Looking at the military affairs of the world, the battlefields in Europe and North Africa are all eroded, the atmosphere in the Middle East is also suddenly tense, the calm of the battlefields in the Far East of Asia contains countless killing planes, the war drums in Southeast Asia are noisy, and the islands in the southwest of the Pacific Ocean are also shrouded in the flames of war.

The Americas, which were once peaceful, have also been wiped out by political turmoil in South America and other countries. The places that have kept some peace, and only those barren places that no one looks down on, and no one cares about, are perhaps the most important factor in protecting these places from war. They may be living in poverty, but it is a great blessing to be safe from the war. Perhaps, this is probably God's compensation for them.

On the battlefield in Europe, Churchill left as if in retreat, and there was no news about Britain on the battlefield for a long time. And in Moscow, the contest between Stalin and Hitler the mustache never stopped. The attack on Moscow had already made Germany struggle for a long time from the beginning, and the Soviet Union was the same, at first it was also the German attack with human lives, and later, the two sides fought a continuous war in Moscow for more than a year. Both sides invested nearly three million troops, of which Germany always maintained a front army of one million men, while the Soviet Union had continuous peasant soldiers to support and replenish.

One is highly qualified, the other is numerous, and when the equipment of both sides is based on parity, they can only helplessly confront each other. For more than a year, Germany has opened up a long supply line, and it has become less difficult to replenish than before. The Soviet Union, on the other hand, was supplied nearby, and it was not difficult to replenish it.

In terms of equipment, as soon as the German Tiger King came out. A large group of T-34/85s would go to the containment. In terms of heads-up T-34/85, it is not enough to see, the 88mm gun of the King Tiger can penetrate even the Chinese King Tiger, let alone the T-34/85. But when it comes to group attack tactics, the Tiger King, who is stiff and slow, is no match for the T-34/85.

On the plane, supported by the allies and with the technology they possessed, the Soviets were not completely at a disadvantage at the beginning. But when the German jet fighters and air-to-air missiles came out. The battlefield in the air began to change dramatically. Germany soon achieved air superiority. Once there is air superiority, it is only a matter of time before the ground is superior.

However, there was one more thing that gave the Soviets a headache, and that was the German assault rifle, which succeeded the Chinese. Germany also came up with its own assault rifles. In the first real combat in Moscow. It has achieved good results. Three or four times longer than a submachine gun, it has the accuracy of a rifle, and has the same bullets as a rifle (reducing logistical pressure). Powerful instantaneous fire is not weaker than that of a submachine gun. These characteristics have shown a very strong effect in urban warfare.

Assault rifles are connected from far and near, unless it is an easy-to-carry micro-rush, otherwise, the assault rifle will surely become the new protagonist of the gun family on the battlefield.

In fact, as early as a long time ago, the research on assault rifles began early on, but there were too many problems to overcome, and now only China was the first to equip it, becoming the first country in the world to be equipped with assault rifles. Germany, on the other hand, began to research new rifles six or seven years ago, and the results were greatly satisfied with the results.

The First World War was characterized by a static war of attrition, in which positional warfare was the main mode of warfare between the two sides, so this resulted in an emphasis on the long range of rifles, and a battle for positions within 50 meters led to a large number of equipment for rapid-fire weapons and submachine guns at close range.

After the end of World War I, along with the progress of industrial science and technology, the military strategy and tactical theories of various countries also underwent tremendous changes. In several battles after World War I, such as the Civil War in the Soviet Union and the Spanish Civil War, there were situations that did not occur in World War I.

The combat distance of the infantry on both sides was greatly shortened compared with that of the First World War, and more than 70 percent of the battles were concentrated within a distance of 400 meters. At this distance, the rifles that the countries were armed with at that time were not up to the task. Whether it is the German Mauser rifle, the Soviet Union's Mosin-Nagant rifle, or the British Lee Enfield rifle, the effective range is more than 600 meters, and the ruler has a range of more than 1,500 meters.

With such a strong lethality, it is obviously not necessary at four hundred meters. At this distance, the power of conventional rifles is too great, far exceeding the requirements of real combat. At the same time, the rate of fire of the hand-loaded rifles equipped by various countries is not high, and good marksmen can only fire 10 to 12 rounds a minute. This rate of fire is clearly not capable of inflicting sufficient effective fire suppression on the enemy.

And the submachine gun, another type of equipment used by the infantry of various countries, cannot meet the needs of modern warfare. The effective firing range of the submachine guns of all countries in World War II did not exceed 150 meters, and in actual combat it was less than 100 meters. Although at a distance of 100 meters, the submachine gun had a decent rate of fire and fire suppression. However, the ammunition used in the submachine gun was pistol bullets, and the submachine gun could not shoot purposefully at a distance of more than 150 meters. One hundred and fifty meters for submachine guns, five hundred meters for rifles, and in the middle there is a gap of one hundred and fifty meters to four hundred meters of fire.

Infantry units of various countries generally make up for it by light machine guns, but light machine guns are less equipped in the grassroots infantry, and their ammunition is also very powerful, and the power of light machine gun ammunition is still excessive at this distance. At the same time, submachine guns need a lot of pistol bullets, rifle light machine guns also need a lot of rifle ammunition, and grassroots infantry is equipped with both submachine guns and rifles, which means that logistics personnel must prepare two types of ammunition at the same time.

If the weapons and ammunition of grassroots infantry can be unified, it will be of great help to the military industrial and logistics systems of various countries. For these purposes, in the late 30s, countries began to study assault weapons. They wanted to be able to produce a weapon that combined the characteristics of a rifle and a submachine gun to replace existing rifles, submachine guns, and even light machine guns.

However, experiments proved that the standard rifle ammunition of the early twentieth century was too powerful for automatic rifles, which were difficult to control their accuracy when firing in bursts, and were too heavy to be carried by individual soldiers. Due to the limitations of firearms technology and metal smelting technology at that time, of course, there were also reasons why the concept of assault rifles was not well understood, and could not meet the actual needs.

It was not until China successfully developed an assault rifle for actual combat that the concept of assault rifles in various countries finally had a direction. With a guide, everything looks a lot simpler. Although the nature of the Chinese assault rifle is not yet known, it is enough to have the effect that the Chinese assault rifle shows.

The light shines on the road ahead, and they just have to step forward.

As early as during the First World War, the German military and firearms experts were aware of the operational shortcomings of the Mauser rifle and the MP18 submachine gun, and in several large-scale battles after the First World War, Germany participated in various forms of war (Germany sent intervention troops in the Soviet Civil War, and Germany sent vulture regiments in the Spanish Civil War), and was more deeply aware of this in actual combat.

German small arms designer Hugo. Schmeiser designed Germany's first true assault rifle, the Stg44, which appeared on the battlefield as soon as it appeared on the battlefield. Not only did it bring a lot of results. It also put great pressure on the Allied side.

This assault rifle appeared as early as the end of last year, but after many side compartments and improvements, it was officially equipped with the whole army. The gun was manufactured by the Ultimate Haynell Company and was based on the principle of gas-guided automatics. Bolt deflection locking method. The gunpowder gases after the bullet was fired were removed from the barrel. Enter the air duct to drive the piston to drive the bolt action. Complete the throwing case, the bullet is loaded, and the air duct is located above the barrel. Extended to the vicinity of the muzzle. Single-shot, burst-shot mode is available, fed by a 30-round arc magazine. Parts such as casings are manufactured using a stamping process, which is easy to produce and has a low cost.

The Chinese assault rifle is very different, at least in the history of rifles. Hitler himself was fond of the Chinese rear-mounted automatic ammunition feeder, with the cartridge behind the trigger, but there were a number of potential difficulties with this technology. It can be said that it completely broke the shooting concept of submachine guns and rifles, and Hitler had no choice but to accept this assault rifle that did not meet his aesthetics.

At the end of the day, no matter whether it's a white cat or a black cat, the one that can catch a mouse is a good cat.

The shape cannot imitate China, but in the built-in, there are still a lot of references. Chief among them is the bullet, which is much smaller than a conventional rifle bullet, although they didn't opt for a 5.8mm smaller one. It can be said that the fundamental problem of control accuracy when firing bursts of automatic rifles cannot be solved without solving the problem of ammunition.

The Browning BAR light machine gun equipped by the U.S. Army in World War II was also designed as an assault weapon, hoping to be able to shoot while marching alone, carry out assault operations, and suppress enemy firepower. However, due to the limitations of the point of view, traditional rifle ammunition is still used, which creates problems with the design of the whole gun. In order to overcome recoil and maintain reliable performance, the weight of the Browning automatic rifle was too large for infantry to carry, and the recoil of firing high-powered rifle rounds made it difficult to control accuracy when firing fully automatic fire. It was improved in World War II to become a "genuine" light machine gun, which actually played the role of a heavy machine gun.

Germany learned from China, shortened the length of bullets, and chose intermediate power bullets, thus completely solving this problem. In fact, the StG44 was inferior to rifles and light machine guns in muzzle velocity and range due to the use of intermediate power bullets.

Like the Chinese nation, choose a bullet with a shorter length, at a range of 400 meters, it is easier to control when firing in bursts, the shooting accuracy is relatively good, it can shoot continuously and the fire is very fierce. And it is light in weight and easy to carry, which is also a combination of the performance characteristics of the Chinese assault rifle and StG44 rifle and submachine gun.

In terms of magazines, from the 20-round magazine and 32-round drum of the submachine gun to the 300-round chain and 50-round drum of the machine gun, according to the needs of actual combat for firepower and the upper limit of the physical strength of the infantry to carry ammunition, or the need for continuous combat, the 30-round arc magazine was finally chosen. Of course, the most important point is that China also chose 30 rounds of magazines.

The 30-round magazine is moderately heavy, and a single soldier can carry a large number of them. At the same time, 30 rounds of ammunition can well ensure the continuity of firepower. In actual combat, three or four soldiers armed with assault rifles can often suppress a squad of American soldiers armed with M1s, and a larger number of Soviet soldiers with Bobosha submachine guns. Later, the M16 in the United States and the AK in the Soviet Union still used a 30-round magazine, which shows its success.

Of course, a new rifle also has a lot of shortcomings, and the Chinese assault rifle is no exception. At the beginning of the design, it was a lot of trouble, and after the finalization was also revised many times, in the field units of the Wehrmacht, it is often possible to see assault rifles with some gaps in appearance, which is the result of modifications.

Germany is no exception, and a prototype gun came out at the end of last year, but it took a year before it actually went to the battlefield. But when the assault rifle came to the battlefield, it still encountered a lot of problems.

Those who have used the StG44 tend to be dissatisfied with this gun, the StG44 has a slower rate of fire at close range, because of the use of short rifle bullets, the barrel jumps significantly when firing continuously, and it is not as easy to control as a submachine gun. If at 50 meters, compared to the MP40 submachine gun, the StG44 is inferior. At the same time, the range of the StG44 is limited, and the maximum effective range does not exceed 500 meters, beyond which the accuracy cannot be guaranteed.

If at a great distance you encounter an enemy armed with a Mauser rifle. It's hard to kill or injure the other party. These seem to make a lot of sense. But the StG44 inherently has its own range of use and is not an all-round weapon. He mainly uses it in a single hand to deal with the enemy within 400 meters and suppress the enemy's individual firepower.

The above two situations are very difficult to occur in the actual combat of modern warfare, and ultra-long distances are generally suppressed by heavy weapons or sniper weapons operated by multiple people. For example, in later generations, in the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Due to the shorter range of the AKM. Unable to deal with partisans armed with British rifles hidden on the cliffs. Forced to equip a large number of snipers at the grassroots level. Later, it was suppressed mainly with double-barreled anti-aircraft guns on trucks and small-caliber guns of armored vehicles, which worked well. And raid battles within 50 meters of modern warfare are very rare. So StG44 is perfectly capable in most cases.

This feature is also present in Chinese assault rifles, but after installing an optical sight on the assault rifle. It can also double the range, but it is still far behind the average rifle. Therefore, this function is a bit of a chicken rib, because the long-range enemy is naturally replaced by snipers or squad machine guns, otherwise there are heavy machine guns that can attack from a distance. Therefore, the real effective range of this assault rifle of China is actually 400 meters, and it is the real mission of this assault rifle to ensure super firepower within 400 meters. With the exception of special forces, few soldiers of field units have an optical sight on their assault rifles. Cost is an issue, and another is that there is not much need.

What's more, with the current science and technology, even China has no way to make a powerful full-range sight, and the optical sight is really not very effective for field troops who often have to engage in encounters with the enemy at close range. It's better to practice your shooting accuracy at three points and one line.

Like the German STG44 name MP44 assault rifle, the Chinese assault rifle also has its own name, because it was produced in the eleventh year of ZTE, so it was directly named ZTE (ZX)-11 assault rifle.

MP44 assault rifle: automatic mode: gas conduction, locking method: bolt deflection type, firing mode: single shot or burst, caliber: 7.92 mm, weight: 5.22 kg, full gun length: 940 mm, barrel length: 419 mm, rifling: 4 right-hand rotation, winding distance 254 mm, rate of fire: 550 rounds / minute, range: 350 ~ 500 meters, aiming device: spherical front sight, with retainer; Aperture-type door, night vision sight (experimental).

ZTE-11 assault rifle: overall length 746 mm, barrel length 463 mm, total weight 3.25 kg, rate of fire 650 rounds / minute, combat rate of fire, single shot 50 rounds / min, effective range 400 meters, maximum range 800 meters. The attachment is equipped with: a 35-mm grenade launcher, a collapsible military spur, an optical sight, a cartridge case collection device. Sighting device: spherical crosshair with retainer; Aperture-type door, night vision sight.

The Type 11 assault rifle was actually produced as if it were a group. Whether it is a squad machine gun or a small-caliber sniper rifle, it is one of the Type 11 gun families. All can be equipped with an optical sight.

The sighting device of the optical sight has a traditional mechanical, simple night sight, a low-light sight that can be equipped with a white light sight and a second-generation micro-light tube, and there is a hole-type light door on the ruler, marked with 2, 4, 6 three words, respectively, indicating 200 meters, 400 meters and 600 meters, and the fluorescent points on the gate of the meter ruler and the fluorescent points on both sides of the crosshair form a simple night sight device. The front sight is composed of 4 parts: the front sight constellation, the front sight connection, the front sight retainer and the front sight are composed of, the front sight can be twisted high and low, the front sight can move left and right, and the front sight and the front sight are each engraved with a carved line to check whether the position of the front sight is correct. The scope mount is used to mount white light and low-light sights.

The white light sight has a magnification of 3x for precise aiming at long-range targets. The white light sight is used for aimed shooting and battlefield observation at targets within 600 meters or 800 meters (when equipped with a shift machine gun). When the target width is 0.5 m, the target distance can be roughly measured. A white light sight consists mainly of an objective lens group. Divisional adjustment agency. Eyepiece group. It is composed of an eye mask, a lighting mechanism and a locking mechanism that matches the gun.

The low-light sight also has a magnification of 3x. It can accurately aim at vivid targets up to 200 meters in low-light conditions at night. Both scopes are used for automatic rifles and squad machine guns, and can be quickly loaded and detached from the gun. The low-light sight is a lightweight passive night aiming device, which can effectively carry out accurate aiming at night; Observe the location of infrared light sources or other light sources used by the enemy. Under the conditions of no moon and starry sky, medium contrast, and opaque background, it can recognize people standing at a distance of 200 meters. The low-light sight is mainly composed of a mirror body, an imaging system, a reticle adjustment mechanism, a low-temperature external battery and a cover.

