A new rifle was shown by the maker of the Kalashnikov rifle series at the Army-2018 International Military Technical Forum that is taking place right now in Moscow. Kalashnikov Concern unveiled the AK-308 that is more of an evolution of the 7.62mm rifle rather than a totally new and radical rifle.

In a press release by Kalashnikov Media, the company says that, “The weapon is based on the AK103 submachine gun for the cartridge 7.62×51 mm with elements and components of the AK-12 automatic machine.”

It has a magazine capacity of 20 rounds with a total length of 880-940mm and weighs 4.3kg when empty. The barrel length is 415mm and a bayonet can be attached to the rifle. It comes with a folding stock, giving it the shortest length of 690mm when folded. The stock is adjustable to 4 positions. For aiming it has a dioptric sight.

As the Russian Army announced early this year that they will be adopting the 5.45×39mm AK-12 and the 7.62×39mm AK-15 to replace the AK74M rifle, it is unclear for what purpose the AK-308 if it will be aimed for use by the Russian Army or any group under the security apparatus of the Russian State. It is understood that the AK-308 is still a prototype. Both the AK-12 and AK-15 have higher capacity magazines at 30 rounds as compared to the 20 rounds.

Kalashinkov media also added in their press release that the AK-308 will be undergoing testing, ““At the moment, preparations are underway for preliminary testing of weapons.”

The Army-2018 Imternational Military-Technical Forum is scheduled from the 21st to the 26th of August 2018 and the venue is at the Patriot Expo Center in Moscow.  Launched three years ago, it has become of the world’s leading defence expo showcasing arms and military equipment from 1,400 exhibitors. Around half a million visitors are expected to attend the 6-day expo.

For the fans of the late Tom Clancy and avidly followed the Jack Ryan Book Series with the last one being the Under Fire released in 2015, it’s time to look forward to seeing Jack Ryan in a made for TV series. They better mark the date, the August 31, 2018, as the series will premiere on Amazon Prime Video.

Given the greenlight in 2016, the TV Series will be having John Krasinski of 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi will be taking the lead role as Jack Ryan. As “The Analyst”, which Ryan is known for, as he entered the CIA after a stint in the U.S. Marines and history teacher United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, he is on a mission to prevent a terrorist attack after monitoring a series of highly suspicious bank transfers.

In the Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan official trailer for the Season 1, Ryan leaves his desk at Langley to look for answers, taking him to Europe and the Middle East. He is on the trail of a terrorist determined to attack the U.S.

According to DigitalSpy, the second season sees Ryan in South America to confront a dangerous regime. Will this be as epic as Clear and Present Danger which puts Ryan against some elements in the CIA and the White House for an illegal covert operation to target the Colombian drug lords.

Missing in the news if there will be a Russian story in the series as Jack Ryan conducted crucial missions during the Cold War. With an assertive and nationalist Russia threatening U.S. hegemony and creating trouble at Europe’s doorstep, it will be interesting to see how the producers will treat a Jack Ryan in this setting.

The new Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan series is created by Carlton Cuse and Graham Roland with Cuse producing the show with Michael Bay, John Krasinski and Mace Neufeld. If you want to watch it and you don’t have an Amazon Prime account, before do so now before it airs on the 31st of August.

The U.S. Marines want their infantry to move faster in the field by shedding weight on the gear that they wear. One of these is armor plates that they can use in counter-insurgency operations or low intensity conflict areas such as Afghanistan and Iraq.

In a report by Kaitlyn Kelly at CHIPS, the Department of Navy’s Information Technology Magazine the USMC have issued an RFI (Request for Information) for lightweight armor plates to lessen the weight carried by the Marines and allow commanders to adapt to the environment, mission and threat on the battlefield.

The lighter body armor will serve more as a complement, not replace, the Enhanced Small Arms Protective Insert, or the ESAPI plates, that is already being used by the Marines.  The armor should provide protection for two rounds of non-armor piercing rounds that are more in use in COIN and LIC areas.

“Our current ESAPI plates do an amazing job of protecting Marines and have saved many lives,” said to CHIPS by Nick Pierce, Individual Armor team lead, Program Manager Infantry Combat Equipment (PM ICE) at Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC). “The only problem is Marines are currently given a binary choice between taking on 15 pounds to be protected or zero pounds and very little protection. This new lightweight plate would protect Marines and give commanders the choice of what plate to use based on the specific mission.”

Photo: Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 274 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Anthony J. Brosilow)

The Marine Expeditionary Rifle Squad Team of the MCSC has conducted some tests of selected prototypes Marine Corps Load Effects Assessment Program. The tests revealed that lightweight armor plates can increase the mobility of the Marines by 8%.

“Without revealing too much information, I can state unequivocally that the new plates will significantly lighten the load from the Marine, and increase their mobility” said Pierce. “This increased capability can save lives and win battles by enabling Marines to engage the enemy or move to cover and concealment more quickly.”

The PM ICE team will insure that the armor plate will fit in the current Plate Carrier as well as the new PC Gen III which will be introduced in 2019. The MCSC will assess the industry’s capability to produce the new plate with vendors being able to produce 40,000 plates within a year of First Article Test approval. The contract will be done through a full and open competition by end of 2019 and they expect fielding to be done as early as 2020.

