LSAT light machine gun: Difference between revisions
America789 (talk | contribs) cased telescoped ammo, moved images |
America789 (talk | contribs) added compact and weight comparison |
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|weight=9.8 lb (4.45 kg) empty (cased telescoped variant)<ref name="2008 LSAT Presentation" /><br> 9.9 lb (4.5 kg) empty (caseless variant)<ref name="2008 LSAT Presentation" /> |
|weight=9.8 lb (4.45 kg) empty (cased telescoped variant)<ref name="2008 LSAT Presentation" /><br> 9.9 lb (4.5 kg) empty (caseless variant)<ref name="2008 LSAT Presentation" /> |
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|length=36.1" (917 mm) (stock retracted)<ref name="NRAmerican LSAT article" /> |
|length=36.1" (917 mm) (stock retracted)<ref name="NRAmerican LSAT article" /> |
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|part_length=16.5" (418 mm)<ref name="NRAmerican LSAT article" /> |
|part_length=16.5" (418 mm) standard<ref name="NRAmerican LSAT article" /><br> {{convert|12.5|in|mm|abbr=on}} compact<ref name="compact">[http://kitup.military.com/2012/09/mdm-new-compact-lsat-lmg.html New Compact LSAT LMG] - Kitup.Military.com, September 26, 2012</ref> |
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Development began with the two types of weight-reducing ammunition, and a light machine gun to serve as a [[testbed]] and technology demonstrator<ref name="2008 LSAT Presentation" />. Use of an LMG for this purpose is notable, considering its greater technical complexity than infantry rifles. The use of advanced [[computer simulations]] to accelerate development may have mitigated this, and the less significant LMG platform succeeds at being less conspicuous to unwanted media attention. For development, the use of extensive computer simulation and modelling reduces both time and expenditure for prototyping and testing. The program also uses a 'spiral development' approach, whereby the weapon and ammunition is rolled out in stages or 'spirals', each stage producing a new version that is an improvement on those from previous spirals. A competition down-selected the design concepts of various companies to leave an AAI Corporation-led team of companies as the developers of the weapon system. The cohesive team of companies is combined with government support to ensure success. The parallel development of the two ammunition types meant that, if the caseless ammunition effort succeeded, much of the development work gained with the composite cased weapon could be applied to it, and, if it failed, the composite-cased version was likely to succeed on its own. |
Development began with the two types of weight-reducing ammunition, and a light machine gun to serve as a [[testbed]] and technology demonstrator<ref name="2008 LSAT Presentation" />. Use of an LMG for this purpose is notable, considering its greater technical complexity than infantry rifles. The use of advanced [[computer simulations]] to accelerate development may have mitigated this, and the less significant LMG platform succeeds at being less conspicuous to unwanted media attention. For development, the use of extensive computer simulation and modelling reduces both time and expenditure for prototyping and testing. The program also uses a 'spiral development' approach, whereby the weapon and ammunition is rolled out in stages or 'spirals', each stage producing a new version that is an improvement on those from previous spirals. A competition down-selected the design concepts of various companies to leave an AAI Corporation-led team of companies as the developers of the weapon system. The cohesive team of companies is combined with government support to ensure success. The parallel development of the two ammunition types meant that, if the caseless ammunition effort succeeded, much of the development work gained with the composite cased weapon could be applied to it, and, if it failed, the composite-cased version was likely to succeed on its own. |
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== |
==Design== |
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[[File:PEO Fires Inaugural Light Machine Gun Shot.jpg|thumb|left|LSA being fired for the first time by Picatinny Senior Commander and PEO Ammunition Brig. Gen. Jonathan A. Maddux at [[Picatinny Arsenal]]]] |
[[File:PEO Fires Inaugural Light Machine Gun Shot.jpg|thumb|left|LSA being fired for the first time by Picatinny Senior Commander and PEO Ammunition Brig. Gen. Jonathan A. Maddux at [[Picatinny Arsenal]]]] |
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The [[Light machine gun|LMG]]s built made a 44% and 43% reduction of weight (for the cased telescoped and the caseless weapons, respectively). Secondary goals have also been met: the LMG has the potential to improve battlefield effectiveness (due to its simpler and more consistent weapon action, its light weight and low recoil, and its stiffer barrel); its use of recoil compensation (with a long-stroke gas-system, for example) has produced positive feedback regarding controllability; the simpler mechanism of the LMG is both more reliable and easier to maintain; a rounds counter has been integrated to improve maintainability, and the weapon is capable of accepting other electronic devices; improved materials used in the chamber and barrel have reduced heat load on the weapon; and the weapon cost is equivalent to the existing [[M249]]. |
