Category: Weapons
Comparing the AK-47 and M-16
For decades, soldiers have debated the merits of the Soviet-designed AK-47 and the American M-16. The Kalashnikov can fire its 30-round magazine with a single pull of the trigger. The M-16 tops out at 3-shot bursts. The American gun has less recoil and greater range and in the hands of well-trained troops it's more accurate. The AK-47, however, is considered more reliable, able to withstand fierce conditions and still avoid jamming. Improvements since the Vietnam War have made the M-16 less fragile, but it still requires more maintenance. 70 million to 100 million AK-47s are in circulation, compared to 7 million M-16s and M-4s.
by highbeam :: 2007-06-05 :: Weapons
A Look at Vietnam-era MRAPs, IEDs
Brien Hodge served as an Army adviser during the Vietnam War. In the process of digitizing his photos, he came across pictures of Vietnam-war era IEDs and MRAP-like vehicles, so I asked if he would write a brief description. "The first two are of two armored vehicles approaching and then stopped at a Ba Cang village... I believe these were Regional Force troops. They were conducting a road clearing operation some time in the first quarter of 1968 after the road had been cut by Viet Cong insurgents as we call them today, or guerrillas at the time, during the Tet offensive."
by wired :: 2007-06-03 :: Weapons
Riverbed divers make living off war relics, militaria, wrecks
Divers in Vietnam's Ca Mau province are making a living searching for remnants lying rusty at the bottom of the Cai Lon River. The divers, who hunt for everything from bullets and grenades to sunken boats and human bodies, managed to tow to the surface a 45m by 14m US gunner boat which was hit and sunk during the Vietnam War. Dam Van Dung said there are still 2 large US ships on the river bottom: "Though the ships are cumbersome, they can be raised." The rusty bullets and other weapons they found were sold as scrap metal.
by thanhniennews :: 2007-05-06 :: Memorabilia & Medals
New phase starts in Vietnam war weapons clearance
Vietnamese and Americans began the next phase of clearing hundreds of thousands of tons of unexploded Vietnam War ordnance and landmines that still kill people more than 30 years after the conflict ended. Weapons disposal experts found and destroyed 6,025 pieces of unexploded ordnance and landmines in the northern and central provinces. Since the war ended in 1975, bombs, artillery shells, mortar bombs and rockets have killed 38,000 people and wounded 64,000. 350,000 to 850,000 tons of weaponry remains scattered across 64 provinces.
by yahoo.com :: 2006-11-16 :: Vietnam Today
Restoration of attack boat used during the Vietnam War
The 80-foot-long mahogany boat sits at a small museum. The dilapidated vessel has a waterlogged hull, faded camouflage paint and sagging floorboards. At first glance, it doesn't look much like a once-state-of-the-art attack boat used during the Vietnam War. When the makeover is complete, PTF-3 will become a floating museum. Carrying a crew of 16 and hitting top speeds exceeding 60 mph, these clandestine boats were used to attack targets in North Vietnam before the US formally entered the war. In fact, PTF-3 made history on July 31, 1964. The 3-boat, accompanied by 3 other PTFs, attacked two North Vietnamese islands.
by orlandosentinel :: 2006-07-19 :: Weapons