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  • #16
    Originally posted by FMP View Post
    Obviously those involved in said lobbying never heard the phrase "Built under licence". Shame.

    SA80 Junk!!?? That's putting it mildly , or was anyway, SOP became paracord through the mag floor-plate and then tied to the rear sling loop so when (not if) your mag came out you would not lose it when cutting about.

    Anyway all better now,,,,,,,,
    I remember how once or twice each exercise we'd go from nighttime tactical blackout to every vehicle headlight and torch we had switched on and everybody in a line to look for the missing magazine! It wasn't helped by the standing orders that we had to have an empty mag on at all times - prior to the SA80 we only fitted mags if they contained rounds or blanks, otherwise they lived in the pouches.
    Last edited by Flamingo; 23 September 2014, 15:07.
    'He died who loved to live,' they'll say,
    'Unselfishly so we might have today!'
    Like hell! He fought because he had to fight;
    He died that's all. It was his unlucky night.
    http://www.salamanderoasis.org/poems...nnis/luck.html

    Comment


    • #17
      Originally posted by DeV View Post
      In the classroom it looked as if it was only the HBARs. I assume the other attachment is a torch / pointer?
      Hay DeV, from what I can see it looks like a surefire or similar, shed a bit of light on the subject , not really big enough to be a full on Lazer Light Module. You know the more I look at the AUG in the pic,,,,,,,,,,,,here's what I'm thinking. You are correct in what you say all AUG's were A1's (Austrian @ na gromiti, like your own) and the HBAR carried SUSAT, apart from matey boy's. Actually just found another (attached (what a train spotter, I will be off down the train station later looking for the 12:15 from Dar). Shite photo but its defo a short barrel and its defo a SUSAT.

      I'm thinking matey's have swapped out the HBAR with a standard barrel and ended up with a very nice little shooter as a result. Is that SUSAT sat on a HBAR upper receiver, or is it an A2 receiver? (I may be talking shite of course, the more I look on the interwed the more photos of it I find). Your more familiar with AUG than me but it's a simple enough procedure, push the button, twist the handle, off she comes,,,, then do it in reverse. Ya I know in theory its simple but then its all about autorisation and what not but it could explain it. Day on the range to zero and pair the two for life,,,,,,,. The old FIDF seem to be big on thinking outside the box so it would not surprise me at all.

      When all is said and done, would have much rather had one of them in my sweaty paws than SA80 and its revised versions. The DF have a great weapon in the AUG lads, soldiers will complain about everything so Im sure I will get hammered for saying that but it is, fine piece of kit.
      Attached Files
      Last edited by FMP; 23 September 2014, 16:30.
      We travel not for trafficking alone,
      By hotter winds our fiery hearts are fanned,
      For lust of knowing what should not be known,
      We make the Golden Journey to Samarkand.

      Comment


      • #18
        Originally posted by DeV View Post

        The new Brit camo is very effective in that terrain (the rock stuff is excellent) as is the camo of the vehicles
        The vehicle cammo and rock stuff is very different to anything I've seen before.

        Really interesting how a small locally-funded unit can make its own mark and do things its own way.
        'History is a vast early warning system'. Norman Cousins

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        • #19
          Originally posted by GoneToTheCanner View Post
          I recall reading in a trade magazine some years ago that there was a great deal of huffing and puffing because they chose the Steyr over the SA 80. Cue frantic lobbying and heavy sales pitch to get them to buy the SA80, the first models of which was widely regarded as junk. Lots of shouting about being unpatriotic and ungrateful,etc,etc.
          Seems very odd. they are kitted out to BA standard, but pick a different rifle.

          Comment


          • #20
            Originally posted by na grohmití View Post
            Is it the aussie made one they use? Closer etc ?
            Like a lot of Aussie stuff. the A1s were badly screwed together. with premature barrel wear

            Comment


            • #21
              Originally posted by GoneToTheCanner View Post
              I recall it as being quite the fuss, got very Daily Mail. Lots of "how dare they, ungrateful lot, UnBritish,etc,etc" being bandied about. One sales guy was moaning about how difficult it was to get to the FI because of the dependency on the RAF. It was regarded as very embarrassing for British sales, to have what was considered a "Home" Service buying a foreign weapon for it's primary Service weapon.
              Wonder who picked the rifle. Was it ex British Army personal Can't see any of the islanders having the background.

