Combat & Survival 2017-06

June 2017 Vol 29 Issue 03

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BRITISH FORCES

CA CMP9 SMG

MUSTANG TROOP / LIGHT DRAGOONS

KIT & CAMO

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SPECIAL OPS

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„ GERMANY’S RESTRUCTURED PARAS „ AIRBORNE FORCES WEAPONRY

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BRITAIN’S LEADING INDEPENDENT MILITARY MAGAZINE

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COMBAT +SURVIVAL Vicky Lindsay, Magazine Director

EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT

Bob Morrison, Editor Carl Schulze, Senior Correspondent Gordon Arthur, Far East Correspondent Mike Gormley, Gear Tester Robert Shaw, Security Consultant Ian Young, Scale Models Neal Molyneaux, Designer

ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT

Moira Spencer, Sales Director Fran Smith, Admin & Accounts Manager

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Ciaran Jarosz, Head of Marketing Daryl Crowther, Marketing Manager

PAGE 09: British Forces - MUSTANG TROOP

Bob Morrison reports from Poland as A Squadron of the Light Dragoons deploys on eFP duties

PAGE 17: Airborne Forces 1 - GERMANY’S DSK

Carl Schulze reports on the recent restructuring of the elite Division Schnelle Kräfte

PAGE 25: Airborne Forces 2 - GERMAN WEAPONS

Carl Schulze takes an unprecedented look at the wide range of weaponry available to DSK Paras

PAGE 34: Marching Ammo SPOONS & SPORKS

Bob Morrison looks at a range of unconventional n on nc onve ven nttio onal na al ea e eating attiing ng implements to help devour your rations on ns s

PAGE 37: Firearms CARACAL CMP9

Richard Brown describes the new 9 9mm mm S mm SMG M p MG produced r du ro duce duce c d in the Emirates with pull-out poster

PAGE 42: Special Operations ns ns NIMR AJBAN Bob Morrison focuses on the Long Range Special Operations Vehicle produced in the UAE

PAGE 48: Kit & Camo M16 DESERT DIGITAL

Bob Morrison photographs a member of the elite UAE Presidential Guard wearing the latest camo

PAGE 53: Foreign Forces - IIDEX D X2 DE 20 2017 017

Bob Morrison photographs continues ues sc coverage overag ov erag er ge of of the opening dynamic display in Abu D Dhabi ha h ab bii

PAGE 69: Airborne Insignia aDSK BADGES [Cover Image : © Carl Schulze]

Carl Schulze caters for collectors off cu c curr current urrrent en nt Ge G German erm rman man Airborne Forces by focusing on patches ch c hes es

PAGE 64: Outdoor Gear TRIED & TESTED

Mike Gormley ɯeld trials Travel Accessories, esso es esso sori orriiies es s, Va Vacuum acu uum m ee ece ces Mug, Mini Flashlight, Carabiner & Fleeces

PAGE 05: Comms PAGE 60 & 70: Reviews PAGE 68: Security

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COMBAT CO OMB MBAT A & SURVIVAL | 03

comms

Images © Bob Morrison

Comms O n 28th March, the day after I penned the May issue COMMS column and signed the magazine off for press before µying out to Poland, the UK Secretary of State for Defence, Sir Michael Fallon, made a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament on Britain’s role in NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) in the Baltic States and Poland. Part of this statement is quoted here:-

“We are providing the Framework Battlegroup of around 800 military personnel in Estonia, with around 200 additional troops from France and Denmark: French forces will join us in 2017 and Danish forces in 2018. 5 RIFLES is providing the majority of the UK military personnel for the ´rst rotation, and we are also deploying armoured Infantry equipped with Warrior armoured ´ghting vehicles, artillery, tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and a small troop of Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks. “Our Battlegroup will contribute to regional defence and security. We will actively support the Estonian Defence Force’s 1st Infantry Brigade in its role deterring aggression, and we will conduct joint exercising and training with Danish, French, Estonian, and other forces in the region to build a strong multinational Battlegroup.

“Based on our close bilateral relationship, we are also sending a British Light Cavalry Squadron of 150 Light Dragoons to Poland. This force will fall under the US eFP Battlegroup in Poland, and we will work closely with our Polish and US Allies to deter aggression against NATO territory.”

As of 28th April, when this month’s COMMS page is being penned to beat the May Day Bank Holiday, the British contingent to the eFP Battlegroup in Estonia (BGEST) under Operation CABRIT has been activated for just over one week. At the 20th April µagraising ceremony at a military base in Tapa, which the Estonian Ministry of Defence advised us of, but which we were unable to attend due to prior commitments, the UK Defence Secretary is quoted as saying: “The troops I have met today are part of one of the UK’s largest ever deployments to Eastern Europe. This marks our commitment to European security and standing with our allies in the face of an increasingly assertive Russia.” C&S caught up with part of the USled eFP Battlegroup, including A Squadron of the Light Dragoons, travelling through Poland on the same day that Sir Michael’s Written Ministerial Statement was presented to Parliament. In the historic city of Piotrków Trybunalski the Polish

AWE ‘ 17 images, clockwise from top left: R-Lift Stretcher; ArtiÀcial Shoulder Pocket for weapon; Black Hornet 2 micro UAV; Situational Awareness

Soldiers using new mountaineering technology at AWE ‘17 pause mid-abseil to cover potential threats with their assault riÁes Minister of National Defence, Antoni Macierewicz, welcomed a representative multinational subformation of BGPOL to his country and emphasised that the security of Poland, in the current situation, also depends on Allied Forces, adding: “I want to say clearly, we owe it to you, soldiers from Alabama, soldiers from Texas, soldiers from other places in the United States, United Kingdom, Romania, all NATO. Once again thank you.” In this column last month I stated: “The C&S team will attempt to provide readers with more eFP (and VJTF) coverage in future issues.” The ´rst of this coverage commences on Page 9 and, if all goes to plan, there should be more next month. On the following pages you will ´nd the second part of our report on the UAE Union Defence Forces dynamic display at IDEX ‘17 in Abu Dhabi plus features on the newly introduced Emirates digital camouµage pattern, the new UAE Long Range Special Operations Vehicle from NIMR, and the even newer 9mm SMG from UAE ´rearms manufacturer Caracal. There is a lot going on out in the UAE. Finally, we had presumed we might have space for the recent UK Army War´ghting Experiment in this issue, but without drastically increasing pagination and hiking the cover price to absorb additional paper and postage / distribution costs, this has not been feasible. Next month looks like being a packed issue too, but we will get around to covering some of the interesting developments at AWE ‘17 in due course. BM

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 05

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01: A British COYOTE from Mustang Troop followed by two STRYKERS from Fox Troop approaching Piotrków Trybunalski

British forces

02: British soldiers from the Light Dragoons prepare a COYOTE to be deployed to Poland [NATO image]

Report & Images by

MUSTANG TROOP, 2/2 CAV 01

Images © Bob Morrison [Unless noted]

BOB MORRISON

AKA A SQUADRON, THE LIGHT DRAGOONS

T

The following day, as a result of advance intelligence gathering and careful pre-planning, C&S was in position in Central Poland to catch the Southern of two route marches as the Polish Minister of National Defence, Antoni Macierewicz, welcomed a representative packet from the convoy in the centre of the historic town of Piotrków Trybunalski. The two convoys had left the US Army Europe base at Vilseck in Bavaria on Saturday 25th, splitting on tactical grounds to follow different routes to their North-East Poland destination, with the southern group having already stopped over in the Czech Republic and then near WrocÖaw in Poland before we

On 27th March the Polish Ministry of National Defence announced that a US-led battlegroup, including troops from Romania and the United Kingdom, had begun deployment to Poland. The move, which would see around 1,000 personnel, along with light armoured vehicles and equipment, stationed in the northern Polish town of Orzysz was part of NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence as decided at the Warsaw Summit in July 2016. met up with them on the motorway just outside Piotrków Trybunalski.

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The 2016 Warsaw Summit, which was attended by Presidents, Prime Ministers and a Chancellor from 30 NATO nations, plus Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and dignitaries from 17 non-member states from Afghanistan to

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Images © Bob Morrison [Unless noted]

04 Ukraine, as well as from the EU, agreed on nine bullet points. At the top of the list was strengthening the Alliance’s military presence in the east, with four battalion-strength multinational battlegroups to be stationed in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland on a rotational basis and to be in place by early 2017. Known as NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence or eFP - the lower case initial word is intentional, to avoid any confusion with similar military acronyms – this arc of four battlegroups along NATO’s Eastern Baltic Sea nations is intended to be defensive and deterrent

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in nature. The combined force is not strong enough to be considered an offensive military formation, but with troops from several nations participating in each battlegroup it is intended to remind an expansionist Russian Bear that an attack on one NATO member would be considered to be an attack on the entire Alliance.

In essence the new eFP structure is a rebirth of the multinational ACE Mobile Force (AMF) concept, which acted as an ef´cient deterrent on NATO’s vulnerable µanks from 1960, through the fall of the Iron Curtain, until its disbandment in 2002 when it was replaced by the NATO Response Force or NRF. The unof´cial motto

03: The US 2nd Cavalry Regiment is a STRYKER formation transported in 8x8 Interim Armoured Vehicles

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04: The Light Dragoons who form Mustang Troop of 2/2 CAV are issued with VIRTUS vests and helmets 05: The primary steed of Britain’s Light Dragoons is the 4x4 JACKAL seen here armed with HMG and GPMG 06: Polish troops with Àxed bayonets march to the welcoming ceremony at Piotrków Trybunalski 07: Polish Minister of National Defence, Antoni Macierewicz, gave a heartfelt speech welcoming NATO 08: Polish cadets swarm over a Coyote for a group photo badge swapping had already commenced

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09: A Mustang Troop Coyote departs Piotrków Trybunalski - note that the driver wears a mandible guard 10: A second mixed convoy followed a parallel route march to the north aiming for Wesoãa [NATO image] 11: Three JACKALS with STRYKERS behind heading for their overnight stop on a Polish airbase

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of AMF(Land) was “Count the µags, not the barrels!” and the new eFP formations work on precisely the same premise; any aggressor would not be taking on a relatively weaker nation, nor a tiny multinational Allied formation on that country’s soil, but the entire Alliance and effectively all their armed forces.

