"New" Fn Fal being tested by the Argentine Army

[MT2008]

Originally Posted by Nyles

Actually, the Taliban are huge on getting thier wounded evacuated and to medical attention. I can't really go into detail, but they do not abandon their wounded.

Hmmm, interesting, though it makes sense when I think about it. The Taliban have never quite as big into martyrdom as the rest of the Islamic world (they were latecomers to the suicide bombing trend, considering how long they've been around).

Originally Posted by Markost

Venezuela make the "new" Aks and, maybe, some other russian weapons, and yes, they can flood other countries (remember the AT4´s incident some months ago), that´s why there´s a new arms race: Brasil (FX-2 program and submarines, buying refurbished Leopards 1, producing the COIN Super Tucano), Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Chile (buying Leopards 2 and planes). Chavez, drugs and the natural resources are the main problems in this region.

Yeah, the AT4 incident is what I had in mind. Though even before that, everyone knew that Chavez was providing aid to FARC. As his regime becomes less stable, though, there's a good chance he'll be willing to do a lot more of that stuff. Actually, I think that supporting proxy forces would be far more effective than any attempt to fight a conventional war with his neighbors.

Originally Posted by Markost

Honestly, the army (not the navy) hates the 5,56. Why? Because they have been using the same cartridge type for a century without problems, first the 7,65x54 and then the 7,62x51, this last one since the 50´s with the introduction of the Fal. This refurbished rifle is a temporary patch, FN Herstal has offered the FN2000 some years ago, but they want to keep the fire power. Personally, I´d choose the Fn Scar in both calibers, or the Bushmaster ACR.

Well, there is a path dependency argument to keep in mind. There are a lot of countries that never want to change weapons/calibers just because there's too little benefit to justify the costs. I had this same discussion once with a Hungarian about why his country's forces never gave up their 7.62x39mm AKMs (which they call AK-63s) in favor of a 5.45x39mm or 5.56x45mm rifle. Even after they joined NATO.

Originally Posted by Markost

Me too, but tell that to our Minister of Defence, who don´t want to make the 5,56 ammo here. That old lady is really annoying...

I can only imagine.