June 2017

Vol 29 Issue 03

COMBATANDSURVIVAL.COM

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PULLOURT BRITISH FORCES
PORSATCEAL MUSTANG TROOP / LIGHT DRAGOONS
CA
CMP9
SMG KIT & CAMO
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THE NEW UAE NIMR LRSOV

FOREIGN
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IDEX 2017 IN UAE
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AIRBORNE
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FORCES
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BRITAIN’S LEADING INDEPENDENT MILITARY MAGAZINE
 P09
COMBAT
+SURVIVAL
Vicky Lindsay, Magazine Director

EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
Bob Morrison, Editor
Carl Schulze, Senior Correspondent
Gordon Arthur, Far East Correspondent
Mike Gormley, Gear Tester
Robert Shaw, Security Consultant
Ian Young, Scale Models
Neal Molyneaux, Designer

ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT
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MARKETING DEPARTMENT
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PAGE 09: British Forces - MUSTANG TROOP Published by Hit Media Ltd
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deploys on eFP duties The Maltings, West Street, Bourne
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Bob Morrison looks at a range of unconventional
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Advertising:
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PAGE 37: Firearms - ©Copyright
©Copyr
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ght
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an daabroad of all
CARACAL CMP9 material
materi
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theeppublishers. No
Richard Brown describes the new 9
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IMP ANT:: All
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ORT iindividual
All indi
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eself and others and
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Bob Morrison focuses on the Long out any such
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Range Special Operations Vehicle
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out. T Thehe publishers cannot
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a member of the elite UAE
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PAGE 53: Foreign Forces - IIDEX
D X2
DE 20
2017
017 and
an considered for
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Bob Morrison photographs continues
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coverage
overag
ov erag
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of publication. Submission
pub
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such shall be
the opening dynamic display in Abu D
Dhabi
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a- and
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DSK BADGES the copyright
copyr
co pyrigh
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Carl Schulze caters for collectors off cu
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[Cover Image : © Carl Schulze]

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COMBAT
CO
OMB
MBAT
A & SURVIVAL | 03
 comms
Comms
O
n 28th March, the day
after I penned the May
issue COMMS column
and signed the magazine
off for press before
µying out to Poland, the UK Secretary
Images © Bob Morrison
of State for Defence, Sir Michael Fallon,
made a Written Ministerial Statement to
Parliament on Britain’s role in NATO’s
enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) in
the Baltic States and Poland. Part of
this statement is quoted here:-
“We are providing the Framework
Battlegroup of around 800 military
personnel in Estonia, with around
200 additional troops from France
and Denmark: French forces will join
us in 2017 and Danish forces in 2018.
5 RIFLES is providing the majority of
the UK military personnel for the ´rst
rotation, and we are also deploying
armoured Infantry equipped with
Warrior armoured ´ghting vehicles,
artillery, tactical Unmanned Aerial
Vehicles, and a small troop of
Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks.
“Our Battlegroup will contribute to
regional defence and security. We will
actively support the Estonian Defence
Force’s 1st Infantry Brigade in its role
deterring aggression, and we will
conduct joint exercising and training
with Danish, French, Estonian, and other
forces in the region to build a strong
multinational Battlegroup.
AWE ‘ 17 images, clockwise from top left: R-Lift Stretcher; ArtiÀcial Shoulder
Pocket for weapon; Black Hornet 2 micro UAV; Situational Awareness
“Based on our close bilateral
relationship, we are also sending a
British Light Cavalry Squadron of 150
Light Dragoons to Poland. This force
will fall under the US eFP Battlegroup
in Poland, and we will work closely
with our Polish and US Allies to deter
aggression against NATO territory.”
As of 28th April, when this month’s
COMMS page is being penned to beat
the May Day Bank Holiday, the British
contingent to the eFP Battlegroup
in Estonia (BGEST) under Operation
CABRIT has been activated for just
over one week. At the 20th April µag-
raising ceremony at a military base
in Tapa, which the Estonian Ministry
of Defence advised us of, but which
we were unable to attend due to
prior commitments, the UK Defence
Secretary is quoted as saying: “The
troops I have met today are part of one
of the UK’s largest ever deployments
to Eastern Europe. This marks our
commitment to European security and
standing with our allies in the face of an
increasingly assertive Russia.”
C&S caught up with part of the US-
led eFP Battlegroup, including A
Squadron of the Light Dragoons,
travelling through Poland on the
same day that Sir Michael’s Written
Ministerial Statement was presented
to Parliament. In the historic city
of Piotrków Trybunalski the Polish
Soldiers using new mountaineering tech-
nology at AWE ‘17 pause mid-abseil to cover
potential threats with their assault riÁes
Minister of National Defence,
Antoni Macierewicz, welcomed a
representative multinational sub-
formation of BGPOL to his country and
emphasised that the security of Poland,
in the current situation, also depends
on Allied Forces, adding: “I want to say
clearly, we owe it to you, soldiers from
Alabama, soldiers from Texas, soldiers
from other places in the United States,
United Kingdom, Romania, all NATO.
Once again thank you.”
In this column last month I stated:
“The C&S team will attempt to provide
readers with more eFP (and VJTF)
coverage in future issues.” The ´rst of
this coverage commences on Page 9
and, if all goes to plan, there should be
more next month.
On the following pages you will ´nd the
second part of our report on the UAE
Union Defence Forces dynamic display
at IDEX ‘17 in Abu Dhabi plus features
on the newly introduced Emirates
digital camouµage pattern, the new
UAE Long Range Special Operations
Vehicle from NIMR, and the even
newer 9mm SMG from UAE ´rearms
manufacturer Caracal. There is a lot
going on out in the UAE.
Finally, we had presumed we might
have space for the recent UK Army
War´ghting Experiment in this issue,
but without drastically increasing
pagination and hiking the cover
price to absorb additional paper and
postage / distribution costs, this has
not been feasible. Next month looks
like being a packed issue too, but we
will get around to covering some of the
interesting developments at AWE ‘17 in
due course.
BM
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 05
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www.militarykit.com
 01: A British COYOTE
from Mustang Troop
followed by two
STRYKERS from Fox British forces
Troop approaching
Piotrków Trybunalski
02: British soldiers
from the Light
Dragoons prepare
a COYOTE to be
deployed to Poland
[NATO image]

Report & Images by

MUSTANG
01
BOB MORRISON
Images © Bob Morrison [Unless noted]

TROOP, 2/2 CAV

AKA A SQUADRON, THE LIGHT DRAGOONS
On 27th March the Polish Ministry of National Defence

T
The following day, as
a result of advance
intelligence gathering and
careful pre-planning, C&S
was in position in Central
Poland to catch the Southern of two
route marches as the Polish Minister of
National Defence, Antoni Macierewicz,
welcomed a representative packet
from the convoy in the centre of the
historic town of Piotrków Trybunalski.
The two convoys had left the US Army
Europe base at Vilseck in Bavaria on
Saturday 25th, splitting on tactical
grounds to follow different routes to
their North-East Poland destination,
with the southern group having already
stopped over in the Czech Republic and
then near WrocÖaw in Poland before we
announced that a US-led battlegroup, including troops
from Romania and the United Kingdom, had begun
deployment to Poland. The move, which would see
around 1,000 personnel, along with light armoured
vehicles and equipment, stationed in the northern Polish
town of Orzysz was part of NATO’s enhanced Forward
Presence as decided at the Warsaw Summit in July 2016.
met up with them on the motorway just
outside Piotrków Trybunalski.
The 2016 Warsaw Summit, which was
attended by Presidents, Prime Ministers
and a Chancellor from 30 NATO
nations, plus Secretary General Jens
Stoltenberg and dignitaries from 17
non-member states from Afghanistan to
02
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 09
 british forces

03

05

04
Ukraine, as well as from the EU, agreed
on nine bullet points. At the top
Images © Bob Morrison [Unless noted]

of the list was strengthening the

Alliance’s military presence in the
east, with four battalion-strength
multinational battlegroups to be
stationed in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
and Poland on a rotational basis and to
be in place by early 2017.
Known as NATO’s enhanced Forward
Presence or eFP - the lower case
initial word is intentional, to avoid any
confusion with similar military acronyms
– this arc of four battlegroups along
NATO’s Eastern Baltic Sea nations is
intended to be defensive and deterrent
in nature. The combined force is not
strong enough to be considered an
offensive military formation, but with
troops from several nations participating
in each battlegroup it is intended to
remind an expansionist Russian Bear
that an attack on one NATO member
would be considered to be an attack on
the entire Alliance.
In essence the new eFP structure is
a rebirth of the multinational ACE
Mobile Force (AMF) concept, which
acted as an ef´cient deterrent on
NATO’s vulnerable µanks from 1960,
through the fall of the Iron Curtain,
until its disbandment in 2002 when it
was replaced by the NATO Response
Force or NRF. The unof´cial motto

10 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

03: The US 2nd Cavalry
Regiment is a STRYKER 09
formation transported
in 8x8 Interim
Armoured Vehicles
04: The Light Dragoons
who form Mustang
Troop of 2/2 CAV are
issued with VIRTUS
vests and helmets
05: The primary steed
of Britain’s Light
Dragoons is the 4x4
JACKAL seen here
armed with HMG and
GPMG
06: Polish troops with
Àxed bayonets march
to the welcoming
ceremony at Piotrków
Trybunalski
07: Polish Minister
of National Defence,
Antoni Macierewicz,
gave a heartfelt
speech welcoming
NATO
10
08: Polish cadets
swarm over a Coyote
for a group photo -
badge swapping had
already commenced
09: A Mustang Troop
Coyote departs
Piotrków Trybunalski
- note that the driver
wears a mandible
guard
10: A second mixed
convoy followed a
parallel route march
to the north aiming for
Wesoãa [NATO image]
11: Three JACKALS with
STRYKERS behind
heading for their
overnight stop on a
Polish airbase

11
06

07

of AMF(Land) was “Count the µags,
not the barrels!” and the new eFP
formations work on precisely the same
premise; any aggressor would not be
08 taking on a relatively weaker nation,
nor a tiny multinational Allied formation
on that country’s soil, but the entire
Alliance and effectively all their armed
forces.
The eFP battlegroup now on-station at
Orzysz, where it can mutually support
the German-led multinational Lithuanian
eFP battlegroup, is currently led by
the 2nd ‘Cougars’ Squadron of the
2nd US Cavalry Regiment, the ‘Second
Dragoons’, who we will focus upon
next month. An American Cavalry
Squadron, which in size compares

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 11

 british forces
with a UK infantry battalion, and
equipped primarily with STRYKER
Interim Armored Vehicles, comprises a
Headquarters Troop, three STRYKER
Infantry Troops (Companies in UK
parlance) and a Forward Support Troop.
The reconnaissance, surveillance, and
target acquisition functions are usually
provided from the parent Cavalry
13
Images © Bob Morrison [Unless noted]
14
12 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
Regiment’s fourth Squadron, but for the
eFP deployment A Squadron of The
Light Dragoons has been placed under
command of Lt. Col. Steven Gventner
of 2/2 CAV, along with a Romanian
Close Air Defence battery (the Blue
Scorpions).
After photographing A Squadron, now
re-designated Mustang Troop of 2/2
CAV, approaching Piotrków Trybunalski
on the E67 in convoy with STRYKERS
from Fox Troop, we followed them
into the heart of the historic 800
year old city where the Polish Army,
Army Cadets and a military band
had turned out in strength.
Later Defence
12 15

12: Door markings

indicate that these
parked JACKALS are
from a different sub-
unit of Mustang Troop
13: Rear view of the
same trio of JACKALS
- internally stowed
spare indicates all are
Mk.2/2A variants
14: COYOTE is the 6x6 16
version of JACKAL -
note the ride height
difference with
suspension dropped
15: A small number of
PANTHER Command &
Liaison Vehicles also
deployed to Poland
16: A selection of
British 24-hour
Operational Ration
Packs in the ammo box
stowage of a JACKAL
17: Each of the two
convoys included a
REME detachment -
here preparing to bed
down for the night
18: Count the Áags, not
the barrels - that is the
primary message of
the multinational eFP
battlegroups

17 18

Minister Macierewicz would make an

impassioned speech thanking the eFP
contingent for their support.

