FutureWARTHINK 014: Have the 2x Koreas Figured Future Land War Out better than the U.S.?

Type 73 Belt & Magazine-Fed LMG

JMANTIME does it AGAIN: Another FANTASIC, INFORMATIVE video! I even loved the Korean music, too!

South Korean (Republic of Korea aka ROK) vs. North Korean Infantry Weapons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caZ-YUZG8Ho
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2WwBYK2Jh4

Wow. Best video on this subject!

Important Take-Aways

6x Shot, 20mm SMART Airburst Grenade Launcher (SGL) under 5.56mm AR

If the U.S. 25mm SGL Punisher is DOA--Yes? NO? Maybe? Is the SOUTHK K11 SGL DOA? Yes? NO? Maybe?

IF the ROKs have fixed the K11 SGL, then it behooves us to get off our asses and adopt their K11 Gen II, 20mm SGL into every FireTEAM's Mini-Base-Of-Fire (MBOF) as part of the 9-man infantry squad to get air-bursting 500m combat overmatch versus entrenched foes. At a cost of $14K each, they are not cheap and shouldn't make us think we don't need beaucoup affordable, rifle/hand grenades for use by 4-man ManeuverTEAMs. The FireTEAM's would tow a pair of 2x eATCAS to carry their heavy, long-range weapons (7.62mm x 51mm NATO LMG, 12.7mm AT rifle, Amerikanski RPG, 20mm SGL) & ammo so they can have a 5.56mm PDW in their hands; ready-to-fire in event of enemy contact before reaching their intended MBOF position.  

K11

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%26T_Daewoo_K11

The weapon was adopted by the Republic of Korea Armed Forces in 2008 and was distributed within the Republic of Korea Army during 2010, making it the world's first army to use an airburst rifle as standard issue in the military. Each squad is reported to be issued two K11s, though it will not replace Grenadiers who currently use K2 rifles with the underslung K201 [40mm] grenade launcher.[4]

In May 2010, the United Arab Emirates purchased a quantity of 40 K11s for evaluation purposes for a total cost of U.S.$560,000, giving an indicative unit cost of U.S. $14,000.[5]

In March 2011 it was announced that 15 out of 39 K11s issued since June 2010 (including 7 out of 20 rifles used by Korean forces in Afghanistan) had shown serious defects and the decision had been made to halt production and modify the design. The defects included: barrel movements during firing, defects in the striking mechanism, condensation forming inside the laser reception lens, and defects in switching from single to automatic fire.[9] South Korea's state procurement agency, The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said it has fixed the defects by modifying the designs and improving the shooting control system and will resume its production.[10]

A total of 4,000 K11s were to be produced with all to be fielded by 2014.[11]

In September 2014, a major defect was found in the fire control system of the K11, which suspended production as well as use of the 900 rifles distributed to the Army. The Agency for Defense Development says a solution will be implemented on a large scale before the end of 2016.[12]

In 2017, the 2nd gen K11 was revealed with huge improvements for its weight and 20mm grenade firepower.[citation needed]

In 2019, however, the Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea notified the Defense Acquisition Program Administration to completely suspend the K11 project, citing a lack of accuracy and various defects.[13]

Equipped with a laser range-finder as well as a ballistics computer, the K11 allows the operator to quickly find the distance to a target and launch an airburst shell. The shell will then detonate a few meters away from the target.[14] An electronic scope is integrated on the K11; it can be linked to a goggle system with a digital display. The display can be used during nighttime with thermal imaging, and shows the range information from the laser range-finder. The weapon is compatible with standard 20- or 30-round 5.56×45mm NATO magazines, and can hold 6-round magazines of 20 mm shells at one time.[15]

There are two types of 20 mm grenade rounds for the K11; the K168 training round is for practice and has no explosives, while K167 explosive ammunition weighs 100 g (3.5 oz) and has an internal fuse with three selectable settings for point detonation, point detonation-delay, and airburst. The integrated weapon sight programs the airburst warheads after the laser rangefinder sights a target when the launcher is selected (the sight automatically provides aiming points for either bullets or grenades when their firing modes are selected). Point detonation explodes the shell on impact with a target and point detonation-delay lets the warhead penetrate a target before exploding; penetration ability is unknown.[16][17]

The airburst setting detonates the grenade round in front of, over, or behind a target to hit troops in cover yielding an airburst effect capable of killing targets within a 6 m area and seriously wounding those within an 8 m area. Users enter a range at which the shell is to detonate into the sighting unit, which automatically calculates the time of flight and sets the chambered round's fuse to detonate when it reaches that point. If a round is not fired within two minutes of targeting information being programmed, it will disarm itself. If a grenade does not explode, a backup self-destruct safety mechanism automatically detonates it after being at rest two seconds after impact to leave no unexploded ordnance.[16]

