues with 80% of the guns developed. The post complains of issues with the Turkish-made guns but its unclear if these problems are due to the guns manufacture or their set up in theatre. The post also included a short video of an M2 firing. It is unknown which Ukrainian Army brigade was provided the guns.

2/10/23 – Middle East Eye reports that their sources claim Ukraine has signed a series of contracts with Turkish defence company Canik for various weapon systems and that as many as 600 Canik-manufactured M2 heavy machine guns have been delivered to Ukraine.

18/10/23 – This photo featuring a soldier of the 115th Separate Brigade of the TDF appears to confirm that the blacker finish is somewhat typical of Canik-produced guns. This photo give us a look at markings.

20/10/23 – Another potential sighting on Turkish-manufactured M2-pattern heavy machine guns. The undated photographs, shared on Ukrainian Armed Forces social media, featured troops of the 22 Separate Mechanised Bridge.

8/2/24 – Another example of a Canik M2 in Ukraine.

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Bibliography

Canik M2 CQB, Canik, (source)

The Stalwart Ally: Türkiye’s Arms Deliveries To Ukraine, Oryx, (source)

Turkey Begins Mass Production of First Domestically Produced Heavy Machine Gun, Overt Defense, (source)

Ukraine Receives 50 Kirpi Armored Vehicles From Turkey, The Defense Post, (source)

My thanks to War_Noir for sharing imagery for this artice/video.

Project Hunter: The UK’s New Assault Rifle

The United Kingdom has announced the selection of the Knight’s Armament Company KS-1 as the new individual weapon for the new Ranger battalions and the Royal Marines Commandos. The requirement for the new rifle was released back in August 2021, and called for the “procurement and support of an Armalite Rifle (AR) platform Alternative Individual Weapon (AIW) System.”

The requirement called for a ‘Rifle System’ which comprises the weapon and a ‘Signature Reduction System’ [suppressor] and an ‘Optic System’. The rifle itself had to be ‘gas operated with a rotating, locking bolt’ and was to specifically have “a standard configuration, not bullpup, with the magwell in-front of the trigger housing.”

Royal Marines Commando with L403A1 (Royal Marines/Royal Navy)

The UK launched Project Hunter to select a new Alternative Individual Weapon (AIW) to replace the SA80/L85 series of rifles and Colt Canada L119s in service with the Rangers and elements of the Royal Marines Commandos. After two years of competition the UK MoD has announced that Knight’s KS-1 has been selected as the L403A1, beating off reported competition from Heckler & Koch, SIG Sauer, Daniel Defense and Glock.

Other weapons believed to have been evaluated include the HK416A5, the SIG Sauer SPEAR-LT, the Daniel Defense M4 and Glock’s GR-115F. Other companies believed to have submitted rifles include Colt Canada, Lantac, Haenel and Steyr amongst others.

The new rifles will supplement the L85A2 and L85A3 which currently equip the majority of the UK armed forces. The rifles will be procured via UK-based company Edgar Brothers and the £90 million ($110 million) contract will see up to 10,000 new rifles delivered over the next decade. An initial £15 million order for 1,620 AIW systems has been placed with the British Army fielding them with the Army Special Operations Brigade, with the brigade expected to receive the first rifles by the end of 2023. The Royal Marines’ ‘strike companies’ and Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron will also be among the first to receive the L403A1. The ‘Alternative Individual Weapon’ essentially fulfils the same role every AR-pattern rifle in UK service has since the 1960s.

New Alternative Individual Weapon – L403A1 (UK MoD)

The UK’s Minister for Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge said:

“This is another example of how we are committed to investing in the most advanced battlefield equipment to back our troops on the battlefield. This advanced rifle’s ability to help soldiers maintain the stealth edge not only protects them but delivers war-fighting advantage over our adversaries.”

Interestingly, the UK Ministry of Defence’s press release emphasises that as an AR-pattern rifle the L403A1 “shares much in common with the rifle systems used by many of the UK’s allies. Given their specialist role, and the critical task of working with and alongside many of the UK’s allies, the platform will enable ASOB to share skills and drills in an efficient manner.”