Mustang Troop is equipped primarily

with the JACKAL 4x4 MWMIK (Mobility
Weapons Mount Installation Kit) and
6x6 COYOTE TSV (Tactical Support
Vehicle), both of which are lightly

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 13

 19
british forces

armoured derivatives of the Supacat Originally the JACKAL 2/2A served 19: 24-hour ORP the manufacturer and
HMT 400 (High Mobility Transporter) the British Army with distinction in retort pouch for inclement weather
dinner at the end
in service with several Special Forces Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, of another day’s packs have already
and Special Operations Forces units primarily in the counter-insurgency role, route march been procured by
around the globe, from Australia to the where its superb mobility and off-road through Poland some overseas SF/SOF
United States. The open-topped nature agility were second to none and its lack 20: Two days users of the vehicles.
of this vehicle and its low silhouette - of an inclement weather kit was not a after we left
them Mustang At the 2/2CAV
it has kneeling suspension - give the disadvantage. In North-East Poland, Troop arrived in Southern convoy
crew both added situational awareness however, severe winter weather will Orzysz at the end
of an 1,100km stop-over point that
and an unobtrusive presence, making likely be problematic unless the UK
journey [US evening, more than
it ideal for the forward recce role, MoD procurement chain makes a timely Army: Georgios halfway through
though its one downside is that the purchase of cab glazing, canopies, Moumoulidis]
what for them would
crew has limited protection against the heaters and sockets for heated clothing
eventually be an
elements. for crews; these are all available from
1,100km route march,
we asked the sergeant-
20 major of A Squadron
LD / Mustang Troop
how he had found the
Images © Bob Morrison [Unless noted]

deployment so far and

he stated: “It has gone
really well.” Asked
what he was looking
forward to during the
eFP deployment he
told us: “Doing our job
as a conventional force;
we’ve been sucked into
counter-insurgency for
the last ´fteen years
so it’s good to push
out and actually do a
reconnaissance job...
as a Light Cavalry
Regiment.”
14 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
Report & Images by

D
CARL SCHULZE airborne forces
01: A PathÀnder of Fallschirmjäger
regiment 31 provides cover while his
comrades move out of the drop zone
their main task is to recce and secure
drop zones and landing strips

DIVISION SCHNELLE KRÄFTE

GERMAN AIRBORNE FORCES TODAY
In recent years the German Airborne Forces have undergone major restructuring due to the German
Army adopting the HEER (ARMY) 2011 structure. As part of this process the Division Schnelle Kräfte
(DSK) or Rapid Forces Division was oɭcially formed on 1st January, 2014. This division is one of only
three remaining main combat formations of the land forces of the Bundeswehr, with all Airborne,
Army Aviation and Special Forces assets of the German Army placed under its command. In June
2014, 11 Luchtmobiele (Airmobile) Brigade of the Netherlands Koninklijke Landmacht (Royal Land
Forces) was also placed under command of the DSK.

T
he Division Schnelle Kräfte is the sole airborne, airmobile and air is to plan, prepare, command and
Images © Carl Schulze

(DSK) was formed out
of the Division Spezielle
Operationen (DSO), an
Airborne and Special Forces
division, and Army Aviation elements
previously assigned to the Division
Luftbewegliche Operationen (DLO), an
Airmobile division, which was disbanded
in June 2014. Today the new division
mechanised warfare force within the
German Army. The motto of the DSK
is Einsatzbereit - Jederzeit - Weltweit,
meaning: Combat Ready - Anytime -
Worldwide.
MISSIONS
One of the main missions of the DSK
execute Non-combatant Evacuation
Operations (NEO) as part of Germany’s
national crisis management planning.
As part of the NEO mission, the
DSK permanently maintains forces
at extremely high readiness, to be
deployed within 24 to 96 hours
once alerted. The Einsatzverband
Militärische Evakuierungs operationen,

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 17


airborne forces
02
03
04
or NEO Task Force, will be tailored
to the mission and may number, for
example, 1,800 troops. If hostages have
to be freed as part of the operation
the force may be accompanied by a
Special Operations Task Force formed
by the Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK)
Special Forces.
Another mission of the DSK is the
planning, preparing, command and
Images © Carl Schulze
execution of specialised operations. In
German military doctrine, specialised
operations are those that require
specially trained troops for their
execution, such as operations against
irregular forces, early entry operations,
operations deep behind enemy lines,
air mechanised operations, air assault
operations and airborne operations.
18 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
02: Based at Fritzlar Kampf
hubschrauber regiment 36 06
‘Kurhessen’ is the only At-
tack Helicopter Regiment
of the German Army - it is
equipped with 32x Tiger
attack helicopters.
03: Fallschirmjäger
regiment 26 and 31 are
each structured into ten
companies and a basic
training company - each
regiment numbers about
1,800 paratroopers
04: The Division Schnelle
Kräfte has two transport
helicopter regiments
at its disposal - each of
them is equipped with 36x
Mehrzweck hubschrauber
NH90 utility helicopters
05: All Airborne, Army Avia-
tion and Special Forces
assets of the German
Army are placed under 07
command of the Division
Schnelle Kräfte
06: The Luftlande aufk-
lärungs kompanie 260 and
310 Airborne Reconnais-
sance Companies can
each Àeld two Fernspäh
zug (Long Range Recon-
naissance Platoons)
07: The German Air Force
supports operations of
the DSK with its CH-53
transport helicopters -
here a CH-53G picks up an
ESK Mungo light protected
transport vehicle
08: Each of the two air-
borne infantry regiments
of Luftlande brigade 1 can
Àeld a PathÀnder Platoon
that can be deployed using
HAHO/HALO parachute
techniques
09: Each Airborne Infantry
Regiment can Àeld a Mili- 08
tary Working Dog Platoon
with 18x dog teams each
consisting of a handler and
dog - dogs are dual trained
for Search and Protection
10: Each Fallschirmjäger
regiment has its own
Airborne Medical Company
which can deploy two air-
mobile clearing stations,
six airmobile surgical
teams and 28x airmobile
05 medical teams
These can be performed as part of the
full mission spectrum of the German
Armed Forces, including the defence of
the territory of the Federal Republic of
Germany and its NATO allies.
The DSK can be employed in all types
of scenarios and under all threat levels,
ranging from humanitarian missions to Manoeuvre Task Force (AMTF) that can
high intensity war´ghting operations. be employed under NATO or European
The division is also responsible for Union command. On a rotating basis,
the coordination and employment of Luftlande brigade 1 of the DSK regularly
the army aviation assets, including provides forces for the NATO Response
maintaining the Search and Rescue Force (NRF) and the European
(SAR) service in Germany. Battlegroups (EUBG).
With the integration of the Dutch 11
Luchtmobiele Brigade completed, from
2018 onwards the division also will have
DSK STRUCTURE
In total the DSK numbers some 9,500
the task of providing a binational Air troops that are based in a total of

09
eight states of the Federal Republic
of Germany; namely in Hesse, Lower
Saxony, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg,
Saarland, Saxony-Anhalt, North Rhine-
Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate.
In addition to this some 2,300 Dutch
troops of the 11 Luchtmobiele Brigade
also fall under command of the DSK.
Basically, the following units belong to
the Division:-
„ Stab Division Schnelle Kräfte (Division
Headquarters) based at Stadtallendorf.
“THE DSK CAN BE EMPLOYED IN
ALL TYPES OF SCENARIOS AND
UNDER ALL THREAT LEVELS...”
10
„ Stabs- und Fernmelde kompanie
Division Schnelle Kräfte (Headquarters
and Signal Company) based at
Stadtallendorf.
„ Kommando Spezialkräfte (Army
Special Forces) based at Calw.
„ Luftlande brigade 1 (Airborne Brigade)
based at Saarlouis.
„ Kampfhubschrauber regiment
36 ‘Kurhessen’ (Attack Helicopter
Regiment) based at Fritzlar, equipped
with 32x Tiger attack helicopters.
„ Transporthubschrauber regiment
10 ‘Lüneburger Heide’ (Transport
Helicopter Regiment) based at
Faßberg, equipped with 36x NH90
utility helicopters.
„ Transporthubschrauber regiment
30 (Transport Helicopter Regiment)
based at Niederstetten, equipped
with 36x NH90 utility helicopters.
„ 11 Luchtmobiele Brigade (Air
Assault Brigade) of the Koninklijke
Landmacht based at Schaarsbergen
in the Netherlands.
The Search and Rescue (SAR)
service of the German Armed
Forces, with its coordination centre
being situated at Münster, also falls
under command of the DSK, as does
the Systemzentrum Drehµügler
(Helicopter Maintenance And
Repair Facility) situated at
Donauwörth.
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 19
 airborne forces
“THE AMTF CAN BE DEPLOYED
WITHIN 20 DAYS AFTER BEING
PLACED ON ALERT.”
11
12
LUFTLANDE BRIGADE 1
The Luftlande brigade 1 (Airborne Bri-
gade) is the only remaining airborne bri-
gade of the German Army. This brigade
was of´cially activated on 1st April 2015
and succeeded the Luftlande brigade
26 ‘Saarland’ and the Luftlande brigade
31 ‘Oldenburg’, which were both dis-
banded earlier. Numbering some 4,500
troops, the brigade is in charge of all
Images © Carl Schulze
Airborne Forces assets of the German
Army, which are listed as follows:-
„ Stabs-und Fernmelde kompanie
Luftlande brigade 1 (Headquarters and
Signal Company) based in the Graf-
Werder-Kaserne barracks in Saarlouis.
„ Fallschirmjäger regiment 26: (Air-
borne Infantry Regiment) based at the
Niederauerbach Kaserne barracks in
20 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
13
Zweibrücken with parts also based at
the Kaserne ‘Auf der Ell’ barracks in
Merzig.
„ Fallschirmjäger regiment 31: (Airborne
Infantry Regiment) based at the
Fallschirmjäger Kaserne barracks
in Seedorf with parts also based at
the Henning von Tresckow Kaserne
barracks in Oldenburg.
„ Luftlande pionier kompanie 260:
(Airborne Engineer Company) based
at the Graf-Werder-Kaserne barracks in
Saarlouis.
„ Luftlande pionier kompanie 270:
(Airborne Engineer Company) based at
the Fallschirmjäger Kaserne barracks in
Seedorf.
„ Luftlande aufklärungs kompanie 260:
(Airborne Reconnaissance Company)
based at the Graf-Haeseler Kaserne
14
barracks in Lebach.
„ Luftlande aufklärungs kompanie 310:
(Airborne Reconnaissance Company)
based at the Fallschirmjäger Kaserne
barracks in Seedorf.
FALLSCHIRMJÄGER
REGIMENT 26 AND 31
Fallschirmjäger Regiment 26
was formed out of the units of
Luftlande brigade 26 ‘Saarland’, while
Fallschirmjäger Regiment 31 was
formed out of the units of Luftlande
brigade 31 ‘Oldenburg’. Both regiments
each number about 1,800 paratroopers
and are structured as follows:-
„ Regimentsstab ( Regimental HQ).
„ 1. Kompanie - Unterstützungs-und
 11: The Anti-tank Platoon of the
Airborne Fire Support Company of
each Regiment is equipped with
four Waffenträger Wiesel 1 TOW 16
anti-tank guided missile system
launchers
12: Each Fallschirmjäger regiment
includes an Airborne Logistic
Company that is capable of
supplying an airborne operation
from the air - for example by
dropping resupplies by parachute
13: One of the vehicles Àelded
by the two airborne logistic
companies is the Mungo 2 which
has a load handling system and can
be Àtted with attachments such
as a snowplough or a rotary brush
system
14: The three Machine Cannon
Platoons of each Airborne
Fire Support Company of each
Regiment are equipped with four
Waffenträger Wiesel 1 MK 20mm
automatic cannon armament
carriers
15: Two Airborne Infantry
Companies and the PathÀnder
Platoon of each Fallschirmjäger
regiment are Spec Ops Capable 17 19
16: A member of Luftlande
aufklärungs kompanie 260
launches an ALADIN UAV - which
has a range of up to 90km and 60
minutes endurance
17: The UAV platoon of the Luftlande
aufklärungs kompanie 260
is equipped with the catapult
launched LUNA UAV system which
has a range of up to 100km and six
hours endurance
18: The ESK Mungo is a protected 18
light transport vehicle that can
be transported as internal or
external load by a CH-53G transport
helicopter - it can carry ten troops
including the driver
19: The Airborne Fire Support
Companies have a Fire Support
Platoon structured into a Joint Fire
Support Coordination Team and
four Joint Fire Support Teams
into a company HQ, three Special versorgungs kompanie (Airborne
Operations Capable Airborne Infantry Logistic Company).
Platoons and One Special Operations „ 9. Kompanie – Luftlande sanitäts
Capable Fire Support Platoon including kompanie (Airborne Medical Company)
a Grenade Machine Gun Section, an „ 10. Kompanie – Fallschirmjäger
Anti-tank Missile Section and a Sniper kompanie (Airborne Infantry Company)
Section. Ergänzungs truppenteil, manned by
„ 4. Kompanie, 5. Kompanie and 6. reservists.
Kompanie – Fallschirmjäger kompanien „ Rekruten kompanie (Basic Training
(Airborne Infantry Companies) Company) including one fully trained
structured each into a Company HQ, Airborne Infantry Platoon that, among
three Airborne Infantry Platoons and other tasks, can be employed to protect
one Fire Support Platoon, structured as the Regimental HQ.
above..
„ 7. Kompanie - schwere Fallschirmjäger Currently, the core task assigned
kompanie (Airborne Fire Support to Fallschirmjäger regiment 26 is to
Company) structured into: a Company provide the German infantry contingent
HQ; a Mortar Platoon, with eight 120mm for the bi-national German-Dutch Air
mortars; an Anti-Tank platoon, equipped Manoeuvre Task Force (AMTF). Other
with four Waffenträger Wiesel 1 TOW elements of the AMTF are provided
15 armament carriers ´tted with the TOW by the Dutch 11 Luchtmobiele Brigade,
Versorgungs kompanie (Headquarters anti-tank guided weapon system; other units of the Luftlande brigade
and Support Company) including a three Machine Cannon Platoons, each 1, the Dutch Defensie Helikopter
Dienst hunde zug (Military Working Dog equipped with four Waffenträger Commando and the transport and
Platoon) and a Fallschirm spezialzug Wiesel 1 MK armament carriers ´tted attack helicopter regiments of the
(Path´nder Platoon). with a 20mm automatic cannon; and a DSK. Once fully operational the AMTF
„ 2. Kompanie and 3. Kompanie – Fire Support Platoon structured into a can be deployed within 20 days after
Fallschirmjäger kompanien mit der Joint Fire Support Coordination team being placed on alert. Another task
Ausbildung erweiterte Grundbefähigung (JFSCT) and four Joint Fire Support of Fallschirmjäger regiment 26 is to
(Special Operations Capable Airborne Teams (JFST). provide an Air Assault Task Force that
Infantry Companies) each structured „ 8. Kompanie - schwere Luftlande can be employed over the full range