The [[Light machine gun|LMG]]s built made a 44% and 43% reduction of weight (for the cased telescoped and the caseless weapons, respectively). Secondary goals have also been met: the LMG has the potential to improve battlefield effectiveness (due to its simpler and more consistent weapon action, its light weight and low recoil, and its stiffer barrel); its use of recoil compensation (with a long-stroke gas-system, for example) has produced positive feedback regarding controllability; the simpler mechanism of the LMG is both more reliable and easier to maintain; a rounds counter has been integrated to improve maintainability, and the weapon is capable of accepting other electronic devices; improved materials used in the chamber and barrel have reduced heat load on the weapon; and the weapon cost is equivalent to the existing [[M249]]. The standard LSAT machine gun weighs 9.4 lb empty, compared to 17.6 lb for a standard SAW. Cased telescoped ammunition weighs 40% less than brass cased ammo, so a 100 round ammunition belt weighs about 2 lb for the LSAT, compared to 3.3 lb for a brass cased belt.<ref name="weight">[http://militarytimes.com/blogs/gearscout/2012/11/07/lsat-the-9-pound-lmg/ The 9 Pound LMG] - Militarytimes Gearscout.com, November 7, 2012</ref> |
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[[File:Light Machine Gun at Fort Benning, Ga. 2011.jpg|thumb|right|A soldier engages a close range target with the light machine during a military unit assessment at Fort Benning, Ga.]] |
[[File:Light Machine Gun at Fort Benning, Ga. 2011.jpg|thumb|right|A soldier engages a close range target with the light machine during a military unit assessment at Fort Benning, Ga.]] |
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==Testing== |
==Testing== |
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In late 2011, about 20 soldiers participated in a two-week assessment of the LSAT light machine gun at [[Fort Benning]], [[Georgia (U.S. State)|Georgia]] to demonstrate its capabilities against the [[M249 SAW]]. In one test the soldiers, half armed with SAWs and half with LSATs, marched six miles in full combat gear then fired at targets to measure stress and muscle fatigue. Another test had the soldiers sprint 200 yards wearing body armor and a basic load on ammunition, then rapidly engage close-range targets. A third week involved soldiers of the [[75th Ranger Regiment]] performing a squad maneuver live-fire exercise in an urban setting. Feedback from participants favored the LSAT for its lighter weight and decreased recoil. Soldiers remarked the LSAT had better accuracy than the M249. The semi-automatic option made it more viable for room clearing. One Ranger even said the LSAT performed better than the [[M249 SAW#Variants|Mk 46 machine gun]] used by special operations forces.<ref>[http://www.pica.army.mil/picatinnypublic/highlights/archive/2011/11-04-11.asp New light machine gun aims to 'SAW' Soldiers' load] – Picatinny Arsenal, November 4, 2011</ref> |
In late 2011, about 20 soldiers participated in a two-week assessment of the LSAT light machine gun at [[Fort Benning]], [[Georgia (U.S. State)|Georgia]] to demonstrate its capabilities against the [[M249 SAW]]. In one test the soldiers, half armed with SAWs and half with LSATs, marched six miles in full combat gear then fired at targets to measure stress and muscle fatigue. Another test had the soldiers sprint 200 yards wearing body armor and a basic load on ammunition, then rapidly engage close-range targets. A third week involved soldiers of the [[75th Ranger Regiment]] performing a squad maneuver live-fire exercise in an urban setting. Feedback from participants favored the LSAT for its lighter weight and decreased recoil. Soldiers remarked the LSAT had better accuracy than the M249. The semi-automatic option made it more viable for room clearing. One Ranger even said the LSAT performed better than the [[M249 SAW#Variants|Mk 46 machine gun]] used by special operations forces.<ref>[http://www.pica.army.mil/picatinnypublic/highlights/archive/2011/11-04-11.asp New light machine gun aims to 'SAW' Soldiers' load] – Picatinny Arsenal, November 4, 2011</ref> The eight prototype weapons fired a combined 25,000 rounds, moving its cased telescoped ammunition to [[Technology readiness level#U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) definitions|technology readiness level 7]].<ref name="weight"/> |
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==Future improvements== |
==Future improvements== |
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The designers project further improvements. These include improved projectile technologies, such as greener bullets and a more lethal [[caliber|calibre]],<ref name="NRAmerican LSAT article" /> as well as the integration of electronics, such as rounds counters, and [[lasers]] for sighting, target acquisition, and steering.<ref name="Army Budget Document">{{cite web|title=Descriptive Summaries of the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Army Appropriation, Budget Activities 1, 2 and 3|publisher=[[United States Secretary of the Army|Office of the Secretary of the Army]]|volume=1|date=February 2007|url=http://www.scribd.com/doc/1774311/US-Army-vol1?query2=lsat+caseless+2008}}</ref> The Army is pursuing [[cased telescoped ammunition]]. This development is far along, and they say a new LMG could be fielded within two years with unequivocal support. The Marine Corps is pursuing [[caseless ammunition]], which is less developed and will take several more years to refine.<ref>[http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2012/05/marine-lighter-machine-gun-052112/ Caseless ammo could cut 25 lbs. from gear] – Militarytimes, May 21, 2012</ref> |
