USS Cowpens launching missles at Iraq

This ship is credited with being first to strike.

U.S Soldiers Defend Their Positions From Taliban Militants

"Mack just popped a guy"...you gotta love those guys!

US helos kill 30 Haqqani Network fighters in strikes in Pakistan

US attack helicopters have killed more than 30 Haqqani Network fighters inside Pakistan while repelling a cross-border attack.
US forces struck at the Haqqani Network fighters on Friday after they attacked Combat Outpost Narizah, an Afghan base just eight miles from the Pakistani border in the district of Tani in Khost province.
The Haqqani Network fighters were hit in the Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan, which is just across the Pakistani border.
"An air weapons team in the area observed the enemy fire, and following International Security Assistance Force rules of engagement, crossed into the area of enemy fire," the International Security Assistance Force stated in a press release. "The ISAF aircraft then engaged, killing more than 30 insurgents."
ISAF confirmed that the helicopters struck at the Haqqani Network fighters in Pakistan. The attack helicopters launched their attack "after following the proper rules of engagement under inherent right of self defense," Master Sergeant Matthew Summers, a public affairs official, told The Long War Journal.
On Saturday, ISAF launched a second attack against the Haqqani Network, after taking fire in the border area. "Several additional insurgents" were killed in that attack.
No civilians have been reported killed or injured in either of the attacks.

Wounded in Iraq, Double-amputee Returns to War

ASHOQEH, Afghanistan – When a bomb exploded under Dan Luckett's Army Humvee in Iraq two years ago — blowing off one of his legs and part of his foot — the first thing he thought was: "That's it. You're done. No more Army for you."

But two years later, the 27-year-old Norcross, Georgia, native is back on duty — a double-amputee fighting on the front lines of America's Afghan surge in one of the most dangerous parts of this volatile country.

Afghan soldiers examine Capt. Dan Luckett's prosthetic leg. The soldiers quickly gave him a nickname: "The One-Legged Warlord of Ashaque

Air Force buys six additional MQ-9 Reaper hunter-killer

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio, 10 Sept. 2010. The U.S. Air Force is buying six more MQ-9 Reaper ground-attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) under terms of a $38.3 million contract awarded Thursday to manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems in Poway, Calif. Awarding the contract were officials of the Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

The MQ-9 Reaper hunter-killer UAV, which is flying in combat operations in Afghanistan, is a medium-to-high altitude, long endurance UAV designed for close air support, air interdiction, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

keep the hell raining down on these terrorist

Muslim Soldier refuses Deployment

OH MY FUCKING GOD

A U.S. Army soldier wants to leave the military service as a conscientious objector based on his beliefs as a Muslim, but he said he's concerned he may be deployed to Afghanistan anyway.

Pfc. Naser Abdo, a 20-year-old infantryman assigned to the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky., said Monday that if the military orders him to deploy, he will refuse to go despite the fact that it may result in a military charge against him

why the fuck would you join infantry then???? if you did'nt want to go to afghan or iraq

"We have two things that I believe make us American: That's freedom of religion and freedom of choice," Abdo told Channel 4 News. "I've come to the conclusion that the consequences I would face of refusing deployment are a lot less than the consequences I would face should I go. I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if I deployed."

"freedom of choice" did you forget you signed the dotted line ???????????

FACEPALM

link with video
http://www.wsmv.com/news/24733839/detail.html

U.S Looks at Closing U.S. Air Force Bases Overseas

"We are looking at [if we can afford overseas bases]," said a board member who agreed to talk with Air Force Times on background.

Three months ago, Defense Secretary Robert Gates ordered the Pentagon's military and civilian leaders to find $102 billion in savings over the next five years - roughly 3.4 percent of the Pentagon's requested appropriations - and shift the money to the war-fighting effort.

Gates' predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld, wanted to close more than a third of the bases overseas and move 170,000 service members and their families back to the U.S.

Air Force Special Operations Command considered moving its 352nd Special Operations Group at RAF Mildenhall, England, and 353rd Special Operations Group at Kadena Air Base, Japan, to Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., said Lt. Gen. Mike Wooley, former AFSOC commander.

Today, support is building in Congress to close installations in Europe and Asia.

A bipartisan group of four congressmen sponsored the task force, which found the U.S. could save $80 billion if it reduced its military presence in Europe and Asia by a third.

Members of the Sustainable Defense Task Force, mostly Washington defense analysts, testified at a July 20 hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on their findings, compiled in a report titled "Debt, Deficits, and Defense: A Way Forward."