Close up of the Vortex and Aimpoint optics which make up part of the AIW package (Royal Marines/Royal Navy)

So what does the Alternative Individual Weapon (AIW) system include?

The system builds around the Knight’s KS-1 but also includes a magnified 1-10 LPVO optic from Vortex, an Aimpoint ACRO P-2 red dot and the Knight’s QDC/MCQ-PRT suppressor.  The prime contractor for the project, Edgar Brothers, are responsible for the sourcing and assembly of the AIW’s accessories. Accessories for the rifle will include a MAGPUL M54 sling, a Surefire Mini Scout Light Pro, G10 rail scales and a MAGPUL M-LOK AFG.

Anatomy of the L403A1 (Edgar Brothers)

The KS-1 is the latest iteration of the SR-16 series, it has a 13.7in (35cm) barrel and weighs 6.88lbs (3.1kg) unloaded, its overall length is 32.2in (82cm) with the stock collapsed and 34.2in (87cm) extended. The QDC/MCQ-PRT weighs an additional 13.9oz and adds just over 2 inches to the weapon’s length. The rifle uses a direct gas impingement system (or more correctly described as Stoner’s internal piston system).

The selection of the new rifle forms part of the Royal Marines’ larger modernization push under the Commando Force Programme alongside a new helmet from Gentex and Fused Binocular Night Vision devices from L3Harris.

Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron member with L403A1 in Norway (Royal Marines/Royal Navy)

We got our first indication of the KS-1’s selection in June, when the Royal Marines published a new recruitment advert featuring the rifle. It was also subsequently seen during a demonstration at Lulworth Ranges in July.

While the British military have used AR-pattern rifles since the 1960s in various roles, Project Hunter and the Alternative Individual Weapon represents a major procurement and it remains to be seen how it will influence Project Grayburn – the effort to select a replacement for more than 150,000 SA80s.

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Bibliography:

Alternative Individual Weapon (AIW) System Tender Aug. 2021, UK Govt. (source)

£90 million contract equips Armed Forces with advanced new rifle, UK MoD (source)

Britain’s Commandos to get new assault rifles, Royal Navy (source)

Knight’s KS-1, Knight’s Armament Company, (source)

UK Selects New Assault Rifle, Overt Defense, (source) [This article is adapted from this original article]

Grenade Discharger Cups in Ukraine

One of the intriguing, if rarely seen, weapons seen in Ukraine are rifle grenade launchers that are able to launch standard RDG-5 hand grenades. Historically, this is an idea that has been around for a long time. Emerging during the First World War and continuing to be used during the Second World War, a detachable metal cup could be fitted to the muzzle of a rifle which would hold the grenade and allow expanding gases from the firing of a blank round to throw the grenade downrange. In British military parlance, they were described as cup dischargers and could be used to launch No.36 Mills Bombs. British Army also issued the No.68 anti-tank grenade which could be fired from a cup discharger. During more recent conflicts after the collapse of the USSR and later in the middle east, designs capable of being fitted to AK-pattern rifles have been used.

During my research I’ve come across just a handful of videos of these cup dischargers in use in Ukraine, there may be more, and they are essentially demonstrations of the device rather than evidence of combat use. The first was shared by Ukraine’s Office of Strategic Communications on 14 November 2022. The caption notes that the discharger has a range of around 150m

An AK-74 mounted with a cup discharger firing an RDG-5 (via social media)

The second video surfaced around 30 March 2023. The body of the cup is in the white, unpainted. Both of the videos show small cups made of machined metal which threaded directly onto the rifle’s barrel (once the standard muzzle device has been detached). They have differing external dimensions and profiles but they both feature a metal band into which the grenade’s safety lever can be slid. This holds the arm in place and prevents the grenade’s UZRGM fuze from arming before it’s fired and airborne. It appears that the cups are locally manufactured perhaps by different workshops and manufacturers.