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 21

 20
airborne forces

23
20: With the Mortar together with their
Platoon of the Airborne counterparts of
Fire Support Company the 11e Brigade
each Regiment can Parachutiste
Àeld its own indirect
Àre support asset of the French
- platoons are each Army during the
equipped with eight COLIBRI exercises,
120mm mortars
of which the
21: Airborne engineers ´ftieth will take
clear an obstacle
using an Ahlmann AS6 place in late spring
airportable multi-role 2017.
swing shovel loader
Àtted with the Modulare
Schutzausstattung The DSK also
(MSA) add-on armour trains regularly
kit with the 82nd
22: Here airborne Airborne ‘All
engineers and American’
paratroopers of a
Special Operations Division of the US
Capable Airborne Army, for example
Infantry Company can during the SWIFT
be seen conducting
riverine warfare RESPONSE
training exercises that also
23: Specialised involve Airborne
Operations require Forces of many
specially trained troops other nations, such
for their execution - e.g. as Italy. Poland,
21 22 for early entry , counter
irregular forces, deep Spain and the
of the military mission spectrum to If required each of the two regiments penetration, air assault United Kingdom.
and airborne missions For more on
perform specialised operations as part can take over the other formation’s
of the defence of the territory of the missions on order. 24: The trademark the division’s
of the German weaponry turn to
Federal Republic of Germany and its paratroopers is the
NATO allies.
INTERNATIONAL maroon beret with the
diving eagle insignia
Page 24.

The current core task of Fallschirmjäger

regiment 31 is to provide the major COOPERATION Footnote:
Some compound
Images © Carl Schulze

elements of an Einsatzverband With 11 Luchtmobiele Brigade falling German terms

militärische Evakuierungs operationen
(NEO Task Force) which is kept
at very high readiness and can be
deployed at short notice. Another task
of this regiment is to provide Special
Operations Capable Airborne Infantry
assets that can be employed in support
of a Special Operations Task Force.
22 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
under the command of the DSK, the have been broken
division is already a multinational down for ease of
formation. However, the DSK and its reading
subordinated formations, such as the
Luftlande brigade 1, also maintain
strong relations to the Airborne Forces
of other Allied nations. For example,
German paratroopers regularly train
24
 01: Photo of the HYVE test Equator Extended Comfort
Laminate GTX boot model [image via W.L.Gore]
footwear

02: My Equator Alpha GTX (left) and Equator GTX boots

- both are suitable for Temperate or Desert use
For the last thirty months,
ever since taking the
original MEINDL Equator

PATROL
GTX desert patrol boots
to the karst landscape of
Spain’s Torcal Nature Park
and the Costa de la Luz, I
have been waxing lyrical

GORE-TEX
about the latest generation
Extended Comfort Laminate
developed by W.L. Gore &
Associates. Subsequently
I have trialled Extended
Comfort patrol boots
from Gore’s other partner
manufacturers, with equal
EXTENDED COMFORT LAMINATE
The bulk of the trial group’s activities of the test boots: “The boots are ideal
satisfaction. were conducted over level terrain in for their intended use. I’m thrilled with

O
f course I am just an warm weather and involved moderate the high climate comfort factor and
ordinary scribbling exercise – i.e. marches, combat training, the breathability,” said one of the test
snapper, but not only shooting drills or indoor duties. Most of participants. Now I could have told them
do I get the chance to the soldiers were stationed in Central that :)
wear boots in some Europe, however, eleven were serving in
challenging environments, but I also Africa, Afghanistan, the Near East and You can read more about the HYVE
tend to beast the best of them a Kosovo. results on the GEAR TESTS page of
bit, so I think my reviews are pretty meindl.co.uk
valid. However, as I am not a full-time During the
soldier it was interesting to hear what extensive
the professionals thought of this hot feedback
weather waterproof laminate. process, the trial
participants were
From July to November last year, the overwhelmingly
Patrol GORE-TEX Extended Comfort positive in their
Footwear was tested in a full-scale wear assessment
trial involving 48 soldiers from Germany,
Switzerland and Austria. Conducted by
Gore, one of their footwear partners,
Meindl, and the market research agency
HYVE, these trials involved the latest
Images © Bob Morrison

evolution MEINDL Equator Alpha GTX

duty boot worn over a period of 10
to 16 weeks. The majority of the trial
participants wore the boots for more
than six hours a day in easy terrain,
sandy and dusty environments, standing
water and other liquids (the membrane
keeps out pathogens like those found in 03: MEINDL Equator Alpha GTX patrol boot in UK MoD
open sewers). Brown uses the new Extended Comfort Laminate

24 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 01
DSK: MODERN GERMAN AIRBORNE
WEAPONS
01: The P8A1 9mm pistol entered
Images © Carl Schulze
service in 1994, replacing the P1
9mm pistol. Manufactured by Heckler &
Koch the semi-automatic, self-loading,
blowback operated weapon is mainly
employed as back-up and as armament
for heavy weapon and vehicle crews. It
weighs 750g with an empty magazine,
that can hold 15 rounds. It can be ´tted
with an LLM01 laser light module
02
02: The standard assault riµe of the
German Army is the 5.56mm
G36, manufactured in different versions
for German Airborne Forces by Heckler &
Koch. The paratrooper in the foreground
of this picture is armed with a G36A1 while
his comrade in the rear is equipped with a
G36A2; note the old style reµex sight/op-
tical sight combination of the G36A1 and
the RSA-S reµex sight on the G36A2
airborne forces
Report & Images by
CARL SCHULZE
03
03: The latest variant of the G36
that has entered service
with the airborne units is the G36KA4
carbine. Mainly operated by the
various Special Operations Capable
assets of Luftlande brigade 1, the
weapon features a new adjustable
butt stock, a new handguard ´tted
with four Picatinny rails and x3
magni´cation EOTech Holographic
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 25

airborne forces
Hybrid Sight. As seen here, it can be
´tted with a suppressor
04: This G36A2 assault riµe is
´tted with the Heckler &
Koch 40mm AG 40-2A1 under-barrel
grenade launcher which paratroopers
use to engage non-hardened and
light armoured point or area targets
out to a distance of 350m. Available
ammunition for the weapon includes:
DM91, DM101 and DM101A1 High
Explosive Fragmentation; DM12 High
Explosive Dual Purpose; DM119A1 and
DM159 Less-Lethal; and DM129 and
DM149 CS Gas cartridges
05: The 7.62mm G27P
Precision Automatic Riµe,
manufactured by Heckler & Koch
and based on the 7.62mm x 51 HK417
riµe, is a magazine-fed automatic
weapon that can ´re single shots and
bursts. Fielded in 2016 it is issued at
section level in order to provide the
paratroopers with a weapon that can
be employed to neutralise targets with
a certain degree of precision out to a
range of 600m.
06: The 7.62mm Zielfernrohr
gewehr G28 Designated
Marksman Riµe is also based on
the 7.62mm HK417 assault riµe
manufactured by Heckler & Koch and
has been ´elded by the German Army
since 2011. In the Airborne Forces, the
weapon is employed at section level as
well as by the sniper assets. The G28
is a gas-operated, rotating bolt semi-
automatic weapon with an effective
range out to 800m.
07: The .300 Winchester
Magnum G22, introduced in
26 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
05
04
1997 and shortly to be replaced, is the
standard sniper riµe in service with the
German Army. This bolt action riµe
is ´tted with a 3-12 x 56 Hensold AG
sniper scope and has an effective range
of 1,100m. The weapon has a ´ve-round
box magazine.
“THE 7.62MM G27P
PROVIDES THE
08: The 7.62mm G3 assault riµe
was the standard assault riµe PARATROOPERS
of the German Army between 1959 and
1997 but was replaced by the 5.56mm
WITH A WEAPON
G36 assault riµe, though variants of THAT CAN
the G3, such as the Gewehr G3A3 NEUTRALISE
ZF sniper riµe pictured here, are still
operated by the German paratroopers.
TARGETS WITH A
The G3A3 ZF is ´tted with a FERO CERTAIN DEGREE OF
PRECISION”
Z24 4 x 24 sniper scope and has an
effective range of 600m.
06
09: The Barrett semi-automatic
12.7mm G82 Anti-materiel
Riµe entered service with the German
Army under the Infanterist der
Zukunft (Future Soldier Equipment)
programme. In airborne infantry
companies one is available per
section. The G82 has an effective
range of 1,800m and is employed
against technical targets, such as light
armoured vehicles or enemy troops in
well prepared positions.
10: The 5.56mm MG4 machine
gun is manufactured by
Heckler & Koch and entered service
with the German Army in 2004.
Procurement was conducted under
the Infanterist der Zukunft (IdZ)
programme and two weapons are
issued to each airborne infantry section.
The fully automatic, gas operated, belt
fed MG4 has a theoretical rate of ´re of
850 rounds per minute and an effective
range of 1,000m.
07 08

09 10
Images © Carl Sculze

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 27

 11
airborne forces

12

11:
Images © Carl Schulze

The 7.62mm
MG3 General 14
Purpose Machine Gun is
a descendant of the M42
of World War II fame. The
weapon is about to be
replaced by the 7.62mm
MG5. Here the MG3 can
be seen employed in the
dismounted role ´tted with 13
a blank ´re attachment.
Fitted with a bi-pod and 11.7kg, is 1,225mm long, 130mm wide
used with its iron sight the and 205mm high. It has a theoretical
weapon has an effective rate of ´re of 1,200 rounds per minute.
range of 600m but use of Operated at section level within the
a tripod increases this to German Airborne Forces the MG3 is also
1200m ´elded as a vehicle armament.