"We continue to try to get a clear picture from the department of the actual number of overseas military bases we have, as well the strategic rationale for each location," said Rep. John Tierney, D-Mass, the subcommittee chairman. "Time after time, we see opportunities for increased efficiency, less waste and better use of taxpayer money."

Under the task force's proposal, about 50,000 service members would go.

The Air Force would cut one fighter wing and 10,000 airmen, according to the report. The task force also recommended eliminating one Army Brigade Combat Team from Europe and pulling back 7,000 Marines and 9,000 sailors stationed overseas.

"Our allies can afford to defend themselves. The Cold War is over," said Benjamin Friedman, who served on the task force. "Time has come for all our allies to carry the burden of their defense."

full article here
http://defensenews.com/story.php?i=4746319&c=AME&s=TOP

U.S. Special Forces ordered to shave off beards

KABUL, Afghanistan - U.S. Special Operations Forces have had countless close shaves this month - not just with the enemy, but with razors and foamy cream.

After almost a decade of growing long beards as a show of deep respect for Afghanistan's male-dominated, bearded tribal culture, many of these elite warriors have been ordered by top brass to shave their faces clean.

Some veteran special ops troops fear they face a harder time getting taken seriously by local leaders they depend upon for intel about their bearded enemy, the Taliban.

"Now we look no different than the Brits or Russians before us," a dewhiskered Green Beret team leader with five Afghanistan tours told the Daily News, referring to two countries whose past wars here ended badly. "Growing a beard dramatically helps us."

Even former Afghan war commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal "should have grown a beard" to help win over the tribes, argued the Green Beret, who cannot be identified because of his mission.

Long beards, khaki ball caps and Oakley wraparound sunglasses have long been the iconic image of U.S. secret warriors here



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/08/08/2010-08-08_decision_hanging_on_a_whisker.html#ixzz0w57yV74R

this sucks, beards are cool

Iraqi-purchased M1A1s roll off production line, head to Iraq

The first shipment of 140 M1A1 Abrams tanks purchased by the Government of Iraq from the U.S. rolled off the production line in Lima, Ohio, this month and is being loaded in Charleston, S.C., onto a ship bound for Iraq.

Eleven M1A1 Abrams tanks, along with an M88A2 recovery vehicle, are scheduled to arrive in Iraq in August. The remaining 129 tanks and seven recovery vehicles will be delivered before December 2011.

According to Army Lt. Col. Tom Bentzel, Iraq Foreign Military Sales director for Project Manager Heavy Brigade Combat Team, the tanks will be transitioned to the Iraqis at the Besmaya Combat Training Center. Once fielded, the Iraqi Army is expected to integrate the tanks into the 9th Iraqi Army Mechanized Division located in central Iraq.

“The delivery of these tanks is a significant milestone which begins to establish Iraq’s conventional defensive capabilities,” said Army Lt. Gen. Michael D. Barbero, Deputy Commanding General, Advising and Training. “A secure and stable Iraq that has the capability to defend its sovereignty will be a stabilizing influence in the region.”

The Iraqi Army and U.S. Army have been working together since 2009 to familiarize Iraqi tank crewmembers with the Abrams tank in anticipation of the Iraqi tanks’ arrival. Sixty-five crews are already trained. Iraqi crewmembers are also scheduled to receive a complete new equipment training package in conjunction with the fielding of the tanks.

The Government of Iraq purchased the equipment under a Foreign Military Sales agreement with the U.S. government. “We are proud to deliver the best tank in the world to our Iraqi counterparts,” Bentzel said.

IRAQI'S WITH ABRAMS

Military dog feels the stress of war

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — Gina was a playful 2-year-old German shepherd when she went to Iraq as a highly trained bomb-sniffing dog with the military, conducting door-to-door searches and witnessing all sorts of noisy explosions.

She returned home to Colorado cowering and fearful. When her handlers tried to take her into a building, she would stiffen her legs and resist. Once inside, she would tuck her tail beneath her body and slink along the floor. She would hide under furniture or in a corner to avoid people.

A military veterinarian diagnosed with her post-traumatic stress disorder — a condition that some experts say can afflict dogs just like it does humans.