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              • #22
                Originally posted by sofa View Post
                Wonder who picked the rifle. Was it ex British Army personal Can't see any of the islanders having the background.
                Possibly the attached Permanent Staff Instructor types...who would be very experienced Royal Marines SNCO's...may have had a big say in which rifle they went for.
                'History is a vast early warning system'. Norman Cousins

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                • #23
                  FIDF has always had strong RM influences, back to the days of NP8901 - and of course the FI was one of the first places that the L85 was used by UK forces - theres no way the FIDF/FIG would have been unaware of the L85's problems, and the FIG's independance from the MOD allowed them to buy something that worked.

                  important to remember that FIDF is not owned by the UK MOD, they are not members of the British Army. they are the militia of a self-governing overseas territory and that overseas territory can equip them however the hell they like... they wear UK DPM, and now MTP, both to prevent blue-on-blue with UK forces and because it works in their environment, but if the FIG wanted them to wear Uzbeck urban/desert camouflage they would.

                  i think they used to buy lots of stuff from Arktis..

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Originally posted by GoneToTheCanner View Post
                    It was regarded as very embarrassing for British sales, to have what was considered a "Home" Service buying a foreign weapon for it's primary Service weapon.
                    Interesting... I don't remember any uprising when the SAS/SBS dropped the SA-80 in favour of the Canadian C8 (aka the SFW).



                    Great weapon, by the way. I carried a C8A2 on both my trips to Kandahar, and it never failed me.
                    "On the plains of hesitation, bleach the bones of countless millions, who on the very dawn of victory, laid down to rest, and in resting died.

                    Never give up!!"

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Originally posted by Jungle View Post
                      SAS/SBS dropped the SA-80
                      Never picked it up in the first place let alone dropped it
                      We travel not for trafficking alone,
                      By hotter winds our fiery hearts are fanned,
                      For lust of knowing what should not be known,
                      We make the Golden Journey to Samarkand.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        the L85 prototypes didn't have the quality issues of the production batches - there were niggles like the magazine release catch - but it was a superbly engineered weapon. the problem came when the MOD/Treasury worked out how much this superbly engineered weapon would cost when you bought 300,000 of them and had an aneurism.

                        it was cost-cutting that reduced the quality of componants and materials, RO were forced to shave something like 30% off the cost and in order to do that they had to substitute utter tat for quality...

                        in standard MOD fcukwittery, the £400 upgrade each weapon got from H&K cost far more than the difference between what RO originally produced and what the MOD demanded they reduce it to...

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                        • #27
                          DF tested the SA80 here, and identified the problems with it as not easily solved. Pressed steel body was the cause of most,
                          Last edited by sofa; 25 September 2014, 00:42.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Originally posted by FMP View Post
                            Never picked it up in the first place let alone dropped it
                            You're absolutely right, they were using the M-16 before... they went from a decent rifle to an excellent carbine.

                            I have trained on the SA-80, Steyr-Aug and FAMAS, and I am not a fan of bullpups. Some are good rifles, and were sufficient for regular Infantry, but they are not well adapted to close-quarter-battle drills, as I explained in a post some time ago. That is the main reason most SOF go with descendants of the M-16 (M4 or C8).

                            One of the lessons from Afghanistan is that every Infantry Soldier in our Army is now trained in close range engagements (5 to 10m); in order to do that, all our rifles were fitted with the telescopic butt of the C8/M4. This permits firing with the butt plate in the chest, which is desirable as it presents the ballistic plates head-on to the threat. It is harder to do this with the fixed butt of a bullpup.
                            "On the plains of hesitation, bleach the bones of countless millions, who on the very dawn of victory, laid down to rest, and in resting died.

                            Never give up!!"

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              The brits teach the same drill with the SA-80 and they don't seem to have a problem with it.And we are bringing it in too with the new CQB table for the MOD 14.
                              Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.

                              The second instalment on Close Quarters Combat training the British Army delivers to it's troops in Afghanistan. This video focuses on the tension and physic...
                              "Let us be clear about three facts. First, all battles and all wars are won in the end by the infantryman. Secondly, the infantryman always bears the brunt. His casualties are heavier, he suffers greater extremes of discomfort and fatigue than the other arms. Thirdly, the art of the infantryman is less stereotyped and far harder to acquire in modern war than that of any other arm." ------- Field Marshall Wavell, April 1945.

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                              • #30
                                Originally posted by apod View Post
                                The brits teach the same drill with the SA-80 and they don't seem to have a problem with it.And we are bringing it in too with the new CQB table for the MOD 14.
                                Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.

                                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7XTXdLf3_o
                                Just cant beat listening to a well delivered briefing from a soldier who knows his job,,,,,,cheers apod, had me grinning like a fool and the hair standing up on the back of my neck. Made my day .
                                We travel not for trafficking alone,
                                By hotter winds our fiery hearts are fanned,
                                For lust of knowing what should not be known,
                                We make the Golden Journey to Samarkand.

                                Comment

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