Recently, there have been many negative reviews about domestic small arms, equipment and personal protective equipment. Some even think that the Kalash is outdated and we are 30 years behind the leading countries of the world.
The designers are reproached for the absence of adjustable telescopic butts on the assault rifles, no Picatinny rails used all over the world to mount various sights, an inconvenient handle, and low firing accuracy.
There are also claims to protective equipment - domestic body armor and helmets are heavy and inconvenient. A lot of complaints about equipment. Are they justified?
Is the armor strong?
The armed forces of the USSR were the first in the world to be massively equipped with bulletproof bulletproof vests of the "heavy" class, which are capable of holding automatic bullets. It was back in the mid-80s. The US Army seriously concerned itself with the issue only during the war in Iraq, quickly drawing all the necessary conclusions. Domestic body armor is now at the world level, in some way inferior, in some way and superior to other analogues. Modern army body armor 6B23, lightweight, with good protection, comfortable, not worse than its competitors. In the troops, he is pleasant, despite the minor remarks.
Army body armor 6B23
The Americans are already equipping their soldiers with all-round armor and shoulder pads. But is it convenient for a soldier to be in it for tens of hours? "Anti-terrorist attack aircraft" - yes, he does not need to walk in it for days and they shoot at him from all sides. And for a soldier in an ordinary war, artillery fire is much more dangerous. However, we also have the development of all-round protection. There are already ceramic shoulder pads of the highest level of protection 6A, which even protect against an armor-piercing bullet of 7.62 mm from an SVD rifle.
Our armored helmets are better than Western ones, with comparable or greater durability, they are lighter by about 300-450 grams. Another issue is materials. Domestic manufacturers are less likely to use foreign armor materials more often. Fabrics such as Kevlar and Twaron, ceramics, high molecular weight polyethylene are purchased in Israel, France and other countries. And not because there are no our analogues. But due to the fact that they are produced in small batches, they are significantly more expensive. The delivery terms for foreigners are also more convenient, because not everyone needs hundreds of tons at once.
FELIN
And this question must be resolved. But some officials are instead lobbying for direct purchases of French body armor. Apparently, they have in this, as Zheglov used to say, "love with interest." It is one thing to purchase a small batch of the French version of FELIN's "equipment for a warrior of the XXI century" for familiarization and copying of successful decisions, and another thing is to massively purchase goods that we make at least as good as possible.
Small arms claims
In the 90s, Western manufacturers did not sleep, gradually correcting the shortcomings of their infantry weapons in reliability. We have improved the ergonomics of products by increasing the range of "useful attachments" - collimator sights that make it easier to aim at short distances, low magnification optics, flashlights, laser designators, and front handles for holding weapons. With such toys, the weapon looks much more impressive and is easier to advertise.
AK-74M
Such things can also be attached to our AK-74M assault rifle. But this is due to difficulties. We need sights that can be mounted on a not very convenient side bracket; you also need to work hard with the installation of a collimator, bipod or flashlight. The buttstock is not adjustable in length, which creates problems for tall fighters. However, the telescopic butt on the American M4 rifle also appeared not from a good life. It cannot be made foldable like the AK-74M. But such a stock is convenient.
М4
Of course, even the most notorious critics say a word about the reliability of the Kalashnikov assault rifle. But there is some sense in the fact that in modern local wars the requirements for small arms in terms of accuracy and versatility of use have increased - there is.
In wars against armies, the main damage is inflicted not by infantry fire, but by artillery, aviation, and tanks. The modern infantry squad has only a couple of "clean" submachine gunners, the rest are fighting with a machine gun, a grenade launcher. However, in wars such as the Chechen, the proportion of clashes, where everything is decided in close fire contact of the infantry, is very high.
And here it is really necessary to provide the fighters with the ability to conduct more accurate fire, equip them with more convenient day and night sights and other equipment. Whether to give it out to everyone is another matter. A standard motorized rifle, hung with a bipod, a flashlight, a laser designator, a pair of sights, an assault rifle is another problem. It is heavy, "body kit" can be broken or lost.
But the infantryman must be able to quickly and conveniently install everything that will be given to him as needed, or that he will take away from the next "timid Georgians" - the fighters simply had nowhere to hang the sighting trophies of the "war of 888". There is no standard bar for Western weapons on the AK-74.
US weapons also have drawbacks
The failure of American weapons was one of the reasons why the US Army suffered significant losses during the battle near the village of Vanat in Afghanistan in the summer of 2008. The report, which was compiled by Douglas Cubbison of the US Army's Combat Research Institute, is not publicly available, but reporters were able to obtain a copy.
The battle took place on July 13, 2008. Nine American soldiers were killed in a shootout with militants. Another 27 soldiers were injured. About 200 Taliban fighters took part in the attack. They were armed with AK assault rifles and hand grenade launchers.
As the participants in the battle admitted, American M4 rifles often failed, especially when firing in bursts. According to one of the military, when the Taliban surrounded the base, his M4 stopped firing. He tried to shoot back with a machine gun, but he also broke down.
Another soldier noted that his M4 overheated approximately half an hour after the start of the battle. He couldn't even reload the rifle and dropped it.
In addition, they complained about the unreliability of 5, 56 mm light machine guns M249, which "died" after 400-600 rounds of overheating.
And this case is not an isolated one. M16 and M4 failures are regular, and the M249 machine gun in the SAW modification is generally deciphered by army pranksters as "Seek another weapon". The Americans have long wanted to replace the M4 and M16 with something better, but then they will be carried away by the super-expensive integrated rifle-grenade launcher monsters that stand like a car, stuffed with electronics and are afraid of shaking, dust and dampness, then they cannot decide to spend a much smaller amount. Currently under consideration are such samples as the German G36, NK416 and the Belgian SCAR. All these machines, to one degree or another, borrowed the decisions of … Kalashnikov. And mercenaries of private military companies in Iraq often go to war with the AK, incl. and with an illegal copy of the Krebbs company specially modified in the USA.
Spetsnaz needs everything at once
The domestic special forces weapons complex is very diverse. Many types of weapons, such as the silent 9 mm complex of the machine and sniper rifle "Val" - "Vintorez" or completely silent pistols PSS, had no analogues in the world for decades. And no one is trying to create analogs for the underwater submachine guns APS, ASM-DT or the new two-medium ADS. We have no lagging behind here.
"Val" - "Vintorez"
For pistols and submachine guns, the criticism should be recognized as fair only partially. In the Russian Federation, very good pistols of the SR-1M "Vector" and GSh-18 type for special forces, PYa for the army are currently being produced. Yes, they had quality problems at the beginning, including due to unused technology with a small batch. But manufacturers are working on quality - according to reviews, there are fewer drawbacks. The problem is the high price of the same "Vector", since it does not have a sales market, except for a narrow circle of special forces.
Whirlwind-2
It is difficult to break into the world market, and in the Russian Federation the legal circulation of pistols is prohibited. With submachine guns, in essence, the picture is the same. There are very successful models - SR-2M "Veresk" and "Whirlwind-2", but the main problem is the same - a small release. The power structures do not need these weapons with millions of pieces, and this market is crammed in the world.
The gunsmiths argument
Next year, the Izhmash concern will present a new assault rifle to replace the legendary AK. This was announced by the general director of the enterprise Vladimir Grodetsky at the testing ground of the State Demonstration and Testing Center in Klimovsk, near Moscow. According to him, the new line of machines will surpass the previous generation by 40-50% in their characteristics.
There are already samples where the wishes of consumers have been implemented: a hinged receiver cover, strips for attaching sights and accessories, a new comfortable grip, an additional fuse, an adjustable butt, etc.