U.S ARMY new afghan kit

2 American troops missing in eastern Afghanistan

Two U.S. troops are missing in eastern Afghanistan, a military official said Saturday. An Afghan official said one may have been killed and the other captured by the Taliban

hoping for a safe return

V-Hull Stryker

http://defensenews.com/story.php?i=4704549&c=AME&s=LAN

The Pentagon has approved the next step in the U.S. Army's effort to quickly build and field Stryker infantry combat vehicles with a hull designed to better protect against roadside bombs in Afghanistan.

In a July 6 memo, Pentagon acquisition executive Ashton Carter authorized the Army to spend up to $99 million to purchase early order material for 330 vehicles.

about damn time!!!!!!!!

The Navy Reveals Secret Device to Defeat IEDs

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military/news/navy-reveals-secret-device-to-destroy-ieds

Last week the Pentagon revealed the existence of a new weapon in the war against roadside bombs: a beam of radio-frequency energy that can detonate hidden Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) at a distance.

And its creators say the potential does not stop there—the beam could be also used to set off other types of warheads before they reached their target. In theory it might be used to set off ammunition before the enemy even has a chance to fire. "The capabilities are not limited to improvised devices," Lee Mastroianni, program manager at the Office of Naval Research (ONR), told Popular Mechanics

it's much needed, thats for sure

BAE Systems Anti-Aircraft Missile Jammer

By Joe Pappalardo

new device, called Boldstroke, is the solution to a problem the Army does not want to have: the threat of advanced shoulder-fired missiles to American helicopters

There's a laser-guided antiaircraft missile jammer sitting on the table of the conference room in the office of Popular Mechanics. It comes in a medium-size box, weighing in at about 30 pounds, topped with a clear hemisphere housing a prominent mirror mounted on a 360-degree gimbal. Peering inside the dome, a viewer can see a network of other mirrors that bounce light from a laser housed below, directing the beam to the main lens affixed to the gimbal. This prototype is the only one in the world, and this is the first time its inventors, BAE Systems, have brought it out of the lab for a journalist to paw over.

The device, called Boldstroke, is the solution to a problem the Army does not want to have. The threat of advanced shoulder-fired missiles to American helicopters is a nightmare, one that hearkens to the defeat of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, where U.S. supplied Stinger missiles downed an estimated 250 Russian helicopters over two years. Shoulder-fired missiles with infrared tracking can rightfully take their place next to improvised explosive devices, sniper rifles and car bombs as gold-standard tools of asymmetric warfare.

Insurgents in Iraq have used SA-7s, shoulder-fired missiles tipped with infrared homing devices, against U.S. and British aircraft. But there are more sophisticated threats out there, like the SA-16, which has a sensitive seeker that adds ultraviolet tracking to IR seekers in order to ignore flares that aircraft fire to spoof the missiles. The SA-16 is available on the black market.

In 2008, something happened that triggered an increase in helo protection, and the Army commissioned BAE to fast-track a system that uses lasers to blind the seekers in infrared missiles. Exactly what prompted the request, called a Quick Reaction Contract, is classified. But it's not a leap to assume that intelligence reports or an actual attack set the wheels in motion. By the end of 2009 BAE delivered its first Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasure (ATRICM) to the Army for use on its CH-47 Chinooks. ATRICM fires a pencil-thin multiband laser at frequencies that blind IR seekers scanning for targets in those same frequencies. The Pentagon recently confirmed to Aviation Week that the defensive system thwarted an IR missile attack on a Chinook, and BAE officials tell PM that the attack occurred within weeks of weeks of ATIRM's arrival in Iraq. The Army is on track to outfit its fleet of Chinooks in Iraq and Afghanistan with the protective system by the end of the year.

Helicopters are a deciding factor in both Iraq and Afghanistan—more so in Afghanistan, where roads are lacking and helos are used for resupply as well as combat missions. The crucial rotorcraft that ferries troops and supplies is the Chinook, but they depend on massive engines to haul their heavy loads. Those engines produce a lot of heat, enough to attract the attention of even modest missile seekers. “There is a huge IR signature from Chinooks,” says Ernest Keirstead, the director of BAE's Boldstroke program.

That brings us back to the prototype on the conference-room table. BAE has created Boldstroke to improve on ATIRCM. It's lighter, has fewer moving optical parts and uses mirrors instead of a physical “light pipe” to shoot its laser. Instead of three boxes, the entire unit is housed in one box. A helicopter with a Boldstroke system mounted on either side of the helicopter would have 360 degrees of protection. And the 360 gimbaled mirror is an improvement on the two-axis steering of the currently deployed ATIRCM.

