War_Conflict

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A Russian Su-24 bomber takes off on a night combat mission in Syria. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via Associated Press)

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The Krummlauf or "curved barrel" is a bent barrel attachment for the Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifle developed by Germany in World War II. The curved barrel included a periscope sighting device for shooting around corners from a safe position. It was produced in several variants: an "I" version for infantry use, a "P" version for use in tanks (to cover the dead areas in the close range around the tank, to defend against assaulting infantry), versions with 30°, 45°, 60° and 90° bends, a version for the StG 44 and one for the MG 42. Only the 30° "I" version for the StG 44 was produced in any numbers. The bent barrel attachments had very short lifespans approx. 300 rounds for the 30° version, and 160 rounds for the 45° variantas the barrel and bullets fired were put under great stress. Another problem besides the short life-span was that the bending caused the bullets to shatter and exit the barrel in multiple fragments, producing an unintended shotgun effect. As a result, weapons designers experimented with small vent holes drilled into the Krummlauf's barrel in order to reduce pressure and recoil, allowing the discharged bullets' built-up gases to be released to slow the bullet's velocity as it turned to exit the barrel. Nevertheless, the Krummlauf's lifespan remained the same.

Zip_22LR

ZIP .22LR according to ZIP Factory is the next generation of future weapons in a light, compact form factor. Simple in design, ZiP is a new Modular Weapons System, delivering amazing features with performance and upgradeability. The problem: resetting the striker with a live round in the chamber means putting your fingers or hand right at the muzzle. Clearing jams requires one to place their digits over the barrel of a loaded firearm.

Pepperbox

The pepper-box revolver (also "pepper-pot", from its resemblance to the household pepper grinder) is a multiple-barrel repeating firearm that has three or more barrels grouped around a central axis. It mostly appears in the form of a multi-shot handheld firearm. Pepperboxes exist in all ammunition systems: matchlock, wheellock, flintlock, percussion, pinfire, rimfire and centerfire. The flaw with the pepperbox is that it becomes more front-heavy if the length and number of barrels is increased, making accurate aiming difficult. With most types, in particular those with rotating barrel-clusters, it is almost impossible to aim beyond close range because the hammer is in the line of sight (some pepperboxes have a slot in the hammer through which one is supposed to aim), there is no place to put a frontsight (putting one for each barrel would only increase the weight of the front end and likely make drawing the weapon awkward), and the gun is too front-heavy to permit quick and steady aiming.

Krummlauf

The Krummlauf or "curved barrel" is a bent barrel attachment for the Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifle developed by Germany in World War II. The curved barrel included a periscope sighting device for shooting around corners from a safe position. It was produced in several variants: an "I" version for infantry use, a "P" version for use in tanks (to cover the dead areas in the close range around the tank, to defend against assaulting infantry), versions with 30°, 45°, 60° and 90° bends, a version for the StG 44 and one for the MG 42. Only the 30° "I" version for the StG 44 was produced in any numbers. The bent barrel attachments had very short lifespans approx. 300 rounds for the 30° version, and 160 rounds for the 45° variantas the barrel and bullets fired were put under great stress. Another problem besides the short life-span was that the bending caused the bullets to shatter and exit the barrel in multiple fragments, producing an unintended shotgun effect. As a result, weapons designers experimented with small vent holes drilled into the Krummlauf's barrel in order to reduce pressure and recoil, allowing the discharged bullets' built-up gases to be released to slow the bullet's velocity as it turned to exit the barrel. Nevertheless, the Krummlauf's lifespan remained the same.

FP-45Liberator

The FP-45 Liberator was a pistol manufactured by the United States military during World War II for use by resistance forces in occupied territories. The Liberator was never issued to American or other Allied troops and there is no documented instance of the weapon being used for its intended purpose, though the intended recipients, irregulars and resistance fighters, rarely kept detailed records due to the inherent risks if the records were captured by the enemy. The FP-45 was a crude, single-shot pistol designed to be cheaply and quickly mass-produced. It had just 23 largely stamped and turned steel parts that were cheap and easy to manufacture. It fired a .45 caliber pistol cartridge from an unrifled barrel. Due to this limitation, it was intended for short range use, 1–4 yards (0–5 m). Its maximum effective range was only about 25 feet (7.6 m). At longer range, the bullet would begin to tumble and stray off course.

