Free Republic

Venezuela has received its first delivery of tens of thousands of Russian assault rifles. It is the first batch out of a total of 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles which Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has ordered from Moscow.

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Russia will help Venezuela build plants to make Kalashnikov rifles and ammunition after the United States restricted arms sales to the South American nation, President Hugo Chavez said on Tuesday. Chavez also told a press conference in Quito, Ecuador, that a delivery of 30,000 Kalashnikov automatic rifles was due to arrive from Russia in early June. "The Russians are going to install a Kalashnikov rifle plant and a munitions factory. So we can defend every street, every hill, every corner," he said in remarks broadcast in Venezuela. Washington banned all weapons sales to Chavez's leftist government...

You may have heard the term rocket-propelled grenade, and you've probably seen news images of their use and the destruction they can cause, particularly if you've kept up with current world events in the Middle East. Rocket-propelled grenades are a commonly used explosive projectile weapon, used by many armies across the world. They play a major part in contemporary warfare, and are also highly used among insurgent and terrorist groups. Photo courtesy Department of Defense Defense Visual Information CenterA British Soldier from the Queen`s Dragoon Guards prepares to fire an M-72 light anti-tank weapon (LAW) while taking part in weapons...

<p>BAGHDAD, Iraq -- An Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed Friday near the north-central city of Tikrit, the U.S. military said. The crash came a day after Poland suffered its first combat death since the aftermath of World War II and two American soldiers died in attacks near Baghdad and along the Syrian border.</p> <p>It was not known whether the Black Hawk helicopter went down due to mechanical failure or hostile fire.</p>

Troops beginning Phase Four operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) are involved in a different type of combat that focuses on ending attacks against the coalition forces. Initial indications suggest these attacks are not being directed by a central command, but are being executed by small bands of resistance displeased with the changing political situation in Iraq. The weapon of choice used by the resistance is the rocket propelled grenade (RPG)-7. A recent review of data compiled by the Operation Iraqi Freedom Study Group (OIF SG) indicates that fifty percent of U.S. soldiers killed in action in post-war operations were...

Israel Looks to New of Army Vehicles GAVIN RABINOWITZ Associated Press JERUSALEM - To boost the maneuverability of its army, particularly in the urbanized West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Israeli military plans to equip its troops with armored vehicles that use wheels instead of tracks, Israeli officials said. The military will buy 500 American-made Stryker LAV-3 armored personnel carriers for its soldiers, the Haaretz daily newspaper said. The $750 million purchase of the Strykers will be funded by America's annual defense aid to Israel, Haaretz said. The Strykers, expected to be in use within seven years, would replace...