The Boldstroke rollout is coinciding as simple, unguided rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) continue to take their toll on helicopters during takeoff and landing. In early June a NATO helicopter was felled by a pair of RPGs, killing four soldiers. It is not the first such successful attack. BAE officials say they have dedicated money in-house to investigating how to modify current detection systems that could warn pilots of the approach of an RPG. The key, again, is heat from the rocket, which could be tracked by BAE's existing thermal sensors. Instead of a laser countermeasure, the system could warn pilot where the missile is coming from and allow for some evasive action.

BAE has sunk $70 million over the last three years on upgrading its lab and production infrastructure at its Nashua, N.H., facilities. They are betting—with good reason—that more work will come their way as IR missile threats proliferate. That could mean deploying similar systems on commercial airplanes as well as a wider variety of military aircraft

F-35 Lightning II Intelligent Laser System

Not your typical paint job. The F-35 Lightning II is the most advanced combat aircraft ever built. Cutting edge technologies, including robotics, are used in it's manufacturing. Even painting the aircraft with radar-evading coatings is accomplished with precise instrumentation guided by lasers.

Humvee replacement - First Look: Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV)

We spent the day at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md., yesterday riding around in the three entrants for the Army-Marine Corps Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) competition; the Humvee replacement as it’s often called. The industry teams are: BAE Systems, General Tactical Vehicles (GTV) — a joint venture between General Dynamics Land Systems and Humvee builder AM General, and Lockheed Martin.

They wouldn’t let us shoot the inside of the vehicles for security reasons, but they all pretty much resembled later iterations of the Humvee, a little cramped (particularly the 6 seat infantry carrier), though with plenty of extra goods such as blast seats, more computing and electrical power, flat panel monitors and functioning air conditioning.

The ride in all three JLTVs was impressively smooth and the vehicles had plenty of power climbing hills and obstacles. The JLTV family of vehicles will come in 2, 4 and 6 seat versions, along with a cargo hauler and ambulance. The program folks say they’ll provide MRAP level protection against IED blasts. The planned buy is 60,000 for the Army and 5,500 for the Marines; full production is planned for 2015

BAE Systems

Image link: http://sitelife.aviationweek.com/ver...2b87f.Full.jpg
Video: http://shock.military.com/Shock/play...259379f16d55ab

GTV

Image link: http://sitelife.aviationweek.com/ver...4e0ad.Full.jpg
Video: http://shock.military.com/Shock/play...0a0ba52a0332c1

Lockheed Martin

Image link: http://sitelife.aviationweek.com/ver...0168e.Full.jpg
Video: http://shock.military.com/Shock/play...45f07f6156fd05

i say either the lockheed for the GTV, your thought??

U.S Army multi-cam

Following four months of evaluations of alternative camouflage pattern colors, the U.S. Army selected the MultiCam pattern for the uniforms provided for all soldiers deploying to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, starting the August of 2010. Multicam Gear will be shipping to units in Afghanistan by October 2010.

Unlike conventional camouflage that blends into the environment by color matching, the MultiCam camouflage pattern patented by Brooklyn NY based Crye Precision is designed to blend and reflect some of the surrounding colors of the environment, thus blending in with the environment. The new pattern is designed to deceive the human eye and brain to accept the concealed object as part of the background. Furthermore, the pattern's complex, curved elements are shaped to efficiently maintain concealment by effectively managing scale and contrast at long and close range

Several camouflage patterns were evaluated by the U.S. Army in 2009. Six such patterns are shown above, where members of the camouflage assessment team wearing the different camo patterns they evaluated. From left: AOR II, UCP, MultiCam, Desert Brush, UCP-Delta, and Mirage. The photo was taken in Khost province, close to the Pakistan border, in late October 2009. Photo: U.S. Army PEO Soldier

The U.S. forces encountered problems with their camouflage patterns soon after the invasion into Afghanistan in 2002, as warfighters deployed to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq wearing Desert BDUs and Woodland gear. To improve and standardize the uniform the Army introduced the Army Combat Uniform in 2004, applied with the pixelated Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP). Since then, more than 26 improvements have been implemented with the ACU.

A new initiative to improve the camouflage patterns for Afghanistan was launched by fall 2009, when two battalion-size elements in Afghanistan were equipped with uniforms and associated gear in patterns other than the standard-issue universal camouflage pattern (UCP). One unit received uniforms and gear in MultiCam, and the other in a variant of UCP known as UCP - Delta was used another battalion. The Army deployed a team of experts to Afghanistan in order to gather field data and photos on the diverse environments of Afghanistan, where soldiers often travel through multiple environments in a single mission, from snow to woodland to desert.

