Support Weapons for Infantry Units
At the end of most battles, it is the infantry that ultimately defeats the enemy and holds its position. However, the reality of modern warfare is that if the infantry relies solely on its riflemen, it will be in a very disadvantageous position.
No experienced shooter or competent commander will want to join the battle without the support of platoon and company machine guns, company mortars, and direct-fire weapons, including portable guided missiles. Their effective use can have not only a decisive influence on the outcome of the battle, but also significantly reduce losses. The ability to correctly use this support weapon against an opponent on the battlefield is an art that distinguishes a well-trained and professional combat commander, experienced in serious military affairs and fighting with armed formations, no matter what uniform they wear and whether they wear it at all.
Machine guns
The appearance of the machine gun changed the battlefield. The ability of the machine gun to deliver accurate and continuous fire makes it the weapon of choice not only to maintain an effective defensive position, but also to support the attack. The light machine gun is sometimes the standard weapon of the infantry squad. Its inherent dispersal, along with the common practice of hand-firing, makes it more of a suppressive weapon than accurate, aimed fire. Suppression fire is intended to distract the enemy (as they say, he could not "stick his head out") and to ensure freedom of movement for his forces. All of the above is true for the 249 mm FN M5,56 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) light machine gun. One such machine gun is armed with each of the two fire groups of the infantry squad of the American army. M249 SAW is powered from detachable link tape; shooting, as a rule, is carried out from a bipod. The German army at the squad level is armed with a Heckler & Koch MG4 light machine gun also of 5,56x45 mm caliber. As was the case with its WWII predecessor, the tactics of its separation develop around these weapons. The Russian army and many countries where Russian weapons have been supplied also have a two-man light machine gun in service with each squad. For many years, the main weapon of this class was the Degtyarev light machine gun (RPD) of 7,62x39 mm caliber with a round box with a belt for 100 rounds. At the squad level, it was replaced by a Kalashnikov light machine gun, originally also 7,62 mm. Later, the RPK-74 was released chambered for 5,45x39 mm with power from box magazines for 30 or 45 rounds or a drum for 100 rounds. The M249, MG 4 and RPD / RPK light machine guns of different countries illustrate the military's desire to use the same ammunition (and often the magazine) in the rifleman's assault rifle and the squad light machine gun. Their range is about 800 meters.
The company is armed with heavier machine guns, usually of 7,62 mm caliber. Their combat effectiveness is significantly increased when firing from a tripod, and when using the rotation mechanism and vertical guidance, the effectiveness and accuracy of fire significantly increases at distances up to 1100 meters. The representative of FN America, the manufacturer of MAG58 / M240, noted that “the most important feature of the machine gun is the ability to provide a high density of fire for a long time. It’s a tool that allows you to win the clash, to leave the battle if you are ambushed, or to provide fire cover so that your forces can complete the maneuver. "
The US Army and many NATO countries use the FH MAG58 / M240 machine gun as a standard belt-fed weapon. The German army is armed with the Rheinmetall MG3 machine gun, an updated version of the very successful MG42 single machine gun from the Second World War. In 2010, it was replaced by a single machine gun N & K MG5 (NK121) chambered for 7,62x51 mm NATO. The Russian army is armed with a PK machine gun and its improved version of the PKM. These two machine guns are powered by non-disintegrating link belts that feed cartridges from a 100-round knapsack magazine or a 200-round cartridge box. The key feature of these machine guns is their ability to provide continuous fire, which is ensured by the use of heavier barrels with a quick change device. This allows a crew of three or four to open continuous short bursts, either along defensive lines or in support of attacks by rifle squads. In the latter case, these machine guns, when using vertical and horizontal guidance mechanisms, can accurately "lay" the bullets just a few meters in front of the advancing infantrymen.
Infantry mortars
Infantry mortars provide combat units with relatively close, quick-response indirect fire. 51 mm caliber mortars are usually operated by one operator, 60 mm or 81 mm caliber smoothbore mortars are serviced by calculation (Russian and Chinese models have 82 mm caliber), while mechanized / motorized units can service caliber mortars up to 120 mm. Due to its large vertical guidance angles, the mortar allows shelling targets behind shelters, trees and buildings or in lowlands that cannot be reached with traditional direct-fire weapons, such as machine guns. The most common type of ammunition is high-explosive fragmentation, but smoke shells are also used for setting curtains and marking targets and lighting shells that throw a pyrotechnic composition on a parachute. The US Army and Marine Corps plus the armies of five other countries, including the Australian, are armed with the lightweight 60-mm M224 mortar. Its range is 3490 meters, and the weight of 22 kg is distributed among the members of the calculation. Based on the urgent requirements of the units fighting in Afghanistan, the British army in 2007 re-adopted the 60-mm light mortar M6-895 with a range of 3800 meters. These 60-mm mortars also have a small minimum range, which makes it possible to fire at an attacking enemy even at extremely short distances. With this in mind, Saab Dynamics offers its versatile ammunition for destroying the manpower and material of the M1061 MAP AM (Multi-Purpose Anti-Personnel Anti-Material round), which is distinguished by the controlled nature of the fragmentation of fragments.
