No brake om weapons development, however

Press, 3 October 1983, Page 20

No brake om weapons development, however

NZPA London Souped-up shotguns resembling the Thompson submachine-gun and modern microchip grenades are among the weapons soldiers may carry into future battles, according to the 1983-84 issue of “Jane’s Infantry Weapons” published in London last week. The authoritative manual of weaponry also said that a new, vastly more powerful type of 15mm machine-gun, capable of knocking out light armoured vehicles and armoured helicopters, is being developed by Fabrique Nationale of Belgium. Jane’s editor, lan Hogg, said that the United States and South Africa are among the nations developing new models of the shotgun, with South Africa leading with a 12gauge version that can . fire 12 shells in four seconds and can be reloaded in 25 seconds.

The past decade has seen a resurgence of interest in the shotgun as a security force weapon, Mr Hogg writes in the introduction. This is largely due to the need for a short-range, fast-response gun with a “high hit

probability.” The military use of the shotgun dates from World War I. It made a comeback during the Vietnam War when United States troops modified the weapon for anti-ambush operations in dense jungles. Many military men, Mr Hogg said in an interview, regard the shotgun with contempt, in much the same manner as the subma-chine-gun was dismissed as a ggangster weapon in the 19305. Jane’s said that the United States Naval Weapons Centre is developing one such shotgun, and four manufacturers have expressed interest. By publication time, only Heckler and Koch, Co., of West Germany, had shown a prototype. The new South African shotgun was developed by the Armsel Company, of Johannesburg, for use against black insurgents in the bush and on crowded city streets. It is expected to go into production soon.

It is not listed in the new Jane’s publication, but “Jane’s Defence Review” magazine published a photograph of it this month. With its 12-shot drum magazine, it

resembles the Thompson subma-chine-gun. Jane’s said that Western troops may soon carry microchip grenades which would explode when an electric charge stored on a computer chip is triggered by releasing the grenade’s handle. The charge is held for a few seconds before it ignites the explosives, allowing for a time delay. Jane’s said that microchip fuses, used in artillery shells for some time, make grenades safer for the soldiers who throw them.

The machine-gun is being upgraded to fire more powerful bullets because of the need for a multi-purpose weapon that can take on tanks and aircraft as well as troops, Jane’s said. Mr Hogg said that most generalpurpose machine-guns make a satisfactory noise and fill the air with flying tracer—but do little serious damage. The more powerful machine-gun would give infantrymen something with which to attack armoured helicopters, a weapons-carrier that is going to assume greater significance in the future, Mr Hogg said.