12: MG3 in the

Sustained Fire role
mounted on a tripod and
´tted with the Zielfernrohr
4x 24 scope. The belt-fed,
fully automatic, blowback
operated MG3 weighs
13: The 7.62mm MG5 General
Purpose Machine Gun is
currently entering service with the
Airborne Forces and will eventually
replace the MG3. Here it is installed
on a Waffenträger Wiesel 1 TOW of
Fallschirmjäger regiment 26. The gas

28 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL


15
operated belt-fed MG5 has a theoretical
rate of ´re of 800 rounds per minute
and weights 11.6kg. Effective range is
600m with bipod or 1,200mm with
tripod.
14: The Airborne Engineers and
the Special Operations Capable
airborne infantry assets ´eld the 12
gauge Remington 870 Police Magnum
shotgun for breaching doors. This
pump-action weapon features an iron
sight and a tube magazine. It weighs
about 3.5kg.
16
“IN TOTAL THIS
MAN-PACKABLE
GMG HAS A
WEIGHT OF
60.6KG, WITH
THE GUN ALONE
WEIGHING 29KG.
EFFECTIVE RANGE
IS 1,500M.”
15: Paratroopers use the Granat
pistole 40mm AG40-1A1
grenade launcher to engage non-
hardened and light armoured point
and area targets out to a distance
of 350m. Like the 40mm AG 40-
2A1 under-barrel grenade launcher,
the AG40-1A1 is manufactured by
Heckler & Koch and both weapons
use the same types of ammunition. It
is a single shot weapon with a ladder
sight and a µip-up rear sight
16: Within the Airborne Infantry
Companies one section of
the Fire Support Platoon is equipped
with Granat maschinen waffe A1
40mm Grenade Machine Guns.
Operated by a three-man crew, the
weapon consists of the gun itself,
the reµex sight, the gun mount and
the tripod. In total this man-packable
GMG has a weight of 60.6kg, with the
gun alone weighing 29kg. Effective
range is 1,500m.
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 29
 19
airborne forces

17

17: Each of the two Fallschirmjäger

regiments of Luftlande brigade
1 can ´eld its own integral indirect ´re
asset. The mortar platoon of each ´re
support company are equipped with the
120mm Mörser ‘R’ and the improved
120mm Mörser ‘R’ mit Linderungsring;
the main difference between the two 18
being that the latter has a modi´ed
barrel base to allow it to use ammunition
creating higher pressure when ´red. 20

18: The Panzerfaust 3 Anti-tank

Weapon, which entered
service with the German Army in 1992,
is available at section level in nearly
every asset of the Airborne Forces. The
compact, lightweight, shoulder-´red,
unguided anti-tank weapon consists of a
reusable ´ring and sighting unit and the
rocket carried in a disposable container.
Three different warheads can be ´red.
Effective range is 400m

19: Within the Airborne Infantry

Companies one section of
the Fire Support Platoon is equipped
with the Panzer abwehr waffe MILAN
(Missile d’Infanterie Legér Antichar)
anti-tank guided missile system which
has a maximum effective range of
2,000m. Originally manufactured by
Euromissile the MILAN system has
a weight of 28kg to which 11.8kg has
to be added for a missile in its launch
container.

20: The 4.6mm Maschinen pistole

MP7 A1 sub-machine gun
entered service in 2001 and is mainly
employed as personal defence weapon
for vehicle crew members such as those
of the Waffenträger Wiesel 1 armament
Images © Carl Schulze

carriers. Manufactured by Heckler

& Koch the gas operated weapon
has an effective range of 150m and a
theoretical rate of ´re of 950 rounds per
minute.

Footnote: Some compound German

terms have been broken down for ease
of reading.

30 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 Report & Images by
new equipment BOB MORRISON
01: The entire system,
complete with leads and
probes plus a secondary
tablet, Àts in a single hard
case
02: Maj Gen Martin
Bricknell, Assist. Chief of
the Defence Staff (Health),
with the new lightweight 02
monitor
03: The compact and robust
Tempus Pro monitor (left)
replaces no less than
seven other monitors
04: Here the monitor is
linked to a mannequin and
running vital signs to allow
medics to train realistically
05: The thin white object
connected to a USB
port is a shareable
electronic TCCC
card of patient 03
records

04

01

TEMPUS PRO
WORLD-LEADING MONITOR FOR UK MEDICS
In mid-March the UK MoD announced it had placed a
£14 million contract for a lifesaving medical monitor
05
leading water and solid object ingress
protection rating of IP66. It is also the
only pre-hospital monitor of its kind
which can help facilitate emergency treatment for Royal able to offer the full set of Masimo
Navy, British Army, and RAF personnel if they are injured Rainbow parameters.
or taken ill on active duty. Produced by Basingstoke
company Remote Diagnostic Technologies (RDT), the As of mid-February about half of the
Tempus Pro monitor transmits medical data in real time units ordered by UK MoD had already
been rolled out and troops were being
to treatment teams. trained; having said that, Lt Col Chris

T
he Tempus Pro monitor,
which is about the size of
a ruggedised netbook but
a little thicker, not only
replaces seven different
monitors in the treatment room,
Images © Bob Morrison
can also be downloaded or uploaded to
ensure statistics are accessible at every
stage of treatment.
The manufacturer describes Tempus
Pro as being an advanced vital signs
Wright RAMC, a MERT Doctor, told
C&S that the system is so intuitive
that his team had learned to use it
in just ten minutes that very day. In
addition to being issued across the
full spectrum of UK medical forces,

operating theatre, MERT helicopter or
trauma/battle´eld ambulance but can
relay data such as blood pressure, pulse
and respiratory rate in real time forward
to medical facilities giving them a better
understanding of an incoming patient’s
condition ahead of time. A shareable
electronic card of patient records, which
can be rolled and attached to the wrist,
monitor that is ground-breaking in
size, weight, ruggedness, functionality,
ease of use, µexibility and scalability.
The system is said to incorporate all
the integrated features and capabilities
expected in a market-leading vital
signs monitor whilst being smaller and
lighter than similar transport monitors,
with a longer battery life and a market-
Tempus Pro is already in service with
both US Special Forces and several
other undisclosed specialist NATO
formations.
To hear what the Colonel, and also Maj
Gen Martin Bricknell, think about the
Tempus Pro go to the Videos section
of combatandsurvival.com

32 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 marching ammo 37
01

SPOONS &
SPORKS
SUPPLIED BY HEINNIE HAYNES
02
Images © Bob Morrison

Many ration packs supply at least one disposable plastic

spoon, and sometimes a knife and fork too, but often these
are quite ɰimsy articles which snap when you most need
them. If, however, you carry your own eating utensils, or
even just a simple combination spork or similar, you will
always have something to shovel up your ‘marching ammo’.
We asked Heinnie.com what some of their best sellers are. 03

R
unning from left to right
on the lead image, which
for comparison has three
typical plastic spoons
of different bowl sizes
taken from military ration packs, we
start with the XL version of the CRKT
(Columbia River Knife & Tool) Eat’N
Tool. Essentially a longer (152mm/6”)
version of the original Eat’N Tool, it has
a similar spoon bowl with serrated lead
edge (spork) but a longer handle. The
large hole in the handle gives a bottle
opener, but also gives a ´nger hole for
more stable grip in cold and/or wet
conditions, and the slot near the top
gives basic spanners in ´ve sizes from
1/4 to 1/2 inclusive. There is also a pry/
can opener built in and it comes with a
small carabiner to stop it walking.
Next we have the Titanium Spork from
Swedish company Light My Fire, who
have previously produced this handy
spoon and fork combination, their
Original Spork, in plastic in over 20
colours. The Original Spork is great for
campers, and indeed they have been
using these for years, but if deploying
on military operations or extended
tours one cannot count on your eating
implement to be unbreakable for the
duration. This is where the Titanium

34 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 Report & Images by
BOB MORRISON
Spork stands up to be counted, as Next we have the slightly unusual
04 the material it is made from makes it one of the bunch, the F.O.R.K.IT from
pretty much indestructible - unless, TOPS-USA. This is a stone washed
possibly, used as a mine probe, which ´nish carbon steel combination knife
is NOT its intended purpose even if it and spork, with bottle opener included,
is non-magnetic. Weighing in at just 17 which comes with a neat kydex sheath,
grammes it is very light indeed and as it neck chain and survival whistle. In some
is non-corrosive you won’t end up with ways this is designed more for the
rust in your sausage and beans. outdoorsman and survivalist than the
soldier, but it will not go amiss in the
In the centre of the array is the two- side pouch of a bergen or at the foot of
piece stainless steel KniSFor stacking a daysack.
knife, fork and spoon combination from
05 NexTool, which the makers describe as Finally we have the little com2eat, also
an all-in-one outdoors multi-function from NexTool, which is probably best
dining tool. A modern variation of the described as an emergency spork with
old stacking army cutlery set, which bottle opener. On this one the fork tines
won a 2016/17 ISPO Award, it breaks are on the side of the spoon bowl and as
down into a fork and a combined knife it is so small it is really best thought of
and spoon. The beauty of this one is as a back-up – one for the Survival Tin
that it has a proper locking knife blade or Grab Bag perhaps?
capable of cutting raw fruit and veg,
but the downside is that you may not For more on these eating implements
be able carry it in peacetime urban check out heinnie.com from where they
environments or onto planes. can be ordered online
01: From left, Eat’N
Tool, Titanium Spork,
KniSFor (separated),
F.O.R.K.IT with whistle and
com2eat
02: The NexTool
implements Áanking the
Light My Fire spork, all in
their shop display boxes
03: The F.O.R.K.IT from
TOPS-USA with certiÀcate
of authenticity and CKRT
Eat’N Tool on display card
04: Although this Eat’N
Tool grip looks awkward
it is actually very stable
and extends the dipping
length
05: The Titanium Spork
is of classic design - its
titanium construction
makes it almost
indestructible
06: The F.O.R.K.IT drawn
from its neck sheath to
show both knife blade
and spork bowl
07: The tiny com2eat
(top) is really a back-up
whereas the KniSFor
caters for all culinary
needs
08: KniSFor opened up to 06
show locking knife blade
and spoon plus separate 07 08
fork - I quite like this one

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 35

 EW D
N AN
R
B

Clothing range out now

£
18.95
19.95
£

£
12.95
31.95
£

www.combatandsurvival.com/shop
* Colour & designs subject to change. All items correct at time of going to press. Visit website for up-to-date merchandise

