Historical Context
Global War on Terror
Middle East Conflict
Battles & Operations
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Operation Red Wings (27 June - mid-July 2005)
Operation Red Wings was an American operation in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, in June and July 2005, aimed at the militant leader Ahmad… Continued…
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Operation Neptune Spear (2 May 2011)
Operation Neptune Spear was the United States raid of 2 May 2011 that killed Osama bin Laden, the founder of al-Qaeda, at a walled compound… Continued…
Weapons
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AK-47
The AK-47 is the most produced firearm in human history: Mikhail Kalashnikov's gas-operated assault rifle in 7.62x39mm, built around loose… Continued…
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Barrett M82
The Barrett M82 is a semi-automatic rifle chambered for the .50 BMG machine-gun cartridge, designed by Ronnie Barrett in Tennessee in the… Continued…
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Beretta M9
The Beretta M9 is the 9 mm semi-automatic pistol adopted by the United States armed forces in 1985 to replace the .45 caliber M1911A1. It… Continued…
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CAR-15
CAR-15 was Colt's name, from the mid-1960s, for a family of weapons built on the AR-15 and M16 rifle, and soldiers came to use it for the… Continued…
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FAMAS
The FAMAS is the French army's bullpup assault rifle, adopted in 1978 and in service for four decades. Made at the Saint-Étienne arms… Continued…
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FN MAG
The FN MAG is a Belgian general-purpose machine gun designed by Ernest Vervier at Fabrique Nationale and introduced in 1958. It fires… Continued…
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FN P90
The FN P90 is a Belgian personal defense weapon designed by FN Herstal in the late 1980s to give drivers, gunners and other rear-echelon… Continued…
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FN SCAR
The FN SCAR is a modular rifle made by FN Herstal of Belgium for US Special Operations Command, which chose it in 2004. It came in two main… Continued…
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G36 Rifle
The Heckler & Koch G36 is a 5.56x45 mm NATO assault rifle adopted by the German Bundeswehr in 1997 to replace the G3. It uses a… Continued…
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HK MP5
The Heckler & Koch MP5 is the submachine gun by which every other has been judged since the 1970s. It shrank the roller-delayed blowback… Continued…
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HK MP7
The Heckler & Koch MP7 is a personal defense weapon: a machine pistol the size of a large handgun that fires a small, very fast 4.6x30mm… Continued…
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HK416
The Heckler & Koch HK416 is a 5.56mm assault rifle and carbine that keeps the ergonomics, magazines and accessories of the American M4 but… Continued…
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HK417
The HK417 is a 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifle made by Heckler & Koch of Germany. It is the larger-caliber partner of the HK416 and uses the… Continued…
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KA-BAR Knife
The KA-BAR is the fighting and utility knife of the United States Marine Corps: a seven-inch clip-point blade of carbon steel with a blood… Continued…
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L85A1
The L85A1 is the British Army's 5.56mm bullpup rifle, the individual weapon of the SA80 family. Adopted in 1985 to replace the L1A1… Continued…
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M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System
The M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System is the United States Army's self-loading 7.62mm sniper rifle, adopted in 2008 to give sniper teams… Continued…
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M14 Rifle
The M14 was the United States' last wooden-stocked battle rifle: a select-fire development of the M1 Garand chambered for the new 7.62mm… Continued…
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M18 Claymore Mine
The M18A1 Claymore is an American directional anti-personnel mine. Its curved plastic case holds a layer of C-4 explosive behind about 700… Continued…
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M2 Browning Machine Gun
The M2 is the American heavy machine gun of .50 caliber, designed by John Browning at the end of the First World War and adopted in its… Continued…
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M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle
The M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle is a US Army bolt-action sniper rifle in .300 Winchester Magnum, made by rebuilding existing M24 rifles… Continued…
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M203 Grenade Launcher
The M203 is a single-shot 40 mm grenade launcher that clips under the barrel of an M16 rifle or M4 carbine. Developed by the AAI… Continued…
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M21 Sniper Weapon System