The grenades appear to have a press-fit gas seal in the cup. The grenades are launched using blank cartridges, rather than ball ammunition. The blank creates enough pressure in the barrel, behind the base of the grenade, to launch it out of the cup.

Combatant prepares to fire an RDG-5 grenade from a cup discharger (via social media)

A video shared in 2021, long before the Russian invasion in February 2022, shows a very similar design and suggests that the idea has been around for a while in the region.

Most recently, on 11 August, the Russian Ministry of Defence shared a short video featuring a Russian Army engineers who are manufacturing 82mm Mortar round conversions for launching from RPG-7s and also cup dischargers for AK-74 pattern rifles. The design is identical to those seen previously. The engineer explains they are made on a lathe and the grenades are launched by a blank cartridge. In the clip we can clearly see that again there is a metal band which the grenade’s safety lever is slid.

A still from a Russian Ministry of Defence video sowing a recently manufactured cup discharger (Russian Ministry of Defence)

Gauging the angle at which to aim the rifle for the grenade to reach its target appears to be largely intuitive. In both videos, the grenade detonates in the air. Theoretically, the user should be able to deliver grenades both onto targets and above them in air bursts.

While the cup discharger would certainly be useful in a trench or urban fighting situation, allowing supplies of grenades to be used up one reason the cup dischargers are rarely seen is that under-barrel grenade launchers are in ample supply. These likely offer greater range, accuracy, and flexibility.

Update 2/7/23: A short video showing a Ukrainian combatant preparing a grenade for launch from a discharger cup was shared on telegram.

Update 4/9/23: Russia’s Channel One news shared a report featuring a cup dischargers in use on the frontline.

Video reportedly features a Russian Spetsnaz unit from the Southern military district and was filmed on 31 August in the Artemovsky/Bakhmut region. A pair of cup dischargers can be seen.

A pair of cup dischargers seen in the clip

Update – 30/10/23: A short video showing a failed launch of an RDG-5 grenade.

Update 23/4/24: A video showing how a Russian improvised rifle grenade discharger cup for VOG-pattern grenades is loaded and operated.

Update 6/9/24: New imagery features personnel of the Russian 40th Brigade demonstrating a cup discharger designed to launch RGD-5 grenades from AK-pattern rifles using blank cartridges. This example was reportedly manufactured in Kazan, interestingly it appears to have a spring clip on the side of the cup to provide additional retention on the grenade.

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FN40 Grenade Launchers in Ukraine

In recent weeks a yet another type of 40mm grenade launcher has begun to be seen in imagery from the conflict in Ukraine – standalone FN FN40GL grenade launchers. In early June, as Ukraine’s counter-offensive got underway, Ukrainian special operations units began to be seen equipped with FN40GLs in both the standalone (FN40GL-S) and under-barrel grenade launcher configurations.

The FN40GLs which have begun to seen in Ukraine appear to be original Mk1 versions with a slightly different pistol grip assembly profile with a large gap between the grip assembly and the actual barrel assembly. Alongside these launchers in the standalone configuration a number of FN40GLs in the under-barrel configuration have been seen mounted on rifles.

The Mk1 launcher was introduced by FN in the mid-2000s, the stand alone unit mounts the launcher on a frame with rail space and a collapsing stock. When in the under-barrel configuration a different trigger assembly is used which wraps around the rifle’s magazine housing. The FN40GL-S weighs in at 2.9kg while in the under-barrel configuration it weighs between 1.3-1.4kg. The launcher is fully ambidextrous with the barrel able to cant either left or right to facilitate loading.

An FN40GL-S with 40mm rounds (via social media)

It’s unclear which country has provided the grenade launchers as a number of countries adopted them, with many special forces units pairing them with FN’s SCAR series of rifles. It is also unclear how many of the launchers are in theatre though from conversations with combatants they are still relatively rare with M320s, M203s, Fort-600s and GP-25s being among the more common single-shot 40mm low velocity launchers. Given the increasing number of them sighted since July it seems the FN40GLs are proliferating through Ukraine’s various special operations units.