The eFP battlegroup now on-station at Orzysz, where it can mutually support the German-led multinational Lithuanian eFP battlegroup, is currently led by the 2nd ‘Cougars’ Squadron of the 2nd US Cavalry Regiment, the ‘Second Dragoons’, who we will focus upon next month. An American Cavalry Squadron, which in size compares

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 11

british forces

with a UK infantry battalion, and equipped primarily with STRYKER Interim Armored Vehicles, comprises a Headquarters Troop, three STRYKER Infantry Troops (Companies in UK parlance) and a Forward Support Troop. The reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition functions are usually provided from the parent Cavalry

Images © Bob Morrison [Unless noted]

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Regiment’s fourth Squadron, but for the eFP deployment A Squadron of The Light Dragoons has been placed under command of Lt. Col. Steven Gventner of 2/2 CAV, along with a Romanian Close Air Defence battery (the Blue Scorpions). After photographing A Squadron, now

re-designated Mustang Troop of 2/2 CAV, approaching Piotrków Trybunalski on the E67 in convoy with STRYKERS from Fox Troop, we followed them into the heart of the historic 800 year old city where the Polish Army, Army Cadets and a military band had turned out in strength. Later Defence

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12: Door markings indicate that these parked JACKALS are from a different subunit of Mustang Troop 13: Rear view of the same trio of JACKALS - internally stowed spare indicates all are Mk.2/2A variants 14: COYOTE is the 6x6 version of JACKAL note the ride height difference with suspension dropped

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15: A small number of PANTHER Command & Liaison Vehicles also deployed to Poland 16: A selection of British 24-hour Operational Ration Packs in the ammo box stowage of a JACKAL 17: Each of the two convoys included a REME detachment here preparing to bed down for the night 18: Count the Áags, not the barrels - that is the primary message of the multinational eFP battlegroups

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Minister Macierewicz would make an impassioned speech thanking the eFP contingent for their support. Mustang Troop is equipped primarily with the JACKAL 4x4 MWMIK (Mobility Weapons Mount Installation Kit) and 6x6 COYOTE TSV (Tactical Support Vehicle), both of which are lightly

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armoured derivatives of the Supacat HMT 400 (High Mobility Transporter) in service with several Special Forces and Special Operations Forces units around the globe, from Australia to the United States. The open-topped nature of this vehicle and its low silhouette it has kneeling suspension - give the crew both added situational awareness and an unobtrusive presence, making it ideal for the forward recce role, though its one downside is that the crew has limited protection against the elements.

Images © Bob Morrison [Unless noted]

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Originally the JACKAL 2/2A served the British Army with distinction in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, primarily in the counter-insurgency role, where its superb mobility and off-road agility were second to none and its lack of an inclement weather kit was not a disadvantage. In North-East Poland, however, severe winter weather will likely be problematic unless the UK MoD procurement chain makes a timely purchase of cab glazing, canopies, heaters and sockets for heated clothing for crews; these are all available from

19: 24-hour ORP retort pouch for dinner at the end of another day’s route march through Poland 20: Two days after we left them Mustang Troop arrived in Orzysz at the end of an 1,100km journey [US Army: Georgios Moumoulidis]

the manufacturer and inclement weather packs have already been procured by some overseas SF/SOF users of the vehicles. At the 2/2CAV Southern convoy stop-over point that evening, more than halfway through what for them would eventually be an 1,100km route march, we asked the sergeantmajor of A Squadron LD / Mustang Troop how he had found the deployment so far and he stated: “It has gone really well.” Asked what he was looking forward to during the eFP deployment he told us: “Doing our job as a conventional force; we’ve been sucked into counter-insurgency for the last ´fteen years so it’s good to push out and actually do a reconnaissance job... as a Light Cavalry Regiment.”

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Report & Images by

airborne forces

CARL SCHULZE

01: A PathÀnder of Fallschirmjäger regiment 31 provides cover while his comrades move out of the drop zone their main task is to recce and secure drop zones and landing strips

DIVISION SCHNELLE KRÄFTE GERMAN AIRBORNE FORCES TODAY T

he Division Schnelle Kräfte (DSK) was formed out of the Division Spezielle Operationen (DSO), an Airborne and Special Forces division, and Army Aviation elements previously assigned to the Division Luftbewegliche Operationen (DLO), an Airmobile division, which was disbanded in June 2014. Today the new division

is the sole airborne, airmobile and air mechanised warfare force within the German Army. The motto of the DSK is Einsatzbereit - Jederzeit - Weltweit, meaning: Combat Ready - Anytime Worldwide.

MISSIONS

One of the main missions of the DSK

is to plan, prepare, command and execute Non-combatant Evacuation Operations (NEO) as part of Germany’s national crisis management planning. As part of the NEO mission, the DSK permanently maintains forces at extremely high readiness, to be deployed within 24 to 96 hours once alerted. The Einsatzverband Militärische Evakuierungs operationen,

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Images © Carl Schulze

In recent years the German Airborne Forces have undergone major restructuring due to the German Army adopting the HEER (ARMY) 2011 structure. As part of this process the Division Schnelle Kräfte (DSK) or Rapid Forces Division was oɭcially formed on 1st January, 2014. This division is one of only three remaining main combat formations of the land forces of the Bundeswehr, with all Airborne, Army Aviation and Special Forces assets of the German Army placed under its command. In June 2014, 11 Luchtmobiele (Airmobile) Brigade of the Netherlands Koninklijke Landmacht (Royal Land Forces) was also placed under command of the DSK.

02: Based at Fritzlar Kampf hubschrauber regiment 36 ‘Kurhessen’ is the only Attack Helicopter Regiment of the German Army - it is equipped with 32x Tiger attack helicopters.

airborne forces

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03: Fallschirmjäger regiment 26 and 31 are each structured into ten companies and a basic training company - each regiment numbers about 1,800 paratroopers 04: The Division Schnelle Kräfte has two transport helicopter regiments at its disposal - each of them is equipped with 36x Mehrzweck hubschrauber NH90 utility helicopters

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05: All Airborne, Army Aviation and Special Forces assets of the German Army are placed under command of the Division Schnelle Kräfte

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06: The Luftlande aufklärungs kompanie 260 and 310 Airborne Reconnaissance Companies can each Àeld two Fernspäh zug (Long Range Reconnaissance Platoons) 07: The German Air Force supports operations of the DSK with its CH-53 transport helicopters here a CH-53G picks up an ESK Mungo light protected transport vehicle

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08: Each of the two airborne infantry regiments of Luftlande brigade 1 can Àeld a PathÀnder Platoon that can be deployed using HAHO/HALO parachute techniques 09: Each Airborne Infantry Regiment can Àeld a Military Working Dog Platoon with 18x dog teams each consisting of a handler and dog - dogs are dual trained for Search and Protection

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Images © Carl Schulze

or NEO Task Force, will be tailored to the mission and may number, for example, 1,800 troops. If hostages have to be freed as part of the operation the force may be accompanied by a Special Operations Task Force formed by the Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK) Special Forces. Another mission of the DSK is the planning, preparing, command and execution of specialised operations. In German military doctrine, specialised operations are those that require specially trained troops for their execution, such as operations against irregular forces, early entry operations, operations deep behind enemy lines, air mechanised operations, air assault operations and airborne operations.

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10: Each Fallschirmjäger regiment has its own Airborne Medical Company which can deploy two airmobile clearing stations, six airmobile surgical teams and 28x airmobile medical teams

These can be performed as part of the full mission spectrum of the German Armed Forces, including the defence of the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany and its NATO allies. The DSK can be employed in all types of scenarios and under all threat levels, ranging from humanitarian missions to high intensity war´ghting operations. The division is also responsible for the coordination and employment of the army aviation assets, including maintaining the Search and Rescue (SAR) service in Germany. With the integration of the Dutch 11 Luchtmobiele Brigade completed, from 2018 onwards the division also will have the task of providing a binational Air

Manoeuvre Task Force (AMTF) that can be employed under NATO or European Union command. On a rotating basis, Luftlande brigade 1 of the DSK regularly provides forces for the NATO Response Force (NRF) and the European Battlegroups (EUBG).

DSK STRUCTURE

In total the DSK numbers some 9,500 troops that are based in a total of

“THE DSK CAN BE EMPLOYED IN ALL TYPES OF SCENARIOS AND UNDER ALL THREAT LEVELS...”

09 eight states of the Federal Republic of Germany; namely in Hesse, Lower Saxony, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Saarland, Saxony-Anhalt, North RhineWestphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate. In addition to this some 2,300 Dutch troops of the 11 Luchtmobiele Brigade also fall under command of the DSK. Basically, the following units belong to the Division:„ Stab Division Schnelle Kräfte (Division Headquarters) based at Stadtallendorf.

10 „ Stabs- und Fernmelde kompanie Division Schnelle Kräfte (Headquarters and Signal Company) based at Stadtallendorf. „ Kommando Spezialkräfte (Army Special Forces) based at Calw. „ Luftlande brigade 1 (Airborne Brigade) based at Saarlouis. „ Kampfhubschrauber regiment 36 ‘Kurhessen’ (Attack Helicopter Regiment) based at Fritzlar, equipped with 32x Tiger attack helicopters.

„ Transporthubschrauber regiment 10 ‘Lüneburger Heide’ (Transport Helicopter Regiment) based at Faßberg, equipped with 36x NH90 utility helicopters. „ Transporthubschrauber regiment 30 (Transport Helicopter Regiment) based at Niederstetten, equipped with 36x NH90 utility helicopters. „ 11 Luchtmobiele Brigade (Air Assault Brigade) of the Koninklijke Landmacht based at Schaarsbergen in the Netherlands. The Search and Rescue (SAR) service of the German Armed Forces, with its coordination centre being situated at Münster, also falls under command of the DSK, as does the Systemzentrum Drehµügler (Helicopter Maintenance And Repair Facility) situated at Donauwörth.

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airborne forces

“THE AMTF CAN BE DEPLOYED WITHIN 20 DAYS AFTER BEING PLACED ON ALERT.”

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Images © Carl Schulze

LUFTLANDE BRIGADE 1

The Luftlande brigade 1 (Airborne Brigade) is the only remaining airborne brigade of the German Army. This brigade was of´cially activated on 1st April 2015 and succeeded the Luftlande brigade 26 ‘Saarland’ and the Luftlande brigade 31 ‘Oldenburg’, which were both disbanded earlier. Numbering some 4,500 troops, the brigade is in charge of all Airborne Forces assets of the German Army, which are listed as follows:„ Stabs-und Fernmelde kompanie Luftlande brigade 1 (Headquarters and Signal Company) based in the GrafWerder-Kaserne barracks in Saarlouis. „ Fallschirmjäger regiment 26: (Airborne Infantry Regiment) based at the Niederauerbach Kaserne barracks in

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13 Zweibrücken with parts also based at the Kaserne ‘Auf der Ell’ barracks in Merzig. „ Fallschirmjäger regiment 31: (Airborne Infantry Regiment) based at the Fallschirmjäger Kaserne barracks in Seedorf with parts also based at the Henning von Tresckow Kaserne barracks in Oldenburg. „ Luftlande pionier kompanie 260: (Airborne Engineer Company) based at the Graf-Werder-Kaserne barracks in Saarlouis. „ Luftlande pionier kompanie 270: (Airborne Engineer Company) based at the Fallschirmjäger Kaserne barracks in Seedorf. „ Luftlande aufklärungs kompanie 260: (Airborne Reconnaissance Company) based at the Graf-Haeseler Kaserne

14 barracks in Lebach. „ Luftlande aufklärungs kompanie 310: (Airborne Reconnaissance Company) based at the Fallschirmjäger Kaserne barracks in Seedorf.

