Equipment & Weapons
The following are the UN approved equipment and weapons used by the SAS.
WEAPONS
M16 / M203
The SAS favours the American made M16 assault rifle over the standard British
Army SA80. The M16 fires the Nato standard 5.56mm round, and offers single shots or
automatic fire. The M16 has proved itself in conflicts since Vietnam, and is seen as
compact, accurate and reliable. The weapon can be fitted with the M203 40mm
grenade launcher, which attaches under the barrel and has its own separate trigger
and sighting system.
H&K MP5
The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a series of 9mm submachine guns used by the SAS
for anti-terrorist (CRW) duties. Firing from a closed bolt, the MP5 is unusually accurate
for a submachine gun, and can be used at ranges of up to 100 metres. Its convenient
size and excellent handling make it ideal for confined spaces.
P226
After many years using the Browning High-Power 9mm semi-automatic pistol, the
SAS has now adopted the Sig-Sauer P226, a modern semi-automatic pistol. The
P226 uses the same 9mm parabellum round as the MP5, and has a capacity of 15
rounds in a box magazine. It can be fired single- or double-action, and has an
automatic safety that blocks the firing pin until the trigger is pulled.
GPMG ('Gimpy')
A longstanding favourite with the SAS, the FN General Purpose Machine Gun
fires the 7.62mm round in link form, at a rate of 750rpm, and with an effective range of
up to 1,800m. The SAS often use the 'Gimpy' fitted on a Land-Rover - as in the Gulf
War - but have been known to use a 'human tripod' (resting the weapon of the back of
a kneeling man) to fire at enemy aircraft. The Gimpy can be fitted with the Maxi Kite
night sight, with a range of 600m. Max range 800m in light role, 1,800m in sustained
fire role. Length 1.23m. Weight 13.85kg. Rate of fire 100rpm in light role, 200rpm
sustained, max 750rpm.
.50 Heavy Machine Gun
The Browning .50 calibre machine gun dates back to World War II, but is still used
today, both in the sustained fire role and vehicle mounted. The powerful .50 round is
effective against vehicles and aircraft. The SAS have used the .50 HMG in
various campaigns, often mounted on vehicles such as the Land-Rover 110 - despite a
reputation as a temperamental weapon that jams at the most inopportune moment.
Experienced operators develop an 'ear' for the rhythm of the gun firing, and can tell
when a jam is about to occur. The weapon is fed with the .50 (12.7 x 99mm) round via
a disintegrating link belt. Rate of fire 635rpm. Muzzle velocity 916m/sec. Weight
38.15kg. Length 1.66m.
Mk 19 40mm Grenade Launcher
The Mk 19 is basically an air-cooled blowback-type machine
gun that fires a variety of 40mm grenades. It can be used on a
tripod set on the ground, or mounted on a vehicle such as a
Land-Rover 110. With an effective range of 1,600 metres, firing HE and AP
ammunition, it provides powerful support in attack or defence. Weight 34kg. Length 1.03m.
Rate of fire 350rpm.
M72 LAW 66
This 66mm HEAT (high explosive anti-tank) is a
one-shot missile contained in its own launcher tube.
Once fired, the tube is discarded. The weapon has a
range of 300m, penetrates up to 300mm of armour, yet measures around 65cm long
(closed) and weighs under 3kg. The 66mm LAW is being phased out, but there are a
good many still in stock, and the Regiment like them because a man can strap one or
two to the top of his bergen, giving him the ability to knock out armoured vehicles and
hardened positions for a relatively small weight penalty.
81mm L16 Mortar
Although rather heavy and bulky to be carried for any great distance on foot, the 81mm
mortar is a powerful infantry weapon and one that the Regiment uses to great effect,
both in attack and defence. The L16 has a maximum range of 5,560m with HE
ammunition, and can also fire smoke and illuminating rounds. It is carried broken down
into the barrel (12.7kg) and baseplate (11.6kg), with rounds weighing 4.2kg apiece.
With a well-drilled crew, a rate of fire of 15 rounds per minute can be sustained.
