The War on Terror 101

 

•          M16:

                    Coming from the largest military power involved with the fighting, this adaption of the ArmaLite AR-15 has become the most widely used infantry firearm in the United States. Production started in 1962 and continues today with many variants Including very precise DMR(Designated Marksman Rifle) and colapsable versions for better consealment and storage. The fully automatic rifle uses standard 5.56x45mm NATO rounds to make it cheap to operate and has a maximum fire rate of 950 rounds per minute for some variants.

 

•          FGM-148 Javelin:

                    The Javelin is an advanced infantry-fired missile purposed specifically for destroying armored vehicles and used primarily by the US and Norway, as well as a number of other world countries. The FGM-148 has a very unique design in which the explosive warhead of the missile is in the shape of a cone made to direct the blast downward with a small pre-blast set to go off just before the main explosion and detonate any reactive armor on the vehicle. The missile is a fire and forget type, meaning that once the operator locks onto a target and fires, the missile guides itself to the target. In the main firing mode, the missile is flown directly over the target vehicle and the directional blast destroys the target from above, as vehicles generally have the least armor on top. The missile also has a direct fire mode that can be used on buildings, bunkers, and low-flying helicopters that guides the missile to impact directly into the target.

 

•          M1 Abrams:

                    The standard US Armored Tank since 1979 in the Gulf War, the M1 Abrams is the most mass-produced tank in history with 10,000 built by the US from 1979 to present day. The tank is mounted with a 120mm smooth-bore tank cannon, a .50 caliber heavy machine gun. The tank has seen many upgrades since 1979 including explosive reactive armor, improved weaponry, and completely revamped computer systems. Some models have even been suited to survive light nuclear blasts and fallout. 

 

•           A-10 Thunderbolt-II:

                    The Thunderbolt II, or Warthog as known most comminly in the US Marine Corps, was the primary attack jet in the war in Iraq and is still a very common and effective craft. The A-10 was built around a massive GAU-8/A Avenger gatling cannon with a fire rate of 3900 rounds per minute and a recoil thrust greater than that of the two turbojet engines mounted on the back of the craft. The plane is among the most durable aircraft in the world, able to fly over 200 miles back to base with half a wing missing, one engine, one tail, and totaly destroyed hydraulic control systems. 

 

•           MQ-1Predator UAV:

                   The Predator is a highly advanced unmanned areal vehicle, or UAV, built specifically for reconnacance and tactical strikes in Iraq. With a maximum ceiling of 25,000 feet and a payload of up to six air-to-ground missiles, the Predator is a silent killer, and a high-quality long range camera serves to make it the primary surveylence vehicle of the US. In addition to the Predator, the US and many countries worldwide have other UAV's that they use in much the same role as the MQ-1.

 

•           AK-47:

                    The most popular and widely used firearm in the world is the Kalashnikov AK-47. Over 75 million of the fully automatic assault rifle were made during its production in 1949-1959. The rifile can fire up to 600 rounds per minute and is widely known as the most reliable, cheapest, and easiest rifle to use today. The AK-4 can be obtained for as little as $800 in Iraq, with "Osama bin Laden's favorite model" costing about $2000.

 

•           RPG-7:

                    The RPG-7 is a Russian made, unguided, man-portable rocket launcher. Used mainly as an anti-vehicle weapon, the RPG-7 has become very popular with Iraqi and Syrian insurgents because it is cheap, easy to operate, and effective at destroying vehicles from a distance. The missile is unguided, so all the operator has to do is point the weapon and pull the trigger. What makes the weapon so dangerous to invading military forces is that the weapon is very inexpensive and therefore the rebel forces can afford to fire at any vehicle within range.

 

•           IED/Car bomb:

                    The most common explosive  used by terrorist forces, and the most deadly weapon as they killed more than 196 and injured 861 Americans alone from 2005-2012. Improvised explosive devices that are usually placed on known invading military patrol routes to explode when vehicles or infantry pass over them, likely killing the occupants of the vehicle.