FALLSCHIRMJÄGER REGIMENT 26 AND 31

Fallschirmjäger Regiment 26 was formed out of the units of Luftlande brigade 26 ‘Saarland’, while Fallschirmjäger Regiment 31 was formed out of the units of Luftlande brigade 31 ‘Oldenburg’. Both regiments each number about 1,800 paratroopers and are structured as follows:„ Regimentsstab ( Regimental HQ). „ 1. Kompanie - Unterstützungs-und

11: The Anti-tank Platoon of the Airborne Fire Support Company of each Regiment is equipped with four Waffenträger Wiesel 1 TOW anti-tank guided missile system launchers 12: Each Fallschirmjäger regiment includes an Airborne Logistic Company that is capable of supplying an airborne operation from the air - for example by dropping resupplies by parachute 13: One of the vehicles Àelded by the two airborne logistic companies is the Mungo 2 which has a load handling system and can be Àtted with attachments such as a snowplough or a rotary brush system 14: The three Machine Cannon Platoons of each Airborne Fire Support Company of each Regiment are equipped with four Waffenträger Wiesel 1 MK 20mm automatic cannon armament carriers 15: Two Airborne Infantry Companies and the PathÀnder Platoon of each Fallschirmjäger regiment are Spec Ops Capable 16: A member of Luftlande aufklärungs kompanie 260 launches an ALADIN UAV - which has a range of up to 90km and 60 minutes endurance 17: The UAV platoon of the Luftlande aufklärungs kompanie 260 is equipped with the catapult launched LUNA UAV system which has a range of up to 100km and six hours endurance 18: The ESK Mungo is a protected light transport vehicle that can be transported as internal or external load by a CH-53G transport helicopter - it can carry ten troops including the driver 19: The Airborne Fire Support Companies have a Fire Support Platoon structured into a Joint Fire Support Coordination Team and four Joint Fire Support Teams

15 Versorgungs kompanie (Headquarters and Support Company) including a Dienst hunde zug (Military Working Dog Platoon) and a Fallschirm spezialzug (Path´nder Platoon). „ 2. Kompanie and 3. Kompanie – Fallschirmjäger kompanien mit der Ausbildung erweiterte Grundbefähigung (Special Operations Capable Airborne Infantry Companies) each structured

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into a company HQ, three Special Operations Capable Airborne Infantry Platoons and One Special Operations Capable Fire Support Platoon including a Grenade Machine Gun Section, an Anti-tank Missile Section and a Sniper Section. „ 4. Kompanie, 5. Kompanie and 6. Kompanie – Fallschirmjäger kompanien (Airborne Infantry Companies) structured each into a Company HQ, three Airborne Infantry Platoons and one Fire Support Platoon, structured as above.. „ 7. Kompanie - schwere Fallschirmjäger kompanie (Airborne Fire Support Company) structured into: a Company HQ; a Mortar Platoon, with eight 120mm mortars; an Anti-Tank platoon, equipped with four Waffenträger Wiesel 1 TOW armament carriers ´tted with the TOW anti-tank guided weapon system; three Machine Cannon Platoons, each equipped with four Waffenträger Wiesel 1 MK armament carriers ´tted with a 20mm automatic cannon; and a Fire Support Platoon structured into a Joint Fire Support Coordination team (JFSCT) and four Joint Fire Support Teams (JFST). „ 8. Kompanie - schwere Luftlande

versorgungs kompanie (Airborne Logistic Company). „ 9. Kompanie – Luftlande sanitäts kompanie (Airborne Medical Company) „ 10. Kompanie – Fallschirmjäger kompanie (Airborne Infantry Company) Ergänzungs truppenteil, manned by reservists. „ Rekruten kompanie (Basic Training Company) including one fully trained Airborne Infantry Platoon that, among other tasks, can be employed to protect the Regimental HQ. Currently, the core task assigned to Fallschirmjäger regiment 26 is to provide the German infantry contingent for the bi-national German-Dutch Air Manoeuvre Task Force (AMTF). Other elements of the AMTF are provided by the Dutch 11 Luchtmobiele Brigade, other units of the Luftlande brigade 1, the Dutch Defensie Helikopter Commando and the transport and attack helicopter regiments of the DSK. Once fully operational the AMTF can be deployed within 20 days after being placed on alert. Another task of Fallschirmjäger regiment 26 is to provide an Air Assault Task Force that can be employed over the full range

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 21

20

airborne forces

23 20: With the Mortar Platoon of the Airborne Fire Support Company each Regiment can Àeld its own indirect Àre support asset - platoons are each equipped with eight 120mm mortars

21

Images © Carl Schulze

of the military mission spectrum to perform specialised operations as part of the defence of the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany and its NATO allies. The current core task of Fallschirmjäger regiment 31 is to provide the major elements of an Einsatzverband militärische Evakuierungs operationen (NEO Task Force) which is kept at very high readiness and can be deployed at short notice. Another task of this regiment is to provide Special Operations Capable Airborne Infantry assets that can be employed in support of a Special Operations Task Force.

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22 If required each of the two regiments can take over the other formation’s missions on order.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

together with their counterparts of the 11e Brigade Parachutiste of the French Army during the COLIBRI exercises, of which the ´ftieth will take place in late spring 2017.

21: Airborne engineers clear an obstacle using an Ahlmann AS6 airportable multi-role swing shovel loader Àtted with the Modulare The DSK also Schutzausstattung trains regularly (MSA) add-on armour kit with the 82nd Airborne ‘All 22: Here airborne engineers and American’ paratroopers of a Division of the US Special Operations Army, for example Capable Airborne Infantry Company can during the SWIFT be seen conducting RESPONSE riverine warfare exercises that also training involve Airborne 23: Specialised Forces of many Operations require specially trained troops other nations, such for their execution - e.g. as Italy. Poland, for early entry , counter Spain and the irregular forces, deep penetration, air assault United Kingdom. and airborne missions For more on 24: The trademark the division’s of the German weaponry turn to paratroopers is the Page 24. maroon beret with the diving eagle insignia

Footnote: Some compound German terms have been broken down for ease of reading

With 11 Luchtmobiele Brigade falling under the command of the DSK, the division is already a multinational formation. However, the DSK and its subordinated formations, such as the Luftlande brigade 1, also maintain strong relations to the Airborne Forces of other Allied nations. For example, German paratroopers regularly train

24

01: Photo of the HYVE test Equator Extended Comfort Laminate GTX boot model [image via W.L.Gore]

footwear

02: My Equator Alpha GTX (left) and Equator GTX boots - both are suitable for Temperate or Desert use

For the last thirty months, ever since taking the original MEINDL Equator GTX desert patrol boots to the karst landscape of Spain’s Torcal Nature Park and the Costa de la Luz, I have been waxing lyrical about the latest generation Extended Comfort Laminate developed by W.L. Gore & Associates. Subsequently I have trialled Extended Comfort patrol boots from Gore’s other partner manufacturers, with equal satisfaction.

O

Images © Bob Morrison

f course I am just an ordinary scribbling snapper, but not only do I get the chance to wear boots in some challenging environments, but I also tend to beast the best of them a bit, so I think my reviews are pretty valid. However, as I am not a full-time soldier it was interesting to hear what the professionals thought of this hot weather waterproof laminate. From July to November last year, the Patrol GORE-TEX Extended Comfort Footwear was tested in a full-scale wear trial involving 48 soldiers from Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Conducted by Gore, one of their footwear partners, Meindl, and the market research agency HYVE, these trials involved the latest evolution MEINDL Equator Alpha GTX duty boot worn over a period of 10 to 16 weeks. The majority of the trial participants wore the boots for more than six hours a day in easy terrain, sandy and dusty environments, standing water and other liquids (the membrane keeps out pathogens like those found in open sewers).

24 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

PATROL GORE-TEX EXTENDED COMFORT LAMINATE The bulk of the trial group’s activities were conducted over level terrain in warm weather and involved moderate exercise – i.e. marches, combat training, shooting drills or indoor duties. Most of the soldiers were stationed in Central Europe, however, eleven were serving in Africa, Afghanistan, the Near East and Kosovo. During the extensive feedback process, the trial participants were overwhelmingly positive in their assessment

03: MEINDL Equator Alpha GTX patrol boot in UK MoD Brown uses the new Extended Comfort Laminate

of the test boots: “The boots are ideal for their intended use. I’m thrilled with the high climate comfort factor and the breathability,” said one of the test participants. Now I could have told them that :) You can read more about the HYVE results on the GEAR TESTS page of meindl.co.uk

01

airborne forces

Report & Images by

CARL SCHULZE 03

02

Images © Carl Schulze

DSK: MODERN GERMAN AIRBORNE

WEAPONS 01:

The P8A1 9mm pistol entered service in 1994, replacing the P1 9mm pistol. Manufactured by Heckler & Koch the semi-automatic, self-loading, blowback operated weapon is mainly employed as back-up and as armament for heavy weapon and vehicle crews. It weighs 750g with an empty magazine, that can hold 15 rounds. It can be ´tted with an LLM01 laser light module

02:

The standard assault riµe of the German Army is the 5.56mm G36, manufactured in different versions for German Airborne Forces by Heckler & Koch. The paratrooper in the foreground of this picture is armed with a G36A1 while his comrade in the rear is equipped with a G36A2; note the old style reµex sight/optical sight combination of the G36A1 and the RSA-S reµex sight on the G36A2

03:

The latest variant of the G36 that has entered service with the airborne units is the G36KA4 carbine. Mainly operated by the various Special Operations Capable assets of Luftlande brigade 1, the weapon features a new adjustable butt stock, a new handguard ´tted with four Picatinny rails and x3 magni´cation EOTech Holographic

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 25

05

airborne forces

04 Hybrid Sight. As seen here, it can be ´tted with a suppressor

04:

This G36A2 assault riµe is ´tted with the Heckler & Koch 40mm AG 40-2A1 under-barrel grenade launcher which paratroopers use to engage non-hardened and light armoured point or area targets out to a distance of 350m. Available ammunition for the weapon includes: DM91, DM101 and DM101A1 High Explosive Fragmentation; DM12 High Explosive Dual Purpose; DM119A1 and DM159 Less-Lethal; and DM129 and DM149 CS Gas cartridges

05:

The 7.62mm G27P Precision Automatic Riµe, manufactured by Heckler & Koch and based on the 7.62mm x 51 HK417 riµe, is a magazine-fed automatic weapon that can ´re single shots and bursts. Fielded in 2016 it is issued at section level in order to provide the paratroopers with a weapon that can be employed to neutralise targets with a certain degree of precision out to a range of 600m.

06:

The 7.62mm Zielfernrohr gewehr G28 Designated Marksman Riµe is also based on the 7.62mm HK417 assault riµe manufactured by Heckler & Koch and has been ´elded by the German Army since 2011. In the Airborne Forces, the weapon is employed at section level as well as by the sniper assets. The G28 is a gas-operated, rotating bolt semiautomatic weapon with an effective range out to 800m.

07:

The .300 Winchester Magnum G22, introduced in

26 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

1997 and shortly to be replaced, is the standard sniper riµe in service with the German Army. This bolt action riµe is ´tted with a 3-12 x 56 Hensold AG sniper scope and has an effective range of 1,100m. The weapon has a ´ve-round box magazine.

08:

The 7.62mm G3 assault riµe was the standard assault riµe of the German Army between 1959 and 1997 but was replaced by the 5.56mm G36 assault riµe, though variants of the G3, such as the Gewehr G3A3 ZF sniper riµe pictured here, are still operated by the German paratroopers. The G3A3 ZF is ´tted with a FERO Z24 4 x 24 sniper scope and has an effective range of 600m.

09:

The Barrett semi-automatic 12.7mm G82 Anti-materiel Riµe entered service with the German Army under the Infanterist der Zukunft (Future Soldier Equipment) programme. In airborne infantry companies one is available per section. The G82 has an effective range of 1,800m and is employed against technical targets, such as light armoured vehicles or enemy troops in well prepared positions.