CARACAL CMP9
NEW UAE SUBȼMACHINE GUN
B
efore we look down the
sights of the CMP9 it is
worth taking a moment
to examine the evolution
of the sub-machine gun; a
platform which has divided small arms
opinion since its advent. Firing a pistol
round, the SMG is seen by many as an
underpowered blunt instrument - the
rudimentary design of some models
like the STEN II doing little to dispel this
image. Conversely, some see the SMG
Images © Caracal International
as a genius of simple construction, a
platform which, at short range, is far
more effective than an assault riµe (AR),
is more cost effective and still holds a
valid place in a modern armoury.
The SMG was conceived as a precursor
to the modern assault riµe, when a
compact, fully automatic, platform
was required to sweep WW1 trenches.
The ´rst truly iconic SMG was the .45
Thompson M1921 (later M1928A1 and
firearms
01: The CMP9 is
chambered for the
well-proven 9x19mm
sub-machine gun
round
Report by
RICHARD BROWN
In the October 2016 issue C&S took a detailed look at
the innovative line of tactical small arms hailing from
Caracal International in Abu Dhabi, and promised to bring
you news of their highly anticipated next generation
sub-machine gun (SMG) when it was released this year.
The 9mm CMP9 was indeed launched in early 2017 and
Caracal are now pushing it ɯrmly in the direction of global
Tier 1 military and law enforcement units.
M1A1). During WW2, the SMG became service today with police units and
a common weapon with platforms such specialist military forces. Assault
as the PPSh-41 and MP40 effectively riµes continued to shrink and grew in
complementing riµes of the time, which popularity, resulting in the SMG stalling
were long and not well suited to urban in evolution from the benchmark MP5
Continued on Page 40...
´ghting. until the late 1980s when NATO sought
advanced platforms to deliver rounds
Post-WW2 saw an assault riµe boom led capable of penetrating CRISAT body
by the AK and M16 and the SMG took armour.
a back seat in the military, relegated
to support roles. In law enforcement, The 5.7mm FN P90 and 4.6mm H&K
the SMG did, however, evolve and MP7 were released in a storm of hi-tech
the venerable Heckler & Koch MP5 publicity which proclaimed they could
appeared and still remains in faithful replace all small arms with one holistic
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 37
 firearms
Images © Caracal International

38 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

CARACAL
CMP9
NEW UAE SUB-MACHINE GUN
02: CMP9 SD is a 6-inch ported barrel weapon which is semi-
permanently Àtted with a 6-inch suppressor

COMBAT
+SURVIVAL
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 39
 firearms
weapon system delivering 200 metre
lethality in an SMG-sized package.
Claims which later proved to be
‘questionable’ as the rounds failed to live
up to their billing.
Today such guns are falling out of
favour and recent tactical requirements
have called for the SMG to be re-
imagined. The key criteria are: capable
of ´ring new modern 9mm penetrator
rounds, full modularity, suppressed
capability and top end ergonomics.
Which brings us neatly to a ´ne example
of the new 2017 breed of SMG, namely
the Caracal CMP9.
Caracal are synonymous with
innovation. Their Enhanced F 9mm
pistol is possibly one of the best combat
autos available today; testament to
the fact that so many manufacturers
are now drawing off its characteristics
such as a low bore axis. Caracal’s riµes
are highly modular AR-style platforms
which meet the needs of Special
Operations, Police and Infantry in the
demanding environment where the UAE
Armed Forced are currently active. It
is therefore no surprise that Caracal’s
´rst SMG has taken many years of
development and testing to be released.
The end result is a thoroughly up-to-
date iteration of the genre meeting 2017
tactical needs.
This is a tough market to enter as
Images © Caracal International
most big small arms manufacturers
have realised the potential of modern
SMGs, capable of ´ring accurately the
vast range of highly effective 9mm
ammunition available today. The
limitations of assault riµe rounds at close
range are widely accepted therefore the
time to release a truly capable SMG has
never been more relevant.
The CMP9 is a smart design. Unlike
the awkward P90, Caracal have been
40 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
mindful of the cost of retraining users.
They embarked on Project CMP with
a conscious design plan to base as
much of the CMP9 on the ubiquitous
AR platform as possible. The rational
being that if you can operate an M4,
then you can ´re a CMP9.
The charging handle is in exactly the
same place as an M4 (albeit with a
shorter action) so in a high stress
situation muscle memory will cut in to
clear the weapon or action a reload.
The selector lever is where you would
naturally expect to ´nd it, therefore no
fumbling to take the weapon off Safe
or to select fully automatic ´re. The
magazine release and ambidextrous
bolt catch are in familiar spots on the
light aircraft grade 7075 aluminium
lower receiver so the operator can
keep eyes on the threat and not glance
down during a magazine change. All-
in-all, a smart design.
Rather than overcomplicate the
internal operation of the weapon,
Caracal have opted for a tried and
tested blowback design. Blowback
operation has been the mainstay of
SMGs for over 70 years and keeps
the mechanism simple and easy to
maintain. It also helps to keep the unit
cost down as there are less specialist
gas parts such as those found in
short stroke piston weapons. But, be
under no illusions, there is nothing
old fashioned about the CMP9 - all
components are propriety and have
been designed from scratch.
The new ´rearm has a free-µoating
barrel and very light quad rail system
which offers both standard M1913
rails and Keymod options for the
attachment of accessories. The A2
style grip is reassuringly familiar and
the three-position buttstock allows for
easy shooting with body armour on.
03: Caracal’s CMP9 SD sub-machine gun (top) and
CMP9 K machine pistol versions
04: CMP9 K is an ultra-short model with a 5.5-inch
barrel and no buttstock for concealed carry
The weapon system also comes in three
distinct models. The K is an ultra-short
model with a 5.5-inch barrel and no
buttstock. Equipped with a forward
tactical grip, this weapon can be
concealed under clothing and ful´ls a
number of specialist roles which require
greater punch than a handgun. The best
way to operate such a weapon is with a
restricted sling arrangement attached to
the butt plate which, when held taught
at arm’s length, acts as a support.
Next in the family is the STD model
which is the benchmark model for
general deployment. It is slightly heavier
than the K at 2.9kg but gives the added
bene´t of a 9-inch barrel which will
optimise the capability of the 9mm
round.
For specialist use, the ´nal model has
been designated the SD. This is not
simply a standard model threaded for
a suppressor. The dedicated SD is a
6-inch ported barrel weapon which is
semi-permanently ´tted with a 6-inch
suppressor, all shrouded by a modular
handguard. This allows the ´tting of new
style squat suppressors which achieve
results by volume rather than length.
Fitted with a military speci´cation reµex
sight and good sling arrangement the
Caracal CMP9 SD is a formidable asset
to any SF or SWAT armoury, delivering
the time-honoured reliability of
blowback in a truly 21st century modular
frame.
With the advent of the current
breed of highly capable 9mm rounds
and the continued development of
platforms to deliver these we are
entering a completely new era of SMG
development; and it is safe to say that
these new weapons will not be a µash in
the pan like their 1980s ancestors. The
Caracal CMP9 K, STD and SD typify the
standard to which SMGs can now be
made and the high capability they bring
to operational units.
The CMP9 is yet another highly
innovative 9mm product which has
come from the Abu Dhabi desert
weapons facility in Sweihan. We wait
with eager interest to see what small
arms platform Caracal take on in the
future and radically improve for
modern operators.
 Report & Images by 01: NIMR AJBAN

special operations BOB MORRISON LRSOV crewed by Àve

members of the UAE
Presidential Guard at
IDEX 2017
Images © Bob Morrison

02: Main armament

is a 12.7mm HMG and
secondary seen here
is a 7.62mm Minimi
with retracting stock
03: High angle shot
of main armament
ring mount on roll
cage - note also lift
mechanism for spare
wheel
04: The LRSOV is
intended primarily for
Special Operations
use but is also used
for remote border
patrols
05: The vehicle has
a bumper-mounted
heavy duty winch for
self-recovery and
CTIS for soft going

01

02
One of the stars of the show at this year’s IDEX military
expo in the United Arab Emirates was the homegrown NIMR
(TIGER) Automotive AJBAN 4x4 LRSOV (Long Range Special
Operations Vehicle), which both appeared on the trade
stands and participated each day in the dynamic display.
C&S ɯrst encountered, and rode in, this 4/5-man high
mobility vehicle last year at Warrior Competition at KASOTC.

T
he vehicle we photographed
at King Abdullah II Special
Operations Training Center
(KASOTC) in Jordan was
a company demonstrator
built to full production standards, but
unfortunately it was unarmed and was
crewed by just a civilian demo driver
rather than troops, however at IDEX
we were able to see it both armed and
crewed as well as being driven tactically
at speed. In this case the vehicle was
crewed by members of the UAE
Presidential Guard, which is a Special
Operations Capable formation able
to operate by Sea, Air and Land that
operationally stands apart from the UDF
(Union Defence Forces) Land Forces
order of battle, but we understand
that the AJBAN is also used by more
conventional UDF units for remote area
and border patrol duties.
Looking ´rst at the NIMR vehicle range,
this consists of a family of 8 to 10 tonne
GVW class 4x4 (AJBAN) and slightly
heavier 6x6 (HAFEET) medium utility
vehicles and personnel carriers. The

42 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 04

03

05

UAE LONG RANGE SPECOPS VEHICLE

company was set up early in the current recently relatively rarely seen in Europe,
millennium in Abu Dhabi with the aim though earlier this year the company
of producing modular military vehicles went into partnership with Czech
for the home and regional market. Until company VOP CZ to chase a number of

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 43

 special operations
06: Note the mini smoke
dischargers on the front
wings above lights and the
ballistic windscreen panels
07: There are smoke
dischargers let into the rear
panels too - massive tyres
are Michelin XZL pattern
06 08: This vehicle is Àtted with
windscreen and sun canopy
- note brackets to allow door
panel Àtting
09: Seats are shock
protected and have four
point harness - both are
essential for dune driving
at speed
10: Driver’s compartment and
console - note the automatic
gearbox lever and just two
Images © Bob Morrison
pedals
11: Seats are mesh-backed
for comfort in high
temperatures and canopy
keeps off worst of the sun’s
rays
12: The LRSOV is based on
the same chassis and power
07 plant as the AJBAN 420A
command vehicle
44 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
forthcoming European military
contracts, the NIMR AJBAN
range of 4x4 armoured (mostly)
vehicles has been ordered by
most Mediterranean and Levant
nations from Algeria round to
Lebanon, with the exception of
Israel, plus of course the UAE.
According to the manufacturer
the standard AJBAN, which is
available in 2-door (420A) and
4-door (440A) versions, is a
highly mobile 4x4 protected
vehicle incorporating the latest
technologies in ballistic and
blast protection. They claim
the vehicle was designed for
the harshest of environments,
and it is hard to think of many
environments harsher that the
Empty Quarter of the Arabian
Desert in the deep South of
Abu Dhabi; they also state
 08

10

“THE AJBAN
WAS DESIGNED 11
FROM THE
OUTSET TO BE
MODULAR IN
NATURE...”

12
that the vehicle offers exceptional off-
road capability as well as unparalleled
reliability and performance.
The AJBAN was designed from the
outset to be modular in nature to
allow it to be con´gured for a range
of operational roles and to allow it to
09 incorporate various mission systems.
The LRSOV (Long Range Special
Operations Vehicle) variant is based
on the 440A multi-purpose platform,
allowing for maximum commonality
of spares, but it is open-topped to
give crew both maximum situational
awareness and the ability to speedily
dismount to engage the enemy on foot;
having said that, a ballistic armour kit
and mine protection plate can be ´tted
for use in very high threat environments.