This data provided the baseline for a photo simulation study distributed to nearly 750 soldiers who had deployed to Afghanistan. The study asked them to compare six patterns against eight different environments. The results, along with surveys of soldiers in the two battalions who received alternate camouflage, formed the basis for the Army’s decision on MultiCam. Camouflage alternatives represent one facet of the Army’s ongoing efforts to improve the Army combat uniform.


The soldiers will be provided with the new, fire resistant Army combat uniforms finished in MultiCam patterns, which will also be applied to all associated equipment including body armor, rucksacks, and helmet covers. Selection of the new camouflage patterns is the third phase of a four-phase plan to improve the Army's camouflage. In the next phase the the Army will evaluate long-term Army combat Uniform camouflage options for all soldiers.

By adapting to varying local lighting conditions, visible and near-infra-red, the pattern blends well into many environments, elevations, seasons, weather conditions, and times of the day. The design takes advantage of the way the human eye and brain perceives shape, volume, and color, taking advantage of human brain interpretation of the patterned object as part of the background, rather than a distinguishable object. This helps the wearer's profile begin to lose its edge and fade into whatever color or shape surrounding him. The pattern uses curved, rather than pixilated elements to optimally blend in by using pattern element scale and contrast to further conceal the protected object when observed from distance or at close ranges. MultiCam relies more on a blending effect than a contrast effect to disguise the wearer

NEW BOOTS ALSO

A-10 Thunderbolt II: TLPS Upgrades

A-10 Thunderbolt II: TLPS Upgrades Keep “Hogs” Current to 2028 or Beyond

By Jan Tegler

For the first time in almost 33 years of operational service, the A-10 Thunderbolt II has an integrated sustainment/modernization program worthy of its impressive record as a close-air-support/ground attack aircraft for the USAF. The $1.6 billion Thunderbolt Lifecycle Program Support (TLPS) Prime Integration contract puts ongoing A-10 modernization and sustainment efforts on a competitive footing and ties together piecemeal upgrades that Hogs have been receiving for most of the last decade.

Awarded by the A-10 System Program Office in June 2009 to three major prime contractors (Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman), TLPS replaces the contract Lockheed Martin had as the single prime integrator for upgrades and refurbishment. Under the previous arrangement, most supplies and services for the A-10 were obtained via stand-alone acquisitions, including major upgrade programs such as the Precision Engagement (PE) Program and the Wing Replacement Program (WRP).

“TLPS is a means to an end,” says Jim Marx, A-10 Logistics Management Lead for the 538th Aircraft Sustainment Group, Hill AFB. “As our Prime Integration contract, TLPS provides the means to compete acquisition and integration of supplies and services supporting current and future modernization and sustainment efforts on the A-10. Under TLPS, individual modernization and sustainment efforts are competed as task/delivery orders amongst the three prime contractors to deliver a ‘best value’ solution to warfighter needs.”

Warfighter needs with respect to the A-10 have already been significantly addressed with the aforementioned PE Program. Begun in 2006, PE represents the largest gain in combat capability in the history of the Hog, lending modified examples the designation A-10C. Upgrades range from the inclusion of precision munitions employment capability to enhanced air-to-air and air-to-ground situational awareness (SA). Modified aircraft can carry both LITENING II and Sniper laser targeting pods, and boast Joint Direct Attack Munitions and Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser capabilities. SA is improved with a redesigned main instrument panel with two five-by-five-inch multifunction color displays, a new armament heads up display control panel and a hands-on stick and throttle system with a modified F-15E throttle grip, and a modified F-16 control stick grip.

The enhancements have transformed the A-10 into an “electric jet’ Marx adds, allowing it to take advantage of further operational flight program software upgrades to enhance capabilities, reliability and maintainability. Sustainment work persists under TLPS as the A-10 completes a Service Life Extension Program and turns to a Structural Inspection Program.

“We’ve nearly completed the Service Life Extension Program overhaul on the fleet and are now transitioning our focus to our new Scheduled Structural Inspection program which will ensure we can safely and effectively fly the A-10 to 16,000 flying hours or beyond 2028,” Marx continues.