One of the problems with the previous American Objective Individual Combat Weapon, which influenced the combination rifle/airburst launcher concept, was that its 20 mm grenade rounds were not very lethal. The fragments were often too small and light to be effective, there was not enough explosive material to create a large kill radius, and many fragments were dispersed vertically and away from the target. This was one of the reasons the OICW effort was cancelled, and it is not known if these deficiencies were addressed with the K11's airburst grenades of the same size.[16] However, Daewoo solved this problem by increasing the height of the grenade, and a recent report indicated that the 20mm airburst grenade has more lethal fragments than a 40mm grenade.[citation needed] Furthermore, after the 2nd improvements, they developed a new technology which enabled the 20mm airburst grenade to explode in a single fixed direction to increase firepower, instead of exploding in all directions (which would reduce firepower).[citation needed]

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XM25_CDTE

The U.S. Army is working on a 40mm autonomous airburst Small Arms Grenade Munitions (SAGM) round to give 40mm Grenade Launchers airburst capabilities as a complementary system to the XM25.[13]

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The stand-alone XM25 SGL Mistake: Carrying a 5.56mm AR Slung At-Your-Back Means MORE WEIGHT!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XM25_CDTE

The XM25 has had some criticism by users. One situation occurred in March 2013 where elements of the 75th Ranger Regiment refused to take the 14 lb (6.4 kg) weapon on a raid because they found it too heavy and cumbersome. They also felt its low basic [SGL] ammunition load [36x] and magazine capacity of 25mm grenades [5x] were not enough to justify the removal of an M4A1 carbine from the mission.[4]

Although the XM25 enables infantry units to engage enemies hiding behind cover, the weapon has been met with several points of criticism, specifically that it requires Soldiers to exchange their rifle and use it as their primary weapon, making them unable to perform required [Direct Fire] tasks in many squad battle drills; there is also concern that the operator has a reduced capacity to engage targets at close [Quarters Battle] range and that its basic load of 36x rounds can be depleted too quickly in direct-fire engagements.[14] A Soldier equipped with an M4 [AR] 5.56mm carbine with an M68 Close Combat Optic, AN/PEQ-2 laser/infrared aiming device, weapon light, and 210 rounds has a 16 lb (7.3 kg) weapon load. Grenadiers carrying an M320 Grenade Launcher with a basic load of 36x 40mm grenades with their M4 have a 38 lb (17 kg) weapon load. An XM25 with 36x 25mm rounds means a Soldier has to carry a 35 lb (16 kg) weapon load, so a combination of it and a [carbine or assault] rifle would require an individual infantryman to carry 51 lb (23 kg) in weapons.[15]

5.56mm DOES NOT SUPRRESS! BOFs Must use Full-Sized 7.62mm LMGs!

ROK Army has NOT yet learned this lesson. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%26T_Motiv_K12

However, due to the short range and limited power of the 5.56 NATO round, South Korean tanks, armored cars, and helicopters retained their M60 variants firing 7.62 NATO ammunition. Most M60s were still working relatively well and the military did not want to spend money to find a replacement machine gun, choosing to use their budget to focus on more expensive and high-value assets. The search for a new medium machine gun finally gathered momentum in 2006 when the ROK Army began the development of the Korean Utility Helicopter, a domestic medium utility helicopter. 

The NORKs have.

Their Type 73 is a BRILLIANT CONCEPT--a full-sized 7.62mm x 54mm Rimmed LMG that fires from either top-fed (like the fabulous Bren LMG), pre-loaded box magazines (PRELMs) or belts! What the M249/Minimi promised--but failed to do in weak 5.56mm. Fluted barrels to save weight with an attachment to fire rifle grenades! Sweet!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_73_light_machine_gun

The design is heavily based on the 1960s-era Soviet PK machine gun.[7] However, the Type 73 does have certain indigenous modifications, including removable muzzle sleeves and a dual magazine/belt feed system, patterned after the Czechoslovak Vz.52 LMG,[9] allowing the user to fire the weapon from indigenous box magazines or ammunition belts that can used with the PKM.[10] One unusual feature is a special barrel attachment to enable the gun to fire rifle grenades.[6]

The weapon's intended combat role is thought to be as a squad automatic weapon. However, it uses a 7.62×54mmR cartridge, not the [smaller] 7.62×39mm [Soviet short AR] round used by the Type 58 assault rifle, North Korea's standard infantry rifle.

This is unusual as most armies' squad automatic weapons use the same ammunition as rifles, so all members of a unit may share ammunition and only one type needs to be supplied. A larger cartridge is a characteristic of a general-purpose machine gun, although such weapons typically are belt-fed and do not use a box magazine.[5]

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/why-iran-loves-north-koreas-deadly-type-73-machine-gun-86466

The Type 73 is North Korean in origin and first appeared in the 1970s. The 23-pound, 7.62-millimeter weapon blends the basic layout of the Russian PKM machine gun with the feeding system from the Czech Vz.52. “The arrangement allows gunners to load the weapons with belts of ammunition or large magazines,” Joseph Trevithick noted in a 2016 article. 

