Special Operations Technology - Lethal Caliber by Adam Baddeley

Lethal Caliber

For as many calibers as a pistol can be built, there are those that believe that their choice is the best. USSOCOM is looking at available options for handguns.
By Adam Baddeley


There has always been a role for pistols in Special Forces armories. The latest USSOCOM requirement, the USSOCOM RFI for the multi-caliber capable pistol, is seeking information on highly corrosion resistant pistols capable of carrying significant magazines but at weights similar to those of “compact” designs.

The RFI was issued on behalf of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group based at Dam Neck, VA, which has the responsibility for test and evaluation for Naval Special Warfare Command. The command supports 2,450 SEALs and 600 special warfare combatant craft crewmen in active service and provide the bulk of dive capable units in USSOCOM.

The RFI issued in March 2004, closed in April of this same year. If the assessment goes ahead, those companies selected will be asked to provide approximately 10 pistols for assessment in November. Consequently, only pistols available off the shelf today or near non-development items will be compliant with the requirement.

The Naval Special Warfare Development Group established four key criteria for the semi-automatic pistol including: being under 40 ounces in weight; offering either 9x19 mm, .45 ACP or .40 S&W; have minimum magazine sizes of 15, 12 and 10 rounds, respectively; and must include an integrated rail system to the forward lower frame. Reflecting the anticipated need for foreign sourcing of the pistol, USSOCOM stated that it intends to apply for approval of a foreign comparative testing (FCT) project for the evaluation.

Pros and Cons

Recent trends in pistol technology performance and combat experience mean the traditional disadvantages associated with pistols—short range and poor lethality against protected targets—are less relevant than they once were. Their inherent advantages of size and weight are more pronounced, particularly for a weapon optimised for secondary and typically defensive use.

Although Afghanistan is an important exception, operational ranges in dismounted close combat, at least for conventional forces, are being reduced to ranges where the pistol becomes relevant. The USMC’s after action reports from Iraq suggested that engagement rates were being much reduced. This showed that the vast majority of engagements conducted with small arms occurred in the 20-30 meter ranges, shots over 100 meters were rare, and the maximum range was put at 300 meters.

Although less capable by some measurements, the 9x19 mm pistols lend themselves to greater accuracy with single-handed firing. A criticism leveled at 9 mm, and to some extent .45 Automatic Colt Pistol (ACP) and .40 Smith and Wesson (S&W), however, has been their lack of penetrative power against military grade armor.

Mainstream opinion regarding penetration requirements are still influenced by the 1994 NATO Collaborative Research Into Small Arms Technology. This four-year study matched current individual weapons to an expected target definition creating NATO standardization agreements (STANAGS), such as STANAG 4512 “Dismounted Personnel Targets.” It was concluded that current standard 9x19 mm rounds were inadequate to penetrate the expected armour of the Warsaw Pact, i.e. a 1.5 mm titanium plate and 20 layers of Kevlar.

The response to this NATO requirement has been the extended competition to select a new personal defense weapon (PDW) caliber STANAG. Assessments of the Heckler and Koch 4.6x30 mm and the FN Herstal 5.7x28 mm SS190 round found the Belgian round to have a slight advantage in the area of lethality by NATO.

Experience, however, has shown that the operational need to penetrate such body armor has been limited. Last October, NATO initiated its Infantry Weapon Master Plan to look at future requirements a decade out. Chaired by Sweden, the study’s chairman and head of Sweden’s small arms programs Per Arvidsson explained that studies showed the United States have not encountered any substantial use of body armor by combatants.

Furthermore studies completed in 2003 have predicted trends in the percentages of forces using body armor over the next 20 years. Among first world countries, this is currently 50 percent and expected to rise to 90 percent by 2023. For third world countries, this is currently only 5 percent and is predicted to rise to 15 percent by 2023.

Despite this, Arvidsson felt that the consensus at NDIA’s Small Arms Symposium was that militaries would move to the new PDW calibers in the next 10 years.

Critics of the PDW class round allege that Level 4 armor, using ceramic inserts, will pose too great a challenge even for these rounds.

The traditional disadvantages of pistols have been in terms of shorter effective ranges. While these are still evident, they are arguably reduced due to operational circumstances and technological overmatch. However, despite the shortcomings, the inherent advantages of pistols remain.

Advocates note the advantages they offer for single-hand controllability during search operations are increasingly relevant in the war against terror. Such operations have demonstrated the need for a more compact weapon that is useful in the close quarters battle environments ranging from caves to urban slums that only pistols can offer.

Additionally, while platform crews may be issued a carbine, if an aircraft is grounded due to enemy fire or crashes over water, a pistol in a holster is more likely to be retained than a weapon that needs to be grasped with both hands, particularly in an water scenario.

