Effing newspapers!

[Hans]

Oh, and btw, google for images of "sas" and see how many uncovered faces you see. Chances are, if you see any at all, they're not real, or said soldier has retired. There are reasons for this.

[Oscar]

So, why does the Army have a picture of him on their website?????

[Hans]

Because the brass can be and often are fuckwits. IMHO the whole VC thing was a shambles from an ops point of view.

[Winston001]

plus the 5.56mm round is the standardised round of Nato countries.

Well......strictly the 7.62 is a NATO round too as used in the GPMG and SAW.

The research and rationale which went into adopting the 5.56 round would fill a shipping container. The work began even before the end of WWII. At its core, the ammunition is 50% lighter than the .303/7.62 ammo. Combine that with modern high discharge assault rifles and it becomes logical to help a soldier carry more ammunition. The lighter the better.

Probably the lynchpin of the 5.56 adoption by all manufacturers was the brilliant engineering work of Eugene Stoner. The man who gave us the M16. It had its faults and some of you may know that dead American soldiers in Vietnam were often found with jammed weapons. However the issues proved to be the gunpowder used, and lack of disciplined cleaning. Sadly this was only really sorted late in the war. The M16 has gone through various improvements since then and continues to be refined. Why the UK use the Diemaco or the SA 80 I don't know.

Still - all very interesting but the finest assault rifle in the world was designed by Kalisnakov in 1944 - the AK47 is 63 years old.

[Oscar]

Because the brass can be and often are fuckwits. IMHO the whole VC thing was a shambles from an ops point of view.

I agree - naming him as a VC recipient should have been the end of his active service (I assumed that he was leaving the SAS or they would have kept the award secret until he did).
I'm sure the Militarily and the Government saw it as great publicity.

So the PM & Army Brass can hardly complain about the Press.

[Hans]

I agree - naming him as a VC recipient should have been the end of his active service (I assumed that he was leaving the SAS or they would have kept the award secret until he did).
I'm sure the Militarily and the Government saw it as great publicity.

So the PM & Army Brass can hardly complain about the Press.

I agree to a point. My opinion is, that these are the army's fuckups to make. The press don't need to be helping. In another country I am well familiar with, the soldiers themselves would have sent the editor into ICU hours later. The next editor would have a good hard think before they made the same mistake.

[doc]

I dont think this thread would exist if the letters SAS had not been printed with the photo. Andy McNab has a lot to answer for.

[Hans]

Still - all very interesting but the finest assault rifle in the world was designed by Kalisnakov in 1944 - the AK47 is 63 years old.

True... Except that special forces operatives will rarely if ever use an assault rifle. The assault rifle is a weapon of the infantry. It's like Rossi on a Suzuki Savage. Sure, he would make it go faster than any common rider. But to kick ass in the competitive field, it just won't do.

Besides, the AK is for the lowest forms of life. Russians, Africans and communist revolutionaries in general.

[jonbuoy]

If the Taliban are sat in their villages reading the NZ herald or somehow surfing on the internet and having the luxury of hand picking their targets do you not think that they would pick a better target - like the commander of the special forces in Afghanistan. They will take any target they possibly could at the moment. I´m sure Apia´s role as anything clandestine or undercover has been blown long ago, that doesn´t stop him being a useful SAS soldier in conflicts like this.

[Katman]

I've always been keen to join the Super Army Soldiers.

Anyone know the address to send my CV to?

[2_SL0]

Just thought I'd add my 0.2 worth.
The beard helps blend in with the locals (who are not Arabs, as someone here has said), it also gives them a measure of respect from the locals, as you simply cannot have a REAL MAN without a beard in Afghanistan.
The AUG is a decent enough weapon when being used in the the setting it was designed for, i.e. a NATO-USSR war in Europe. It is completely fucking useless in an urban setting, as it is too fucking long, too fucking unwieldy, can't be silenced without seriously affecting reliability etc... I remember one very unhappy diplomatic protection squad of a European country that shall remain nameless. They were simply issued with AUGs with no prior consultation. Just watching the poor cunts try to get in a car with the things was hilarious.

And yes, getting your photos published like this is potentially career ending for any member of a military special forces unit.
The Herald are piss weak cunts for doing this.

I think I typed Arab cus I couldnt be arsed typing Afgan lolol. My mistake.

[Elysium]

True... Except that special forces operatives will rarely if ever use an assault rifle. The assault rifle is a weapon of the infantry. It's like Rossi on a Suzuki Savage. Sure, he would make it go faster than any common rider. But to kick ass in the competitive field, it just won't do.

Besides, the AK is for the lowest forms of life. Russians, Africans and communist revolutionaries in general.

I doubt there was too much design there. More like copy much as they could from the German StG 44 the Russians captured after the war.

[Dave Lobster]

Andy McNab has a lot to answer for.

Two Obvious.. Two Obvious..

[Swoop]

I thought it unfair to leave him active after accepting the award quite frankly.

It's Apiata's call. Quite frankly he is stuffed for any black operations, but perfectly capable of being deployed for run-of-the-mill work.


"The rest of your post displays your lack of understanding quite graphically". Hate to say it, but this is going to be a "classic quote" for 2010.

[sAsLEX]

3. It's no secret that the NZ SAS is deployed in Afganistan.

Read this for an accurate insight into the NZDF's wanting the media to leave these pictures out of the media.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=10621788

Short answer, they dont use the Steyr because its not that great. (It was purchased/chosen due to a political decsion rather than a military decision)
Logistically they will be using similar to the US as that is who I believe they will be serving with and therfore it makes more sense for supply requirments.

Er - the Army has a photo of him on its website.
Are we assuming that terrorists read the Herald but don't surf the web?

In that photo tactically relevant? Does it show his current location, weapon, load etc? No.

Does the Herald photo. Yes.

Poles apart in that sense. Yes it does show his face, but in a completely different context.

I'm pretty sure that "pop gun" would happily put you down.

Unless you were at any sort of range wearing minimal armour, there is much in military media regards 5.56 just not cutting the mustard.

Thats the second time I've heard that argument and it still sounds like BS. I would have thought it would be for the increased accuracy and lower drop-rate, but what ever...

Ball ammunition is required under current laws. It wounds more than it kills in smaller calibres, and is intended to reduce morale!

as it is too fucking long

Really? Explain?

690mm is not that long, in fact shorter than a lot of MP5 configurations.

Well......strictly the 7.62 is a NATO round too as used in the GPMG and SAW.

The research and rationale which went into adopting the 5.56 round would fill a shipping container. The work began even before the end of WWII. At its core, the ammunition is 50% lighter than the .303/7.62 ammo. Combine that with modern high discharge assault rifles and it becomes logical to help a soldier carry more ammunition. The lighter the better.


Still - all very interesting but the finest assault rifle in the world was designed by Kalisnakov in 1944 - the AK47 is 63 years old.

5.56 is looking to be on the way out.

There has been a number of article in Jane's Defence Weekly, and IDR etc outlining the problems being faced in modern warfare with the 5.56 round, and how more and more units are switching to larger calibres.

The range and knock-down/armour penetration are key downfalls.

I've always been keen to join the Super Army Soldiers.

Anyone know the address to send my CV to?

Defence House
2-12 Aitken Street
Private Bag
Wellington

Who can join the NZSAS?

Military personnel from either the regular or reserve component of the NZ Defence Force can apply to join the NZSAS. The majority of applicants have generally had at least two years military experience. Applicants need to be physically fit and have a high level of motivation. Find out more about careers in the NZ Army, Royal NZ Airforce, and Royal NZ Navy.