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 45

 special operations

Dimensionally, the 13: AJBAN

AJBAN LRSOV is: 440A 4-man
5,680mm long, over front Protected
Vehicle - with
winch and spare wheel; ballistic
1,970mm tall over roll armour it tips
cage and weapons mount the scales
ring, though higher when at 10,750kg
[©NIMR]
the main armament is
´tted; and 2,130mm wide 14: AJBAN
LRSOV
over the the body, with company
secondary armament demonstrator
swung inside the photographed are given on the of´cial publicity to be drastically reduced to spread
off-road at
vehicle. The wheelbase KASOTC in May material. weight but speedily increased when
is 3,300mm (or 130”, 2016 the going ´rms up.
which is similar to an 15: This 2016 Kerb weight of the AJBAN LRSOV is
extended wheelbase demonstrator 5,000kg giving a usable payload of Turning ´nally to the armament, either
Land Rover Defender) has different 3,000kg, but this is reduced if ballistic a medium or heavy machine gun up
seats, no
and the resultant turning smoke protection is ´tted. Powered by a to 12.7mm calibre or a 40mm grenade
Images © Bob Morrison

circle is just under 15.0 dischargers 296hp (221kW) engine developing machine gun can be ´tted to the ring
metres. The LRSOV can and other 1,100Nm at 1,500rpm the vehicle is mount over the rear crew seats and
minor build
ford 1,000mm, climb differences said to have a road speed of 110km/hr up to three swing arm mounts for
a 400mm step and (69mph) and road range on standard 5.56mm or 7.62mm machine guns
ascend a 60% gradient fuel tanks is given as 700km. For can be ´tted to roll cage legs at the
but unfortunately we are off-road use, a Central Tyre Inµation passenger doors. A canopy kit for sun
unable to quote ground System (CTIS) is ´tted as standard; this or inclement weather protection can
clearance or breakover is essential for operations in soft sand also be ´tted.
angle as neither of these and sabkha, where tyre pressures have

46 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

kit + camo

M16 DESERT
DIGITAL
UAE PRESIDENTIAL GUARD
48 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
 Article & Images by
BOB MORRISON

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 49

kit + camo Images
Imag
a es
e © Bo
B
Bob
b Mo
Morrison
orrrison
o

days at a time South of the Liwa Oasis in

Southern Abu Dhabi a number of times
in the last decade my gut feeling is that
operationally it should be better than
previous patterns. All Friendly Forces
troops participating in the dynamic
demonstration at IDEX 2017 (see pages
53-58) were wearing M16, as were
virtually all UAE troops visiting the expo,
The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven and although the display took place
neighbouring states (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, in a dusty urban environment the new
camouµage did not look out of place.
Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain)
primarily situated on the South-Eastern shores of Incidentally, UAE military vehicles are
the Persian Gulf, though Fujairah and Sharjah extend mostly painted in a similar base colour
across to the Indian Ocean. The UAE Federation has to M16 camo with a slightly lighter
reddish brown secondary colour to give
a joint Army, Navy and Aviation structure, the Union depth.
Defence Force, responsible for all seven nations.
The soldier who agreed to pose for this

I
n the late 1980s the UDF adopted
the four-colour desert version of
British DPM (Disruptive Pattern
Material) and after the 1991 Gulf
War it turned to the US six-colour
‘choc chip’ pattern for a few years,
before changing to the US three-colour
‘coffee stain’ desert pattern. When
the United States adopted digital
camouµage patterns early in the new
millennium the UDF followed suit, with
a non-exact copy of the USMC Desert
MARPAT and this camo was widely
worn until last year when the totally
original four-colour M16 Desert Digital
Pattern was introduced.
M16 camo is a comparatively sparse
pattern of Foliage Green and Red
Brown larger shapes and smaller
Dark Sand shapes on a pinkish Stone
background with smaller ‘pixel’ clusters
in the secondary and tertiary colours to
further break up the background. I have
not yet seen this camo in open desert,
but having lived and worked for several
issue’s Kit & Camo is a member of the elite,
and quite secretive, UAE Presidential Guard.
He was not wearing any insignia but when
I asked one of his superiors what would
normally be worn he took the national Áag
and low visibility version of the Presidential
Guard patch out of his pocket and applied
them to the left arm. Interestingly, he
is wearing the Batlskin Viper A1 (UAE
Special Edition) Helmet System paired
with Wolfspider Goggles manufactured by
Revision Military. The Guard’s load carriage
vest, with attached pouches and rear
hydration bladder pouch, are Coyote Tan.

50 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

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 01: A Troop of
French-built Leclerc
main battle tanks
heads up the UDF
foreign forces

Images © Bob Morrison

counter-attack –
note also the troops
01
abseiling down the
artiÀcial cliff behind
02: The well-
organised
‘Little Grey Men’
insurgents had
taken over the
railway halt, port,
berthed ship
and a chemical
production plant
03: The UAE tanks
quickly dealt with
the insurgent
armour and light
patrol vehicles but it
would take troops on
the ground to winkle
our insurgents

IDEX 2017
ABU DHABI
02

UAE FORCES CAPABILITY DISPLAY [PART 02]

IDEX, the International
Defence Exhibition and 03
Conference, is by far the
largest military expo in
the Middle East, attracting
both exhibitors from
around the world and
buyers from across the
region. In past years this
biennial show, which runs
alongside the naval and
maritime security themed
NAVDEX, has clashed
with other commitments
meaning C&S has been
unable to cover it, but this
year our ducks lined up.
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 53
 foreign forces

04

05 06

T
he United Arab Emirates
Army, the main Land
Forces component of the
UAE Union Defence Force
(UDF) is a comparatively
shy organisation which seldom reveals
Images © Bob Morrison

much about its capabilities. Our former

Senior Correspondent Yves Debay,
assassinated in Syria in 2013, did manage
to cover the UAE Army during the major
Exercise GULF SHIELD 2008, which
involved French, Qatari and UAE Forces,
but this rare opportunity only arose
because the previous year France had
announced its intent to build a forward

54 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL


07
base in the UAE and
wherever French troops go
their government bends
over backwards to ensure
their journalists have the
opportunity to cover them
if they wish to.
The dynamic display
at this year’s IDEX, run
every day of the show
in front of a massive
and packed grandstand,
was a choreographed
performance intended
to show off the primary
hardware and capabilities
of the UDF to both a local
and international audience.
IDEX
2017
08
04: First task for the UDF
troops was to pin down
the insurgents both
aboard the berthed
ship with chemicals
aboard and on the
quayside
05: Riverine troops
in fast attack craft
took part in the Ànal
assault on the ship
which overwhelmed
09
the enemy and caused
them to surrender
06: Captured Little
Grey Men are taken off
the ship – it was not
made clear to watchers
precisely which UAE
military units were
participating
07: The UDF uses
the Oshkosh M-ATV
(background) but
more recently it
has introduced the
homegrown NIMR
AJBAN 440A in a similar
protected vehicle role
08: At Àrst this Àre
team just looked like
a well-drilled squad of
infantrymen – it was
only later that I realised
they were female
10
soldiers wearing the
hijab
09: The UAE bought
around 600 Russian
BMP-3 personnel
carriers in the 1990s
– about one quarter
of this Áeet was later
upgraded to BMP3-M
standards
10: The most interesting
thing about these UAE
tracked personnel
carriers is the massive
but necessary air
conditioning packs at
the rear
Aviation and Naval displays were When the UAE Army was created
integrated with the Army demo, following the 1971 federation of
but we concentrated on the latter the Emirates, it took over from the
and photographed it from three British-led Trucial Oman Scouts
different locations along the length to provide internal security across
of the grandstand on the days the region and the bulk of their
we were there to try to ensure inherited military hardware was
reasonable coverage in what was primarily of British origin. By the
an increasingly dusty and smoky mid1990s, however, the French
amphitheatre. armaments industry had made
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 55
 foreign forces
12
significant inroads in the
UAE with the main battle
tank now being the Leclerc
and the bulk of the lighter
Images © Bob Morrison
armour being from the AMX
or Panhard families, though
the tracked APC fleet would
soon consist primarily of the
Russian BMP-3.
Later, a quantity of better
protected Turkish-built
ACV-15 tracked armoured
56 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
11 13
personnel carriers, a
development of the US
AIFV derivative of the
M113A1, was procured and
today these serve alongside
the Leclerc MBTs with the
frontline battlegroups. More
recently, various wheeled
protected patrol vehicles
have been procured, mostly
it is believed for Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC)
Peninsula Shield coalition
IDEX
2017
11: The UDF also has
a smaller but better
protected Áeet of
Turkish-built ACV-15
variants of the AIFV
which was based on
the M113A1 personnel
carrier
12: It is believed that
14
the ACV-15 armoured
personnel carrier is
used in tandem with
the Leclerc main battle
tank in UAE armoured
battlegroups
13: The 60-tonne
Leclerc-based DNG
(Dépanneur Nouvelle
Génération) armoured
recovery vehicle is the
French equivalent of
the British CRARRV
14: The BREM-L
‘Beglianka’ recovery
vehicle is based on the
BMP – from Russian
BREM translates as
Armored Repair and
Evacuation Machine
15: One of the UAE
15
Áeet of 32 Tpz Fuchs
2 NBC Recce vehicles
participated in the
display - the UAE is the
lead nation in the GCC
for CBRN Detection
16: Just before the
end of IDEX 2017 it was
announced that NIMR
Automotive had been
awarded a contract for
1,500 of their JAIS 4x4
and 6x6 vehicles
17: The UAE Fuchs2
Áeet, of which there
are three variants,
is a later version of
the vehicle used by
Britain’s Falcon Troop
and has a remote
weapon station 16
supported by Little Grey Men
17 militia from a neighbouring state,
who had taken over the port
and railway infrastructure in the
fictional Mount Papakura region
of a strife-torn country in which
the UAE was deployed as part of
an Arab Coalition, commenced
with a gentle probe by troops in
comparatively lightly armoured
duties, and increasing PPVs (Protected Patrol Vehicles).
numbers of locally manufactured When unexpectedly confronted
NIMR armoured and logistic by tracked BMP-3 Armoured
vehicles have entered service or Personnel Carriers with 100mm
been ordered. guns and 30mm automatic canons,
the UAE patrol withdrew tactically
For the display the UAE fight and called forward heavier armour
back against the rebel forces, to confront the threat.

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 57

 18: The JAIS 4x4
is a high mobility
foreign forces next generation
Multi-Role Armour
Protected (MRAP)
crewed by two
with space for
Àve infantry and
their equipment
19: The AJBAN
420 4x4 pick-up
is available in
both armoured
and unarmoured
version – with a
GWV of 9,000kg
it can carry up to
3,500kg payloads
20: The HAFEET
620 6x6 is also
available in both
armoured and
unarmoured
version – its
GVW is 13,000 kg
and maximum
payload is
5,000kg
21: This moving
submarine
mock-up, which
held a Àre
team of enemy
troops, and the
helicopters
were part of
the integrated
18 NAVDEX display

20

21

19
The first wave of the main UDF
counter-attack was led by a Troop
of Leclerc main battle tanks and
while they advanced, dismounted
troops abseiled down the cliff face
behind them and fanned out along
the dockside to take on Men In Grey
aboard the steamer loaded with
Images © Bob Morrison
females soldiers, wearing the hijab under
their combat helmets.
In addition to tanks and personnel carriers,
the UDF dynamic display incorporated
recovery vehicles, including the Leclerc-
based DNG (Dépanneur Nouvelle
Génération) and the BMP-based BREM-L
Several different NIMR vehicles
were also on display, including the
recently ordered JAIS 4x4 MRAP
(Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected)
21-tonne GVW 2+5 squad vehicle, the
AJBAN 420 4x4 and HAFEET 620 6x6
logistic vehicles and, as seen on Page
42, the AJBAN Long Range Special

chemical drums. Simultaneously, more
troops in riverine craft assaulted the
ship from the water and rounded up
the defeated enemy as 4x4 Protected
Patrol Vehicles and BMP-3 and ACV-15
tracked APCs advanced behind the
tanks; it was only when reviewing my
images on my return that I realised
one of the infantry sections comprised
‘Beglianka’. The UAE is the lead nation in
the GCC for CBRN (Chemical, Biological,
Radiation & Nuclear) Detection and one
of its key assets is a fleet of 32 Tpz Fuchs
2 NBC Recce vehicles, one of which made
an appearance during the show; this is a
more modern variant of the UK Fuchs 1
NBC vehicles which C&S photographed in
Jordan on SHAMAL STORM ‘16.
Operations Vehicle.
Finally, we cannot leave IDEX 2017
without mentioning the submarine
scenario tied in with the UAE Navy
display of the quay on the other side
of the man-made mountain range. Yes,
they really did construct a submarine
pen and a mock-up submarine!