The designers project further improvements. These include improved projectile technologies, such as greener bullets and a more lethal [[caliber|calibre]],<ref name="NRAmerican LSAT article" /> as well as the integration of electronics, such as rounds counters, and [[lasers]] for sighting, target acquisition, and steering.<ref name="Army Budget Document">{{cite web|title=Descriptive Summaries of the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Army Appropriation, Budget Activities 1, 2 and 3|publisher=[[United States Secretary of the Army|Office of the Secretary of the Army]]|volume=1|date=February 2007|url=http://www.scribd.com/doc/1774311/US-Army-vol1?query2=lsat+caseless+2008}}</ref> The Army is pursuing [[cased telescoped ammunition]]. This development is far along, and they say a new LMG could be fielded within two years (2014) with unequivocal support. The Marine Corps is pursuing [[caseless ammunition]], which is less developed and will take several more years to refine.<ref>[http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2012/05/marine-lighter-machine-gun-052112/ Caseless ammo could cut 25 lbs. from gear] – Militarytimes, May 21, 2012</ref> A compact version is also being developed with a 4 inch shorter barrel and folding, telescoping buttstock.<ref name="compact"/> |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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Revision as of 03:33, 4 December 2012
| LSAT light machine gun | |
|---|---|
 A U.S. Army soldier performs a test shooting of a prototype cased telescoped light machine gun in 2010. | |
| Type | Light machine gun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designer | AAI Corporation |
| Designed | 2003 onwards[1] |
| Manufacturer | TBD |
| Unit cost | ≤US$3600[2] |
| Produced | Earliest: 2010[1] |
| Variants | Cased telescoped ammunition firing variant Caseless ammunition firing variant |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 9.8 lb (4.45 kg) empty (cased telescoped variant)[2] 9.9 lb (4.5 kg) empty (caseless variant)[2] |
| Length | 36.1" (917 mm) (stock retracted)[1] |
| Barrel length | 16.5" (418 mm) standard[1] 12.5 in (320 mm) compact[3] |
| Cartridge | Cased telescoped ammunition LSAT caseless ammunition |
| Caliber | 5.56 mm (At present)[1] |
| Action | Gas-piston; push-through feed-and-ejection; open, swinging chamber[1] |
| Rate of fire | ≈650 rounds/min[1] |
| Muzzle velocity | 920 meters/sec[2] |
| Effective firing range | ≈1000 m[1] |
| Feed system | 100 (cased telescoped) or 150 (caseless) round soft pouches of full-loop-polymer linked, disintegrating belts[2] |
| Sights | optical, involving advanced tracking and acquisition[4] |
The LSAT light machine gun, of the LSAT (Lightweight Small Arms Technologies) program, is a developmental, powerful light machine gun. The purpose of the program was to develop a lighter, yet very reliable LMG. The program was initiated in 2004, when the Joint Service Small Arms Program (JSSAP) challenged the American defence industry to develop a lighter small arms and also design lighter ammunition.[1][5] The LMG provides a major reduction in weight over legacy weapons, as well as improvements in other areas, such as controllability and reliability.[2] As of 2008, it has two configurations, one that fires cased telescoped ammunition, and one that fires caseless ammunition.[2] After further research and development into both technologies and the platforms that fire them, one of the two variants shall be chosen for production.[1]
History
Development began with the two types of weight-reducing ammunition, and a light machine gun to serve as a testbed and technology demonstrator[2]. Use of an LMG for this purpose is notable, considering its greater technical complexity than infantry rifles. The use of advanced computer simulations to accelerate development may have mitigated this, and the less significant LMG platform succeeds at being less conspicuous to unwanted media attention. For development, the use of extensive computer simulation and modelling reduces both time and expenditure for prototyping and testing. The program also uses a 'spiral development' approach, whereby the weapon and ammunition is rolled out in stages or 'spirals', each stage producing a new version that is an improvement on those from previous spirals. A competition down-selected the design concepts of various companies to leave an AAI Corporation-led team of companies as the developers of the weapon system. The cohesive team of companies is combined with government support to ensure success. The parallel development of the two ammunition types meant that, if the caseless ammunition effort succeeded, much of the development work gained with the composite cased weapon could be applied to it, and, if it failed, the composite-cased version was likely to succeed on its own.