10:

The 5.56mm MG4 machine gun is manufactured by Heckler & Koch and entered service with the German Army in 2004. Procurement was conducted under the Infanterist der Zukunft (IdZ) programme and two weapons are issued to each airborne infantry section. The fully automatic, gas operated, belt fed MG4 has a theoretical rate of ´re of 850 rounds per minute and an effective range of 1,000m.

“THE 7.62MM G27P PROVIDES THE PARATROOPERS WITH A WEAPON THAT CAN NEUTRALISE TARGETS WITH A CERTAIN DEGREE OF PRECISION” 06

08

09

10 Images © Carl Sculze

07

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 27

11

airborne forces

Images © Carl Schulze

12

11:

The 7.62mm MG3 General Purpose Machine Gun is a descendant of the M42 of World War II fame. The weapon is about to be replaced by the 7.62mm MG5. Here the MG3 can be seen employed in the dismounted role ´tted with a blank ´re attachment. Fitted with a bi-pod and used with its iron sight the weapon has an effective range of 600m but use of a tripod increases this to 1200m

11.7kg, is 1,225mm long, 130mm wide and 205mm high. It has a theoretical rate of ´re of 1,200 rounds per minute. Operated at section level within the German Airborne Forces the MG3 is also ´elded as a vehicle armament.

12:

13:

MG3 in the Sustained Fire role mounted on a tripod and ´tted with the Zielfernrohr 4x 24 scope. The belt-fed, fully automatic, blowback operated MG3 weighs

28 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

14

13

The 7.62mm MG5 General Purpose Machine Gun is currently entering service with the Airborne Forces and will eventually replace the MG3. Here it is installed on a Waffenträger Wiesel 1 TOW of Fallschirmjäger regiment 26. The gas

16

“IN TOTAL THIS MAN-PACKABLE GMG HAS A WEIGHT OF 60.6KG, WITH THE GUN ALONE WEIGHING 29KG. EFFECTIVE RANGE IS 1,500M.”

15:

15 operated belt-fed MG5 has a theoretical rate of ´re of 800 rounds per minute and weights 11.6kg. Effective range is 600m with bipod or 1,200mm with tripod.

14:

The Airborne Engineers and the Special Operations Capable airborne infantry assets ´eld the 12 gauge Remington 870 Police Magnum shotgun for breaching doors. This pump-action weapon features an iron sight and a tube magazine. It weighs about 3.5kg.

Paratroopers use the Granat pistole 40mm AG40-1A1 grenade launcher to engage nonhardened and light armoured point and area targets out to a distance of 350m. Like the 40mm AG 402A1 under-barrel grenade launcher, the AG40-1A1 is manufactured by Heckler & Koch and both weapons use the same types of ammunition. It is a single shot weapon with a ladder sight and a µip-up rear sight

16:

Within the Airborne Infantry Companies one section of the Fire Support Platoon is equipped with Granat maschinen waffe A1 40mm Grenade Machine Guns. Operated by a three-man crew, the weapon consists of the gun itself, the reµex sight, the gun mount and the tripod. In total this man-packable GMG has a weight of 60.6kg, with the gun alone weighing 29kg. Effective range is 1,500m.

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 29

19

airborne forces

17

17:

Each of the two Fallschirmjäger regiments of Luftlande brigade 1 can ´eld its own integral indirect ´re asset. The mortar platoon of each ´re support company are equipped with the 120mm Mörser ‘R’ and the improved 120mm Mörser ‘R’ mit Linderungsring; the main difference between the two being that the latter has a modi´ed barrel base to allow it to use ammunition creating higher pressure when ´red.

18:

The Panzerfaust 3 Anti-tank Weapon, which entered service with the German Army in 1992, is available at section level in nearly every asset of the Airborne Forces. The compact, lightweight, shoulder-´red, unguided anti-tank weapon consists of a reusable ´ring and sighting unit and the rocket carried in a disposable container. Three different warheads can be ´red. Effective range is 400m

19:

Within the Airborne Infantry Companies one section of the Fire Support Platoon is equipped with the Panzer abwehr waffe MILAN (Missile d’Infanterie Legér Antichar) anti-tank guided missile system which has a maximum effective range of 2,000m. Originally manufactured by Euromissile the MILAN system has a weight of 28kg to which 11.8kg has to be added for a missile in its launch container.

Images © Carl Schulze

20:

The 4.6mm Maschinen pistole MP7 A1 sub-machine gun entered service in 2001 and is mainly employed as personal defence weapon for vehicle crew members such as those of the Waffenträger Wiesel 1 armament carriers. Manufactured by Heckler & Koch the gas operated weapon has an effective range of 150m and a theoretical rate of ´re of 950 rounds per minute.

Footnote: Some compound German terms have been broken down for ease of reading.

30 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

18 20

Report & Images by

new equipment

BOB MORRISON

01: The entire system, complete with leads and probes plus a secondary tablet, Àts in a single hard case

02: Maj Gen Martin Bricknell, Assist. Chief of the Defence Staff (Health), with the new lightweight monitor

02

03: The compact and robust Tempus Pro monitor (left) replaces no less than seven other monitors 04: Here the monitor is linked to a mannequin and running vital signs to allow medics to train realistically 05: The thin white object connected to a USB port is a shareable electronic TCCC card of patient records

03

04 01

TEMPUS PRO WORLD-LEADING MONITOR FOR UK MEDICS

Images © Bob Morrison

In mid-March the UK MoD announced it had placed a £14 million contract for a lifesaving medical monitor which can help facilitate emergency treatment for Royal Navy, British Army, and RAF personnel if they are injured or taken ill on active duty. Produced by Basingstoke company Remote Diagnostic Technologies (RDT), the Tempus Pro monitor transmits medical data in real time to treatment teams.

T

he Tempus Pro monitor, which is about the size of a ruggedised netbook but a little thicker, not only replaces seven different monitors in the treatment room, operating theatre, MERT helicopter or trauma/battle´eld ambulance but can relay data such as blood pressure, pulse and respiratory rate in real time forward to medical facilities giving them a better understanding of an incoming patient’s condition ahead of time. A shareable electronic card of patient records, which can be rolled and attached to the wrist,

32 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

can also be downloaded or uploaded to ensure statistics are accessible at every stage of treatment. The manufacturer describes Tempus Pro as being an advanced vital signs monitor that is ground-breaking in size, weight, ruggedness, functionality, ease of use, µexibility and scalability. The system is said to incorporate all the integrated features and capabilities expected in a market-leading vital signs monitor whilst being smaller and lighter than similar transport monitors, with a longer battery life and a market-

05 leading water and solid object ingress protection rating of IP66. It is also the only pre-hospital monitor of its kind able to offer the full set of Masimo Rainbow parameters. As of mid-February about half of the units ordered by UK MoD had already been rolled out and troops were being trained; having said that, Lt Col Chris Wright RAMC, a MERT Doctor, told C&S that the system is so intuitive that his team had learned to use it in just ten minutes that very day. In addition to being issued across the full spectrum of UK medical forces, Tempus Pro is already in service with both US Special Forces and several other undisclosed specialist NATO formations. To hear what the Colonel, and also Maj Gen Martin Bricknell, think about the Tempus Pro go to the Videos section of combatandsurvival.com

marching ammo 37 01

Images © Bob Morrison

SPOONS &

SPORKS SUPPLIED BY HEINNIE HAYNES Many ration packs supply at least one disposable plastic spoon, and sometimes a knife and fork too, but often these are quite ɰimsy articles which snap when you most need them. If, however, you carry your own eating utensils, or even just a simple combination spork or similar, you will always have something to shovel up your ‘marching ammo’. We asked Heinnie.com what some of their best sellers are.

R

unning from left to right on the lead image, which for comparison has three typical plastic spoons of different bowl sizes taken from military ration packs, we start with the XL version of the CRKT (Columbia River Knife & Tool) Eat’N Tool. Essentially a longer (152mm/6”) version of the original Eat’N Tool, it has a similar spoon bowl with serrated lead

34 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

edge (spork) but a longer handle. The large hole in the handle gives a bottle opener, but also gives a ´nger hole for more stable grip in cold and/or wet conditions, and the slot near the top gives basic spanners in ´ve sizes from 1/4 to 1/2 inclusive. There is also a pry/ can opener built in and it comes with a small carabiner to stop it walking. Next we have the Titanium Spork from

02

03 Swedish company Light My Fire, who have previously produced this handy spoon and fork combination, their Original Spork, in plastic in over 20 colours. The Original Spork is great for campers, and indeed they have been using these for years, but if deploying on military operations or extended tours one cannot count on your eating implement to be unbreakable for the duration. This is where the Titanium

Report & Images by

Spork stands up to be counted, as the material it is made from makes it pretty much indestructible - unless, possibly, used as a mine probe, which is NOT its intended purpose even if it is non-magnetic. Weighing in at just 17 grammes it is very light indeed and as it is non-corrosive you won’t end up with rust in your sausage and beans.

04

In the centre of the array is the twopiece stainless steel KniSFor stacking knife, fork and spoon combination from NexTool, which the makers describe as an all-in-one outdoors multi-function dining tool. A modern variation of the old stacking army cutlery set, which won a 2016/17 ISPO Award, it breaks down into a fork and a combined knife and spoon. The beauty of this one is that it has a proper locking knife blade capable of cutting raw fruit and veg, but the downside is that you may not be able carry it in peacetime urban environments or onto planes.

05

BOB MORRISON

Next we have the slightly unusual one of the bunch, the F.O.R.K.IT from TOPS-USA. This is a stone washed ´nish carbon steel combination knife and spork, with bottle opener included, which comes with a neat kydex sheath, neck chain and survival whistle. In some ways this is designed more for the outdoorsman and survivalist than the soldier, but it will not go amiss in the side pouch of a bergen or at the foot of a daysack.

