British Ground Weapons and Vehicles
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Uprated version of the SA80. But is considered inferior to the proven, robust, GPMG. The LSW has a heavier and longer barrel than the SA 80, allowing greater muzzle velocity and accuracy than the Individual Weapon. When fired from the integrated bipod, and using the standard SUSAT sight, the LSW is impressively accurate and consistent. |
| Weight | 6.88kg with sight |
| Length | 0.9 metres |
| Muzzle Velocity | 970 m/s |
| Feed | 30 round magazine |
| Effective Range | 1,000 metres |
| Cyclic Rate of Fire | 610-775 |
| The Brens used by the British troops during the Gulf War, and previous conflicts such as the Falklands War, was given a designation L4A4 Light Machine Gun, known to the troops as the LMG. These were old Mark 3 Brens that had been converted to fire the new NATO 7.62 rounds,. Their barrels were chrome lined in order to reduce wear and increase barrel life. The 7.6 2 Brens are easily identifiable by their straight magazines, introduced to hold the rimless NATO round, and by the absence of the conical flash hider that was characteristic of the old WWII. 303s. |  |
| Weight | 9.53kg |
| Length | 1.133m |
| Feed | Magazine feed |
| Effective Range | 600m |
| Cyclic Rate of Fire | 500 rounds per minute |
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A specialised version of the Centurion Mk 5 MBT entered service in the early 1960s. Another version, the AVRE 105, retained it's 105mm L7A1 tank guns. The 165mm gun fires a 29kg HESH projectile up to 2,400 metres, whereas the 105mm fires a 11.26kg HESH round. The 165 is fiited with a fascine carrier and dozer blade, the 105 being fitted with a mine plough. Both versions can tow the Giant Viper mine clearance system and another specialised trailer, the FV2721 Trailer that is used for various tasks and weighs 7,316 kg with a load carrying capacity of 7,500kg. |
| Engine: | Rolls-Royce Meteor Mark IVB 650bhp 27 litre engine |
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Rolls-Royce C6TFR 320bhp 12.2 litre |
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Although theoetically replaced in infantry sections by the 5.56mm LSW, many GPMGs came out of hiding to take part in the Gulf War. Effective range of the GPMG light role is 800m. In the SF role it is 180om and using map predictive fire 3000m. The weapon is operated by a two man team and a number of weapons are normally grouped in a specialist machine gun platoon. |
| Weight | 10.9kg |
| Length | 1.232m |
| Feed | Belt |
| Effective Range | 1200m |
| Cyclic Rate of Fire | 750-1,000 rounds per minute |
M109A2 Self Propelled Howitzer
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Model 8V71T Detroit 9.3 litre Diesel, 8-cylinder; 405bhp at 2,300rpm |
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M110A2 Self Propelled Howitzer
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Model 8V71T Detroit Diesel, 9.3 litre 8-cylinder; 405bhp at 2,300rpm |
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MLRS is the latest development of the World War 2 era Soviet Katyusha 'Stalin's
Organ'. The MLRS is a tracked vehicle mounting an elevating twelve round
launcher pack and a forward cab containing the three crew. Fully NBC protected
and designed to smash the Soviet tank advances envisaged at the start of
a Soviet invasion of Western Europe, the MLRS is a formidable offensive
weapon system. |
The MLRS went to the Gulf War in the hands of the Royal Artillery and the US Army. The MLRS has the ability to halt, fire its twelve 227-mm rockets and withdraw in 90 seconds. Each vehicle is equipped with its own inertial navigation system, and each rocket carries either 4 sabots, a number of anti-armour minelets or bomblets. The M-77 bomblet is the most widely used. 688 are packed into each rocket and each bomblet is capable of destroying and severely damaging 'soft-skinned' target (APCs and towed artillery). Sabots are carried in rocket form as well, four per rocket and each capable of penetrating any known Soviet tanks' topside turret armour and putting the tank out of action. |
| Crew | 3 |
| Weight loaded | 24,756 kg |
| Max Road Speed | 64 kph |
| Road Range | 480km |
| Engine | Cummins VTA-903 turbo-charge 8 cylinder diesel |
| The SA80 Individual Weapon is the British Army's standard combat rifle, made by Heckler and Koch (UK) and fires NATO standard 5.56 x 45mm ammunition, and has been in service since 1985. Seen here fitted with the SUSAT (Sight Unit Small Arms Trilux), a 4x magnification battle sight complete with loaded magazine; |  |
| Weight | 4.98kg |
| Length | 750mm |
| Muzzle Velocity | 940m/s |
| Feed | 30 round magazine |
| Effective Range | 500m |
| Cyclic Rate of Fire | 610-770 rounds/min |
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 The
Royal Ordnance Factory Challenger was bought for the British Army after the Shah of Iran was deposed and the order blocked. The Challenger gave the British Army a state-of-the-art tank ten years before any replacement for the Chieftain was scheduled. The Shir 2 was made for the desert, but the Challenger, it's descendent, did not have the chance to win its spurs until the Gulf War. |
Fitted with a 120mm L11A5 gun, the Challenger's only weakness was its fire-control system, which had been upgraded by the Gulf War. The gun could penetrate 400mm of armour and destroy any Russian-built tank with a single hit. With nearly all of Iraq's' tanks being Russian built, the Challenger was able to deal with them easily. Backed up by the massive air support and alongside the Arab, French and American tanks the Allied armour ripped through the Republican Guard without much trouble. The Challengers in Desert Storm mainly employed DU (Depleted Uranium) unless atttacking soft-skinned vehicles. |
| Armament | 1 x 120mm L11A5 gun 2 x 7.62mm Machine Guns VIRSS Smoke Dischargers |
| Engine | Rolls-Royce CV12 TCA 12 cylinder 26.11-litre diesel |
| Max Road Speed | 56kph |
| Weight Loaded | 62,000kg |
| Crew | 4 |
| Warrior is an armoured Mechanized Combat Vehicle. It is NBC proof, andhas a full range of night vision equipment included as standard. Warrior is part of a family of seven variants which include a Milan carrier, a mechanised recovery vehicle, an engineer combat version and an artillery command vehicle. Warrior has excellent cross country mobility and is armed with a 30 mm Rarden cannon. Used by armoured infantry battalions, Royal Artillery and Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. |  The
Desert Warrior family of vehicles has been adapted for operations in hostile
desert conditions. 789 Warriors have been produced for the British Army
and 254 Desert Warriors have been produced for the Kuwaiti land Force. |
| Weight loaded | 24,500kg |
| Max Road Speed | 75kph |
| Road Range | 500km |
| Engine | Rolls Royce CV8 TCA V-8 diesel |
| Crew | 3 (carries 7 infantry soldiers) |
| Armament | 30mm Rarden cannon: Coaxial
7.62mm Hughes Chain Gun. VIRSS Smoke Dischargers |
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