The first sighting of an FN40GL came on around 7 June, when a member of AZOV’s SOF unit shared a photograph of an FN40GL-S and a bandolier of 40mm rounds.

On the 8 June a photograph of a member of Ukraine’s SSO was shared online featuring a SCAR-L mounted with an FN40GL. The photograph is also notable for the presence of a SCAR MK20 (article/video on these coming).

On the 12 June, another Ukrainian combatant shared a photograph of an M4A1, an FN40GL and a Glock pistol.

Another standalone FN40GL-S seen by the side of a Ukrainian combatant during the early phases of the counter-offensive (via social media)

During the early phase of the counter-offensive a Ukrainian SOF team shared a photograph in front of an abandoned Leopard 2 on 15 June, strapped to the plate carrier of one of the operators can be seen an FN40GL-S.

Another photograph taken near the same Leopard 2 surfaced a week later showing another member of Ukrainian SOF with an FN40GL-2.

On the 24 June, a Ukrainian combatant posted a video on TikTok demonstrating the action of a FN40GL-s and how its barrel can pivot left and rifle.

In early July, a member of the AZOV brigade’s SOF teams shared a photograph of an FN40GL-S handing from a sling and retained in place by a cord.

On the 10 July, the second photograph of an FN40GL in the underbarrel configuration was shared showing the launcher mounted on a Springfield Armory SAINT AR-15 pattern rifle

On the 17 July, the same combatant affiliated with AZOV SOF shared a video of the FN40GL-S being fired and reloaded several times during a firefight across a road.

A week or so later, on 29 July, a member of the SSO shared a photograph of a SCAR fitted with a FN40GL.

In early August an Estonian volunteer shared a photo of a black SCAR-L fitted with an FN40GL. He shared his thoughts on the FN launcher and grenade launchers in general. He noted that there’s “not a lot of them around, only special units using these types of weapons… 40mm must be in each squad, they’re very effective.” He went on to explain that he prefers standalone launchers such as the M320.

Ukrainian combatant with an FN40GL in the underbarrel configuration (via social media)

Most recently another phoptograh of a Ukrainian combatant with a SCAR-L fitted with a FN40GL was shared on Telegram. Both the rifle and launcher have been given a camouflage paint job.

The grenade launchers currently appear to be largely in use with a handful of Ukrainian special operations units which have also seen a recent proliferation of SCAR pattern rifles.

Very special thanks to every who helped collect and collate imagery for this video including, especially my friends at ShriekingDelilah on IG, as well as AbraxasSpa, UkraineWeaponsWarfare and Sergio for their help.

Update – 29/12/23: Another sighting of an FN40 GL, a reportedly Swedish volunteer wearing a Company Group Team shirt.

Update – 2/1/24: More imagery, shared in summer 2023, by Ukrainian SOF of an FN40 GL.

Update – 28/02/24: an FN40GL seen in a collection of weapons reportedly captured by Russian forces from a 73rd Naval Special Purpose Center team.

Update – 6/9/24: Recently shared photo of a member of a GUR team with an FN SCAR-L equipped with an FN40GL.

Update – 10/1/25:

A Ukrainian SSO member with an FN FN40GL in the standalone configuration along with the ubiquitous Daniel Defense rifle.More on the FN40GL here: armourersbench.com/2023/08/13/f…#UkraineRussiaWar #Ukraine️ #SALW

— Matthew Moss – Armourer's Bench (@matthewmoss.bsky.social) 2025-01-11T12:06:06.473Z

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OTO Melara Mod 56 In Ukraine

We’ve examined a number of artillery systems in use in Ukraine, including the venerable M101 howitzers and the MT-100s mounted on MT-LBs, one of the smallest and most interesting howitzers in use is the OTO Melara Mod 56.

The Mod 56 is a small 105mm pack howitzer. It weighs in at 1.29 metric tons and it can be towed by light vehicles. It has a split trail gun carriage and a hydro-pneumatic recuperator assembly. Developed by Italy’s OTO Melara the gun entered service in the mid-1950s and has seen service with countries around the world including Italy, the UK, Australia, Spain, Pakistan and the Philippines.