58 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 Magazine
Save Token
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 kit review
Images © Bob Morrison

KAMMO
TACTICAL 24L
ASSAULT PACK
FROM CADET DIRECT
Observant regular readers may have spotted that I have
recently been keeping an eye out for a replacement
daysack to use as an airline carry-on/camera bag as my
old, well-loved and almost perfect, but no longer made,
Source Assault 10 pack is on its last legs after years of
use and abuse. To cut a long story short, Cadet Direct
suggested I look at their own KAMMO Tactical packs range.

F
rom the outset I must make
it clear that the KAMMO
Tactical range, which
currently includes four packs
plus webbing and a load
carriage vest, is intended primarily for
exercise use; the target market being
Cadets and Reservists who wish to self-
purchase kit to make their lives easier
60 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
without breaking the bank when they
are only going to use it occasionally.
That said, this budget range is both
nicely thought out and well constructed
even though it is not expected to serve
daily on a six to eight month operational
tour.
This 24-litre capacity pack, which
01
02
03
04
05
measures roughly 450x320x220mm,
will easily ´t even budget airline carry-
on gauges if not over-´lled and it is
even feasible to attach pouches down
one side and still remain within the
limits. What really caught my eye with
this one, however, was the relatively
unusual triple compartment layer layout;
to avoid potential confusion, looking at
the pack from behind the wearer I will
designate these Outer, Mid and Main.
The Main compartment is the full size
of the pack, has a double action zipper
around top and both sides plus part
of the base to give full access, has a
small but near full width zipped nylon
document pocket on its back wall and
has a roughly half-depth open-topped
mesh pocket on the front face / lid.
There are hanging cords for a hydration
01: KAMMO Tactical
24-litre Assault
Pack with internally
stowed bladder
(not included) and
drinking tube
02: Here the Assault
Pack is crammed
to bursting point - a
side (lens) pouch is
Àtted for
display only
03: Six of the PALS
tapes on the outer
face are made from
folded 1000D MTP
nylon rather than tape
04: The triple layer
layout is noticeable
here - note also the
side compression
straps and buckles 06
05: Outer
compartments bladder and a hole for the lower pouch has an organiser
(zipped pouches) drinking tube at the top; this, panel on its back wall with
propped open with in my opinion, is the only large and small pockets and
twigs - note organiser
pockets negative feature of the design three pen sleeves.
as I feel the hole is too large
06: The Mid and could potentially let in Externally, the pack has: ´ve
compartment with lid rainfall.
folded back to reveal rows of PALS tapes made
mesh and nylon keep- from folded 1000D nylon,
safe pockets The Mid compartment has a rather than heavy duty tape,
double action zipper over the on the outer face of the lower
top and down both sides a compartment; two rows of
little over halfway and, other felt faced PALS tapes, for
than a couple of mesh pockets attachment of name tapes
atop a nylon pocket on its or badges, plus a lower row
back wall it is empty. of folded pack nylon tape on
the face of the upper pouch;
The Outer compartment layer seven rows of heavy duty
consists of a medium sized PALS tape (note only narrow
top pouch and a large lower || rather than |-| pouches will
pouch, both of which have ´t) down each side of the
double action zippers; the main compartment; two tapes
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 61
 08
kit review

07
with buckles for attaching a kip mat or
similar to the base; two compression
straps with quick release buttons on
each side; and a grab handle at the top.

On the face of the pack worn against

the back there is a sleeve pocket inside
which a small hydration bladder or
a netbook could be slipped, but my
personal feeling is that this is not quite
deep enough. The padded back panel
is constructed from closed cell foam, as
are the adjustable shoulder straps, but
it should be noted that the pack does
not come with either a stiffening back
board or a sternum strap. There is also
a simple waistbelt to share the load, but
this can be easily removed if you are
wearing belt order.

Although not perfect, this compact

pack has suf´cient interesting features
to make it worth consideration, and
with a price tag of just under £35 it is
good value for money. Additionally,
as it only weighs 900g when empty
it will not take up too much carry-on
weight allowance. Finally, as it has
been produced in 1000D waterproof
nylon in UK MTP camouµage pattern it
should keep even a pedantic sergeant
major or PSI happy. I suspect I will make
good use of this one on my next major
assignment. For more on the KAMMO
Tactical range see cadetdirect.com
07: The Main
10 compartment 09
has a document
pocket on the
back wall and
mesh pocket
under the front lid
08: The rear
sleeve is just
large enough to
take a netbook
inside its own
padded wallet
(not included)
09: I tried Àtting
a reasonably
standard size
100oz Camelbak
Images © Bob Morrison

bladder in the
“I WILL MAKE sleeve but it was
too large

GOOD USE OF 10: Each pack

currently comes
THIS ONE ON with two free
and handy Web
MY NEXT MAJOR Dominators for
tidying up loose
ASSIGNMENT.” straps

62 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

comfort & Survival

OUTDOOR GEAR
Images © Mike Gormley unless noted BY MIKE GORMLEY
01

01
GO TRAVEL ACCESSORIES
I have grouped some items from Go
Travel here, as this is a new product
range to me. If you µy a lot you might
have seen some Go Travel products
at airports, where they are usually
displayed on a rotating console.

The Mini Floodlight [Ref:826] is

remarkably bright for a small LED light.
To achieve this they have grouped LEDs
into a strip. Excellent for an area light.
The ‘pocket clip’ is magnetised so the
light can be secured to a metal object,
or vehicle pillar/panel, while you get on
with your task, hands free. Power output
is 1.5Watts and battery life (3x AAA) is
up to 100 hours.

The Slim Power Bank [Ref:970] is

more or less the size of a credit card,
but somewhat thicker. This makes it
a very convenient way of providing
back-up power for your mobile or other
device if away from a plug-in charger.
It is rated at 2300mAH, fully charges a
smartphone in 1.5 hours and can, itself,
be charged completely in 3 hours.
02
Keeping our mobiles separated from
water is close to essential. The Dry
Phone [Ref:764] is a way of achieving
this and it also allows you to operate
your phone while still contained in a
safe place. The waterproof pouch has a
reliable roll ‘n’ seal Velcro closure and a
lanyard is included.
03
01: The size of a large pen the Mini Floodlight is a
compact and handy light source
02: Dry Phone allows you to use your phone while
protected from the environment
03: The Slim Power Bank back-up power supply
for your mobile phone is credit card size but
thicker

64 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

KLEAN KANTEEN VACUUM
INSULATED DRINK MUG “NITE IZE
One of a large range of products from
HAVE PACKED
A LOT OF
this manufacturer, this is the sort of item
which we will mostly all use on a daily

THOUGHTFUL
basis. Whether out, or around home or
work base, or travelling we often need

DESIGN INTO
to keep a brew warm or cold drink cool
yet easy to drink when we need it.

This one ´ts most holders and, as I

THIS LITTLE
TORCH.”
prefer, it has no handle so slips into a
pocket or pouch. The wide opening and
screw top makes it very easy to clean
and also able to take lumps of ice or
be used for soup, making this a very
versatile drink container. Just divide
the cost of this mug by the cost of a
takeaway ‘wet’ in a so-called ‘recyclable
mug’ (which it most probably is not)
and it will become free in no time plus
you will be doing your bit for this planet
of ours for a long time to come.

04: This insulated drink Áask has a twist

opener, larger opening top and no handle so is
convenient to use in all situations

05
NITE IZE 3-IN-1 MINI In one small handful we have a dual-

FLASHLIGHT powered white light torch which

A handy little item this. Both water and
drop-resistant and also convenient to
use. We all need to lighten our darkness
04 and the more capability we can get into
a small size the better.
06
converts to a lantern by simply pulling
out the lens unit. This is all switched by a
single press button. At the other end we
have a red light, operated by another
push button. This combination offers
three modes; constant light, µash and
SOS. The red end can be given a quarter
turn to disconnect the single AA battery
or to remove the cover for replacement.
It will stand on its base and the base can
be used as a strap ´xing.

Nite Ize have packed a lot of thoughtful

design into this little torch.

05: In lantern mode and showing the

compactness of this handy little light
06: Here showing off the power of this small but
versatile torch

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 65

 comfort & Survival
07

SNUGPAK
IMPACT
FLEECE
Another new edition to the ever-
increasing Snugpak range is this
Impact Fleece.

A general purpose lightweight

µeece with quarter zip, it is a soft
and comfortable no-nonsense µeece
top making it useful in many ways.
Working well as either a standalone
top or as back-up as a mid layer when
colder, it is easy to pack in your
rucksack or daysack. It works just
as well on the hill as when
knocking about around
home and garden

07: Both Áeece and Beanie

were very welcome on a chill
day in the Lakes - note also
Snugpak Rocket rucksack
08: Here my SnugPak Beanie
and Fleece are in use on
Dartmoor on their Àrst of
several outings
Images © Mike Gormley unless noted

08

66 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 “THIS WILL DEFINITELY
09 BE WITH ME ON MORE
TRIPS OUT WHEN THE
WEATHER IS COLDER...”
SNUGPAK CONTACT
FLEECE BEANIE
Another new µeece item from Snugpak.
I must confess to not being a great
beanie wearer, but this one I have been
using a fair bit (That’s because you don’t
have headboard rash like me and a
resultant bare pate, Ed.).

I took this cap with me on a recent trip

to the Lake District, where it was really
quite cold up high, and I was more
than pleased to have it. It ´ts well as a
standalone or under a hood. This will
de´nitely be with me on more trips out
when the weather is colder, especially as
it is compact enough to take as a Justin
Case.

09: The Fleece Beanie was very welcome on

top of Sca Fell on a cold April day along with my
Snugpak ML3 smock top

11

10
NITE IZE SLIDELOCK they can, very simply, be locked to
prevent inadvertent release. For a small
CARABINER #3 amount of money you can save the
It’s not only the large and shiny bits of loss of something of very high value /
kit we get to depend on. This little item importance, or both, so why wouldn’t
is really very small, but is very handy you make that small investment?
indeed.
I have been a fan of Nite Ize for some
I use the Size 3 SlideLock Carabiner to time as they have designed a signi´cant
keep my car keys secure but, clearly, it and varied range or small but very
can be used for a raft of similar tasks handy devices so it is well worth a look
where valued items need to be kept at their range on Whitby & Co’s website.
secured to something else. There is a
range of sizes of these to suit various 10: My use for this handy little device is to keep
needs; the Size 3 shown here measures my Land Rover keys safe attached to clothing
59x38x10mm and is rated at 11kg for 11: SlideLock #3 as seen in the store on its display
load. Where these stand out is that card
PRODUCT UK CONTACT TELEPHONE WEB
Go Travel Go Travel N/A go-travelproducts.com
Klean Kanteen Whitby and Co 01539 721032 whitbyandco.co.uk
Nite Ize Whitby and Co 01539 721032 whitbyandco.co.uk
Snugpak Snugpak 01535 654479 snugpak.com

