Russian T-series tank firing while leaping

ACR and side arm

Combat Rubber Reconnaissance Craft F470

Zodiac of North America announced the EVO 7 Futura Commando 470 (F470) Combat Rubber
Raiding Craft (CRRC) will begin delivering to military customers in August 2007. Special Operations Forces, U.S. Navy SEALs and RECON Marines use Zodiac EVO7s to launch from submarines or air-drop from helicopters and Lockheed C130 Hercules transports. This new, lightweight F470 is a completely new-and-forward-thinking design in the realm of inflatable boats, designed specifically and from the outset with multi-mission capabilities and to accommodate varying engine sizes as needed.
 

The impressive F470 Combat Rubber Raiding Craft is set to make Special Forces groups that much more special.

The Zodiac H2P deck supports engine sizes up to a 55-horsepower (41 kW), two-stroke engine with a pump jet propulsor which consists of a shrouded impeller instead of the traditional exposed propeller. Impellers are rotating devices that force liquids, gases and vapors in a desired direction. This design reduces the risk of serious injury to personnel within the water near the vessel when compared to that of an open propeller system. Likewise, an internally-fitted propeller system also reduces the risk of the propulsion system sustaining damage if an impact occurred during a mission, sometimes happening far away from a supply ship. Tear resistant Duratane protects the floor system from damage. The H2P deck system reduces the empty weight of an F470 by 63 pounds, results in a smaller stowed footprint of the vessel is just 2'6" x 4'11". Reducing weight by 1/4 made room for additional gear for SOF operators and increased the speed of the craft by 2 or 3 knots. Less weight allows SOF support units to transport more boats and a single operator simply turns on a SCUBA tank to inflate the entire EVO 7 in less than 2 minutes.

The EVO7 features a high-pressure air deck system that uses a rigid aluminum deck, an improved hard deck that does not use a thrust board.

Its chief advantages are stealth, versatility, and generally robust good sea keeping. Its buoyancy gives it the ability to operate in relatively high seas for such a small light craft. The raft has eight airtight chambers, the main hull (or gunwale) contains five connected chambers which are separated by internal baffles and valves. This connected air value system makes sure that a single leak will not result in the loss of major pressure throughout the entire hull with air being shared between the eight chambers. For some comfort, additional chambers (called speed skags) are located on the sides to allow some cushioning. For stability, a chamber running the length of the bottom of the craft (producing a "V" shape) is utilized for shock absorption. A wood transom at the stern provides a mount the outboard engine(s) and is also strong enough to support a machine gun. A bow line is attached for docking the boat plus a righting line to be used to flip the boat upright if it capsizes.

The boat can be used for "blue" or "brown" water missions, inserting up to ten lightly-armed Special Forces team members onto beaches, piers, oil rigs and vessels as required.

The assistant coxswain is charged with keeping contact with other vessels boats via hand signals and helps out the coxswain as needed. The remaining six-to-eight passengers make up the team. The fire team normally straddles the gunwale to make a low silhouette in avoiding detection, leaving room on the deck for mission-applicable weapons and equipment. At its core, however, the CRRC offers little-to-no protection to its occupants and is itself vulnerable to small-arms fire - making operations in the dark of night a necessity - especially when stealth and the element of surprise are concerned.

A coxswain (acting as commander of the vessel) sits at the stern of the boat and controls the tiller arm, attached to an outboard engine while the assistant coxswain sits nearby.

 This small boat maintains over-the-horizon raid capability to conduct amphibious short-notice missions. Launched at night and in all types of adverse weather conditions while using stealth in such adverse surf zones to support an advance force through special operations makes the craft quite unique. On top of all this, careful planning covers all navigational issues while an excellent set of swimmer skills is showcased by highly-trained and select personnel and all are trained in crew water survival safety.

The number one priority for the modern military is undergoing a planning evolution to fulfill a mission need. The execute order is given and no longer than six hours is expected to elapse from the beginning of the craft-launching phase.

This boat was undoubtedly designed for a special breed of warrior beyond the standard infantryman.

