United States Arms & Weapons

Overview

The United States entered the 19th century as a minor military power and ended the 20th as the world's dominant one, with an arms industry whose output in scope, quality, and innovation has shaped modern warfare globally. American weapons have been exported to allies and adversaries alike, and many — the M1911, M1 Garand, M16, .30-06 cartridge, and others — are among the most influential designs in history.

Small Arms Milestones

Pistols

• Colt Model 1873 Single Action Army — The iconic revolver of the frontier era; .45 Colt
• Colt M1911 — Designed by John Browning; .45 ACP semi-automatic; adopted 1911; served as the US standard sidearm until 1985; arguably the most influential pistol design of the 20th century
• Beretta M9 — Replaced the M1911; 9mm; 15-round magazine; NATO standard
• SIG Sauer M17/M18 — Current US military standard sidearm

Rifles

• Springfield Model 1873 "Trapdoor" — First standard US breech-loading rifle
• Krag-Jørgensen M1892 — First US magazine repeating rifle
• Springfield M1903 — Mauser-based bolt-action; 5-round internal magazine; used through WWII
• M1 Garand — Semi-automatic; 8-round en bloc clip; "the greatest battle implement ever devised" (Patton); standard US rifle 1936–1957
• M14 — 7.62mm NATO; 20-round magazine; transitional design
• M16/M16A1/A2/A4 — 5.56mm; the standard US military rifle since 1964
• M4 Carbine — Shortened M16; current standard US issue

Machine Guns

• Browning M1917/M1919 — Water and air-cooled; used in both World Wars
• Browning M2HB (.50 cal) — Heavy machine gun; introduced 1933; still the US and NATO standard heavy MG
• M60 GPMG — 7.62mm; used Vietnam through the 1990s
• M249 SAW — 5.56mm light machine gun; squad automatic weapon

Artillery and Heavy Weapons

• M1 155mm howitzer (Long Tom) — WWII standard heavy field piece
• M109 Paladin — Self-propelled 155mm; current US standard
• M270 MLRS — Multiple Launch Rocket System; precision-guided rockets

Aviation and Missiles

• P-51 Mustang — WWII long-range escort fighter
• F-86 Sabre — First American swept-wing jet fighter; Korean War
• F-4 Phantom II — Vietnam-era multirole fighter
• F-15/F-16 — Cold War fighters still in service
• F-22 Raptor / F-35 Lightning II — Current generation stealth fighters
• BGM-109 Tomahawk — Cruise missile; 1,500+ km range; first combat use 1991

Nuclear Arsenal

The United States developed the first nuclear weapons (Manhattan Project, 1945) and maintains a triad of land-based ICBMs (Minuteman III), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (Trident II), and strategic bombers (B-52, B-2).

This article is a stub. Contributions covering specific weapons systems, manufacturers, and conflicts are welcome.