Gatling gun

The Gatling gun (1861) was one of the most well known rapid-fire weapons to be used in the 1860s by the Union forces of the Civil War, following the 1851 invention of the mitrailleuse by the Belgian Army.

Although the first Gatling gun was capable of firing continuously, it required human power to crank it; as such it was not a true automatic weapon. Each barrel fired a single shot as it reached a certain point in the cycle after which it ejected the spent cartridge, loaded a new round, and in the process, cooled down somewhat.

This configuration allowed higher rates of fire without the problem of an overheating single barrel. Some time later, Gatling-type weapons were invented that diverted a fraction of gas from the chamber to turn the barrels. Later still, electric motors supplied external power.

The original Gatling gun was designed by the American inventor Dr. Richard J. Gatling in 1861 and patented in 1862.^[1] He wrote that he made it to reduce the size of armies and so reduce the number of deaths by combat and disease.^[2]

The Maxim gun, invented in 1884, was the first true automatic weapon, making use of the fired projectile's recoil force to reload the weapon.

Mitrailleuse

Mitrailleuse (literally "Grapeshot shooter") was an early form of "machine gun". In French "mitrailleuse" became the standard word for all machine guns, but in English it is used to refer to the early models derived from the first mitrailleuse invented in 1851 by the Belgian Army Captain Fafschamps, 10 years before the advent of the Gatling gun. It was followed by the Belgian Montigny mitrailleuse in 1863. Then the French 13mm X 25 barrels "Canon à balles", better known as the Reffye mitrailleuse, was adopted in great secrecy in 1866. It became the first rapid-firing weapon to be deployed as standard equipment by any army in a major conflict. This happened during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. The objective of the Reffye mitrailleuse was to extend the lethal effects of heavy 13mm ( 50 caliber ) cylindrical bullets at very long distances, far beyond the reach of the infantry rifles of that period . A perforated steel block containing 25 center fire cartridges was pressed against the breech before firing. With the rotation of a crank, the 25 rounds were fired in rapid succession. The normal firing rate of the Reffye mitrailleuse was 100 rounds per minute and the effective battlefield reach of its bullets extended to about 2500 yards. Reffye mitrailleuses were always deployed in 6 gun batteries and were manned by artillery personnel. They were not infantry support weapons but rather a form of special artillery.

Although innovative and capable of good ballistic performance, the Reffye mitrailleuse failed as a tactical weapon because its basic concept and operational usage were flawed. On the contrary the Gatling gun system became widely successful and even survives in powered form to this day. The word mitrailleuse nonetheless became the generic term for a machine gun in the French language, although the mitrailleuse itself was entirely manually-operated.

Action

The choice between bolt-action and semi-automatic (more commonly recoil or gas operation) is usually determined by specific requirements of the sniper's role as envisioned in a particular organization, with each design having advantages and disadvantages. For a given cartridge, a bolt-action rifle is cheaper to build and maintain, more reliable and accurate, and lighter; this is due to fewer moving parts in the mechanism. In addition, the lack of an external magazine allows for more versatile fire-positioning and manual case ejection allows for greater discretion. Semi-automatic weapons can serve a cross-purpose use as both a battle rifle and a sniper rifle, and allow for a greater rate (and hence volume) of fire. As such rifles may be modified service rifles; an additional benefit can be commonality of operation with the issued infantry rifle. A bolt-action is the most commonly used in both military and police roles due to its higher accuracy and ease of maintenance. Anti-materiel applications such as mine clearing and special forces operations tend to see a higher usage of semi-automatics.

A designated marksman rifle (DMR) is less specialized than a typical military sniper rifle, often only intended to extend the range of a group of soldiers. Therefore, when a semi-automatic action is used it is due to its ability to cross over into roles similar to the roles of standard issue weapons. There may also be additional logistical advantages if the DMR uses the same ammunition as the more common standard issue weapons. These rifles enable a higher volume of fire, but sacrifice some long range accuracy. They are frequently built from existing selective fire battle rifles or assault rifles, often simply by adding a telescopic sight and adjustable stock.