Finally we have the little com2eat, also from NexTool, which is probably best described as an emergency spork with bottle opener. On this one the fork tines are on the side of the spoon bowl and as it is so small it is really best thought of as a back-up – one for the Survival Tin or Grab Bag perhaps? For more on these eating implements check out heinnie.com from where they can be ordered online

01: From left, Eat’N Tool, Titanium Spork, KniSFor (separated), F.O.R.K.IT with whistle and com2eat 02: The NexTool implements Áanking the Light My Fire spork, all in their shop display boxes 03: The F.O.R.K.IT from TOPS-USA with certiÀcate of authenticity and CKRT Eat’N Tool on display card 04: Although this Eat’N Tool grip looks awkward it is actually very stable and extends the dipping length 05: The Titanium Spork is of classic design - its titanium construction makes it almost indestructible 06: The F.O.R.K.IT drawn from its neck sheath to show both knife blade and spork bowl 07: The tiny com2eat (top) is really a back-up whereas the KniSFor caters for all culinary needs 08: KniSFor opened up to show locking knife blade and spoon plus separate fork - I quite like this one

06 07

08

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 35

B R N AN EW D

Clothing range out now 18.95

£

19.95

£

12.95

£

31.95

£

www.combatandsurvival.com/shop * Colour & designs subject to change. All items correct at time of going to press. Visit website for up-to-date merchandise

firearms 01: The CMP9 is chambered for the well-proven 9x19mm sub-machine gun round

Report by

RICHARD BROWN

CARACAL CMP9 NEW UAE SUBȼMACHINE GUN

The SMG was conceived as a precursor to the modern assault riµe, when a compact, fully automatic, platform was required to sweep WW1 trenches. The ´rst truly iconic SMG was the .45 Thompson M1921 (later M1928A1 and

In the October 2016 issue C&S took a detailed look at the innovative line of tactical small arms hailing from Caracal International in Abu Dhabi, and promised to bring you news of their highly anticipated next generation sub-machine gun (SMG) when it was released this year. The 9mm CMP9 was indeed launched in early 2017 and Caracal are now pushing it ɯrmly in the direction of global Tier 1 military and law enforcement units. M1A1). During WW2, the SMG became a common weapon with platforms such as the PPSh-41 and MP40 effectively complementing riµes of the time, which were long and not well suited to urban ´ghting. Post-WW2 saw an assault riµe boom led by the AK and M16 and the SMG took a back seat in the military, relegated to support roles. In law enforcement, the SMG did, however, evolve and the venerable Heckler & Koch MP5 appeared and still remains in faithful

service today with police units and specialist military forces. Assault riµes continued to shrink and grew in popularity, resulting in the SMG stalling in evolution from the benchmark MP5 until the late 1980s when NATO sought advanced platforms to deliver rounds capable of penetrating CRISAT body armour. The 5.7mm FN P90 and 4.6mm H&K MP7 were released in a storm of hi-tech publicity which proclaimed they could replace all small arms with one holistic

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 37

Continued on Page 40...

Images © Caracal International

B

efore we look down the sights of the CMP9 it is worth taking a moment to examine the evolution of the sub-machine gun; a platform which has divided small arms opinion since its advent. Firing a pistol round, the SMG is seen by many as an underpowered blunt instrument - the rudimentary design of some models like the STEN II doing little to dispel this image. Conversely, some see the SMG as a genius of simple construction, a platform which, at short range, is far more effective than an assault riµe (AR), is more cost effective and still holds a valid place in a modern armoury.

Images © Caracal International

firearms

38 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

CARACAL

CMP9 NEW UAE SUB-MACHINE GUN 02: CMP9 SD is a 6-inch ported barrel weapon which is semipermanently Àtted with a 6-inch suppressor

COMBAT +SURVIVAL COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 39

firearms

03: Caracal’s CMP9 SD sub-machine gun (top) and CMP9 K machine pistol versions 04: CMP9 K is an ultra-short model with a 5.5-inch barrel and no buttstock for concealed carry

weapon system delivering 200 metre lethality in an SMG-sized package. Claims which later proved to be ‘questionable’ as the rounds failed to live up to their billing. Today such guns are falling out of favour and recent tactical requirements have called for the SMG to be reimagined. The key criteria are: capable of ´ring new modern 9mm penetrator rounds, full modularity, suppressed capability and top end ergonomics. Which brings us neatly to a ´ne example of the new 2017 breed of SMG, namely the Caracal CMP9.

Images © Caracal International

Caracal are synonymous with innovation. Their Enhanced F 9mm pistol is possibly one of the best combat autos available today; testament to the fact that so many manufacturers are now drawing off its characteristics such as a low bore axis. Caracal’s riµes are highly modular AR-style platforms which meet the needs of Special Operations, Police and Infantry in the demanding environment where the UAE Armed Forced are currently active. It is therefore no surprise that Caracal’s ´rst SMG has taken many years of development and testing to be released. The end result is a thoroughly up-todate iteration of the genre meeting 2017 tactical needs. This is a tough market to enter as most big small arms manufacturers have realised the potential of modern SMGs, capable of ´ring accurately the vast range of highly effective 9mm ammunition available today. The limitations of assault riµe rounds at close range are widely accepted therefore the time to release a truly capable SMG has never been more relevant. The CMP9 is a smart design. Unlike the awkward P90, Caracal have been

40 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

mindful of the cost of retraining users. They embarked on Project CMP with a conscious design plan to base as much of the CMP9 on the ubiquitous AR platform as possible. The rational being that if you can operate an M4, then you can ´re a CMP9. The charging handle is in exactly the same place as an M4 (albeit with a shorter action) so in a high stress situation muscle memory will cut in to clear the weapon or action a reload. The selector lever is where you would naturally expect to ´nd it, therefore no fumbling to take the weapon off Safe or to select fully automatic ´re. The magazine release and ambidextrous bolt catch are in familiar spots on the light aircraft grade 7075 aluminium lower receiver so the operator can keep eyes on the threat and not glance down during a magazine change. Allin-all, a smart design.

The weapon system also comes in three distinct models. The K is an ultra-short model with a 5.5-inch barrel and no buttstock. Equipped with a forward tactical grip, this weapon can be concealed under clothing and ful´ls a number of specialist roles which require greater punch than a handgun. The best way to operate such a weapon is with a restricted sling arrangement attached to the butt plate which, when held taught at arm’s length, acts as a support. Next in the family is the STD model which is the benchmark model for general deployment. It is slightly heavier than the K at 2.9kg but gives the added bene´t of a 9-inch barrel which will optimise the capability of the 9mm round. For specialist use, the ´nal model has been designated the SD. This is not simply a standard model threaded for a suppressor. The dedicated SD is a 6-inch ported barrel weapon which is semi-permanently ´tted with a 6-inch suppressor, all shrouded by a modular handguard. This allows the ´tting of new style squat suppressors which achieve results by volume rather than length. Fitted with a military speci´cation reµex sight and good sling arrangement the Caracal CMP9 SD is a formidable asset to any SF or SWAT armoury, delivering the time-honoured reliability of blowback in a truly 21st century modular frame.

Rather than overcomplicate the internal operation of the weapon, Caracal have opted for a tried and tested blowback design. Blowback operation has been the mainstay of SMGs for over 70 years and keeps the mechanism simple and easy to maintain. It also helps to keep the unit cost down as there are less specialist gas parts such as those found in short stroke piston weapons. But, be under no illusions, there is nothing old fashioned about the CMP9 - all components are propriety and have been designed from scratch.

With the advent of the current breed of highly capable 9mm rounds and the continued development of platforms to deliver these we are entering a completely new era of SMG development; and it is safe to say that these new weapons will not be a µash in the pan like their 1980s ancestors. The Caracal CMP9 K, STD and SD typify the standard to which SMGs can now be made and the high capability they bring to operational units.

The new ´rearm has a free-µoating barrel and very light quad rail system which offers both standard M1913 rails and Keymod options for the attachment of accessories. The A2 style grip is reassuringly familiar and the three-position buttstock allows for easy shooting with body armour on.

The CMP9 is yet another highly innovative 9mm product which has come from the Abu Dhabi desert weapons facility in Sweihan. We wait with eager interest to see what small arms platform Caracal take on in the future and radically improve for modern operators.

Report & Images by

Images © Bob Morrison

special operations

BOB MORRISON

01: NIMR AJBAN LRSOV crewed by Àve members of the UAE Presidential Guard at IDEX 2017 02: Main armament is a 12.7mm HMG and secondary seen here is a 7.62mm Minimi with retracting stock 03: High angle shot of main armament ring mount on roll cage - note also lift mechanism for spare wheel 04: The LRSOV is intended primarily for Special Operations use but is also used for remote border patrols 05: The vehicle has a bumper-mounted heavy duty winch for self-recovery and CTIS for soft going

01

02 One of the stars of the show at this year’s IDEX military expo in the United Arab Emirates was the homegrown NIMR (TIGER) Automotive AJBAN 4x4 LRSOV (Long Range Special Operations Vehicle), which both appeared on the trade stands and participated each day in the dynamic display. C&S ɯrst encountered, and rode in, this 4/5-man high mobility vehicle last year at Warrior Competition at KASOTC.

T

he vehicle we photographed at King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center (KASOTC) in Jordan was a company demonstrator built to full production standards, but unfortunately it was unarmed and was crewed by just a civilian demo driver rather than troops, however at IDEX we were able to see it both armed and crewed as well as being driven tactically at speed. In this case the vehicle was crewed by members of the UAE Presidential Guard, which is a Special

42 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

Operations Capable formation able to operate by Sea, Air and Land that operationally stands apart from the UDF (Union Defence Forces) Land Forces order of battle, but we understand that the AJBAN is also used by more conventional UDF units for remote area and border patrol duties. Looking ´rst at the NIMR vehicle range, this consists of a family of 8 to 10 tonne GVW class 4x4 (AJBAN) and slightly heavier 6x6 (HAFEET) medium utility vehicles and personnel carriers. The

04

03

05

UAE LONG RANGE SPECOPS VEHICLE company was set up early in the current millennium in Abu Dhabi with the aim of producing modular military vehicles for the home and regional market. Until

recently relatively rarely seen in Europe, though earlier this year the company went into partnership with Czech company VOP CZ to chase a number of

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 43

special operations

06: Note the mini smoke dischargers on the front wings above lights and the ballistic windscreen panels 07: There are smoke dischargers let into the rear panels too - massive tyres are Michelin XZL pattern

06

08: This vehicle is Àtted with windscreen and sun canopy - note brackets to allow door panel Àtting

Images © Bob Morrison

09: Seats are shock protected and have four point harness - both are essential for dune driving at speed 10: Driver’s compartment and console - note the automatic gearbox lever and just two pedals 11: Seats are mesh-backed for comfort in high temperatures and canopy keeps off worst of the sun’s rays

07 44 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

12: The LRSOV is based on the same chassis and power plant as the AJBAN 420A command vehicle

forthcoming European military contracts, the NIMR AJBAN range of 4x4 armoured (mostly) vehicles has been ordered by most Mediterranean and Levant nations from Algeria round to Lebanon, with the exception of Israel, plus of course the UAE. According to the manufacturer the standard AJBAN, which is available in 2-door (420A) and 4-door (440A) versions, is a highly mobile 4x4 protected vehicle incorporating the latest technologies in ballistic and blast protection. They claim the vehicle was designed for the harshest of environments, and it is hard to think of many environments harsher that the Empty Quarter of the Arabian Desert in the deep South of Abu Dhabi; they also state

08

10

“THE AJBAN WAS DESIGNED FROM THE OUTSET TO BE MODULAR IN NATURE...”

11

12 that the vehicle offers exceptional offroad capability as well as unparalleled reliability and performance.

09

The AJBAN was designed from the outset to be modular in nature to allow it to be con´gured for a range of operational roles and to allow it to incorporate various mission systems. The LRSOV (Long Range Special

Operations Vehicle) variant is based on the 440A multi-purpose platform, allowing for maximum commonality of spares, but it is open-topped to give crew both maximum situational awareness and the ability to speedily dismount to engage the enemy on foot; having said that, a ballistic armour kit and mine protection plate can be ´tted for use in very high threat environments.