Design
The LMGs built made a 44% and 43% reduction of weight (for the cased telescoped and the caseless weapons, respectively). Secondary goals have also been met: the LMG has the potential to improve battlefield effectiveness (due to its simpler and more consistent weapon action, its light weight and low recoil, and its stiffer barrel); its use of recoil compensation (with a long-stroke gas-system, for example) has produced positive feedback regarding controllability; the simpler mechanism of the LMG is both more reliable and easier to maintain; a rounds counter has been integrated to improve maintainability, and the weapon is capable of accepting other electronic devices; improved materials used in the chamber and barrel have reduced heat load on the weapon; and the weapon cost is equivalent to the existing M249. The standard LSAT machine gun weighs 9.4 lb empty, compared to 17.6 lb for a standard SAW. Cased telescoped ammunition weighs 40% less than brass cased ammo, so a 100 round ammunition belt weighs about 2 lb for the LSAT, compared to 3.3 lb for a brass cased belt.[6]
The LMG design is a traditionally laid-out (non-bullpup) machine-gun.[7] It has many of the capabilities of other light machine guns, such as a quick-change barrel, a vented fore-grip, belt-fed ammunition, an ammunition pouch, and a roughly 600 rpm rate of fire. New features include the unique weight, a rounds counter, and a highly stiff and heat resistant barrel achieved with fluting and special materials[1][8]. Possibly the most radical part is its firing action: the weapon uses a swinging chamber. The chamber swings around a longitudinal pivot; it swings from horizontally parallel with the pivot (the firing position), to vertically parallel (the feed position), and back again[9]. A long-stroke gas-piston is used to operate this action. A round is fed into the chamber at the feed position using a rammer, and the new round also serves to push a spent or dud round out of the far end of the chamber. Such rounds are pushed forward, parallel to the barrel, and they slide into a separate mechanism that ejects them out of one side of the gun. The advantages of this whole action include its simplicity, its isolation of the chamber from barrel heat, and its positive control of round movement from extraction to ejection. In the caseless firing version of the weapon, another mechanism is introduced to seal the chamber during firing, accounting for the slightly increased weight of the caseless version.
Testing
In late 2011, about 20 soldiers participated in a two-week assessment of the LSAT light machine gun at Fort Benning, Georgia to demonstrate its capabilities against the M249 SAW. In one test the soldiers, half armed with SAWs and half with LSATs, marched six miles in full combat gear then fired at targets to measure stress and muscle fatigue. Another test had the soldiers sprint 200 yards wearing body armor and a basic load on ammunition, then rapidly engage close-range targets. A third week involved soldiers of the 75th Ranger Regiment performing a squad maneuver live-fire exercise in an urban setting. Feedback from participants favored the LSAT for its lighter weight and decreased recoil. Soldiers remarked the LSAT had better accuracy than the M249. The semi-automatic option made it more viable for room clearing. One Ranger even said the LSAT performed better than the Mk 46 machine gun used by special operations forces.[10] The eight prototype weapons fired a combined 25,000 rounds, moving its cased telescoped ammunition to technology readiness level 7.[6]
Future improvements
The designers project further improvements. These include improved projectile technologies, such as greener bullets and a more lethal calibre,[1] as well as the integration of electronics, such as rounds counters, and lasers for sighting, target acquisition, and steering.[4] The Army is pursuing cased telescoped ammunition. This development is far along, and they say a new LMG could be fielded within two years (2014) with unequivocal support. The Marine Corps is pursuing caseless ammunition, which is less developed and will take several more years to refine.[11] A compact version is also being developed with a 4 inch shorter barrel and folding, telescoping buttstock.[3]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Bruce, Robert. "LSAT The Future of Small Arms Now?". American Rifleman. National Rifle Association.[dead link]
- ^ a b c d e f g h Spiegel, Kori (2008-05-21). "Lightweight Small Arms Technologies" (PDF). International Infantry & Joint Services Small Arms Systems Symposium. National Defense Industrial Association.
{{cite conference}}: Unknown parameter|booktitle=ignored (|book-title=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ a b New Compact LSAT LMG - Kitup.Military.com, September 26, 2012
- ^ a b "Descriptive Summaries of the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Army Appropriation, Budget Activities 1, 2 and 3". Office of the Secretary of the Army. February 2007.
- ^ Spiegel, Kori. "Lightweight Small Arms Technologies" (PDF). Army Science Conference.
{{cite conference}}: Unknown parameter|booktitle=ignored (|book-title=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ a b The 9 Pound LMG - Militarytimes Gearscout.com, November 7, 2012
- ^ http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/6619/smallarms56019.jpg
- ^ Christou, Kris (2005-05-17). "Lightweight High Performance Gun Barrels" (PDF). International Infantry & Joint Services Small Arms Systems Symposium. National Defense Industrial Association.
{{cite conference}}: Unknown parameter|booktitle=ignored (|book-title=suggested) (help) - ^ http://www.aaicorp.com/New/Advancedprograms/html/lsat_video.html
- ^ New light machine gun aims to 'SAW' Soldiers' load – Picatinny Arsenal, November 4, 2011
- ^ Caseless ammo could cut 25 lbs. from gear – Militarytimes, May 21, 2012