Weapons "Other Than Our Own" Training

We had an interesting class the other day on weapons used by our friends and our enemies. These weapons are used by the Afghan army (friends) and the Taliban (bad guys), among other nefarious organizations. That's why I call these weapons "other than our own."

I'll try not to bore you with a long lecture, but you may be interested to know that most of the world does not use weapons manufactured by the United States. Indeed, most of the weapons come out of the former Soviet Union, former Soviet bloc countries or China. Why do most countries use these weapons? Well, because they are generally cheaper to make (no unions to deal with) and on the whole, easier to operate and maintain. I (along with my new Brangelina haircut) shall demonstrate in the following pictures why this is so.

This is the AK-47. It was designed by a Soviet soldier and was first built immediately after WWII. It is still in production today (sixty years later) in one form or another. I think that I can safely say that it is the most recognizable rifle in the world and it is used by more armies than any other rifle. The next picture demonstrates why.

The AK-47 has just five (big) parts inside. It will fire semi-automatic (as fast as you can pull the trigger) or fully automatic (firing as long as you hold the trigger down). It requires very little maintenance, and can stand a great deal of abuse. It can go for a long time without cleaning. It is also extremely easy to operate and does not require a doctorate in metallurgical engineering to break down and reassemble.

This is a Soviet sniper rifle. I forget the name, but it's also simple and effective.

Here we have the RPG, or Rocket Propelled Grenade (launcher). Fortunately for others in the tent, I did not have a grenade affixed to the front. Once again, this requires little brainpower to operate. You do not want to stand behind a person who is firing this weapon, or you will be BBQ'd.

On the left is a machine gun that feeds ammunition through the box mounted on the bottom. The other weapon is simply an AK-47 on a tripod. Again, they all break down easily and will withstand lots of abuse. There are tons of them available all over the world.

That's it for the lecture. I may be scarce on pictures over the next few days, but I promise to go get more. Thanks for the comments and emails. I love reading them and this blog gives me something to look forward to at the end of each day. I go now to dine on fried "something or other" for dinner.