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 45

Images © Bob Morrison

special operations

Dimensionally, the AJBAN LRSOV is: 5,680mm long, over front winch and spare wheel; 1,970mm tall over roll cage and weapons mount ring, though higher when the main armament is ´tted; and 2,130mm wide over the the body, with secondary armament swung inside the vehicle. The wheelbase is 3,300mm (or 130”, which is similar to an extended wheelbase Land Rover Defender) and the resultant turning circle is just under 15.0 metres. The LRSOV can ford 1,000mm, climb a 400mm step and ascend a 60% gradient but unfortunately we are unable to quote ground clearance or breakover angle as neither of these

13: AJBAN 440A 4-man Protected Vehicle - with ballistic armour it tips the scales at 10,750kg [©NIMR] 14: AJBAN LRSOV company demonstrator photographed off-road at KASOTC in May 2016 15: This 2016 demonstrator has different seats, no smoke dischargers and other minor build differences

46 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

are given on the of´cial publicity material. Kerb weight of the AJBAN LRSOV is 5,000kg giving a usable payload of 3,000kg, but this is reduced if ballistic protection is ´tted. Powered by a 296hp (221kW) engine developing 1,100Nm at 1,500rpm the vehicle is said to have a road speed of 110km/hr (69mph) and road range on standard fuel tanks is given as 700km. For off-road use, a Central Tyre Inµation System (CTIS) is ´tted as standard; this is essential for operations in soft sand and sabkha, where tyre pressures have

to be drastically reduced to spread weight but speedily increased when the going ´rms up. Turning ´nally to the armament, either a medium or heavy machine gun up to 12.7mm calibre or a 40mm grenade machine gun can be ´tted to the ring mount over the rear crew seats and up to three swing arm mounts for 5.56mm or 7.62mm machine guns can be ´tted to roll cage legs at the passenger doors. A canopy kit for sun or inclement weather protection can also be ´tted.

kit + camo

M16 DESERT

DIGITAL UAE PRESIDENTIAL GUARD 48 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

Article & Images by

BOB MORRISON

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 49

kit + camo

Images Imag a es e © Bo B Bob b Mo Morrison orrrison o

The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven neighbouring states (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain) primarily situated on the South-Eastern shores of the Persian Gulf, though Fujairah and Sharjah extend across to the Indian Ocean. The UAE Federation has a joint Army, Navy and Aviation structure, the Union Defence Force, responsible for all seven nations.

I

n the late 1980s the UDF adopted the four-colour desert version of British DPM (Disruptive Pattern Material) and after the 1991 Gulf War it turned to the US six-colour ‘choc chip’ pattern for a few years, before changing to the US three-colour ‘coffee stain’ desert pattern. When the United States adopted digital camouµage patterns early in the new millennium the UDF followed suit, with a non-exact copy of the USMC Desert MARPAT and this camo was widely

50 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

worn until last year when the totally original four-colour M16 Desert Digital Pattern was introduced. M16 camo is a comparatively sparse pattern of Foliage Green and Red Brown larger shapes and smaller Dark Sand shapes on a pinkish Stone background with smaller ‘pixel’ clusters in the secondary and tertiary colours to further break up the background. I have not yet seen this camo in open desert, but having lived and worked for several

days at a time South of the Liwa Oasis in Southern Abu Dhabi a number of times in the last decade my gut feeling is that operationally it should be better than previous patterns. All Friendly Forces troops participating in the dynamic demonstration at IDEX 2017 (see pages 53-58) were wearing M16, as were virtually all UAE troops visiting the expo, and although the display took place in a dusty urban environment the new camouµage did not look out of place. Incidentally, UAE military vehicles are mostly painted in a similar base colour to M16 camo with a slightly lighter reddish brown secondary colour to give depth.

The soldier who agreed to pose for this issue’s Kit & Camo is a member of the elite, and quite secretive, UAE Presidential Guard. He was not wearing any insignia but when I asked one of his superiors what would normally be worn he took the national Áag and low visibility version of the Presidential Guard patch out of his pocket and applied them to the left arm. Interestingly, he is wearing the Batlskin Viper A1 (UAE Special Edition) Helmet System paired with Wolfspider Goggles manufactured by Revision Military. The Guard’s load carriage vest, with attached pouches and rear hydration bladder pouch, are Coyote Tan.

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foreign forces 01

02: The wellorganised ‘Little Grey Men’ insurgents had taken over the railway halt, port, berthed ship and a chemical production plant

Images © Bob Morrison

01: A Troop of French-built Leclerc main battle tanks heads up the UDF counter-attack – note also the troops abseiling down the artiÀcial cliff behind

03: The UAE tanks quickly dealt with the insurgent armour and light patrol vehicles but it would take troops on the ground to winkle our insurgents

IDEX 2017 02

IDEX, the International Defence Exhibition and Conference, is by far the largest military expo in the Middle East, attracting both exhibitors from around the world and buyers from across the region. In past years this biennial show, which runs alongside the naval and maritime security themed NAVDEX, has clashed with other commitments meaning C&S has been unable to cover it, but this year our ducks lined up.

ABU DHABI UAE FORCES CAPABILITY DISPLAY [PART 02] 03

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 53

foreign forces

04

Images © Bob Morrison

05

T

he United Arab Emirates Army, the main Land Forces component of the UAE Union Defence Force (UDF) is a comparatively shy organisation which seldom reveals much about its capabilities. Our former Senior Correspondent Yves Debay, assassinated in Syria in 2013, did manage to cover the UAE Army during the major Exercise GULF SHIELD 2008, which involved French, Qatari and UAE Forces, but this rare opportunity only arose because the previous year France had announced its intent to build a forward

54 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

06

IDEX 2017

08

04: First task for the UDF troops was to pin down the insurgents both aboard the berthed ship with chemicals aboard and on the quayside 05: Riverine troops in fast attack craft took part in the Ànal assault on the ship which overwhelmed the enemy and caused them to surrender

09

06: Captured Little Grey Men are taken off the ship – it was not made clear to watchers precisely which UAE military units were participating 07: The UDF uses the Oshkosh M-ATV (background) but more recently it has introduced the homegrown NIMR AJBAN 440A in a similar protected vehicle role

07

base in the UAE and wherever French troops go their government bends over backwards to ensure their journalists have the opportunity to cover them if they wish to. The dynamic display at this year’s IDEX, run every day of the show in front of a massive and packed grandstand, was a choreographed performance intended to show off the primary hardware and capabilities of the UDF to both a local and international audience.

08: At Àrst this Àre team just looked like a well-drilled squad of infantrymen – it was only later that I realised they were female soldiers wearing the hijab

10

09: The UAE bought around 600 Russian BMP-3 personnel carriers in the 1990s – about one quarter of this Áeet was later upgraded to BMP3-M standards 10: The most interesting thing about these UAE tracked personnel carriers is the massive but necessary air conditioning packs at the rear

Aviation and Naval displays were integrated with the Army demo, but we concentrated on the latter and photographed it from three different locations along the length of the grandstand on the days we were there to try to ensure reasonable coverage in what was an increasingly dusty and smoky amphitheatre.

When the UAE Army was created following the 1971 federation of the Emirates, it took over from the British-led Trucial Oman Scouts to provide internal security across the region and the bulk of their inherited military hardware was primarily of British origin. By the mid1990s, however, the French armaments industry had made

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 55

foreign forces

12

Images © Bob Morrison

11

significant inroads in the UAE with the main battle tank now being the Leclerc and the bulk of the lighter armour being from the AMX or Panhard families, though the tracked APC fleet would soon consist primarily of the Russian BMP-3. Later, a quantity of better protected Turkish-built ACV-15 tracked armoured

56 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

personnel carriers, a development of the US AIFV derivative of the M113A1, was procured and today these serve alongside the Leclerc MBTs with the frontline battlegroups. More recently, various wheeled protected patrol vehicles have been procured, mostly it is believed for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Peninsula Shield coalition

13

IDEX 2017 11: The UDF also has a smaller but better protected Áeet of Turkish-built ACV-15 variants of the AIFV which was based on the M113A1 personnel carrier 12: It is believed that the ACV-15 armoured personnel carrier is used in tandem with the Leclerc main battle tank in UAE armoured battlegroups

14

13: The 60-tonne Leclerc-based DNG (Dépanneur Nouvelle Génération) armoured recovery vehicle is the French equivalent of the British CRARRV 14: The BREM-L ‘Beglianka’ recovery vehicle is based on the BMP – from Russian BREM translates as Armored Repair and Evacuation Machine 15: One of the UAE Áeet of 32 Tpz Fuchs 2 NBC Recce vehicles participated in the display - the UAE is the lead nation in the GCC for CBRN Detection

15

16: Just before the end of IDEX 2017 it was announced that NIMR Automotive had been awarded a contract for 1,500 of their JAIS 4x4 and 6x6 vehicles 17: The UAE Fuchs2 Áeet, of which there are three variants, is a later version of the vehicle used by Britain’s Falcon Troop and has a remote weapon station

16 17

duties, and increasing numbers of locally manufactured NIMR armoured and logistic vehicles have entered service or been ordered. For the display the UAE fight back against the rebel forces,

supported by Little Grey Men militia from a neighbouring state, who had taken over the port and railway infrastructure in the fictional Mount Papakura region of a strife-torn country in which the UAE was deployed as part of an Arab Coalition, commenced with a gentle probe by troops in comparatively lightly armoured PPVs (Protected Patrol Vehicles). When unexpectedly confronted by tracked BMP-3 Armoured Personnel Carriers with 100mm guns and 30mm automatic canons, the UAE patrol withdrew tactically and called forward heavier armour to confront the threat.

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 57

18: The JAIS 4x4 is a high mobility next generation Multi-Role Armour Protected (MRAP) crewed by two with space for Àve infantry and their equipment

foreign forces

19: The AJBAN 420 4x4 pick-up is available in both armoured and unarmoured version – with a GWV of 9,000kg it can carry up to 3,500kg payloads 20: The HAFEET 620 6x6 is also available in both armoured and unarmoured version – its GVW is 13,000 kg and maximum payload is 5,000kg 21: This moving submarine mock-up, which held a Àre team of enemy troops, and the helicopters were part of the integrated NAVDEX display

18

20

21

Images © Bob Morrison

19 The first wave of the main UDF counter-attack was led by a Troop of Leclerc main battle tanks and while they advanced, dismounted troops abseiled down the cliff face behind them and fanned out along the dockside to take on Men In Grey aboard the steamer loaded with chemical drums. Simultaneously, more troops in riverine craft assaulted the ship from the water and rounded up the defeated enemy as 4x4 Protected Patrol Vehicles and BMP-3 and ACV-15 tracked APCs advanced behind the tanks; it was only when reviewing my images on my return that I realised one of the infantry sections comprised

58 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

females soldiers, wearing the hijab under their combat helmets. In addition to tanks and personnel carriers, the UDF dynamic display incorporated recovery vehicles, including the Leclercbased DNG (Dépanneur Nouvelle Génération) and the BMP-based BREM-L ‘Beglianka’. The UAE is the lead nation in the GCC for CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiation & Nuclear) Detection and one of its key assets is a fleet of 32 Tpz Fuchs 2 NBC Recce vehicles, one of which made an appearance during the show; this is a more modern variant of the UK Fuchs 1 NBC vehicles which C&S photographed in Jordan on SHAMAL STORM ‘16.

Several different NIMR vehicles were also on display, including the recently ordered JAIS 4x4 MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected) 21-tonne GVW 2+5 squad vehicle, the AJBAN 420 4x4 and HAFEET 620 6x6 logistic vehicles and, as seen on Page 42, the AJBAN Long Range Special Operations Vehicle. Finally, we cannot leave IDEX 2017 without mentioning the submarine scenario tied in with the UAE Navy display of the quay on the other side of the man-made mountain range. Yes, they really did construct a submarine pen and a mock-up submarine!

