In the post-9/11 world, the face of modern warfare has taken more and more of an infantry-centric turn. Ground troops now find themselves embroiled in small-unit actions against insurgents and guerrillas fighting in very diverse terrains ranging from desolate arid deserts and thick jungles to sprawling urban sprawls. Ground troops in such operations place maximum reliance on the efficacy and effectiveness of their service rifles. We take the time to look at five of the most formidable rifles to have informed the face of combat in this twenty-first-century world.
First designed for the United Arab Emirates by Colt. Later, it was the turn of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps to militarize the M4 Carbine. This is the shortened barrelled version of a rifle, with a 14.5-inch barrel instead of the M16’s barrel of twenty-inch length. M4 is equipped to shoot 5.56 millimeters, using a thirty-round magazine the weapon can be used in semi- and three-round-burst modes. Improvements made in the M4A1 standard, on the other hand, include the addition of thicker barrels that ensure sustained fire accuracy in addition to improved triggers, ambidextrous safety controls, and full auto-firing capability.
The SA80A2 was the service rifle throughout the Army, Navy, and Air Force of the UK; it was adopted in the 1980s to replace the L1A1 battle rifle. The bullpup design of this rifle places the magazine and the action behind the trigger group, which, therefore, makes it shorter in length. The SA80A2 uses the same 5.56-millimeter ammunition as the M4A1. This, again, like the M4A1, uses the short-stroke gas-piston type. In 2002, an upgrade was mainly on a refinement of a host of reliability issues, though it changed the bolt, extractor, and hammer assembly.
The FAMAS (Fusil d’Assaut de la Manufacture d’Armes de Saint-Étienne) was adopted by France in the late 1970s and represents another rifle with a bullpup configuration. It houses a twenty-five-round 5.56-millimeter magazine together with the nineteen-inch barrel, being almost rifle length, although remaining compact. Other notable design elements include radioactive tritium sights for night firing and a built-in bipod. The French Army is currently inducting the Heckler and Koch 416 as a replacement for the FAMAS in service.
The Heckler and Koch 416 features a gas-piston operating system, which allows it to run cooler and require less cleaning compared to the M4 Carbine. Other names for the rifle include the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle currently in use by the U.S. Marine Corps. Along with being issued to infantrymen for combat use, the HK416 also features a sixteen-inch-long barrel, which gives a small increase in both range and velocity. Its superior performance and reliability make it the rifle issued to all Marine infantrymen.
AK-74M is the main service rifle for the Russian Ground Forces. The rifle was designed for the replacement of the iconic AK-47, created during the 1970s. The principal difference is the smaller and lighter 5.45 millimeters size in the ammunition used. This rifle is chambered with a 30-round magazine, side-folding stock, and 16.3-inch barrel. Several Western-style upgrades, including a skeletonized stock, a rail accessory mounting system, a foregrip with an integral bipod, and an advanced muzzle brake, were introduced by the Russian Army in 2015.
These are truly the epitome of modern infantry weapons, built and adapted toward the ever-changing face of twenty-first-century warfare. From the arid deserts of the Middle East to the fetid jungles of Southeast Asia, two of these have been tested in the crucible of belligerence by man.