THEORY OF MACHINE GUN FIRE

Transcription

1 Show-ME GOLD REFERENCES THEORY OF MACHINE GUN FIRE FM CREW SERVED MACHINE GUNS 5.56mm and 7.62mm (July 2006) ANNEX A, THE INFANTRY RIFLE PLATOON AND SQUAD (March 2007) Terminal Learning Objective Enabling Learning Objective 1 ACTION: Discuss the characteristics of Machine Gun fire. CONDITIONS: GIVEN AN INSTRUCTOR, CLASSROOM AND ACCESS TO The Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad & FM Crew-Served Machine Guns STANDARD: Discuss the characteristics of Machine Gun fire IAW The Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad & FM Crew- Served Machine Guns and achieve a minimum passing score of 80% in overall testing. Action: STATE MACHINE GUN CHARACTERISTICS. Conditions: GIVEN INSTRUCTOR, CLASSROOM AND ACCESS TO REFERENCES. Standards: STATE MACHINE GUN CHARACTERISTICS IAW & FM FALLACY THE MACHINE GUN WILL NEVER REPLACE THE HORSE AS AN INSTRUMENT OF WAR. RISK ASSESSMENT ENVIRONMENTAL SIR DOUGLAS HAIG, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF BRITISH EXPEDITIONARY FORCES DECEMBER,

2 INSTRUCTIONAL LEAD-IN You the Platoon Leader are responsible for the proper employment and training of the platoon s machinegun Operators! 7 10 FACTS AGENDA WW1 KIA 9 million WIA 12.5 million Total approx 22 million casualties 25% = 5.5 million BATTLE OF THE SOMME (01 JUL 1916) Commonwealth KIA 19, 000 Commonwealth WIA 38, 000 British III Corps lost 80% MG CHARACTERISTICS TERMINOLOGY CLASSES OF MG FIRE PRESENT DAY GENERAL DATA: M249 AAR from action in Somalia in 1993 verified that the 7.62mm machinegun is still the IN PLT s most lethal weapon system The bulk of an IN PLT s organic firepower is provided by the 7.62mm machinegun, especially in the Operational Environment of today! 9 2

3 GENERAL DATA M249 GENERAL DATA: 50 Cal, M2 CALIBER: MAXIMUM RANGE: 5.56mm 3600m MAXIMUM EFFECTIVE RANGE: BIPOD / POINT TARGETS 600m TRIPOD / POINT TARGETS 800m BIPOD / AREA TARGETS 800m TRIPOD / AREA TARGETS 1000m GRAZING FIRE 600m SUPPRESSION 1000m RATES OF FIRE: SUSTAINED: 50 rpm in 3-5 round bursts / 10 min barrel chg RAPID: 100 rpm in 8-10 round bursts / 2 min barrel chg CYCLIC: rpm continuous burst / 1 min bar. chg FM GENERAL DATA: M240B GENERAL DATA -M2 AMMUNITION: BALL/TRACER AP/INCEND (API)/APIT MAXIMUM RANGE: 6764m MAXIMUM EFFECTIVE RANGES: AREA TARGETS: 1830m POINT TARGET, SINGLE SHOT: 1500m GRAZING: 700m RATES OF FIRE: SUSTAINED AND RAPID: 40 rpm 6-9 round bursts/barrel change when damaged or end of day CYCLIC: rpm continuous burst GENERAL DATA - M240B Enabling Learning Objective 2 MAXIMUM RANGE: 3725m MAXIMUM EFFECTIVE RANGE: 1100m MAXIMUM GRAZING FIRE: 600m AREA TARGETS (bipod/ tripod) 800m / 1800m POINT TARGETS (bipod/ tripod) 600m / 800m MAXIMUM TRACER BURNOUT: 900m RATES OF FIRE: SUSTAINED: 100 rpm in 6-9 round bursts/10 min RAPID: 200 rpm in round bursts/2 min CYCLIC: rpm continuous/ 1 min Action: STATE THEORY OF MG FIRE TERMINOLOGY. Conditions: GIVEN INSTRUCTOR, CLASSROOM AND ACCESS TO REFERENCES. Standards: STATE THE THEORY OF MG FIRE TERMINOLOGY IAW & FM FM

4 THEORY OF MG FIRE: -TERMINOLOGY- TRAJECTORY LINE OF SIGHT TRAJECTORY BURST OF FIRE MAXIMUM ORDINATE CONE OF FIRE BEATEN ZONE DANGER SPACE SURFACE DANGER ZONE DEAD SPACE TRAJECTORY IS THE CURVED PATH A ROUND TAKES DURING ITS FLIGHT. THE TRAJECTORY OF A ROUND IS AFFECTED BY SEVERAL FACTORS. LINE OF SIGHT MAXIMUM ORDINATE AN IMAGINARY LINE, FROM THE FIRERS EYE,THROUGH THE SIGHTS, TO THE POINT OF AIM ON THE TARGET. MAXIMUM ORDINATE IS THE HIGHEST POINT ABOVE THE LINE OF SIGHT THE TRAJECTORY REACHES BETWEEN THE MUZZLE OF THE WEAPON AND THE BASE OF THE TARGET ABOUT 2/3 OF THE WAY ALONG THE TRAJECTORY AS THE RANGE INCREASES, SO DOES THE HEIGHT OF THE MAXIMUM ORDINATE. MAXIMUM ORDINATE BURST OF FIRE CONE OF FIRE A BURST OF FIRE IS A NUMBER OF SUCCESSIVE ROUNDS FIRED WITH THE SAME ELEVATION AND POINT OF AIM WHEN THE TRIGGER IS HELD TO THE REAR. THE NUMBER OF ROUNDS IN A BURST CAN VARY, DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF FIRE EMPLOYED. THE GROUP OF TRAJECTORIES RESULTING FROM A BURST OF FIRE IS TERMED THE CONE OF FIRE. WHEN A BURST OF FIRE STRIKES A VERTICAL TARGET, THE ROUNDS WILL FORM A PATTERN, OVAL IN SHAPE, WITH THE DENSITY OF SHOTS DECREASING TOWARDS THE EDGES. CONE OF FIRE 4