An OTO Melara Mod 56 (Ukraine National Guard)

Much like the heavier M101 howitzers, transferred to Ukraine by Lithuania, the Mod 56 can use any M1 105mm ammunition. With its short 1.47 metre-long barrel, the Mod 56 has a maximum effective range of around 10,000 metres (10km/6 miles). While this puts it at a severe disadvantage compared to the larger 155mm howitzers used by Ukraine and the 152mm guns used by Russia the small Mod 56 has the advantage of being lightweight and can be deployed forward under cover. The most useful role it could likely fulfil is as an infantry support gun.

In November 2022, Spain’s Defence Minister Margarita Robles confirmed that Spain would send a battery of six light howitzers and also provide training for Ukrainian gun crews. Subsequently, a brief clip of Ukrainian gunners training on the Mod 56 was shared in late November.

A Mod 56 in action (via social media)

The guns were seen in Ukraine for the first time in early January, with a short clip of one of the guns firing being shared on 11 January. It appears the gunner is wearing a National Guard patch but its unclear which unit the gun belongs to. On 12 January, the 1st Mechanized Battalion of Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade posted an info-graphic giving some basic detail on the Mod 56.

On 20 February, a brief clip of a Mod 56 was shared, the footage was believed to have been taken in the vicinity of Bakhmut. However, photographs taken by an AP photographer, Libkos, of the same gun showed that the gun was actually in action in Avdiivka, Donetsk. The series of photographs also showed that the gun was being operated by a National Guard unit and the crew was using drone footage to select their targets. One photograph was also shared by President Zelensky on 5 March. Interestingly, the gun is seen without its shield.

Another video of one of the guns in action was shared on 16 April. It was several months before more imagery of the Mod 56s in use appeared but on 1 June, the Ukrainian National Guard shared a photograph of one of the guns and several days later, on 3 June, a short video of a gun in action was shared.

A Mod 56 in action (via social media)

Most recently on 19 July, a Ukrainian National Guard unit shared a brief clip of a Mod 56 firing. It also nicely illustrates the gun’s breech mechanism.

From the available imagery, it appears that the guns are operated by Ukraine’s National Guard, though which artillery unit is unclear. While it has been confirmed that Spain has provided at least 6 Mod 56 howitzers, it remains unknown if any other countries, such as Italy, have provided the small guns.

Update – 29/12/23:

An undated sighting of a Mod 56 in operation in Ukraine. Notably half of the gun shield appears to be missing.

Update – 17/04/24: A clip posted on 7 April, date of recording unconfirmed, showing a Mod 56 in action. The howitzer’s gunshield has been removed.

Update – 29/5/24:

Update – 23/07/24:

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Making Belt Boxes For Ukraine’s Machine Guns

Earlier this month Popular Mechanics published an article I wrote about GRaft, a Ukrainian company which has manufactured belt boxes for almost every type of machine gun being used by the Ukrainian armed forces.

While belt boxes might not seem like the most exciting pieces of military equipment, they’re no less vital than the guns they’re paired with; the boxes are essential for storing and carrying ready-to-use belts of linked ammunition, and they allow machine gunners to move around unencumbered by hanging belts that can become tangled.

M240 GPMG with GRaft 100-round belt box (GRaft)

GRaft initially designed and manufactured furniture including benches and tables but with the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, they have since turned their attention and skills to belt boxes. With machine guns being transferred to Ukraine by a plethora of different countries this has led to a wide variety of machine guns entering service with the Ukrainian armed forces. In many cases the machine guns transferred to Ukraine are often without enough belt boxes.

I spoke to one of GRaft’s engineers who explained that their impetus to begin designing and manufacturing belt boxes came from friends’ experience with old boxes for PK-pattern machine guns. He explained that the old aluminium PK boxes had seen decades of service and there was a general shortage of them.