Magazine Save Token It’s been brought to our attention that some readers are having trouble getting hold of their regular issues. Naturally, we can’t have anyone missing out on their regular dosage of military know-how. If C&S doesn’t have pride of place at your local news-agent, simply hand over the slip displayed here [or a photocopy]to the person behind the counter. They should be able to order it for you and your missing issues shouldn’t be an issue anymore! Of course, C&S also has a subscription service, with each issue delivered straight to your door... C&S - Don’t miss out

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Images © Bob Morrison

kit review

KAMMO TACTICAL 24L

ASSAULT PACK FROM CADET DIRECT Observant regular readers may have spotted that I have recently been keeping an eye out for a replacement daysack to use as an airline carry-on/camera bag as my old, well-loved and almost perfect, but no longer made, Source Assault 10 pack is on its last legs after years of use and abuse. To cut a long story short, Cadet Direct suggested I look at their own KAMMO Tactical packs range.

F

rom the outset I must make it clear that the KAMMO Tactical range, which currently includes four packs plus webbing and a load carriage vest, is intended primarily for exercise use; the target market being Cadets and Reservists who wish to selfpurchase kit to make their lives easier

60 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

without breaking the bank when they are only going to use it occasionally. That said, this budget range is both nicely thought out and well constructed even though it is not expected to serve daily on a six to eight month operational tour. This 24-litre capacity pack, which

01

02

03 01: KAMMO Tactical 24-litre Assault Pack with internally stowed bladder (not included) and drinking tube

04

02: Here the Assault Pack is crammed to bursting point - a side (lens) pouch is Àtted for display only 03: Six of the PALS tapes on the outer face are made from folded 1000D MTP nylon rather than tape

05 measures roughly 450x320x220mm, will easily ´t even budget airline carryon gauges if not over-´lled and it is even feasible to attach pouches down one side and still remain within the limits. What really caught my eye with this one, however, was the relatively unusual triple compartment layer layout; to avoid potential confusion, looking at the pack from behind the wearer I will designate these Outer, Mid and Main. The Main compartment is the full size of the pack, has a double action zipper around top and both sides plus part of the base to give full access, has a small but near full width zipped nylon document pocket on its back wall and has a roughly half-depth open-topped mesh pocket on the front face / lid. There are hanging cords for a hydration

04: The triple layer layout is noticeable here - note also the side compression straps and buckles 05: Outer compartments (zipped pouches) propped open with twigs - note organiser pockets 06: The Mid compartment with lid folded back to reveal mesh and nylon keepsafe pockets

06 bladder and a hole for the drinking tube at the top; this, in my opinion, is the only negative feature of the design as I feel the hole is too large and could potentially let in rainfall. The Mid compartment has a double action zipper over the top and down both sides a little over halfway and, other than a couple of mesh pockets atop a nylon pocket on its back wall it is empty. The Outer compartment layer consists of a medium sized top pouch and a large lower pouch, both of which have double action zippers; the

lower pouch has an organiser panel on its back wall with large and small pockets and three pen sleeves. Externally, the pack has: ´ve rows of PALS tapes made from folded 1000D nylon, rather than heavy duty tape, on the outer face of the lower compartment; two rows of felt faced PALS tapes, for attachment of name tapes or badges, plus a lower row of folded pack nylon tape on the face of the upper pouch; seven rows of heavy duty PALS tape (note only narrow || rather than |-| pouches will ´t) down each side of the main compartment; two tapes

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 61

08

kit review

07 with buckles for attaching a kip mat or similar to the base; two compression straps with quick release buttons on each side; and a grab handle at the top. On the face of the pack worn against the back there is a sleeve pocket inside which a small hydration bladder or a netbook could be slipped, but my personal feeling is that this is not quite deep enough. The padded back panel is constructed from closed cell foam, as are the adjustable shoulder straps, but it should be noted that the pack does not come with either a stiffening back board or a sternum strap. There is also a simple waistbelt to share the load, but this can be easily removed if you are wearing belt order. Although not perfect, this compact pack has suf´cient interesting features to make it worth consideration, and with a price tag of just under £35 it is good value for money. Additionally, as it only weighs 900g when empty it will not take up too much carry-on weight allowance. Finally, as it has been produced in 1000D waterproof nylon in UK MTP camouµage pattern it should keep even a pedantic sergeant major or PSI happy. I suspect I will make good use of this one on my next major assignment. For more on the KAMMO Tactical range see cadetdirect.com

10

07: The Main compartment has a document pocket on the back wall and mesh pocket under the front lid

Images © Bob Morrison

08: The rear sleeve is just large enough to take a netbook inside its own padded wallet (not included)

“I WILL MAKE GOOD USE OF THIS ONE ON MY NEXT MAJOR ASSIGNMENT.” 62 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

09: I tried Àtting a reasonably standard size 100oz Camelbak bladder in the sleeve but it was too large 10: Each pack currently comes with two free and handy Web Dominators for tidying up loose straps

09

comfort & Survival

OUTDOOR GEAR BY MIKE GORMLEY

Images © Mike Gormley unless noted

01

01

GO TRAVEL ACCESSORIES I have grouped some items from Go Travel here, as this is a new product range to me. If you µy a lot you might have seen some Go Travel products at airports, where they are usually displayed on a rotating console.

The Mini Floodlight [Ref:826] is remarkably bright for a small LED light. To achieve this they have grouped LEDs into a strip. Excellent for an area light. The ‘pocket clip’ is magnetised so the light can be secured to a metal object, or vehicle pillar/panel, while you get on with your task, hands free. Power output is 1.5Watts and battery life (3x AAA) is up to 100 hours. The Slim Power Bank [Ref:970] is more or less the size of a credit card, but somewhat thicker. This makes it a very convenient way of providing back-up power for your mobile or other device if away from a plug-in charger. It is rated at 2300mAH, fully charges a smartphone in 1.5 hours and can, itself, be charged completely in 3 hours.

64 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

02 Keeping our mobiles separated from water is close to essential. The Dry Phone [Ref:764] is a way of achieving this and it also allows you to operate your phone while still contained in a safe place. The waterproof pouch has a reliable roll ‘n’ seal Velcro closure and a lanyard is included.

03 01: The size of a large pen the Mini Floodlight is a compact and handy light source 02: Dry Phone allows you to use your phone while protected from the environment 03: The Slim Power Bank back-up power supply for your mobile phone is credit card size but thicker

KLEAN KANTEEN VACUUM INSULATED DRINK MUG

One of a large range of products from this manufacturer, this is the sort of item which we will mostly all use on a daily basis. Whether out, or around home or work base, or travelling we often need to keep a brew warm or cold drink cool yet easy to drink when we need it. This one ´ts most holders and, as I prefer, it has no handle so slips into a pocket or pouch. The wide opening and screw top makes it very easy to clean and also able to take lumps of ice or be used for soup, making this a very versatile drink container. Just divide the cost of this mug by the cost of a takeaway ‘wet’ in a so-called ‘recyclable mug’ (which it most probably is not) and it will become free in no time plus you will be doing your bit for this planet of ours for a long time to come.

“NITE IZE HAVE PACKED A LOT OF THOUGHTFUL DESIGN INTO THIS LITTLE TORCH.”

04: This insulated drink Áask has a twist opener, larger opening top and no handle so is convenient to use in all situations

05

NITE IZE 3-IN-1 MINI FLASHLIGHT 04 06

A handy little item this. Both water and drop-resistant and also convenient to use. We all need to lighten our darkness and the more capability we can get into a small size the better.

In one small handful we have a dualpowered white light torch which converts to a lantern by simply pulling out the lens unit. This is all switched by a single press button. At the other end we have a red light, operated by another push button. This combination offers three modes; constant light, µash and SOS. The red end can be given a quarter turn to disconnect the single AA battery or to remove the cover for replacement. It will stand on its base and the base can be used as a strap ´xing. Nite Ize have packed a lot of thoughtful design into this little torch.

05: In lantern mode and showing the compactness of this handy little light 06: Here showing off the power of this small but versatile torch

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 65

comfort & Survival 07

SNUGPAK IMPACT FLEECE

Another new edition to the everincreasing Snugpak range is this Impact Fleece. A general purpose lightweight µeece with quarter zip, it is a soft and comfortable no-nonsense µeece top making it useful in many ways. Working well as either a standalone top or as back-up as a mid layer when colder, it is easy to pack in your rucksack or daysack. It works just as well on the hill as when knocking about around home and garden

07: Both Áeece and Beanie were very welcome on a chill day in the Lakes - note also Snugpak Rocket rucksack

Images © Mike Gormley unless noted

08: Here my SnugPak Beanie and Fleece are in use on Dartmoor on their Àrst of several outings

08 66 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

09

“THIS WILL DEFINITELY BE WITH ME ON MORE TRIPS OUT WHEN THE WEATHER IS COLDER...” SNUGPAK CONTACT FLEECE BEANIE

Another new µeece item from Snugpak. I must confess to not being a great beanie wearer, but this one I have been using a fair bit (That’s because you don’t have headboard rash like me and a resultant bare pate, Ed.). I took this cap with me on a recent trip to the Lake District, where it was really quite cold up high, and I was more than pleased to have it. It ´ts well as a standalone or under a hood. This will de´nitely be with me on more trips out when the weather is colder, especially as it is compact enough to take as a Justin Case.

09: The Fleece Beanie was very welcome on top of Sca Fell on a cold April day along with my Snugpak ML3 smock top

11

10

NITE IZE SLIDELOCK CARABINER #3

It’s not only the large and shiny bits of kit we get to depend on. This little item is really very small, but is very handy indeed. I use the Size 3 SlideLock Carabiner to keep my car keys secure but, clearly, it can be used for a raft of similar tasks where valued items need to be kept secured to something else. There is a range of sizes of these to suit various needs; the Size 3 shown here measures 59x38x10mm and is rated at 11kg for load. Where these stand out is that PRODUCT Go Travel Klean Kanteen Nite Ize Snugpak

UK CONTACT Go Travel Whitby and Co Whitby and Co Snugpak

they can, very simply, be locked to prevent inadvertent release. For a small amount of money you can save the loss of something of very high value / importance, or both, so why wouldn’t you make that small investment? I have been a fan of Nite Ize for some time as they have designed a signi´cant and varied range or small but very handy devices so it is well worth a look at their range on Whitby & Co’s website.

10: My use for this handy little device is to keep my Land Rover keys safe attached to clothing 11: SlideLock #3 as seen in the store on its display card TELEPHONE N/A 01539 721032 01539 721032 01535 654479

WEB go-travelproducts.com whitbyandco.co.uk whitbyandco.co.uk snugpak.com

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 67

security industry

SYRIA: CHEMICAL WEAPON STRIKE S

POTENTIAL FOR WIDER CONFLICT? yrian Government Forces have been accused of carrying out a chemical weapons strike against Islamist terrorists that killed 89 civilians, including women and children. The US has subsequently carried out a ‘limited’ military response by ´ring missiles at the air´eld of the Air Force that allegedly carried out the chemical weapons strike.