Desert Eagle .50AE

The Desert Eagle 50AE is a powerful semi-automatic handgun designed by Magnum Research, Inc. (MRI) in the United States and redesigned by Israeli Military Industries of Israel. It has become an icon of both films and video games the world over, with its triangular barrel and gaping muzzle. Over the past 25 years, MRI has been responsible for the design and development of the Desert Eagle pistol. The advantage of the gas operation is that it allows the use of far more powerful cartridges than traditional semi-automatic pistol designs. Thus it allows the Desert Eagle to compete in an area that had previously been dominated by magnum revolvers. Downsides of the gas-operated mechanism are the large size of the Desert Eagle, and the fact that it discourages the use of unjacketed lead bullets, as lead particles sheared off during firing could clog the gas release tap, preventing proper function.

Chauchat

The Chauchat, named after its main contributor Colonel Louis Chauchat, was the standard machine rifle or light machine gun of the French Army during World War I (191418). Beginning in June 1916, it was placed into regular service with French infantry, where the troops called it the FM Chauchat. The Chauchat machine rifle in 8mm Lebel was also extensively used in 191718 by the American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F), where it was officially designated as the "Automatic Rifle, Model 1915 (Chauchat)". A total of 262,000 Chauchat machine rifles were manufactured between December 1915 and November 1918, including 244,000 chambered for the 8mm Lebel service cartridge, making it the most widely manufactured automatic weapon of World War I. The armies of eight other nations Belgium, Finland, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Serbia also used the Chauchat machine rifle in fairly large numbers during and after World War I. The Chauchat machine rifle was one of the first light, automatic rifle-caliber weapons designed to be carried and fired by a single operator and an assistant, without a heavy tripod or a team of gunners. It set a precedent for several subsequent 20th-century firearm projects, being a portable, yet full-power automatic weapon built inexpensively and in very large numbers. The Chauchat combined a pistol grip, an in-line stock, a detachable magazine, and a selective fire capability in a compact package of manageable weight (20 pounds) for a single soldier. Furthermore, it could be routinely fired from the hip and while walking (marching fire). The muddy trenches of northern France exposed a number of weaknesses in the Chauchat's design. Construction had been simplified to facilitate mass production, resulting in low quality of many metal parts. The magazines in particular were the cause of about 75% of the stoppages or cessations of fire; they were made of thin metal and open on one side, allowing for the entry of mud and dust. The weapon

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How many U.S. states took part in the development or manufacture of the B-2 bomber?

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Illustration on countries refusing entry to Syrian "refugees" by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

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Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, accompanied by and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh III, announces that Northrop Grumman is awarded the US Air Force’s next-generation long range strike bomber contract at a news conference at the Pentagon, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

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Defense Secretary Ash Carter, accompanied by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015, before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Carter said Tuesday that the U.S. is willing to step up unilateral attacks against Islamic State militants in Iraq or Syria, a signal that the U.S. would escalate American involvement beyond airstrikes by giving the go-ahead for U.S. special operations forces' raids on the ground. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

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The senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has reportedly been fired for "allegations of misconduct." (Associated Press)

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Israeli soldiers and Palestinians stand at the scene of a stabbing attack, in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba, Monday, Oct. 26, 2015. The Israeli military said a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli in the West Bank before being shot and killed. According to the military, the Israeli was stabbed in the neck Monday and "severely wounded" near the city of Hebron. (AP Photo/Wisam Hashlamoun)

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Many of the men wounded either suffered or died at this field hospital.

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Guards from the 114th Pennsylvania Infantry mounted their horses for the Civil War's massive clash of cavalries.

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To restore the 56-acre battlefield to its Civil War glory, preservationists had to remove two houses, a garage, a pair of in-ground pools and a pool house. (Civil War Trust)

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The 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry's 3rd Division camped near Brandy Station before the Fleetwood Hill turning point in the Civil War, the start of the Union Army's Gettysburg offensive.

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In the past few weeks, Donald Trump has faced scrutiny for saying that the U.S. has no role in fighting the Islamic State or the ruling regime in Syria, and that it is OK for Russia to strike targets, including U.S.-backed rebels, inside Syria. (Associated Press)