Greater pistol lethality is being achieved via increased use of light and laser accessories for use in under-barrel attachments. This is not the only method being used to increase accuracy. Crimson Trace’s Clyde Caceres said that the company supplied 500 examples of their 5 milliwatt peak laser sight integrated into a number of pistol stock grips to USSOCOM. The company estimates an additional 500 have been supplied via its distributors.

Close quarters combat, especially in urban environments, requires the immediate identification of a target as a friendly or not. Surefire is a leading supplier of handheld flashlights and weapon-mounted illuminators. The X200 Weapon Light is an example of the cutting edge technology that provides on target lighting without reducing the capability of the handgun. The Surefire X200 is built to military standards with tactical operations in mind.

Pistols Currently Available

For European manufactures eying their domestic markets, the impetus for multi-caliber options suggests in part why the FCT option has been selected. Domestic laws limit the number of pistols that can be owned by an individual to as little as two, prompting manufacturers to offer kits to enable owners to swap between calibers very quickly without the need for an armorer’s skills, purely for commercial reasons.

Hecklers and Koch’s (H&K) universal self-loading pistol (USP) enables users to swap between all three calibers cited under the RFI. The production USP variants that meet USSOCOM’s multi-caliber requirements use a recoil operated with improved browning locking, and company-developed recoil-dampening system identical to that of the Mk 23 offensive pistol. While the Mk 23 offers superlative performance, it has a commensurate price tag, weight and training requirement.

H&K frames are downward rather than upwards compatible. The .45 ACP base frame is capable of supporting the .40 S&W and 9 mm slide and barrel, but not vice versa, explained Hilmar Rein, of Heckler and Koch’s sales department. A new spring is required to operate the .45 caliber, although the .40 S&W and 9 mm version can share the same spring. The USP enables conversion from combination double and single action modes and double action only.

The company offers a “slimmed” down version of the Mk 23, the USP Tactical, in .45 ACP only with an unloaded weight of 28.6 ounces. This version offers close to the performance of the Mk 23. The USP Tactical is proven in a number of environments, including 2 hours at undersea depths of 20 meters after the pistol received a proprietary anti-corrosion treatment. H&K intend to release its new 4.6x30 mm Ultimate Combat Pistol in 2005.

The Austrian Steyr M series pistol was launched in 1999. From the beginning of this year, however, it has been superceded in production by the new Steyr M-A1, explained the company’s Christian Simku. The new model has inevitably incorporated some changes. The unloaded M-A1 weighs 27.3 ounces and meets two of USSOCOM’s chamber requirements with an option for either a 12-round .40 S&W or a 15-round 9 mm magazine. A .357 SIG Sauer version is also offered. A significant feature of the new Steyr is the adoption of a M1913 Picatinny rail mount as an integral under-barrel feature rather than a company specific solution.

A significant difference between the new model and those it replaces is a reduced height slide, which coupled with a 111-degree grip (the Glock family uses 105-degree grip), transfers more recoil down the arm reducing upward pressure upon firing.

Another feature of the Steyr is the use of an all-metal magazine, rather than plastic combined with steel inserts. This enables a noticeably smaller grip. Steyr uses the Nitriding process for hardening and is parkerised against corrosion. By June, the M-A1 had been ordered by six customers. The largest is from Mexico, with the other five military and law enforcement customers.

The company’s now discontinued 18 round 9x19 mm Steyr GB had some success in the SF community in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Glock Standard family—comprising the Glock 17, 21 and 22—supports the calibers required by USSOCOM, but needs two different frames to achieve this compatibility. The 9 mm and .40 S&W requirement can be met with one frame in the Glock Standard, but the company uses a wider frame for the .45 ACP and 10 mm rounds. Over 76 percent of the 34 components used in each Glock are common to all pistols. The competition frame promoted by the company as suitable for “special commandos” currently supports 9 mm and .40 S&W only in the Glock 34 and 35.

The new Glock 37 is designed to fire the company’s newly developed .45 GAP round which offers greater lethality than the ACP round of the same caliber. However, the shorter round enables the use of a smaller grip.

Glock claims the toughest pistols due to the Tenifer process, which is applied to the slide and barrel to give it the hardness of 64 Rockwells, which is just three less than a diamond’s hardness, according to Rusbeh Hessabi, Glock’s director of International Sales. This strength is one reason why Germany’s GSG 9 uses the Glock pistols with significantly more powerful Action 1 and Action 4 ammunition.

The company claims that their handguns easily surpass NATO salt-water spray requirements that require the weapon to submit to salt spray testing for 20 minutes without corrosion. Glock pistols can withstand this process for 100-120 hours.