GRaft belt boxes at various stages of fabrication (GRaft)

GRaft began work on their PK box in April 2022 and within a month had a design ready for manufacture. GRaft refined its designs based on direct user feedback and soon began working on belt boxes for other weapons ranging from 14.5mm KPVs to 5.56x45mm and 7.62x51mm FN Minimis.

GRaft kindly shared some videos from their workshop showing how the belt boxes are fabricated. They use laser cutting to cut sheet metal into blanks which are then shaped and riveted and spot welded into their final form. They work with a small paint shop that then powder coat the boxes.

PK GPMG with GRaft belt box (GRaft)

The company also developed 75 and 100-round boxes for the FN MAG/M240, the 100 round box was designed with an angled wall so the mass of the belt sits closer to the weapon’s center of balance, improving the weapon’s handling. Similarly they have also begun producing boxes for 7.62x51mm MG42-pattern machine guns. Their goal, the engineer told me, is “satisfied machine gunners” but really they’d like to get back to producing furniture.

Check out my full article on GRaft’s work over at Popular Mechanics.

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The Hammerless 1911

Ever since I picked up a copy of John Browning and Curt Gentry’s 1964 biography of John M. Browning I’ve been fascinated by this hammerless .45 calibre pistol, one of Browning’s prototypes for the US Army’s semi-automatic pistol trials.

The Browning .45 calibre pistol prototype with a shrouded hammer (Matthew Moss)

Last year I had the opportunity to visit the John M. Browning Museum in Ogden, Utah and I was thrilled to see the ‘hammerless’ prototype on display. Very little has been written about the development of this particular pistol with Browning and Gentry explaining that during the US Army’s long process to select a new service pistol John Browning decided to provide two versions of his .45 ACP pistol – one with an exposed hammer and the other with a shrouded hammer similar to that seen on his Colt 1903 and 1908 Pocket Hammerless commercial pistols. 

The ‘hammerless’ pistol is identical in operation to the exposed hammer prototype which was eventually selected as the M1911. It uses the same improved tilting barrel action which is covered by the patent filed in February 1910, US #984,519. The slide and frame profiles of the ‘hammerless’ pistol have been reshaped with the slide extending back further shrouding the hammer while the rear of the frame projects back, lining up with the rear of the slide rather than forming a beavertail. The pistol grip angle, at near 90-degree, is more akin to the Colt Pocket Hammerless and earlier Colt-Browning semi-automatic pistols.

The Browning-Gentry book lists the pistol as 8 inches in length overall with a 3.75-inch barrel and a weight of 2lbs 4oz. The pistol has a grip safety and a frame-mounted safety and a push-button magazine release on the left side of the frame. Sadly the pistol was behind glass and with time short we couldn’t get a better look at the gun. 

The Browning .45 calibre pistol prototype with shrouded hammer on display at the Browning Museum (Matthew Moss)

The chronology of the various prototypes’ development is sometimes difficult to track as Browning’s hands-on style left few written descriptions of the designs as they evolved. The museum dates the pistol to 1905 but displays it alongside the pattern of pistol often referred to as the Model 1910. Interestingly, the ‘hammerless’ pistol also has the frame-mounted safety which was reportedly added late in the refinement of the 1910 pistols. The ‘hammerless 1911’ was never commercially marketed by Colt and the exposed hammer .45 ACP pistol went on to win the US military pistol trials and became an iconic design. 

Huge thanks to the Browning Museum in Ogden for allowing us to film in their collection – we have some really exciting videos from the museum coming up. 

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Bibliography

John M. Browning: American Gunmaker, J. Browning C. Gentry (1987)

The Guns of John Browning, N. Gorenstein, (2021)

Handguns of the World, E.C. Ezell (1981)

‘Rarest of the rare: Browning 1910 & Hammerless .45’, American Handgunner, (source)

The Fanta Bomb & Improvised Munitions in Ukraine

All sorts of munitions have been dropped from drones ranging from hand grenades to Molotov balloons to mortar rounds and even blocks of explosive. In this article/video, we’ll look at a couple of interesting examples of improvised munitions.