Milan
Milan is a wire-guided anti-tank missile system which can be mounted on a vehicle. It
has a maximum range of 2,000 metres. In the latest version, the missile is 1200 mm
long, weighs 12 kg, and will penetrate over 1,000 mm of armour. The firing post has a
built-in infra-red thermal imaging sight. Milan is highly effective against fixed positions
as well as armoured and soft-skinned vehicles, and adds considerable punch to a
vehicle mounted patrol. Milan is due to be replaced in service by Trigat, although this is
a heavier weapon less well suited to the Regiment's SOPs.
Stinger
The Stinger is a shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile which was first used successfully by
the Regiment in the Falklands, to shoot down an Argentine aircraft. The missile comes
pre-packed in its launch tube, and is clipped on to a stock which contains the firing
mechanism. The missile is infra-red seeking, and delivers a HE/frag warhead with
impact fuze. Firing is quick and simple: unfold the antenna, remove the front cap and
aim. If the IFF (identification friend or foe) doesn't recognise the target as friendly, it will
lock on and give an audible signal. Press the trigger to fire, and the missile is on its
way, its own IR seeker taking over. Weight 15.7kg. Max range 4,500m. Max velocity
Mach 2.2.
Claymore
The Claymore is a highly effective anti-personnel mine that is used in
a defensive role and in setting ambushes. The mine is basically a 1kg
slab of plastic explosive, covered with 800 ball bearings, all enclosed
in a hard plastic casing. It is detonated electrically via a command
wire, firing a giant shotgun blast of ball bearings across a wide arc, with an effective
range of more than 100m. It is favoured by the Regiment for defending LUPs, buying
valuable time if a position comes under attack.
Demolitions and pyrotechnics
The SAS use a variety of explosives and associated fuses, detonators etc for
demolitions work. The L9A1 Barmine is a favourite, designed for anti-tank use but
readily pressed into service as an 8.4 kg slab of explosive handy for destroying enemy
materiel or even on occasions (as in the Gulf War) for disposing of broken-down
vehicles or casualties.
The stun grenade or 'flash-bang' is used to provide an advantage for assaulting
forces in hostage rescue operations, such as the assault on the Iranian Embassy. CS
gas may also be used in conjunction with respirators worn by the assault team.
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VEHICLES
HMT Supacat multi-envirnoment surveillance and reconnaissance Vehicle
THE SAS is to get a new 80mph, four-by-four, all-terrain vehicle to replace its "Pink Panther" (see photo below), heavily-modified Land Rover Defenders.
Their replacement will be a specially-designed vehicle based on the HMT Supacat used by the Royal Marines.
During the Gulf War, the SAS looked at a buggy- type Light Strike Vehicle which had very good stealth characteristics, but was not sufficiently robust.
But the Supacat, which has been in service with the Royal Marines in its 6x4 version for more than a decade, has now been selected as the regiment's new surveillance and reconnaissance Vehicle.
The competition for the new vehicle stated that it had to be capable of carrying a crew of three plus a payload of 3,558lb in any environment, from the desert to the Arctic.
The vehicle also had to be able to carry the various weaponry needed by the SAS patrols, the Milan anti-tank guided missile; 40mm grenade launchers; and 7.62mm and 12.7mm machine-guns, as well as extra fuel and rations.
Land-Rover 110
The Land-Rover has long been associated with the Regiment, although the original
World War II desert patrols used US Jeeps. Since the 1950s, the Regiment has
favoured the long wheelbase Land-Rover, weighed down with vast quantities of kit and
stores. These became known affectionately as 'pinkies' due to the pink coloured paint
used to provide effective camouflage in the desert.
In the Gulf War, SAS patrols used the latest model Land-Rover, the 110,
with 3.5 litre V8 petrol engine (see photo top of this page). The bodywork is stripped
down to bonnet level, and mountings added for a variety of weapons - typically two
GPMGs, or a GPMG plus a .50 machine gun, Milan firing post, or Mk 19 grenade
launcher (see weapons section above). Extra stowage racks are fitted for the large
quantities of fuel, water, food, personal kit, weapons, ammunition, communications and
other technical equipment, etc, that must be carried for the patrol to do its job.