The Glock family is uniquely linked to new accessories developed by Israeli company TDi Arms Ltd. David Oz, international sales manager, explained that they have developed their Universal Tactical Attachment (UTA) designed to add a pistol to an under barrel attachment, a design based on feedback from the user community in Israel.

He added that the UTA was developed for use with the Glock pistols as the attachment makes use of a unique void at the rear of the pistol’s grip. The UTA operational concept would enable the shooter to immediately access the other weapon during reloading or if the main weapon jammed and also permit the use of accessories such as a silencer on the pistol. The UTA is about to undergo assessment by the U.K.’s Metropolitan Police SO19 firearms unit, in London.

The 9 mm SIG P226 Navy has been in use with Navy SEALS since 1986. Each component in the Navy version is heavily protected against salt-water corrosion and carries 15 rounds in 9x19 mm. The company’s most recent pistol, the SIG 250DC, was launched earlier this year initially in 9 mm with a development path to offer .40 S&W and .45 ACP. It is offered with an integrated Picatinny rail.

Israel Military Industries (IMI) completed development of the Barak pistol in 2002, known commercially in the United States as the SP-21. It is lightweight with the 9 mm and .40 S&W variants coming in at 25.7 ounces and the .45 ACP variant at little more at 26.8 ounces. The gun is offered in all three required calibers with 15 rounds in 9 mm and has an integral Picatinny mount.

A key design feature is that the basic frame can support all three of the required calibers. The pistol itself has had limited reach into the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), which currently uses SIG and Glock pistols. The company explained that the Barak was currently under assessment by the IDF for a series buy. IMI also offer 9 mm frangible ammunition.

Elbit Systems has displayed its mechanical “Corner Shot” system, which enables pistols to be fired accurately via a color video camera while the shooter remains behind cover.

Although committed to its SS190 round for future pistols, FN Herstal continues to offer pistols for the more traditional round. Its double action, 10-round FN Four Ninety is offered in .40 S&W only and weighs 740 grams. The company’s FN HP-DA and HP-DAO, the latest iterations of their famous High Power design dating from the mid-1920s, are offered in 9x19 meter only, have no under barrel mount, and, with an unloaded weight of 31.7 ounces, are one of the heavier pistols on the market.

The Five-seveN standard is intended for government users and its military version distinguished from the law enforcement “tactical” variants by its use of a double action only rather than single action trigger. The Five-seveN pistol was developed after the P90 which has sales of several thousand. A number of European special forces operate the 5.7x28 mm round, typically with the P90. In the United States, it has been adopted by the Secret Service and numbers have been acquired by the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab for assessment.

The Beretta 92FS, the company designation for the M9 pistol, continues to eschew the use of a polymer in its manufacture, which shows as its weight at approximately 33.2 ounces It does not have the facility for under barrel accessories. A polymer framed 92 is planned but is not scheduled for release until next year. The 92 family offers a 9 mm as well as a .40 S&W version, although weapons cannot be converted between the two.

Russian armed forces have increasingly taken up the ubiquitous 9x19 mm as their standard round replacing the 9x18 mm round used by the post-war Makarov PM/PMM. The all-steel construction of the Baikal company’s PYa or Yarygin pistol carries 18 rounds and will, funding permitting, be the standard military pistol eventually replacing the Makarov according to leading designer Mikhail Dragounov.

One area of Russian expertise has been in developing more capable ammunition such as the 7N21 9 mm armor piercing round with hardened steel core designed to be used with the PYa. However, the high cost versus the standard 9 mm may mean widespread use is limited. The Baikal plant has the historical distinction of being the largest pistol-manufacturing site in the world achieving annual output of 100,000 pistols during the Soviet era.

Two Polymer framed variants are offered for export, the MP-446 Viking in 9x19 mm and the MP-445 Varyag in both 9x19 mm and 40 S&W. Both use a double hammer firing mechanism and propped breach-locking system.

Also used by a number of Russian special forces is the 9x21 mm SP-10 round. This too has a steel core designed to exceed NATO D/7 requirement by a considerable margin at ranges of 100 meters. The SPS (Samozaryadnyj Pistolet Serdjukova–Serdyukov self-loading pistol) that has reportedly been adopted by Russian SF units uses this round.

China’s Norinco also offers a 9x19 mm pistol, the QSZ-92. It is slightly heavier than the average 26.6 ounces and offers a 15 round magazine and an integrated under barrel mount.

There is the option of a unique domestic 5.8 mm version reflecting the Chinese wish to acquire a round capable of greater body armor penetration.

Conclusion

The enduring relevance of the pistol lies in its weight and size. While it has traditionally been limited by range and penetration issues, the new arenas of combat and closer fighting of recent years has seen it come into its own. The pistol still often remains the weapon of last resort in certain operational circumstances, but with greater accessories and lethality it is now an increasingly useful part of the special forces armory.