Image © Bob Morrison: Military Scene

Since Russia is supporting President Assad and his forces with military equipment and advisers, it stands to reason that potentially Russian forces could have been killed in the US attack. Had that been the case, then surely Russia would be forced to react (due to the expectations of its public and the mindset of Vladimir Putin) with a strike of its own, which in turn if US forces were subsequently killed, into a conµict that could spiral out of control. As Russia has already made a statement to the effect that it will respond with a strike on behalf of President Assad, if the US attacks again, how close are we to conµict between a super power and a great power that both posses enormous amounts of nuclear weapons? One thing to consider is the West’s relationship with Russia. The Russians are certainly clashing with NATO and the West over their behaviour in the Ukraine, and economic sanctions have been imposed on it as a result, but Russia has offered the West cooperation on countering terrorism which currently affects us all. This is not a hand of cooperation to be rejected likely, given that Islamic terrorism is a global issue. Russia is unlikely to directly attack US forces and push President Trump into a corner where a series of attacks on each other’s military forces could escalate into war.

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Although President Putin has stated that another attack on Assad’s forces is a ‘line in the sand’ and that he will respond, this does not necessarily need to escalate things. A ‘limited’ Russian strike could be a cyber attack for example, or he could position air defence systems around Syrian air bases to destroy attacking US air assets and since those are unlikely to be manned aircraft (the US use cruise missile systems or unmanned air systems to reduce the risks) then there would be no loss of personnel which would escalate matters. He could also, of course, warn the US he was going to carry out an attack giving them time to remove personnel as the US seem to have done prior to the strike on Assad’s air´eld.

Another point to consider is was it actually Assad’s forces that carried out the chemical attack in the ´rst place? Islamist terrorists have an ongoing inµuence campaign and have been known in the past to fake attacks to inµuence recruiting and worldwide opinion. The terrorists also have access to chemical weapons from Assad’s stocks and therefore this could have been an accidental release due to a regular bombing by Assad’s forces. A country can always make statements that there is proof, but we were presented with ‘proof’ of Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction to justify the invasion of Iraq but we all know now the intelligence was µawed and ‘spun’ to justify regime change. Since Assad is unpopular with Western political leaders, and there are people with

“RUSSIA HAS OFFERED THE WEST COOPERATION ON COUNTERING TERRORISM WHICH CURRENTLY AFFECTS US ALL.” the capability and motivation to frame him, we must be cautious in taking any ‘evidence’ at face value. What also clouds the issue is that President Trump subsequently made a speech where he called on all countries to help stop the war in Syria and help in stopping terrorism. Not only would he need Russia’s help in achieving this, but in an ironic twist his country is actually funding and training terrorists (through a CIA programme) to assist in overthrowing Assad and his government. The US and other countries also have their Special Forces deployed in Syria to help with target indication for air strikes and other kinetic operations and to keep a watching brief on the ground situation. Different countries also have different political end states to the conµict; some will accept Assad and some won’t. The US has stated the attack on the air´eld to be a ‘limited’ one and has said it was a ‘one off’ Russia has stated the attack was of limited effectiveness. Despite the attack using 59 cruise missiles, the runway was not closed and within hours the air´eld was operational with Syrian aircraft taking off. Air´elds have to be regularly attacked to stay inoperable and the losses in aircraft can be rapidly replaced by Russia. The way to effectively reduce air force capability is to kill the pilots and yet this attack deliberately avoided targeting the pilots and aircrew. This shows that despite the rhetoric it’s unlikely the West will be drawn into an armed conµict with Russia over Syria. By Robert Shaw

ROBERT SHAW of LONGBOW SOLUTIONS is a former British Army ATO and IEDD/WIS Operator who is now a security and intelligence trainer and consultant.

Division Schnelle Kräfte GERMAN AIRBORNE FORCES BADGES

01: The formation badge of the DSK features a diving eagle as symbol for the airborne force under its command, while the arrow stands as a symbol for the Special Forces assigned to the division. (© DSK) 02: The Luftlande brigade 1 badge, featuring a parachute and a comet, is based on that of Luftlande brigade 26, which in turn was based on that of 1. Luftlande division formed in 1956 and disbanded in 1994 03: The Fallschirmjäger regiment 26 badge has a parachute symbolising it belongs to the Airborne Forces and in its centre the Archangel Michael, patron saint of both the Paratroopers and the Germans, is depicted

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04: The Fallschirmjäger regiment 31 badge features a parachute, denoting the capability of the regiment to use the third dimension to deploy, and grifÀn, which symbolises the virtues of the Paratroopers such as power, alertness, courage and endurance 05: The badge of Luftlande pionier kompanie 260 (airborne engineer company) based at Graf-Werder-Kaserne in Saarlouis features a parachute, diving eagle and bridge

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06: The badge of Luftlande pionier kompanie 270 (airborne engineer company) based at the Fallschirmjäger Kaserne in Seedorf features a parachute and bridge

Images © Carl Schulze

07: Badge of the Luftlande aufklärungs kompanie 260 (airborne reconnaissance company) based at the Graf-Haeseler Kaserne in Lebach 08: Badge of the Luftlande aufklärungs kompanie 310 (airborne reconnaissance company) based at the Fallschirmjäger Kaserne in Seedorf (© LLAufklKp 310)

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Footnote: Some compound German terms have been broken down for ease of reading

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 69

product review

01 It is a long time since we reviewed products from the vast VIPER Tactical range by Thatchreed Ltd., boots and pouches I seem to remember, so a look at some of their clothing is well overdue. When Moira met up with them earlier in the year at IWA in Nuremberg they asked if we might be interested in reviewing their expanding ɰeece range and so here we are.

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Images © Bob Morrison

hen asked to supply sizes for Victoria and myself, and to state which colour was preferred, I presumed that we would be sent one µeece apiece for appraisal, but when the box turned up it included three different styles plus a polo shirt for both. Happy days. I had selected black, mostly as it is a little while since we focused on the colour most frequently used by some of our blue light and security industry readers, but each µeece is actually available in ´ve colours . On the general speci´cation side, each µeece is tailored from 250gsm polyester fabric and could be considered to be middle weight. Ideal as an additional garment in a layered clothing system, they can also be worn as a standalone outer garment for dry chilly days or evenings, and I have worn all three at various times during a rather changeable March and April in SouthWest England. At least one of those garments should also be with me out in the Eastern Baltic region around the time you read this, as these µeeces are relatively low bulk and can be worn under a waterproof outer jacket to boost insulation as well as being worn as a top garment on warmer days. Starting ´rst with the VIPER Tactical Zipped Hoodie [2], this is the one of the trio I have found myself wearing most on chilly evenings after the spring sunshine has departed, though

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it has also come in handy y when strolling along the Jurassic sic Coast on ´ne but cool early spring days. This is a classic zipped hoodie with th od capacious drawstring hood and two hand-warmer pockets but it also has elasticated windcheater cuffs and hem to keep body heat in. Available in n six sizes from S through to XXXL, this one comes in the full oyote, 5-colour range; Black, Coyote, Green, Titanium and VCAM. AM. It

won’t break the bank with a listed price just under £32. Next we have the VIPER Special S Operations Fleece [4], which does hood but has no d es not have a ho do less than ´ve zipped zipp pockets; 2x sleeve, 1x chest che and 2x hand-warmer. h nd-warmer. The ha T cuffs of this has a t is jacket, which th wh full-length front zip, are elasticated elasticate and there is a drawstring in the draw hem. Both inner front B quadrant panels quad of this th µeece are lined with a soft perforated fabric per to assist insulation a and internal airµow. For the tactical user, there tacti are felt fe patches on each upper arm for the attachment of at badges. On O really cold

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Report & Images by

BOB MORRISON

01: Useful hand-warmer pocket and windcheater sleeve cuff of the VIPER Tactical Zipped Hoodie

“THESE FLEECES ARE RELATIVELY LOW BULK AND CAN BE WORN UNDER A WATERPROOF OUTER JACKET TO BOOST INSULATION”

02: The VIPER Tactical Zipped Hoodie on a bright but chilly day on the Cobb at Lyme Regis 03: The Fleece Hoodie with hood dropped - the soft collar is high and can be drawn in around the neck 04: This is the Special Operations Fleece which has full-length zip and no less than Àve zipped pockets 05: The VIPER Fleece Hoodie is more Victoria’s type of garment than mine - note felt patches on sleeves 06: Hand-warmer pockets on the VIPER Tactical Zipped Hoodie are quite capacious but are unzipped 07: VIPER Tactical Zipped Hoodie has a decent sized hood - I often wear a thick beanie under mine

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FLEECES FROM VIPER TACTICAL

06 days I found this µeece to be very handy underneath a waterproof outer jacket. It, too, comes in the full 5-colour range and in sizes from S through to XXXL. This

one retails under £30. The VIPER Fleece Hoodie [5] is precisely what it says on the tin; a

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conventional headover-style hoodie with drawstring hood, elasticated hem and two hand-warmer pockets. There are also felt patches for attaching tactical badges on each upper arm and thumb loops in the cuffs. To be honest, this is more Victoria’s type of garment than mine, as I am getting a bit long in the tooth for wearing a conventional hoodie with any degree of panache, but I have worn it on evening trips to the pub when I felt my inbuilt beer jacket might not provide suf´cient warmth for the walk home. This is also available in

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 71

product review

08: VIPER Security Polo Shirt - this can be ordered with SECURITY printed front and rear 09: The zipped chest pocket on the VIPER Special Operations Fleece easily holds a smartphone 10: There is also a zipped pocket at the top of each arm on the VIPER Special Operations Fleece

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11: All four VIPER Tactical garments reviewed here have felt patches for attaching velcro-backed badges 12: Now you see why although I wear test all garments we mostly photograph them on Victoria

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11 Pattern. All garments reviewed here can be purchased online through viperkit. co.uk but you will also ´nd them stocked by many shops catering for the military and security industry private purchase markets.

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Images © Bob Morrison

six sizes and retails for under £24. The last of the four garments on these pages is the VIPER Security Polo Shirt [8]. Made from 205gms cotton, this shirt can be ordered with SECURITY printed small on the chest and large on the back, but as neither Victoria or myself are SIA accredited we just wear the plain black version. This shirt has a 3-button neck plus felt patches for tactical badges on each upper arm. Available in six sizes, but in black only, it retails at under £19. Finally, you might have spotted mention of VCAM (VIPER Camo) earlier in this review. This is VIPER Tactical’s own camouµage pattern designed to be compatible with both MultiCam and UK Multi-Terrain

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COMBAT +SURVIVAL

next issue

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ext month: Bob Morrison will feature 2nd Squadron of the 2nd US Cavalry Regiment and their STRYKER 8x8 Interim Armoured Vehicle µeet, as deployed to Poland on NATO eFP duties; on the ´rearms side Richard Brown will bring us his considered thoughts on

the recent military change of emphasis to using Striker, rather than Hammer, pistols; Carl Schulze will focus on the MAN SV truck µeet, as widely used by UK Forces, and Gordon Arthur will bring an exclusive report on Indian Special Forces. We also have a couple of other interesting features in the pipeline, but due to the fast pace

of military activity at the moment we are unsure if we will have them photographed in time for the next issue so we won’t announce them for the moment. Plus: Product Reviews, Rations, Kit & Camo etc. Contents may change subject to operational developments!

[Image © Bob Morrison]

July '17 Issue On Sale 8th June 74 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL