Is the sa-80 really that bad

[Veovis 0]

This British soldier is holding an akms or ak-47 variant (as far as I can tell). I just thought that was a little odd. Maybe he finally got fed up with his sa-80.

[EiZei 0]

Nothing new really.

http://www.occupationwatch.org/article.php?id=616

[tankieboy 0]

Simple. He aint British.

[PAPABEAR_1985 0]

Simple. He aint British.

True that soldier in the picture have us uniform.

After tracking the soldier picture it was in Baghdad British are in Basra. not in Baghdad .

[Veovis 0]

Whoops. Well, I don't know anything about desert uniforms for any country. It was the picture for a CNN article about British troops, so I just assumed.

Interesting article, EiZei, thanks for the link.

[ran 0]

That's an old US 6 tones "chocolate chip" desert uniform, the guy wearing it is most certainly belonging to the Iraqi military.

It's funny to see how the US are getting rid of the old gear, you find used M16A2s, PASGT helmets and vests and US military fatigues almost everywhere now

[Milkman 1]

Nothing new, drivers and other soldiers who are only issued dinky berettas pick up AKM's to suppliment their protection.

[Albert Schweitzer 10]

Are private security firms in iraq allowed to use US camo? It certainly wouldnt very smart but how is the law here?

[Tovarish 0]

More U.S. troops using confiscated AK-47 rifles

Quote[/b] ]

BAQOUBA, Iraq (AP) - An American soldier stands at the side of an Iraqi highway, puts his AK-47 on fully automatic and pulls the trigger.

Within seconds the assault rifle has blasted out 30 rounds. Puffs of dust dance in the air as the bullets smack into the scrubland dirt. Test fire complete.

U.S. troops in Iraq may not have found weapons of mass destruction, but they're certainly getting their hands on the country's stock of Kalashnikovs - and, they say, they need them.

The soldiers based around Baqouba are from an armor battalion, which means they have tanks, Humvees and armored personnel carriers. But they are short on rifles.

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Some troops say the AK is easier to maintain and a better close-quarters weapon. Also, it has "some psychological affect on the enemy when you fire back on them with their own weapons," McCarson said.

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Two weeks ago, Sgt. Sam Bailey of Cedar Falls, Iowa, was in a Humvee when a patrol came under rocket-propelled grenade and heavy machine gun fire. It was dark, the road narrow. On one side, there was a mud wall and palms trees, on the other a canal surrounded by tall grass.

Bailey, who couldn't see who was firing, had an AK-47 on his lap and his M4 up front. The choice was simple.

"I put the AK on auto and started spraying," Bailey said.

[denoir 0]

Not too surprising - it's far mor reliable in desert environments plus the 7.62 chambering makes a nice bonus. Range and accuracy are less a factor in urban combat. The heavier round on the other hand can punch through light walls and vehicles.

[Wilco 944]

Quote[/b] ]Soldiers of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps (ICDC), foreground, U.S. Army and Iraqi police arrive on scene after an explosion destroyed a car near an entrance to the headquarters of the U.S.-led coalition in central Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, May 24, 2004. The U.S. military said four people died, and an Iraqi policeman said they were foreigners. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)