Page 406 - (DK) Smithsinian - Military History: The Definitive Visual Guide to the Objects of Warfare

404 SPECIAL FORCES WEAPONS

GE 1945–PRESENT Special Forces units are sometimes required to deploy specialized weapons. ▲ FN BROWNING HP35 Recoil spring

Rock-solid reliability is a precondition for any such selection; a high-level of
firepower makes small arms such as the Franchi shotgun and the Glock pistol popular
housing
choices. At other times stealth weapons are needed. But the most interesting recent
development has been the introduction of the Personal Defense Weapon (PDW), such
John Moses Browning’s
as the FN P90. This dispenses with the old Parabellum submachine-gun cartridge
last design, this high-
in favor of a smaller but more powerful round that can penetrate body armor.
Date 1935
standard for modern
Weight 2 ⁄4lb (1kg)
1
self-loading pistols,
and has been used by
3
Barrel 4 ⁄4in (11.8cm)
A Fore sight Cocking handle Origin Belgium capacity weapon set the
British, German, and
Caliber 9 × 19mm
THE NUCLEAR for barrel-mounted
Canadian forces.
Attachment lugs
accessories such
as a suppressor

▶ HECKLER & KOCH MP5 The most important and widely
Date 1966 used submachine-gun of the
modern period, combining
Origin Germany accuracy and reliability, the
Weight 6 ⁄4lb (3.1kg) MP5 has three rates of fire:
3
3
Barrel 8 ⁄4in (22.5cm) single-shot, three-round
burst, and automatic.
Caliber 9 × 19mm
Weapon can be fitted with a
15- or 30-round magazine
Suppressor

Magazine
release catch

▲ INGRAM M10
Date 1970
Retractable
Origin US butt stock
Weight 7½lb (3.4kg)
Barrel 4½in (11.4cm)
Caliber 0.45in Optical sight
With a cyclical rate of fire of well Combined pistol grip and
over 1,000 rounds per minute, magazine holding 32 rounds
the Ingram M10 can empty its
magazine in just over a second.
The suppressor is essential to
retain control over firing.

Cocking
handle

Muzzle

Folding ▲ FRANCHI SPAS 12 Developed as a close-combat
butt stock Date 1978 weapon for both police and
military, the Special Purpose
Origin Italy Automatic Shotgun (SPAS) is
Weight 9 ⁄4lb (4.4kg) gas-operated (with an optional
3
Barrel 21½in (54.5cm) pump mode) and holds eight
rounds in an under-barrel
Caliber 12-bore
tubular magazine.