Top photo:LAR 11MEU (U.S. Marine Corps photo)

Stop the presses!!! As we rest our sore arms and backs after attending the National Airsoft Festival, we always post the stories and photos of the event a week after. But for the National Airsoft Festival 2018, we take an exception as a big and rare result happened after the firing died down and the guns went silent yesterday at the Ground Zero Airsoft Woodland in Ringwood, Hampshire ---  The Others won this year’s National Airsoft Festival under the leadership of Woody.

The Others are the perennial losers ever since Ground Zero Weekender was started, The Others "whose idea of fun is causing as much death and disruption as possible!" often watch Bravo and Delta battle it out for the top spot every year. Whether on the field or off the field, it’s always The Others who bring colour to the annual event and winning this year will always be special.

But when they get the win, they win big, just look at the scores in this photo from the organisers, it’s not even close:

The last win was in 2012 under the leadership of Spud, and it was a big win too.

Congratulations to the Others for the win. It has always been a pleasure playing with you, as we at Popular Airsoft have been a part of The Others ever since we started covering and playing at the National Airsoft Festival 11 years ago.

Now, it’s back to making the most of the Bank Holiday Monday. We’ll post the full Action Action Report this weekend.

Others! Others! Others!

When we hear the name “Kalashnikov”, we always think about the rifles under that name, starting with the AK-47 to the recently announced AK-308. But the company is really more than guns,  it also does special weapons such as missiles, the GSh-301 3mm aircraft canon and small boats for civilian and military uses under the Vympel brand.

Now, it looks like it is going into building giant robots.

Whilst the AK-308 was the main news about the company during the Army-2018 International Military Technical Forum in Moscow, it also unveiled “Igorek”, a giant robot concept which it says is a concept of a controllable bipedal complex. The promising goal of using the anthropomorphic complex is to solve engineering and combat tasks. In next year’s International Military Technical Forum, it will further present the development of its technology.

The 4.5 tonne 13 foot robot is going to be manned robot that is designed for engineering and combat tasks. Since it is a concept, Igorer, for now is giant immobile pile of metal that is seen at the front door of the company’s headquarters. What is said to move move are the arms that show claws on each arm

At first glance, it will remind you of the ED-209 police robot from the movie “Robocop” in 1987 albeit Igorek is still a crude concept. It is probably closer to the Megabots which is a piloted giant robot built by enthusiasts in the U.S. who wanted to start a giant robot fighting league. In a world’s first, Megabots battled the Kuratas robot from Japan last year and won.

If the Megabots team are looking for a bigger challenge, then Igorek can be a potential and perhaps a more daunting opponent given that it is from a company that does real military hardware. Now, the question is, will Kalashnikov accept? If they do, it might be Rocky IV all over again, this one between giant fighting robots. That would be a treat.

In what many have been speculating to be another First Person Shooter (FPS) game from CAPCOM turns out to be something else. Last week, the Japanese company, known for the Biohazard/Resident Evil series announce “Black Command” a military simulation game that is designed to be played on mobile devices that use the Android and iOS mobile operating systems.

In this mobile game, you are in command of your own Private Military Company (PMC) and your objective is to profit for assignments and missions that you embark by leading some of the top mercenaries that your money can afford.

Choosing the right weapons and gear as well as picking the battles that you think you can take on based on what you have is the main strategy of the game. Different missions will require different approaches and that means you should know what maneouvres to take as you take on an enemy to defeat.

“Black Command” is free to play with in-game purchases which means that you can accelerate the upgrades of gear and weapons by being able to make purchases through micro-transactions.

Capcom developed the game in collaboration with Military Blog Japan. The blog site is famous for its daily reports in the military, law enforcement and tactical world covering real world weapons as well as airsoft.

Here the main features of the game:

• Upgrade your forces with real-world small arms and gear.
• More than 150 weapons.
• Maneouvre your forces from a satellite view tactical map.
• Gain a strategic edge by guiding you forces into flanking positions, pincer manoeuvres and traps.
• Decide when and where your forces fight.
• All-new and unique gameplay.
• A diverse range of missions including search and destroy, assassination and combined arms engagements.

Both Google Play and Apple App Store are now accepting pre-registrations for the game. “Black Command” is expected to be available by the Fall of this year.

Drones are now integral part of airsoft events as organizers try to document the airsoft action on the ground and from the air. DJI is the preferred brand by many pro and enthusiasts and Optimus Prime mentioned that during the National Airsoft Festival 2018, the drones in the sky were all from DJI.

Now, DJI has released the second generation of its best selling Mavic Drone, and it is not just one, but two: the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom. Just like the original Mavic Drone, they are foldable making them very portable. Whilst they look so much the same, there are differences if you look at their specification tables.

