.50 CALIBER,  SELECT-FIRE,  ANTI-MATERIAL RIFLE

Like pieces on a chess board each forward component of a strike force is endowed with a certain intensity of firepower which is traded off by varying degrees of mobility.  As such, a primary goal of military planners is to amplify both firepower and mobility as a means of maintaining dominance in theatre.  Accomplishing this requires weapons of ever-increasing technological sophistication.  Those who rest on the laurels of the paltry achievements of yesteryear are doomed to learn this lesson the hard way. 

A rifleman is one of the most versatile and mobile of weapons platforms on the battlefield.  Capable of quick deployment coupled with autonomy and complex decision-making capabilities in theatre they represent a key area in which to focus on increasing both firepower and mobility.  This particular case also represents the worst-case scenario for the small-arms designer as it brings into stark contrast the human physique and its corresponding limitations.  Weapons mounted on turrets, for example, offer the designer much more leeway in terms of firepower, recoil and robustness and are thereby much less complex to design.  Shoulder-fired weapons inevitably encounter the limitations inherent to human beings like that of recoil regimes vs. firing schedules before fatigue sets in, among others detrimental factors.  

Since the inception of modern warfare small-arm design has centered on increasing firepower, an expected evolution.  From single-shot bolt actions to semi-automatic operation leading to fully-automatic designs of dubious effectiveness progress has stalled hitting the ´wall´ defined by recoil limitations.  Instead of finding innovative ways around this issue designers have simply ignored alternate solutions leaving the user to take the full brunt of the recoil and it´s subsequent limitations.  This reality represents a bountiful opportunity for savvy designers in which to increase firepower available to the rifleman.  An opportunity with which to gain meaningful increases in force magnification on the battlefield.  Increases that open up new windows of operation paving the way to new tactics. 

THE CASE FOR THE SELECT-FIRE .50 CALIBER RIFLE

Select-fire, .50 caliber weapons have been with us since the advent of the M2 Browning in 1933.  The M2 is a well known platform that has proven decisive in many battlefield scenarios.  So much so that they are still in use today, a testament to the hitting power of the round.  Unfortunately, with a weight of over 70 lbs (120 lbs mounted), this hitting power comes with a severe disadvantage in mobility.  Nevertheless, the usefulness of the round has been taken advantage of in semi-automatic versions with acceptable mobility.  Such weapons, being uncompensated, are acceptable in semi-automatic mode but unacceptable in select-fire configurations by way of their extreme muzzle rise and recoil that literally blurr the sight picture for the operator.  This is where a new generation of weapon could bridge the gap between the semi-automatic versions and the M2.  By taming the recoil and linearizing the excitation forces of the semi-automatic version we can endow riflemen with the performance of the M2 Browning with none of the subsequent drawbacks in mobility.  Such a weapon would prove an important asset in many battlefield scenarios like strike and defensive missions alike, make-shift checkpoints and even targeting low-flying aircraft impervious to .30 caliber fire.  While this change may seem a mere evolution and not a revolution the fact remains that it would be the most powerful ´stick´ ever to find its way into the hands of a single soldier. 

With such prodigious recoil signatures the control variables for both its reduction and its subsequent linearization during fully-automatic fire has been carefully devised.  Nevertheless, even with a compensated system the reduced recoil is of such magnitude that the cyclic rate must be kept at 600 R.P.M. to ensure controllability.  In contrast to the assault-rifle design whose ultra-high rates of fire (1,500+ R.P.M.) act to smoothen out the recoil impulses, much like noise signatures are reduced in hydraulic pumps with higher piston frequencies, the .50 caliber variants recoil impulse presents more of a staccato profile that would easily shift point of aim.  As such, the reduction in recoil magnitude for the .50 caliber must be accompanied by a means of filling in the voids in the input signals to the shoulder.  This has been made possible by employing a dual-mass version of the LASTRA Compensator.  The result of which is a new class of weapon for the rifleman to wield in battle, ushering in a new era of dominance. 

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:

  • .50 Caliber, select-fire, closed bolt, 20¨ barrel
  • Short recoil action with dual-mass LASTRA compensator
  • 600 R.P.M.
  • Felt recoil of 25 ft-lbs of energy in a 23.50 lbs (10,7 kg) weapon
  • Provisions for dual magazine and belt-fed operation
  • Easily configurable to a bullpup configuration

 

In short, finding innovative solutions  for tomorrow´s military forces will enable them to maintain dominance with as few resources as possible, a critical issue for military planners today.  RAFAEL LASTRA Engineering is uniquely qualified by way of our expertise in motion & control systems, mechanism design, metallurgy, manufacturing technologies and fluid power along with the unmatched ´know-how´ required to bring this design to life on-time and on-budget. 

 

THE FUTURE IS NOW!

 

The weapon is designed in rifle format (bullpup format available) with a manufacturing period of no more than 3 months from inception of the Project.