Length: 15.6ft (4.75m); Beam: 6.2ft (1.89m); Draught: 2ft (0.61m)

Surface Speed: 18kts (21mph)

Complement: 10; Surface Displacement: 1 ton

Engine: 1 x outboard engine delivering 55 horsepower; two- or four-stroke engines with pump jet propulsion containing a shrouded impeller.

HK417 with transparent magazine

Rhino

A blacked-out 1911 with the Punisher symbol

Silenced assault gun and sub-machine gun

Glock with accessories

German Warship Class Type Destroyer FGS Schleswig-Holstein

The Schleswig-Holstein (D182) a Hamburg class destroyer launched in 1960 and was the first German warship class to be built after World War 2. Post-war ship construction in Germany had been concentrated on commercial vessels for import and export before the arrival of the Schleswig-Holstein. The German builder Stulcken Shipyard was available for the project, however, they had little in the way of experience in building naval-class warships. After bids were received, Stulcken was nonetheless awarded the contract.

Design of the Schleswig-Holstein and her related class was centered around operations in the Baltic Sea.

The German Navy felt the primary requirements needed in their new class warship to be armament and speed - operations in adverse weather was not considered since this destroyer was not expected to operate in the volatile waters of the North Sea.

The German Government needed destroyers to protect the shipping lanes between the Baltic countries, lanes that had seen an noticeable increase in trade traffic.

Stulcken's plans lacked the modern upgrades common to American and British destroyers of the time. In fact, the Schleswig-Holstein resembled something more akin to a World War 2 destroyer design. On the positive side, the lack of incorporating modern components into the Schleswig-Holstein superstructure and weapons suite allowed for a fast-track construction schedule. Stulcken shipyard also built the Cologne-class frigates in the 1960’s and the technical blueprints of both ship types were similar and lacked advanced weaponry.

The German Navy wanted a heavy gun armament so the weight of the steel had to be reduced somewhere on the ship.

Sea keeping was chosen to be reduced by decreasing the height and weight of the steel free boards along the hull. This inevitably short-sighted decision allowed heavy seas to wash onto the decks of the Schleswig-Holstein in rough seas. It became obvious that the Schleswig-Holstein (D182) was a "top-heavy" design and showcased a large noticeable silhouette. Her profile also made her somewhat ineffective in bad weather seas overall.

When her mission finally changed, the Schleswig-Holstein (D182) and her sister ships became the German Navy’s primary naval warship in the North Sea. Their lack of large free boards eventually slowed their sea-going progress and reduced the effectiveness as destroyers in heavy seas.

By the late 1970’s, the Schleswig-Holstein needed a weapons upgrade to counter the anti-ship guided missiles being fielded by aircraft and ships of other countries. At this time, her designation was changed to Type 101A. To counter the anti-ship missile threat, the decision was made to mount two French Exocet anti-ship missile launchers. To accomplish this, room aboard was needed so one of the 100mm gun mounts was removed and the torpedo tubes were welded over. The Exocet revolving missile launchers were positioned aft behind the stack. The outdated Bofors guns were replaced with four of the new L 70 Breda 40mm cannons in twin mountings instead. The radar was upgraded with the French F97 model while the and the operations center was modernized by increasing its size with new sonar stations. The Bridge had larger windows installed with larger side wings.

D182 was finally decommissioned in December 1994 and fell to the scrapman's torch in Spain. The Hamburg-class, as a whole, is no longer in service. 

Tactical load out

Soldiers' Battle Kits throughout the ages

Anglo Saxon Warrior from 1066 huscarl, Battle Of Hastings.


Siege of Jerusalem, 1244 "Mounted Knight."


Battle of Agincourt, 1415 Fighting Archer.


1485 Yorkist man at arms. Battle Of Bosworth.


1588 Trainband Caliverman, Tilbury.


1645 musketeer, Battle of Naseby. Carried by common British soldier.


1709 Private Sentinel, Battle of Malplaquet.


1815 Private Soldier, Battle of Waterloo.


1854 Rifle Brigade, Battle of Alma.


1916, Battle of Somme.


1944 Lance Corporal, Parachute Brigade, Battle Of Arnhem.


1982 Royal Marine Commando, Falklands conflict.

The Renault 17 tank - the first modern tank

Beretta Px4

A M1 Abrams tank firing its main gun

A gentleman' wardrobe

SIG Sauer P226