16 MHCE
16 MHCE News FEBRUARY 2020 EDITION Sig Sauer’s MG 338 Heavy Machine Gun: The U.S. Military’s Gun of the Future? By Caleb Larson In a press release on the Sig Sauer website, Sig announced that its MG 338 machine gun completed a safety certification in tandem with United States Special Operations Command (USSO- COM), and completed delivery of ammunition, suppressors, and MG 338 machine guns for trials. The MG 338 represents Sig’s attempt to bridge the gap between the crewserved M2 Browning heavy machine gun, chambered in .50 BMG, and the M240 family of medium machine guns, chambered in 7.62x51 NATO. The goal of the design is to put the range and stopping power of the M2 Browning heavy machine gun into the hands of an individual soldier, which would significantly extend the effective range of an infantry squad in theory. Lighter Weight, Greater Range According to the Sig Sauer press release, the MG 338 is a “belt-fed, lightweight medium machine gun weighing under 20lbs., chambered in 338 Norma Mag. The MG 338 features a short-stroke gas piston system and a proprietary recoil mitigation system, with a free-floating, quick-change barrel, ambidextrous controls, switchable feed tray, charging handle that can be alternated to either side depending on operator preference,” and is apparently easily convertible to the well-known and easily-obtainable 7.62x51 NATO round. With the MG 338, Sig is attempting to put the range of the .50 BMG into the hands of grunts by using the lighter, but similar .338 Norma Magnum round. While the venerable .50 caliber M2 Browning heavy machine gun can hit targets out to 1,800 meters (2,000 yards) away, it’s heavy. The M2 itself tips the scales at almost 84 pounds— and up to 128 pounds with tripod! The high weight of the M2 means it is crew-served. Rather than one soldier or Marine manning the M2, more manpower is needed. The M2 is therefore often mounted on tanks, trucks, boats, or other vehicles. Sig Sauer was able to reduce the weight of the MG 338 substantially, down to about 20 pounds. The collapsible buttstock is a feature designed to reduce weight and aid portability and maneuverability in confined spaces. This is lighter than the M240L, the lightest version of the US military’s M240 family of medium machine guns. Depending on the variant, the M240 family weigh just over 22 pounds, up to nearly 28 pounds. While relatively light, the M20L is at the upper limit of what is considered man-portable when factoring in ammunition, bipod, sights, and other accessories. Additionally, the M240 family is chambered in the 7.62x51 NATO round, which has roughly half the range of the .338 Norma Magnum. Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger: .338 Norma Magnum The .338 Norma Magnum round is quite new by ammunition standards. It was developed in 2008-2009 in Sweden and the United States as a more compact, longrange sporting cartridge, for applications where the longer .338 Lapua Magnum cartage would be unsuitable. A machine gun chambered in .338 Norma Magnum would be a radical departure for a round that has been primarily been used as a long-distance precision sniper round. Building a machine gun platform around the .338 Norma Magnum round is intended to increase the effective range of infantryman from around 800-1,100 meters (875-1,200 yards) with the M240, to reportedly around about 1,700-1,800 meters, and perhaps as far as 1,900-2,000 meters, effectively increasing range by more than double, even while managing to slightly reduce weight. The MG 338 appears to use a recoil-mitigating system in which the barrel shifts backwards into the rifle platform, similar to the long recoil mitigation on the M2 platform. The moderate rate of fire, at approximately 650 rounds per minute, would theoretically reduce recoil and muzzle climb as well, in order to increase shots on target.
WWW.MHCE.US MHCE News 17 US MILITARY’S ‘JETSON’ LASER CAN... By Mindy Weisberger The U.S. military could soon spot you in a crowd — not by your face or your gait, but by your unique heartbeat rhythm. The Pentagon recently developed and tested a laser that can scan and distinguish the pitter-patter of your heart from up to 650 feet (200 meters) away. Dubbed “Jetson,” the name recalls the popular sci-fi cartoon family the Jetsons, who inhabited a world full of futuristic gadgets. But unlike the handy household devices from the show, the new laser system was built for combatting terrorism, and was created by the Pentagon at the request of the U.S. Special Forces, MIT Technology Review (MTR) reported. And unlike some types of identification techniques that rely on biometrics (unique anatomical or behavioral traits), the subjects of Jetson’s heartbeat-detecting infrared laser can be far away from the scanner. The laser can even sense heartbeats through clothing, according to MTR. Retina shape and fingerprints have long been recognized as biomarkers that are individually unique and can be used for identification. Over the past decade, technologies have emerged that can detect even more biomarkers, such as vein patterns and body odor, as well as heartbeats. For example, the Nymi wristband authenticates a wearer by their heartbeat and then sends that verification to smart devices via Bluetooth, Live Science previously reported. Jetson reads heartbeats from a distance through vibrometry, a contact-free technique that measures the vibration of a surface. Algorithms then translate patterns in a heartbeat into a unique cardiac signature, according to MTR. However, the present version of Jetson requires 30 seconds to conduct scans and gather heartbeat data — a limitation that somewhat hampers the technology’s usefulness when people are moving, MTR reported. Other types of long-range biometric identification, such as facial recognition, can be derailed if faces are even partially obscured. In contrast, cardiac patterns are difficult for an individual to change deliberately. Scanning heartbeats from a distance therefore “provides additional biometric identification when environmental conditions and changes in facial appearance hinder the use of more common facial recognition systems,” according to a 2018 report by the Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO) describing Jetson and other novel technologies developed for the U.S. Department of Defense. Experiments demonstrated that Jetson can identify individuals with 95% accuracy, said Steward Remaly, a retired U.S. Army colonel and a CTTSO program manager. Jetson systems with more powerful infrared lasers should be capable of detecting individuals at even greater distances, Remaly told MTR.