The M21 Sniper Weapon System was the United States Army's sniper rifle from 1969 to 1988: a National Match M14 selected for accuracy… Continued…
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M24 Sniper Weapon System
The M24 Sniper Weapon System was the United States Army's standard sniper rifle from 1988 until the 2010s: a Remington Model 700 long… Continued…
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M249 Squad Automatic Weapon
The M249 Squad Automatic Weapon is the American version of the Belgian FN Minimi: a gas-operated, belt-fed 5.56mm light machine gun light… Continued…
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M4 Carbine
The M4 carbine is a shortened, lighter version of the M16 rifle, made by Colt and adopted by the US Army in 1994. It has a 14.5-inch… Continued…
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M40 Rifle
The M40 is the bolt-action sniper rifle of the US Marine Corps, adopted in 1966 and in service in successive versions until the 2010s. The… Continued…
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M60 Machine Gun
The M60 was the United States' first general-purpose machine gun: a belt-fed 7.62mm weapon light enough for one soldier to carry on the… Continued…
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M67 Grenade
The M67 is the standard fragmentation hand grenade of the United States armed forces. Adopted in the late 1960s, it is a smooth steel… Continued…
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M72 LAW
The M72 LAW is an American 66 mm anti-tank rocket in a disposable, telescoping launch tube. Adopted by the US Army and Marine Corps in… Continued…
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M79 Grenade Launcher
The M79 is a single-shot, break-open, shoulder-fired grenade launcher that fires a 40x46mm low-velocity grenade to about 400 meters… Continued…
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McMillan TAC-338
The McMillan TAC-338 is a bolt action sniper rifle built by McMillan Firearms of Phoenix, Arizona, and chambered for the powerful .338… Continued…
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Mk 12 Special Purpose Rifle
The Mk 12 Special Purpose Rifle (SPR) was a precision rifle built on the M16/AR-15 pattern for US special operations forces. Developed in… Continued…
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Mk 13 Rifle
The Mk 13 is an American bolt-action sniper rifle chambered for .300 Winchester Magnum, built by the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Crane… Continued…
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Mk 22 Advanced Sniper Rifle
The Mk22 Advanced Sniper Rifle is a multi-caliber bolt-action sniper rifle based on the Barrett MRAD, chosen by US Special Operations… Continued…
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Mk 25
The Mk 25 is the United States Navy's designation for the SIG Sauer P226 as carried by the Navy SEALs: a standard P226 in 9mm with a… Continued…
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PASGT Helmet
The PASGT helmet was the standard combat helmet of the United States armed forces from the early 1980s until the mid-2000s. Its name stands… Continued…
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PK Machine Gun
The PK is a Soviet belt-fed general-purpose machine gun designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov's team and adopted in 1961. It fires the old rimmed… Continued…
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Plate Carrier
A plate carrier is a piece of body armor equipment: a load-bearing vest built to hold hard ballistic plates over the chest and back, the… Continued…
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RPG-7
The RPG-7 is a Soviet shoulder-fired, reusable anti-tank grenade launcher adopted in 1961 and the most widely used weapon of its kind in… Continued…
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Raufoss Mk 211
The Raufoss Mk 211 is a .50 caliber (12.7x99mm) multipurpose cartridge developed in Norway by Raufoss, now part of the Nammo group. Its… Continued…
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Remington 870
The Remington 870 is a pump-action shotgun made by Remington Arms since 1950. With a steel receiver machined from a solid block and twin… Continued…
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SIG MCX
The SIG MCX is a family of gas-piston rifles and carbines introduced by SIG Sauer in 2015. It keeps the controls, ergonomics and magazines… Continued…
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SIG Sauer M17
The M17 and its compact sibling the M18 are the service pistols of the United States armed forces, variants of the SIG Sauer P320 selected… Continued…
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SKS
The SKS is Sergei Simonov's semi-automatic carbine for the Soviet 7.62x39mm intermediate cartridge, adopted in 1949 and made obsolete in… Continued…
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SVD Rifle
The SVD Rifle, or Dragunov, is a Soviet semi-automatic sniper rifle designed by Yevgeny Dragunov and adopted in 1963. It fires the old… Continued…
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Sig Sauer P226
The SIG Sauer P226 is a full-size double-action service pistol introduced in 1984 for the United States Army's XM9 trials, which it lost to… Continued…