In early May an interesting short video was shared by a Ukrainian combatant showing a Fanta soft drink bottle filled with explosives and what appear to be ball bearings of different sizes. It’s hard to tell what sort of explosive has been used but the bottle is topped with a UZRGM grenade fuze.

The Fanta Bomb (via social media)

Ordnance Lab made an interesting video a couple of weeks ago testing an approximate version of the Fanta bomb and found it to be fairly effective in terms of blast and fragmentation. Though their version looked to contain more ball bearings and they noted it weighed around 3kg.

The only other similar munition to surface was seen in a photograph that showed a box of Polish Kropla Beskidu water bottles which also appear to be filled with explosive materials and fuzed with standard UZRGM fuzes. 

Improvised can-based warhead for FPV drone (via social media)

It’s unclear whether the grenades are designed for ground use or perhaps for dropping from drones. If the fill of the grenade is purely explosive then it would have a significant blast effect but minimal fragmentation – likely why the Fanta bottle example has been augmented with ball bearings. 

There is also evidence of the simple use of directly using TNT blocks with UZRGM fuzes, with the Georgian Legion evidently dropping them from drones. 

Old drinks cans have also been used to make improvised explosive devices. In early May a video showing a ‘Non Stop’ energy drink can being split open and filled with plastic explosives and ball bearings was shared. The can was then attached to a First Person View (FPV) drone and used against personnel in a Russian trench. 

In June several short clips were shared featuring drinks cans with grenade fuzes. Two with UZRGM fuzes and one can with what appears to be a DVM fuze. The can could be augmenting a Bulgarian fragmentation grenade such as an AR-ROG or GHD/RGD series.    

Improvised can-based grenade (via social media)

In July, Ryan O’Leary, a US volunteer in Ukraine, shared a photograph of 5 craft-made grenades constructed from plastic drinks bottles slipped into the base of Red Bull and Non Stop energy drink cans. O’Leary suggests that there is approximately 1-2 kg of RDX explosive inside. They are again topped with UZRGM fuzes and secured with tape.

Improvised grenades made from bottles and drinks cans (via social media)

So why are these munitions being made? Often when I cover improvised munitions people ask are the Ukrainians not receiving billions in aid? The answer to this is – they are. However, aid doesn’t always include all the types of munition you might want. Similarly, the combatants improvising these munitions may not receive the types of munitions they need –  wartime logistics can be challenging. Additionally, the combatants producing these munitions may be looking for bombs with improved blast and fragmentation over what is available.

Update – 25/07/23:

Update – 27/09/23: A BBC Newsnight report featured a drone company attached to the 24th Brigade. A can-based improvised exposive device, designed to be dropped from a drone was featured.

Update 15/5/24: On 3 May a Ukrainian telegram channel shared a clip of a drone dropped munition attack on Russian infantry. The munition appears to be enclosed in a Pepsi can. The unit involved is claimed to be a drone unit of the National Guard’s 4th Rapid Reaction Brigade.

Update – 15/7/24:

In addition to bottles and cans packed with explosives, both sides have utilised bottles filled with incendiary mixtures. These have seen being dropped from drones on positions and vehicles.

Update – 28/5/25:

A member of the 6th Special Purpose Battalion of the 12th Special Purpose Brigade “Azov” used an DIY bottle bomb, as an enhanded blast grenade to demolish the front of a single story building during fighting near Toretsk.

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Bibliography:

UZRG-M Fuze, CAT-UXO, (source)

DVM Fuze, CAT-UXO, (source)

Dogfighting Drones in Ukraine

During my recent video with author and journalist David Hambling discussing drone warfare in Ukraine, we briefly touched on the phenomena of drone dogfighting. Drone use in Ukraine has been a prominent feature of the conflict and drones have been used in roles ranging from Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) to direct action against targets – either through one-way loitering/kamikaze drones or by drone-dropped munitions.