5 BEATEN ZONE DANGER SPACE THE ELLIPTICAL PATTERN FORMED WHEN THE ROUNDS WITHIN THE CONE OF FIRE STRIKE THE GROUND OR TARGET. - OVAL OR CIGAR SHAPED - DENSITY DECREASES TOWARDS THE EDGE - EFFECTIVE BEATEN ZONE = 85% OF ROUNDS THE SPACE BETWEEN THE MUZZLE OF THE WEAPON AND THE TARGET INCLUDING THE BEATEN ZONE. WHERE THE TRAJECTORY RISES NO MORE THAN 1.8m. DANGER SPACE MAX 1.8m EFFECTS OF RANGE ON BEATEN ZONE SURFACE DANGER ZONE (SDZs) AS RANGE INCREASES.. M240B RANGE: 500m 1 X 110 m RANGE: 1000m2 X 75 m DEVELOPED FOR EACH WEAPON FRONT, BACK OR SIDE OF THE MUZZLE RANGE: 1500m3 X 55 m RANGE: 2000m4 X 50 m INCLUDES IMPACT, DISPERSION AND RICOCHET AREAS EFFECTS OF GROUND ON THE BEATEN ZONE Machine Gun SDZ STEEP HILLSIDE RISING SLOPE Distance X Distance Y Dispersion Area Ricochet Area LEVEL GROUND CONFORMING GROUND pg A

6 DEAD SPACE CLASSES OF MG FIRE ANY FOLD OR DEPRESSION IN THE GROUND THAT PREVENTS A TARGET FROM BEING ENGAGED FROM A FIXED POSITION IS TERMED DEAD SPACE. DEAD SPACE WITH RESPECT TO THE GROUND GRAZING FIRES PLUNGING FIRES WITH RESPECT TO THE TARGET FRONTAL FLANKING OBLIQUE ENFILADE WITH RESPECT TO THE WEAPON FIXED TRAVERSE SEARCH TRAVERSE AND SEARCH SWINGING TRAVERSE FREE GUN CLASSES OF FIRE WITH RESPECT TO THE GROUND Enabling Learning Objective 3 GRAZING FIRES Action: STATE CLASSES OF MG FIRE. Conditions: GIVEN INSTRUCTOR, CLASSROOM AND ACCESS TO REFERENCES. Standards: STATE CLASSES OF MG FIRE IAW ANNEX A Level or conforming ground -Center of cone 1m high - Effective to 600m - Danger space DANGER SPACE CONE OF FIRE 6

7 PLUNGING FIRES PLUNGING FIRE IS ACHIEVED WHEN THE DANGEROUS ZONE IS PRACTICALLY CONFINED TO THE BEATEN ZONE. IT IS OBTAINED WHEN FIRING AT VERY LONG RANGES, FROM HIGH GROUND INTO LOW GROUND OR INTO ABRUPTLY RISING GROUND. CONE OF FIRE DANGER SPACE CLASSES OF FIRE WITH RESPECT TO TARGET FRONTAL FIRE: Occurs when the long axis of the beaten zone is at a right angle to the front of the target. FRONTAL FIRE LINE COLUMN CLASSES OF FIRE WITH RESPECT TO TARGET CLASSES OF FIRE WITH RESPECT TO THE TARGET FLANKING FIRE: Fire that is delivered directly against the flank of the target. 7

8 FLANKING FIRE CLASSES OF FIRE WITH RESPECT TO TARGET COLUMN LINE ENFILADE FIRE:When the long axis of the beaten zone coincides or nearly coincides with the long axis of the target. It is the type of fire with respect to a target because it makes maximum use of the beaten zone. CLASSES OF FIRE WITH RESPECT TO TARGET ENFILADE FIRE OBLIQUE FIRE: When the long axis of the beaten zone is at an angle other than a right angle to the front of the target. FLANKING ENFILADE FRONTAL ENFILADE OBLIQUE FIRE COLUMN LINE CLASSES OF FIRE WITH RESPECT TO THE GUN 8

9 CLASSES OF FIRE WITH RESPECT TO THE GUN SEARCHING FIRE SEARCHING DISTRIBUTES FIRES IN DEPTH BY SUCCESSIVE CHANGES IN ELEVATION. 49 FIXED FIRE TRAVERSING AND SEARCHING FIRE DELIVERED AGAINST A STATIONARY POINT TARGET WHEN THE DEPTH AND WIDTH OF THE BEATEN ZONE WILL COVER THE TARGET IS A COMBINATION IN WHICH SUCCESSIVE CHANGES IN DIRECTION AND ELEVATION RESULT IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF FIRES BOTH IN WIDTH AND DEPTH TRAVERSE FIRE SWINGING TRAVERSE TRAVERSING DISPERSES FIRES IN WIDTH BY SUCCESSIVE CHANGES IN DIRECTION, BUT NOT ELEVATION. IS EMPLOYED AGAINST TARGETS THAT REQUIRE MAJOR CHANGES IN DIRECTION BUT LITTLE OR NO CHANGE IN ELEVATION. 9

10 FREE GUN IS DELIVERED AGAINST MOVING TARGETS THAT MUST BE RAPIDLY ENGAGED WITH FAST CHANGES IN BOTH DIRECTION AND ELEVATION. 10