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 67


security industry
SYRIA: CHEMICAL
WEAPON STRIKE
POTENTIAL FOR WIDER CONFLICT?
S
yrian Government Forces
have been accused of
carrying out a chemical
weapons strike against
Islamist terrorists that
killed 89 civilians, including women
and children. The US has subsequently
carried out a ‘limited’ military response
by ´ring missiles at the air´eld of the
Air Force that allegedly carried out the
chemical weapons strike.
Since Russia is supporting President
Assad and his forces with military
equipment and advisers, it stands to
reason that potentially Russian forces
could have been killed in the US attack.
Had that been the case, then surely
Russia would be forced to react (due to
the expectations of its public and the
mindset of Vladimir Putin) with a strike
of its own, which in turn if US forces
were subsequently killed, into a conµict
that could spiral out of control. As
Russia has already made a statement
to the effect that it will respond with
a strike on behalf of President Assad,
if the US attacks again, how close
are we to conµict between a super
power and a great power that both
posses enormous amounts of nuclear
weapons?
One thing to consider is the West’s
relationship with Russia. The Russians
are certainly clashing with NATO and
the West over their behaviour in the
Ukraine, and economic sanctions
have been imposed on it as a result,
but Russia has offered the West
cooperation on countering terrorism
which currently affects us all. This is not
Image © Bob Morrison: Military Scene
a hand of cooperation to be rejected
likely, given that Islamic terrorism is
a global issue. Russia is unlikely to
directly attack US forces and push
President Trump into a corner where
a series of attacks on each other’s
military forces could escalate into war.
68 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
Although President Putin has stated
that another attack on Assad’s forces
is a ‘line in the sand’ and that he will
respond, this does not necessarily
need to escalate things. A ‘limited’
Russian strike could be a cyber attack
for example, or he could position air
defence systems around Syrian air
bases to destroy attacking US air
assets and since those are unlikely
to be manned aircraft (the US use
cruise missile systems or unmanned air
systems to reduce the risks) then there
would be no loss of personnel which
would escalate matters. He could also,
of course, warn the US he was going
to carry out an attack giving them time
to remove personnel as the US seem
to have done prior to the strike on
Assad’s air´eld.
Another point to
consider is was
it actually
Assad’s
forces that
carried out
the chemical
attack in the ´rst
place? Islamist
terrorists have an ongoing
inµuence campaign and have
been known in the past to fake
attacks to inµuence recruiting
and worldwide opinion. The
terrorists also have access to
chemical weapons from Assad’s
stocks and therefore this could
have been an accidental release
due to a regular bombing by
Assad’s forces. A country can
always make statements that
there is proof, but we
were presented with
‘proof’ of Saddam’s
weapons
of mass
destruction
to justify the
invasion of
Iraq but we all
know now the intelligence
was µawed and ‘spun’ to
justify regime change. Since
Assad is unpopular with
Western political leaders,
and there are people with
“RUSSIA HAS OFFERED THE
WEST COOPERATION ON
COUNTERING TERRORISM
WHICH CURRENTLY AFFECTS
US ALL.”
the capability and motivation to frame
him, we must be cautious in taking any
‘evidence’ at face value.
What also clouds the issue is that
President Trump subsequently made
a speech where he called on all
countries to help stop the war in Syria
and help in stopping terrorism. Not
only would he need Russia’s help in
achieving this, but in an ironic twist
his country is actually funding and
training terrorists (through a CIA
programme) to assist in overthrowing
Assad and his government. The US and
other countries also have their Special
Forces deployed in Syria to help with
target indication for air strikes and
other kinetic operations and to keep a
watching brief on the ground situation.
Different countries also have different
political end states to the conµict; some
will accept Assad and some won’t.
The US has stated the attack on the
air´eld to be a ‘limited’ one
and has said it was a ‘one
off’ Russia has stated the
attack was of limited
effectiveness. Despite the
attack using 59 cruise
missiles, the runway was
not closed and within
hours the air´eld was
operational with Syrian
aircraft taking off.
Air´elds have to be
regularly attacked to
stay inoperable and
the losses in aircraft
can be rapidly replaced
by Russia. The way to
effectively reduce air force capability
is to kill the pilots and yet this attack
deliberately avoided targeting the
pilots and aircrew. This shows that
despite the rhetoric it’s unlikely
the West will be drawn into an
armed conµict
with Russia
over Syria.
By Robert
Shaw
ROBERT SHAW of
LONGBOW SOLUTIONS
is a former British Army
ATO and IEDD/WIS
Operator who is now a
security and intelligence
trainer and consultant.
 Division
Schnelle 01: The formation
badge of the DSK
features a diving eagle
as symbol for the

Kräfte
airborne force under
its command, while
the arrow stands as a
symbol for the Special
Forces assigned to the

GERMAN division. (© DSK)

02: The Luftlande
AIRBORNE brigade 1 badge,
featuring a parachute
FORCES and a comet, is based
on that of Luftlande
BADGES brigade 26, which in
turn was based on that
of 1. Luftlande division
formed in 1956 and
disbanded in 1994
03: The Fallschirmjäger
regiment 26 badge
has a parachute
symbolising it belongs
to the Airborne Forces
and in its centre the
Archangel Michael,
patron saint of both the
Paratroopers and the
Germans, is depicted
04: The Fallschirmjäger
regiment 31 badge
features a parachute,
denoting the capability
of the regiment to use
the third dimension
to deploy, and grifÀn,
01 02 which symbolises
the virtues of the
Paratroopers such
as power, alertness,
courage and endurance
05: The badge of
Luftlande pionier
kompanie 260
(airborne engineer
company) based at
Graf-Werder-Kaserne
in Saarlouis features a
parachute, diving eagle
and bridge
06: The badge of
Luftlande pionier
kompanie 270
(airborne engineer
company) based at
the Fallschirmjäger
Kaserne in Seedorf
features a parachute
03 04 05 and bridge
07: Badge of
the Luftlande
aufklärungs kompanie
260 (airborne
reconnaissance
company) based at the
Graf-Haeseler Kaserne
in Lebach
08: Badge of the
Luftlande aufklärungs
kompanie 310 (airborne
reconnaissance
Images © Carl Schulze

company) based at
the Fallschirmjäger
Kaserne in Seedorf
(© LLAufklKp 310)
Footnote: Some
compound German
terms have been
broken down for ease
06 07 08 of reading

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 69

 product review

01
It is a long time since we
reviewed products from
the vast VIPER Tactical
range by Thatchreed Ltd.,
boots and pouches I seem
to remember, so a look at
some of their clothing is well
overdue. When Moira met
up with them earlier in the
year at IWA in Nuremberg
they asked if we might be
interested in reviewing their
expanding ɰeece range and
so here we are.

W
hen asked to supply
sizes for Victoria
and myself, and to
state which colour
was preferred, I
presumed that we would be sent one
µeece apiece for appraisal, but when the
box turned up it included three different
styles plus a polo shirt for both. Happy
days. I had selected black, mostly as it
is a little while since we focused on the
colour most frequently used by some
of our blue light and security industry
readers, but each µeece is actually
02
available in ´ve colours . won’t break the bank with a listed price
03 just under £32.
On the general speci´cation side, each
µeece is tailored from 250gsm polyester Next we have the VIPER Special
S
fabric and could be considered to be Operations Fleece [4], which
middle weight. Ideal as an additional does
d es not have a ho
do hood but has no
garment in a layered clothing system, less than ´ve zipped
zipp pockets;
they can also be worn as a standalone 2x sleeve, 1x chest
che and 2x
outer garment for dry chilly days or hand-warmer.
h nd-warmer. The
ha T cuffs of
evenings, and I have worn all three this
t is jacket, which
th wh has a
at various times during a rather full-length front zip, are
changeable March and April in South- it has also come in handy y when elasticated
elasticate and there
West England. At least one of those strolling along the Jurassic
sic is a drawstring
draw in the
garments should also be with me out Coast on ´ne but cool hem. Both
B inner front
in the Eastern Baltic region around the early spring days. This is a quadrant
quad panels
time you read this, as these µeeces are classic zipped hoodie withth of this
th µeece are
relatively low bulk and can be worn capacious drawstring hood od lined with a soft
Images © Bob Morrison

under a waterproof outer jacket to and two hand-warmer perforated

per fabric
boost insulation as well as being worn as pockets but it also has to assist
a insulation
a top garment on warmer days. elasticated windcheater and internal
cuffs and hem to keep airµow. For the
Starting ´rst with the VIPER Tactical body heat in. Available inn tactical
tacti user, there
Zipped Hoodie [2], this is the one of six sizes from S through to are felt
fe patches
the trio I have found myself wearing XXXL, this one comes in the full on each upper arm
most on chilly evenings after the oyote,
5-colour range; Black, Coyote, for the attachment
at of
spring sunshine has departed, though Green, Titanium and VCAM. AM. It badges. On O really cold

70 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL 04

 Report & Images by
BOB MORRISON
01: Useful hand-warmer
“THESE FLEECES ARE pocket and windcheater
sleeve cuff of the VIPER
RELATIVELY LOW BULK AND Tactical Zipped Hoodie
CAN BE WORN UNDER A 02: The VIPER Tactical Zipped
WATERPROOF OUTER JACKET Hoodie on a bright but chilly
day on the Cobb at Lyme
TO BOOST INSULATION” Regis
03: The Fleece Hoodie with
hood dropped - the soft
collar is high and can be
drawn in around the neck
04: This is the Special
Operations Fleece which has
full-length zip and no less
than Àve zipped pockets
05: The VIPER Fleece Hoodie
is more Victoria’s type of
garment than mine - note felt
patches on sleeves
06: Hand-warmer pockets
on the VIPER Tactical Zipped
Hoodie are quite capacious
but are unzipped
07: VIPER Tactical Zipped
Hoodie has a decent sized
hood - I often wear a thick
beanie under mine

05

FLEECES
FROM VIPER TACTICAL 07

conventional headover-style hoodie

06
days I found this µeece to be very handy
underneath a waterproof outer jacket. It,
too, comes in the full 5-colour range and
in sizes from S through to XXXL. This
one retails under £30.
The VIPER Fleece Hoodie [5] is
precisely what it says on the tin; a
with drawstring hood, elasticated hem
and two hand-warmer pockets. There
are also felt patches for attaching
tactical badges on each upper arm and
thumb loops in the cuffs. To be honest,
this is more Victoria’s type of garment
than mine, as I am getting a bit long in
the tooth for wearing a conventional
hoodie with any degree of panache, but
I have worn it on evening trips to the
pub when I felt my inbuilt beer jacket
might not provide suf´cient warmth for
the walk home. This is also available in

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 71

 product review
08: VIPER Security
Polo Shirt - this can
be ordered with
SECURITY printed
front and rear
09: The zipped
chest pocket on
the VIPER Special
Operations Fleece
easily holds a
smartphone
10: There is also 09
a zipped pocket
at the top of each
arm on the VIPER
Special Operations
Fleece
11: All four VIPER
Tactical garments
reviewed here
have felt patches
for attaching
velcro-backed
badges
12: Now you see 10
why although
I wear test all
garments we
mostly photograph
them on Victoria

11
Pattern. All garments reviewed here can
be purchased online through viperkit.
co.uk but you will also ´nd them
stocked by many shops catering for the
military and security industry private
purchase markets.
08
six sizes and retails for under
£24. 12
The last of the four garments
on these pages is the VIPER
Security Polo Shirt [8]. Made
from 205gms cotton, this shirt
can be ordered with SECURITY
printed small on the chest
and large on the back, but as
neither Victoria or myself are
SIA accredited we just wear the
plain black version. This shirt
has a 3-button neck plus felt
patches for tactical badges on
each upper arm. Available in six
sizes, but in black only, it retails
Images © Bob Morrison

at under £19.

Finally, you might have spotted

mention of VCAM (VIPER
Camo) earlier in this review.
This is VIPER Tactical’s own
camouµage pattern designed
to be compatible with both
MultiCam and UK Multi-Terrain

72 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

next issue
N
ext month: Bob Morrison
will feature 2nd Squadron
of the 2nd US Cavalry
Regiment and their
STRYKER 8x8 Interim
Armoured Vehicle µeet, as deployed
to Poland on NATO eFP duties; on
the ´rearms side Richard Brown will
bring us his considered thoughts on
74 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
the recent military change of emphasis
to using Striker, rather than Hammer,
pistols; Carl Schulze will focus on the
MAN SV truck µeet, as widely used
by UK Forces, and Gordon Arthur will
bring an exclusive report on Indian
Special Forces. We also have a couple
of other interesting features in the
pipeline, but due to the fast pace
COMBAT
+SURVIVAL
of military activity at the moment
we are unsure if we will have them
photographed in time for the next issue
so we won’t announce them for the
moment.
Plus: Product Reviews,
Rations, Kit & Camo etc.
Contents may change subject to operational developments!
[Image © Bob Morrison]
July '17
Issue
On Sale
8th June