Historical Firearms

Welcome to Historical Firearms, a site that looks at the history, development and use of firearms, as well as wider military history

[historicalfirearms]

Ukraine War: Both Sides Continue Development of Gun Drones

Since our last article/video on gun-armed drones in September 2024, both sides have continued to develop the technology. Numerous Ukrainian teams have developed recoilless ‘shotgun’ drones designed to hunt other drones as well as developing and fielding an AK-armed FPV. The Russians too have returned to the concept in recent months showcasing a number of gun-armed drone systems.

Check out the full accompanying article for the video here.

[historicalfirearms]

Rare Sightings of Heckler & Koch G36 & HK433s in Ukraine

We've previously seen HK416s in use with a variety of Ukrainian units, but since mid-August there have been sightings of a small numbers of some interesting Heckler & Koch rifles in Ukraine - HK G36s and the new HK433. In this video we'll examine which units are using, where they've been sighted and try and get to the bottom of how many might be in Ukraine.

Check out the full accompanying article for the video here.

[historicalfirearms]

BAS-80: Russia’s Switchblade Loitering Munition

Reports from Russian media outlets announced on 18 September, that Android Technics/Technology, a Russian technology company, had developed an analogue of AeroVironment’s Switchblade 300 loitering munition. Imagery and footage of the BAS-80 was shared by Russian state news outlet RIA.

Find out more here

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Gulf War Homemade SA80 / L85A1 Front Grip

I went down a bit of a rabbit hole with this video. After spotting an L85A1 with an ad hoc front grip in some footage from the Gulf War I did some digging. There's a rich history of British soldiers fashioning home made foregrips so we take a look at a few of those too.

Check out the accompanying blog here

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Turkish Heavy Machine Guns in Ukraine

Turkey has provided a huge range of military equipment to Ukraine, in this video we'll look at Turkish-made M2 heavy machine guns and an unusual rotary grenade launcher in service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Check out the accompanying article here.

[historicalfirearms]

FN 40mm Grenade Launchers

In this video we take a look at the FN40GL 40mm grenade launchers currently proliferating in Ukraine, with both under-barrel and standalone versions of the FN40GL seen.

Check out the accompanying article here.

[historicalfirearms]

FN 40mm Grenade Launchers

In this video we take a look at the FN40GL 40mm grenade launchers currently proliferating in Ukraine, with both under-barrel and standalone versions of the FN40GL seen.

Check out the accompanying article here.

[historicalfirearms]

The Fanta Bomb & Improvised Munitions in Ukraine

Improvised munitions including grenades have appeared in Ukraine over the past 12 months. They are often based on drinks cans or bottles and are filled with readily available explosive materials and in some cases fragmentation material for an increased anti-personnel effect. In this video, we look at various types of improvised munition which have been observed in the field.

Check out the video below:

Check out the full accompanying article here.

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Ukraine: Drone vs Drone Dogfights

One of the most interesting aspects of the drone warfare being conducted in Ukraine is the emergence of drone vs drone dogfighting. Check out my latest video looking at drone dogfighting:

Check out the accompanying article for the video here.

[historicalfirearms]

Ukraine's Improvised 'Minigun'

This week interesting footage of an improvised weapon was shared online. social media quickly described it as the 'Ukrainian Minigun' but the anti-drone weapon consists of 6 AK-74s on a static anti-aircraft mount, seemingly designed to combat small, low flying drones.

Be sure to check out our accompanying article for this video here.

[historicalfirearms]

Understanding Drone Warfare in Ukraine

Drone warfare is a complex and nuanced topic with drones used for information gathering, observation and direct attacks. The war in Ukraine has seen an explosion in drone use ranging from small commercial DJI Mavics to military grade drones like the Bayraktar TB-2. I'm joined by author and journalist David Hambling who has been tracking and writing about drone use in Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022.

Check out the accompanying blog here.

[historicalfirearms]

French Machine Guns in Ukraine

France has continued to aid Ukraine, supplying complex weapon systems and vehicles. Alongside things like armoured fighting vehicles and artillery they have also provided a number of machine guns with both AANF1s and French FN MAGs seen in use.

Check out the video below:

Here’s the accompanying article for the video.

[historicalfirearms]

Russian & Ukrainian MT-LB Adaptations

in this video we take a look at two MT-LB adaptations; one Russia, one Ukrainian. The MT-LB offers an extremely versatile platform for mounting a variety of weapons. Everything from anti-tank guns to heavy machine guns have been mounted on them by combatants. 

Check out the video below:

Check out the accompanying article for the video here

[historicalfirearms]

French Machine Guns in Ukraine

France has continued to aid Ukraine, supplying complex weapon systems and vehicles. Alongside things like armoured fighting vehicles and artillery they have also provided a number of machine guns with both AANF1s and French FN MAGs seen in use.

Check out the video below:

Here’s the accompanying article for the video.

[historicalfirearms]

Heckler & Koch HK416 In Ukraine

As the proliferation of 5.56x45mm rifles in Ukraine continues the latest rifle to begin to be seen in use is the Heckler & Koch HK416. Small numbers of the rifle have been seen in use with Ukrainian special operations forces so far.

Check out the video below:

Be sure to check out our accompanying article for this video here

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The Mysterious Burton Machine Rifle ft. Danny Michael of the Cody Firearms Museum

In this video we talk to Danny Michael, curator of the Cody Firearms Museum, about the mysterious Burton Machine Rifle - our own research into the rifle and how it links to the republishing of some important, out of print volumes of the ARMAX journal. 

Find out more about ARMAX - Check out the reprint Kickstarter campaign

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Top Attack SMArt 155 In Ukraine

A look at the German SMArt 155, a Sensor Fuzed Munition, currently in use in Ukraine. It releases a pair of fire-and-forget top-attack submunitions. The submunitions use a ballute and parachute to slow their descent and allow the onboard infrared sensor and millimeter wave radar to locate its target and fire down an explosively formed penetrator.

Check out the accompanying article for this video here.