A police semi-automatic sniper rifle may be used in situations that require a single sniper to engage multiple targets in quick succession, and military semi-automatics like the M110 SASS are used in similar "target-rich" environments.

Sniper rifle

In military and law enforcement terminology, a sniper rifle is a rifle used to ensure accurate placement of bullets at longer ranges than small arms. A typical sniper rifle is built for optimal levels of accuracy, fitted with a telescopic sight and chambered for a military centerfire cartridge. The term is often used in the media to describe any type of accurized firearm fitted with a telescopic sight that is employed against human targets.

The military role of sniper (a term derived from the snipe, a bird which was difficult to hunt and shoot) dates back to the turn of the 18th century, but the sniper rifle itself is a much more recent development. Advances in technology, specifically that of telescopic sights and more accurate manufacturing, allowed armies to equip specially-trained soldiers with rifles that would enable them to deliver precise shots over greater distances than regular infantry weapons. The rifle itself could be a standard rifle (at first, a bolt-action rifle); however, when fitted with a telescopic sight, it would become a sniper rifle.

F-16 Fighting Falcon

The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force. Designed as a lightweight, day-time Visual Flight Rules (VFR) fighter, it evolved into a successful multirole aircraft. The Falcon's versatility is a paramount reason it has proven a success on the export market, having been selected to serve in the air forces of 25 nations.^[2] The F-16 is the largest Western jet fighter program with over 4,400 aircraft built since production was approved in 1976.^[2] Though no longer being bought by the U.S. Air Force, advanced versions are still being built for export customers. In 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation,^[3] which in turn became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin Marietta.^[4]

The Fighting Falcon is a dogfighter with numerous innovations including a frameless, bubble canopy for better visibility, side-mounted control stick to ease control while under high g-forces, and reclined seat to reduce the effect of g-forces on the pilot. Weapons include a M61 Vulcan cannon and various missiles mounted on up to 11 hardpoints. It was also the first fighter aircraft deliberately built to sustain 9-g turns. It has a thrust-to-weight ratio greater than one, providing enough power to climb and accelerate vertically – if necessary.^[1] Although the F-16's official name is "Fighting Falcon", it is known to its pilots as the "Viper", due to it resembling a cobra snake and after the Battlestar Galactica starfighter.^[5][6] It is used by the Thunderbirds air demonstration team.

The F-16 is scheduled to remain in service with the U.S. Air Force until 2025.^[7] The planned replacement is the F-35 Lightning II, which is scheduled to enter service in 2011 and will gradually begin replacing a number of multirole aircraft among the air forces of the program's member nations.

Bullpup

Bullpup is a firearm configuration in which the action and magazine are located behind the trigger. This increases the barrel length relative to the overall weapon length, permitting shorter weapons for the same barrel length, saving weight and increasing maneuverability. It alternatively allows for longer barrels on weapons of the same length, which can increase muzzle velocity. Higher muzzle velocities result in flatter trajectories, a longer effective range, and, in some cases, increased lethality.

Ghauri (missile)

Ghauri (Urdu: غوری), also designated Hatf-V, is a medium-range ballistic missile developed by Kahuta Research Laboratories (KRL) of Pakistan, based on the North Korean Nodong missile.

The name Ghauri is taken from a Muslim historical figure, Muhammad Ghori, who was a rival to the Hindu ruler Prithvi Raj Chauhan of India in the last decade of the 12th century. The "Hatf" designation originates from the name of the sword/lance of Prophet Muhammad.^[1]

The Ghauri-I has an optimum range of 1,500 km and can carry conventional or non-conventional payloads. It is powered by a single stage liquid propellant engine. Pakistan successfully carried out a test of the surface-to-surface Ghauri-I Missile with a range of 1500 km ^[2] and a payload of 700 kg on April 6, 1998. This test represented a step forward in Pakistan's missile and satellite launch programme.^[3]

Ghauri-II is a longer ranged variant of the Ghauri-I missile. It was developed by increasing the length of the motor assembly and using improved propellants. The Ghauri-II missile has a range of 2,300 km (1,429 miles).^[4]

Ghauri-III with a range of 3500 km – 4000 km is under development.^[5]