As weapons of the company level, mortars of calibers 81 and 82 mm are in service with the armies of many countries. The M252 American medium mortar originates from the British L16 model (still in service with the 17 army), while modern materials were widely used to reduce weight. This process continued when the Marine Corps deployed the M2015A252 model in 2, which is lighter by 2,5 kg and has improved barrel cooling, which allows for longer firing times. The effective range of this mortar is 5935 meters when firing a high-explosive fragmentation projectile with a radius of destruction of 10 meters. The multi-mode fuse M734A1 manufactured by L-3 can be set to: remote detonation, near-surface, impact or with a delay. Smoke, light mines of white light and infrared, and even a PGM (precision guided projectile) projectile are also available.
PGM mines open up new opportunities for company level mortars. As a result of the collaboration between General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GT-OTS) and BAE Systems, an 81-mm projectile with an accuracy of 4 meters at a distance of 4000 meters was developed as part of the Roll Control Guided Mortar project. Significantly heavier and larger 120-mm mortars are more suitable for installation on a machine or towing, and therefore are most often a battalion level weapon, while they are more range and fire efficiency. They are particularly well suited for firing PGM shells. The Orbital ATK XM395 shell in one unit, screwed in instead of standard fuses, combines GPS guidance and control surfaces, which made it possible to achieve accuracy of less than 10 meters.
Direct fire weapons
The first "direct fire support weapon" was adopted mainly for the purpose of increasing the capabilities of the infantry company in the fight against tanks. Well-known examples of such weapons are the American 2,75-inch bazooka and the German Panzerfaust grenade launcher from World War II. These systems and the vast majority of subsequent armaments are characterized by practically no recoil, since the exhaust gases of the shot ammunition are discharged through the rear of the weapon. Initially, they were intended to fight against armored vehicles, and therefore, for the first time, ammunition with cumulative anti-tank warheads prevailed. However, among other targets were dugouts, firing structures, buildings and enemy manpower. Later, grenade launchers with a rifled barrel and low recoil appeared, having great range and accuracy. The types of ammunition, including high-explosive and anti-personnel, have been optimized for various purposes and tasks. In NATO, the calibers 57 mm, 75 mm, 84 mm, 90 mm and 106 mm were popular, and in the Warsaw Pact countries 82 mm and 107 mm.
Due to its versatility, the recoilless grenade launcher is still in demand by the military, despite the development of guided missiles, which were to become the main means of combating armored vehicles. The 84 mm caliber grenade launcher Carl Gustav is a prominent representative of the weapons of this type, perfectly matching the tasks of a small infantry unit. Carl Gustav was first adopted in the 1948 year and is in service with the 45 countries. The Swedish developer, currently Saab Bofors Dynamics, has continuously improved it throughout the life of this system. The latest version of the M4 was reduced, the weight and length of the “model” is 6,8 kg, and the length is 950 mm. It is charged from the breech and. As a rule, it is equipped either with various optical sights with an increase in 3x, or with a collimator sight, or it can be equipped with a night sight and a laser range finder. Different types of ammunition are offered for the grenade launcher: high-explosive fragmentation, cumulative, smoke, lighting, dual-purpose high-explosive fragmentation and active-reactive grenade. The firing range for fixed targets is 700 meters, and with an active-reactive grenade up to 1000 meters. In addition, shells are available for urban combat: concrete-piercing, for the destruction of fortifications and for firing from enclosed spaces.