Bayonets (daggers) are used to stab enemies, and can also be used as combat daggers and field tools. The multifunctional bayonet consists of a bayonet and a scabbard, and the bayonet has a scissor part, a scissor shaft hole, a filing part, a knife ring, a shank seat, a cutting part and a sawing part; The scabbard has a lanyard, buckle, whetstone, flat screwdriver, shear seat and shaft. (Note: If you need to stab the enemy with a bayonet in battle, you should attach the bayonet to the gun, and the essentials are: put the knife ring into the front end of the jaw device of the gun, and the T-shaped groove of the handle seat is aimed at the T-shaped bamboo shoot of the bayonet seat on the gun, and pull it back to the position.) When the bayonet is removed. Hold the cover in your left hand. With the right hand, press the left and right sides of the handle (engraved with straight lines), then draw the bayonet in the direction of the muzzle, put it in the scabbard and hang it on the belt). The multi-purpose bayonet combines the functions of chopping, shearing, filing, opening the bottle and sharpening the knife. Both can be used for automatic rifles. It can also be used for squad machine guns.

The Chinese assault rifle is capable of firing a 5.8mm ordinary round series. It can also fire a series of 5.8mm machine gun rounds when necessary. The machine gun can also fire muzzle grenades with a diameter of 22x125 mm with a standard interface size, and can also be equipped with a quick-detachable 35 mm caliber under-mounted grenade launcher.

Of course, China and Germany are not the only ones in the world who have assault rifles, like the United States, which actually had its own automatic rifles very early. At the end of World War I. Browning automatic rifles have already appeared in the US Army. As mentioned before, it is a light machine gun, and it is hoped that it can be carried by individual soldiers, of course, there are still many problems that need to be solved, after all, it is an immature individual weapon.

The Browning automatic rifle is simple in construction and easy to disassemble and combine. Although originally designed as a single automatic rifle, it can be carried by individual soldiers to shoot on the go for assault operations, suppress enemy fire, and provide fire support for their own side. However, its weight (weighing 7.5 kg) is not easy to carry, and the recoil of firing high-powered rifle rounds makes it difficult to control accuracy when firing fully automatic fire. Due to its late development, only a small number of Browning automatic rifles were in service at the end of World War I, but they were still popular with front-line soldiers for their reliability and durability.

In '37, the U.S. Army improved the automatic rifle by adding a bipod and mounting a folding butt plate to keep the gun M1918A1 stable during fully automatic firing. On the basis of the M1918A1, the semi-automatic firing mode was abolished, and the two-speed adjustable bipod was mounted on the muzzle flame suppressor when firing fully automatic, and the weight of the gun was increased to 9.2 kg, named M1918A2, which was put into production two years ago.

M1918A2 is a "genuine" light machine gun, which is mainly used in the world war in full swing, and the most important thing is to suppress China's powerful individual firepower.

According to China's firepower performance on the battlefield, the infantry squad of the US army urgently needs squad support weapons, and the use of automatic rifles for the squad, six per platoon to build fire support points, has greatly increased the firepower of the infantry squad, although the most common complaint about M1918A2 is that the weight is somewhat heavy. However, the American infantry placed great trust in the automatic rifle: "There are very few accidents and failures when used under any circumstances, and even in jungle battles it can achieve the desired impact penetration." ”

The Browning automatic rifle has now become an automatic weapon that the U.S. military is vigorously equipped with, and it is one of the main equipment of individual soldiers in the United States today. However, the Browning automatic rifle actually played the role of a light machine gun. The 20-round magazine capacity limits the duration of fire, and the constant firing burns the barrel and prevents it from being able to be quickly replaced, preventing it from playing the role of a true assault rifle

In order not to be in a weak position in terms of firepower in the face of the Chinese army in the future, the US government has increased and accelerated the production of this weapon, expanded the original production plant, and manufactured a new production line. As a result, a large number of Browning automatic rifles appear in the U.S. Army every day in the United States today.

Of course, the Americans are not unaware of the shortcomings of the Browning, and while producing a large number of Browning automatic rifles, they are also trying to speed up the assault rifle in the real sense, and with the impetus of countless funds and talents, it may not be long before they can appear in the orders of the American arsenal.

As Germany's advanced opponent, it was stimulated by the Chinese assault rifle before, especially after the appearance of the German MP44, Stalin shouted every day that he must come up with his own assault rifle next year. (To be continued.) For mobile phone users, please go to read. )