Naturally, the threat drones pose, either from information gathering, artillery forward observation or direct attacks, means that both sides have sought to interdict and destroy the other’s drones. In some cases, this has seen opposing drones attacking one another in dogfights. This raises some fascinating parallels with early military aviation, during the First World War, which saw initially unarmed observation aircraft begin to carry weapons and attack one another.

Some of the earliest instances of these drone dogfights were reported in October 2022, with an initial video featuring a pair of DJI Mavic quadcopters, with the Ukrainian drone destroying the Russian drone by breaking its rotors. Another video posted on 18 October, reportedly shows a Ukrainian drone dive down onto a Russian quadcopter damaging it. Several more similar videos were shared in November. One shared around 14 November again shows a drone attacking from above. Towards the end of the month, on 25 November, a DJI Mavic clearly marked with a ‘Z’ was rammed from above by a Ukrainian drone.

Check out our earlier video on drone warfare:

In early December, a different technique was demonstrated with a drone from the separatist 1st Donetsk Army Corps dropping a weighted net onto a Ukrainian drone below it. This has the benefit of not having to use a valuable asset to ram, and potentially lose while attempting to attack an enemy drone. It also has the advantage that it presumably uses the same munition release mechanism used to drop munitions on ground targets. The drawback to net dropping, however, is the increased chances of missing the target and a limit to how many attempts the operator has to attack a target. In mid-December another video was shared, this time by Ukraine’s 54th Mechanised Brigade, showing the ramming of another drone.

A Russian drone seen via the feed from an attacking Ukrainian drone (via social media)

February 2023 saw further videos of drone dogfights, in another piece of footage shared on 24 February, we can see the attacking Russian drone taking its time to line up on its target before attacking, it is possible to the attacked Ukrainian drone fall to the ground.

As can be seen in videos like this one from mid-February, aiming a drone for a ramming run at an opposing drone below can be difficult. In our earlier video, David explained the favoured tactic of attacking from above has a number of advantages in that it allows the attacking drone to maintain visual contact with the drone’s camera and also avoid being seen by the target drone’s camera which is also unable to look upwards. The more robust body of the drone is what makes contact with the target drone’s rotors – increasing the attacking drone’s survivability. In some of the videos, the target drone appears unaware it’s about to be attacked.

DJI Mavic struck by another drone damaging its rotor blades (via social media)

This was again demonstrated in a video posted by the Ukrainian 10th Mountain Division in March, which showed a drone making numerous ramming runs on a Russian quadcopter. In early May, a video of a Russian DJI Matrice 30 series drone being hunted by a Ukrainian DJI Mavic was shared. While the Ukrainian drone was destroyed too, the loss of a ≈$2,000 Mavic to destroy a Matrice worth approximately $12,000 makes tactical sense. On 25 March, Russian telegram channels shared a video from a team called Project Krechet featuring a test showing a fast-moving First Person View (FPV) drone ramming a larger quadcopter. The telegram posts noted that the ‘Small anti-drone fighter aircraft’ are much cheaper and better suited to the role than DJI Mavics.

In late April, footage of another drone dogfight was shared showing a Russian Mavic being downed by a Ukrainian drone. In early May, the Russian news agency RIA shared footage of a clash between a Russian drone and a Ukrainian DJI Mavic, reportedly in the Donetsk, Adviivka region. On 24 May, Escadrone, a Ukrainian manufacturer and supplier of FPV kamikaze drones shared what is believed to be the first video of a Ukrainian FPV drone attacking a Russian reconnaissance quadcopter.

An FPV drone attacks a Russian quadcopter (Escadrone)

While not a drone vs drone dogfight on 30 June, a video of a Ukrainian drone dropping a munition on a Russian Zala 421-16E2 which was on the ground, shows another nuance to drone vs drone engagements. This video is similar to the popular tactic of ‘drone demolition’, the dropping of munitions into enemy vehicles that have been mobility killed. In both the case of the Zala and ground vehicles the demolition missions deny the enemy the asset’s recovery and future use.

With drones playing a fundamentally important role for both sides instances of drone vs drone combat are only likely to increase. We may also see the emergence of more complex onboard methods of drones attacking other drones.

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