“Building on these programs, we are also partnered with Boeing to deliver 233 new A-10 wings (WRP) which can fly for 10,000 hours without major inspection and are projected to save $1.3 billion in life cycle costs. The first new A-10 wing is slated for delivery in late Fiscal Year 2010 with additional deliveries and installations through 2016.”

The continuing upgrades are evidence of the Hog’s value in the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Uniquely able to combine precision firepower with maneuverability and meaningful loiter capability, the venerable straight-wing attack jet excels in these demanding environments. Reports indicate that it is the close-air-support weapon of choice among American and allied troops.

TLPS is aimed at efficiently continuing the process of refining the Warthog. Two basic elements guide the program. Along with its emphasis on competitive, integrated acquisition solutions, the program seeks to ensure that each contractor participates fully in the requirements definition process for lifecycle improvements through an apparatus known as an Integration Support Task Order (ISTO). The ISTO specifies that each prime contractor will provide a small cadre of their own personnel to manage and integrate day-to-day activities within their respective company, between their company and the other primes, and to coordinate with the A-10 System Program Office as Prime Integrator.

Together, the contractors work with Air Combat Command, the National Guard Bureau, the Air Force Reserve and the A-10 System Program Office to identify future requirements for the A-10. According to Marx, new capabilities are defined and awarded with TLPS on a regular basis.

“Current programs under TLPS include assessments for future Embedded GPS/INS modernization, fuel system improvements and Aircraft Structural Integrity Program modernization, amongst others,” Marx explains. “Ongoing and future improvements will enhance the warfighting capabilities to increase situational awareness to the pilot, allow greater ease of digital network connectivity, and enhance weapons employment capabilities. These improvements, along with better data and fault code reporting and integrated support equipment will make the A-10 not only easier to operate, but easier to maintain.”

Those improvements and continuing efforts by A-10 System Program Office under TLPS to incorporate a comprehensive, depot-level fuselage inspection and repair program should give the A-10 the longevity Air Force planners seek while next generation platforms like F-35A mature.

“In late 2009, the A-10 System Program Office completed a full-scale fuselage/empennage fatigue test, the results of which are currently being analyzed for incorporation into our existing Scheduled Structural Inspection program,” says Jim Marx. “With the inclusion of these inspections and repairs, we are confident we can safely and effectively fly the A-10 to 16,000 hours or beyond 2028.”

NOTHING SOUNDS BETTER THAN THE CANNON ON THE A10

U.S ARMY UPGRADED M24

The U.S. Sniper's More Accurate, Quieter Rifle

Recognizing the differences between conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army is now selecting a contractor to upgrade the 22-year-old Remington bolt-action rifle to become a more effective killing machine. The Army will pour about $5.6 million into upgrades to the M24, with the new gear expected to be delivered to troops by this fall. The M24's barrel is being modified to shoot heavier .300 Winchester Magnum rounds, instead of the 7.62mm NATO ammunition, which should extend the rifle's maximum effective range by hundreds of yards to a maximum of about 1400 yards. The suppressor will reduce the noise and flash of the gun so snipers can stay in their hiding positions much longer after they fire.

The Army is also adopting a new chassis that allows for more "real estate" on the rifle—meaning the ability to attach accessories, especially much-needed night-vision devices that clip on directly to the rail in front of the scope. The scope itself will be improved, adding a variable power system that can reach 16.5x to 25x magnification. The Army will also fit the rifles with a rangefinder so troops will no longer have to perform calculations on distance. "The engagement is a lot farther [in Afghanistan] than in Iraq," says Milo Afong, a former Marine Corps sniper who researched the experience of snipers in Afghanistan for his new book, Hunters: U.S. Snipers in the War on Terror. "You are looking at higher altitudes and less populated areas."

In Afghanistan, U.S. snipers have encountered a tougher enemy than in Iraq—one that is willing to stay and fight and generally has the advantage because they know the hiding places. "They know tactics, they know how to shoot, move and communicate. They know how to set up ambushes," Afong says. "You just have to be on your toes at all times, and you have to put yourself one step or two ahead of the enemy."

Afong says that for snipers engaged in urban combat in Iraq, the traditional training and mantra of waiting for 'one shot and one kill' fell by the wayside. Sniper teams in Iraq often selected, observed and reported on the targets without actually taking the shot, acting instead as the eyes for raiding teams that would capture or eliminate the enemy. When caught in the speed of battle, snipers have to turn to snap shooting, says Afong. "The window of opportunity is very, very small," says Afong. "You just have to pick your shots."

from time.com