The typical crew consists of three - driver, commander and gunner. However, on
occasions this may be extended to four. Camouflage nets and poles are carried so
that the vehicle can be quickly hidden; often the patrol will move at night, using night
vision goggles for driving and observation, and find a suitable spot to lay up during the
day.
Light Strike Vehicles
The PU experimented with dune buggy style Light Strike Vehicles in the Gulf, but
found them unsuitable for their type of operations. Their size and weight make them
unsuitable for carrying the sheer quantity of weapons, ammunition and supplies that
are necessary for a patrol to operate unsupported for any length of time. Even the
Chenworth Fast Attack Vehicle, with its greater range and payload, cannot match up to
the Land-Rover for this type of operation.
Other vehicles
The SAS has used a wide selection of other vehicles as required for particular
operations - including motorbikes, unmarked Range Rovers (to move CRW teams and
their kit around the country), and sanitized civilian vehicles for anti-terrorist operations
in Northern Ireland. In line with the SAS International's philosophy, we will adopt and adapt
whatever comes to hand when circumstances demand it.
NAVIGATION
GPS
The SAS places great emphasis on navigation, and rightly so. Finding your way to
a target - and back - is crucial; and you can hardly call down accurate fire on an enemy
position if you don't know where you are.
During the Gulf War, the Regiment made extensive use of GPS (Global Positioning
System) - a system that uses an array of satellites orbiting the earth to give an accurate
fix of your position on a handheld battery powered receiver.
The favoured system was the Magellan NAV 1000M, which weighs around 0.85kg
and measures just 210mm x 90mm x 50mm. This enabled SAS patrols to know their
position on the ground to within 25m - even in the featureless desert terrain through
rain, snow and sandstorms. The latest GPS receivers not only give an accurate
position, but store a number of waypoints, and compute distance travelled, speed and
direction.
Traditional methods
Modern electronics are all very well when they're working, but the SAS cannot afford to
rely on equipment which can fail at the most inopportune moment. So the PU
trains with traditional navigation equipment - including the magnetic compass - and a
patrol will regularly double check the GPS reading by traditional methods.
SAS 110s are fitted with a sun compass - a kind of sundial fitted to the bodywork
which can be seen from the driver's position. Keeping the shadow in the correct
position, and making allowance for the movement of the sun through the day, a vehicle
can be kept on a reasonably accurate bearing.
OBSERVATION
Night vision
All things being equal, SAS patrols prefer to move at
night, and lay up during the daylight hours. Modern
night vision equipment gives an enormous
advantage at night - making it possible to see the
enemy, while minimising the chance of being seen
yourself. Night vision kit was in short supply in the
Gulf War, but SAS patrols made full use of the equipment available to them.
Night vision equipment falls into two basic types. Image intensifiers magnify the tiny
amount of light that exists even on the darkest night (from stars etc) and form an image
on a tube inside. This system is used in weapon sights such as the Kite, as well as in
helmet-mounted Night Vision Goggles worn by special forces pilots and drivers to
drive in darkness. Image intensifiers work well in conjunction with infra-red lights;
vehicle lights can be replaced with infra-red bulbs for night driving.
The second type of night vision equipment is thermal imaging: these units form an
image of the heat radiated by objects, so warm vehicle engines, gun barrels and even
human beings show up bright against the dark (colder) background.
Target designation
Modern 'smart' bombs such as Paveway II and III rely on a laser target designator,
shining a powerful laser beam onto the target. The bomb 'rides' the reflected beam
down onto the target. The designating laser may be mounted on an aircraft, but for
many targets there is really no alternative to designation by special forces on the
ground.
Another highly effective piece of kit is a laser rangefinder. This looks like a pair of
binoculars, but incorporates a laser beam which accurately measures the distance to a
target several kilometres away. Used in conjunction with GPS, this enables a patrol to
call down fire or air strikes with extreme accuracy.
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