Post by torpedo on Oct 20, 2019 5:04:43 GMT
The primary service rifles of the U.S. Armed Forces in the 21st Century.
The M16A2 was introduced into service with the U.S. Marine Corps in 1982 and the Army in 1986. The M16A3 was a modification of the M16A2 that replaced the A2's safe-semi-3 burst with safe-semi-full auto and was introduced in U.S. Navy service in the early 1990s.
Meanwhile the M16A4 was introduced in the mid- to late-1990s, with modernizing features, including a Picatinny rail system, but otherwise similar function to the M16A2. Although both the Army and Marine Corps adopted it, the Marine Corps retained it well into the 21st century as its standard service rifle, only replacing it in all infantry battalions official in 2015. Meanwhile, the Army never universally issued the M16A4, and phased out the M16A2 for the M4 in active infantry units by around 2005.
The M4A1 as it is in current U.S. Army service was an upgrade package for the M4, which among other updates included a safe-semi-auto fire selection over the original safe-semi-3 burst and a heavier barrel. Deliveries of new M4A1 Carbines began in 2012 to some units while conversions began to be issued in 2014. By 2019, the conversion has mostly completed.
Note: This graphic does not include rifles in service solely with special operations units or were for testing, such as the SCAR-L.
The M16A2 was introduced into service with the U.S. Marine Corps in 1982 and the Army in 1986. The M16A3 was a modification of the M16A2 that replaced the A2's safe-semi-3 burst with safe-semi-full auto and was introduced in U.S. Navy service in the early 1990s.
Meanwhile the M16A4 was introduced in the mid- to late-1990s, with modernizing features, including a Picatinny rail system, but otherwise similar function to the M16A2. Although both the Army and Marine Corps adopted it, the Marine Corps retained it well into the 21st century as its standard service rifle, only replacing it in all infantry battalions official in 2015. Meanwhile, the Army never universally issued the M16A4, and phased out the M16A2 for the M4 in active infantry units by around 2005.
The M4A1 as it is in current U.S. Army service was an upgrade package for the M4, which among other updates included a safe-semi-auto fire selection over the original safe-semi-3 burst and a heavier barrel. Deliveries of new M4A1 Carbines began in 2012 to some units while conversions began to be issued in 2014. By 2019, the conversion has mostly completed.
Meanwhile, the M27 IAR is an exclusively Marine Corps rifle. It was introduced in 2011 to replace the M249 Machine Gun in rifle squads, gradually taking place for the years following. In 2017-8, it was announced that the M27 IAR would be replacing the M4 Carbine as the primary service rifle for infantry rifle companies. The admin has personally talked to Marines who are in units that had begun the replacement process for their M4s as of 2019.
Note: This graphic does not include rifles in service solely with special operations units or were for testing, such as the SCAR-L.