Man-portable missile systems
A portable anti-tank missile system with guided missiles was developed to provide advanced units with a means of combating armored vehicles at long distances. The missile should be light and compact enough to carry one soldier, easy to handle, it should also have sufficient range and accuracy for reliable destruction of the target. At the time of the appearance of such systems, the emphasis was on their effectiveness in the fight against tanks and other armored vehicles, and therefore the designation Anti-tank Guided Missile (ATGM) was assigned to missiles of this class. However, the fighting in the 90's on such theater of operations as, for example, Iraq, demonstrated the expanded use of anti-tank systems for a number of other types of targets, including remote fortified positions, snipers in the windows of buildings and structures, and the so-called "technicals" (light vehicles used rebels). In addition, the vulnerability of the ATGM calculations, which, due to the current level of technology at that time, were forced to continuously track the target for at least 12 seconds after the launch, at the risk of being fired by the enemy, was of great concern. As a result, new requirements for ATGM calculations were identified, which provided for the adoption of ammunition that was optimized not only to combat the most advanced MBTs, but also to combat shelters, buildings and manpower. In addition, technologies have been developed that allow the operator to capture the target for automatic tracking and launch a missile with a homing system in the "shot-forgot" mode.
Raytheon's FGM-148 Javelin missile, launched in the 1996 year, was one of the first autonomous guidance systems. It has an infrared homing head, which determines the signature of the target captured by the operator in its sight. After launch, the missile is aimed at the target, regardless of the operator. The initial range of 2500 meters has been increased for the latest version to 4750 meters. Javelin missile with a weight of 22,3 kg has a length of 1,2 meters; As a rule, a complex consisting of a control / launch unit and one / two missiles is serviced by a crew of two.
Work is underway to develop a new control unit, which will be 40 percent easier. The control unit will also include a new high-resolution display, integrated control knobs, a color camera, an integrated GPS system, a laser rangefinder and an azimuth indicator. Due to the expansion of the set of targets for the Javelin complex (now it’s not only tanks), a variant of the FGM-148E missile with a warhead with optimized fragmentation and explosive action was developed.
The company MBDA, which produced Milan's rather popular ATGM worldwide, has now developed a new missile Moyenne Portee MMP for the French army. The universal missile of this complex is capable of destroying motionless and moving targets, ranging from light vehicles to the latest MBT, as well as manpower and defenses. MMR operates in three modes: homing, optical data channel and target acquisition after launch. The latter mode allows the shooter to launch a rocket, then capture the target using the optical channel and initiate the capture of the target. The missile warhead has two selectable modes: armor-piercing for penetrating armor more than 1000 mm thick under dynamic protection units and concrete-piercing for breaching two meters of concrete in a concrete wall from a distance of up to 5000 meters. It is safe to launch an MPP rocket from confined spaces. Initial deliveries to the French army took place in the 2017 year; in total, 400 systems will be delivered.
The universal anti-tank missile system Kornet-EM of the Russian company KBP gained worldwide fame after it had proven itself in the Syrian conflict. The complex, designed to destroy tanks with dynamic defense, light armored vehicles, fortifications and slowly flying air targets, includes two different types of missiles: one with a tandem warhead capable of penetrating 1300 mm of armor, and the second with a thermobaric warhead for structures and unarmored cars. Automatic laser beam guidance is provided at 8 or 10 km ranges, respectively. The latest version of the Cornet complex with a tripod launcher and rocket weighs 33 kg. Due to its fame, "earned" in real hostilities, it is not surprising that the complex has achieved great success, over 26 countries and a number of non-state structures have adopted it.
The manual NLAW complex goes into service with the British and Swedish armies. The missile complex, developed by Saab Dynamics, is guided by the principle of "shot-and-forget." A missile can attack stationary and moving targets at ranges from 20 to 800 meters. Before starting, the operator must accompany the target for several seconds, then he launches a rocket that flies to the target in the mode of calculated guidance along the line of sight. With a grenade launcher weight of only 12,5 kg, it is relatively easy to carry. Start can be made from confined spaces. A missile can attack from above, which is well suited for fighting tanks and armored vehicles, or it can attack directly, which is suitable for various fortifications and buildings. In order to increase operator safety, the rocket flies out of the launch tube at a low speed and then accelerates to 200 m / s. Unlike Javelin or MMP systems, the NLAW grenade launcher is more of an individual soldier system, not a calculation-based one. After the start of NLAW production, six armies bought it, including Saudi Arabia, Finland, Malaysia and Indonesia.
The ideal conduct of the battle forces the opponent to simultaneously react to the use of several means directed against his forces when he faces a dilemma: what is necessary to respond to first, without leaving the vulnerable areas. Firing machine guns and mortars in combination with direct-fire gun fire and guided missile launches allows the enemy to be knocked out from key positions and the subsequent maneuver of his forces to put him at a disadvantage. The ability of an infantry company to defeat an opponent is a direct result of organized positioning and the effective use of infantry support weapons available to the unit.
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