“In the years that followed, Iranian factories made improvements and built copies of many of the designs,” Trevithick reported. Tehran now apparently ships those copies to militant groups.

There are two reasons for the weapon’s new popularity, Trevithick explained. “If Iran is indeed the source, officials probably chose to ship the weapons in the first place simply because they were available. Since the guns use the same cartridges and ammunition belts as the much more common PKM, militants would have little trouble using the Type 73s.”

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vz._52_machine_gun

The vz. 52 was originally called the ZB 501,[6] and was designed by Václav Holek.[7] It is gas-operated and uses a tilting bolt that locks into the roof of the receiver. Its overall action is based on the Czech ZB-26 light machine gun. It has an integral bipod and interchangeable barrels, and its feed system is designed to take metallic belts or box magazines interchangeably and without any modifications.[7]

The vz. 52 initially used the Czech 7.62×45mm vz. 52 cartridge in 50-round belt or 25-round detachable box magazine. 

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Have the entire squad fire larger 7.62mm bullets if you insist on 100% commonality--but at Greatest Common Denominator (GCD) effects since smaller AR cartridges fired through LMGs DO NOT SUPPRESS the enemy. 

This is EXACTLY what the U.S. ARMY NEEDS IN its FireTEAM's MBOF: 7.62mm x 51mm NATO rimless that can be fed by squad members' PRELMs if their MODULAR M16A5s/M4A7swhatever are shooting 7.62mm--as well as belts.  

combatreform.org/21stcenturyrifle.htm

NORK 100-Round Helical AK-74 Assault Rifle Magazine

https://armamentresearch.com/north-korean-helical-ak-magazines/

North Korean Helical AK Magazines

February 4, 2014

5.45 x 39, AK, AK-74, arms ID, DPRK, helical magazines, Kim Jong-un, North Korea, Type 88

By Oryx Blog Team

Several new developments in North Korean armaments can be witnessed amongst the recent flow of propaganda released by Pyongyang after Kim Jong-un’s ascension to power.  One such development is what appears to be a new magazine model for the North Korean copy of the AK-74, the Type 88. This new magazine uses a staggered helix design, which allows for a high number of 5.45 x 39 mm cartridges to be carried without the notable increases in size and unwieldiness that characterise many other high capacity magazines.

So far the only users of this helical magazine appear to be Kim Jong-un’s (and formerly Kim Jong-il’s) personal bodyguards. While in the picture above each bodyguard appears to be carrying only one magazine (which, given their high capacity, isn’t that surprising), other, earlier, footage shows a loadout of two spare magazines for each bodyguard, as seen below. The magazines appear to have been in service since 2010, and possibly earlier.

The North Korean Type 88 is usually seen issued with standard 30-round magazines and, aside from the standard wooden or synthetic fixed stock, a side-folding or top-folding stock (pictured). Two notable distinctions differentiate the North Korean helical design from other helical magazines that have been developed. First, and perhaps most obviously, this magazines was developed for a larger, more powerful rifle calibre than existing designs. Existing helical magazines have typically been developed for pistol calibre weapons, with designs having been produced in calibres such as 7.62 x 25, 9 x 17SR (.380 ACP), 9 x 18, and 9 x 19 mm.  Secondly, whereas other helical magazines have typically been developed in conjunction with the firearms intended to make use of them, the recent North Korean example was instead produced for use with an existing weapon, appearing to make use of the bayonet lug for mounting. The top-folding stock, another North Korean innovation, allows the stock to be folded with the magazine inserted, which would not be possible with typical side-folding or under-folding AK stocks. Both Russia and China have developed prototype helical magazines for AK pattern weapons, but these have not been documented in service.

The nature of the post-production design and the inherent complexity of helical magazines (when compared to a typical removable box magazines) suggest that while these magazines offer a greatly increased cartridge capacity, they may render the weapon more prone to malfunctions and misfires. It is unknown if similar magazines have been developed for other calibres, or to what extent the helical magazine has been integrated into the Korean People’s Army.

Magazine specifications

The following specifications are estimated based upon measurements extrapolated from known dimensions, as well as a comparison with existing helical magazines. They represent the author’s ‘best guess’ at present.

Calibre: 5.45 x 39 mm
Capacity: 100 to 150 cartridges
Weight: Approximately 2 kg
Length: Approximately 370 mm
Diameter: Approximately 85 mm

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This is BRILLIANT--MRS while not sticking out and ruining prone firing! 

When will the West field similiar 75-round helical mags for our AR15/M16/M4s ASAP?

Semper Airborne!