The Mavic 2 Pro is a collaboration with Hasselblad, and that means improvements in its photo taking capabilities. It has a 1” sensor that is designed to shoot 20 MP photos and record 10-bit HDR videos, in short better colors in both in still photos and videos taken. The Mavic 2 Zoom, as it names implies has a camera that has zoom capabilities, with 2x optical zoom at 24-48mm and also a 2x digital zoom at 49-96mm.  The camera can record lossless video in full HD.

Apart from these photo and video capabilities there are more features that both offer especially with more sensors for better flight and anti-collision.  The Mavic 2 has a maximum flight time of up to 31 minutes and faster speed.

Both of these drones are available now at the DJI store with Mavic 2 Pro at US$1,449 and the Mavic 2 Zoom at US$1,249. You can also ask drone retailers in your area if they already have both or any of them in stock.

Press release below:

DJI Introduces Mavic 2 Pro And Mavic 2 Zoom: A New Era For Camera Drones
Mavic 2 Series Features Two Industry First Camera Options With New Intelligent Features And Optimized Flight Performance

August 23, 2018 – DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, today introduced a new era for camera drones with two additions to its iconic Mavic series: Mavic 2 Pro, the world’s first drone with an integrated Hasselblad camera, and Mavic 2 Zoom, the world’s first foldable consumer drone with optical zoom capability.

The Mavic 2 is the most advanced DJI camera drone ever built, designed for professionals, aerial photographers and content creators. Incorporating the iconic folding design of the world’s most popular Mavic Pro, the Mavic 2 is a powerful platform with new gimbal-stabilized cameras and advanced intelligent features like Hyperlapse and ActiveTrack for easier and more dynamic storytelling. With an impressive flight time of up to 31 minutes and a more stable video transmission system, Mavic 2 delivers the optimal flight experience for capturing epic shots.

“When the Mavic Pro was launched two years ago, it redefined the way people looked at a drone and expanded possibilities for creators around the world,” said Roger Luo, President at DJI. “Today, we enter a new era of aerial photography with the introduction of DJI’s new flagship product, the Mavic 2 series. The Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom will enable photographers and videographers to take their inspirations to the air quickly and elevate their creative ideas to new heights.”

Mavic 2 Pro: Superior Image Quality with Hasselblad

Co-engineered in partnership with Hasselblad, the world’s leader in medium format photography, the Mavic 2 Pro is the world’s first drone with an integrated Hasselblad camera for outstanding image quality with superior light and color performance. Housing a 1-inch CMOS sensor with a 10-bit Dlog-M color profile, the camera captures four times as many levels of color per channel compared to Mavic Pro to provide maximum flexibility for photo and video editing. The Mavic 2 Pro can capture 20-megapixel aerial shots with utmost color accuracy using Hasselblad’s unique Hasselblad Natural Color Solution (HNCS) technology, while an adjustable aperture from f/2.8-f/11 provides more control across a wide variety of lighting conditions. With 4K 10-bit HDR support, the Mavic 2 Pro can be plugged into a 4K TV with HLG and will play back footage with the right color tones.

Mavic 2 Zoom: A Dynamic Perspective with Optical and Digital Zoom

Powered by a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, the Mavic 2 Zoom is DJI’s first foldable consumer drone with zoom, providing a dynamic perspective that ushers in a new era of creative storytelling. With the Mavic 2 Zoom, you can get closer to your subject at a moment’s notice by combining two-times optical zoom (24-48mm) with two-times digital zoom to simulate a 96mm telephoto lens that captures lossless video in full HD resolution. Hybrid auto-focus on the Mavic 2 Zoom combines phase and contrast detection for higher focus accuracy with an increased focus speed of up to 40% faster than before. Shoot vivid 12-megapixel photos or take advantage of the new Super Resolution feature that uses optical zoom to automatically capture and stitch nine photos together for a highly detailed 48-megapixel image, making it an ideal option for landscape photography.

Exclusive to the Mavic 2 Zoom, the new Dolly Zoom QuickShot mode opens a new visual language for storytelling that was previously reserved for professional cinematographers. It creates an otherworldly warped perspective by automatically zooming in as it flies away from its subject, keeping the subject the same size while the full background of the scene is revealed.

Mavic 2 Series: DJI’s New Flagship Consumer Drone with Powerful Camera Options

Both cameras capture vivid 4K ultra-high definition video with extreme detail, recording at a maximum bitrate of 100 megabits per second using the H.265 compression codec to give you an exceptional degree of latitude in post-production workflows. For photographers, new Enhanced High Dynamic Range capabilities blend a sequence of photos for ghost-free high dynamic range, giving the Mavic 2 Pro an impressive 14 stops of dynamic range and Mavic 2 Zoom up to 13 stops.

New Intelligent Tools For Epic, Cinematic Shots

The Mavic 2 is the ultimate tool for aerial content creation with new intelligent flight modes that make capturing professional-quality results almost effortless. A new Hyperlapse feature produces establishing shots that show the passing of time, which you can share to social media immediately. JPEG and RAW photos can be simultaneously saved on a Micro SD card or the internal storage, leaving more room for post editing. Choose between Circle, Course Lock, Waypoint or Free mode to create timelapses with a simple tap of a button in the DJI GO 4 Mobile App.

Safer, Smarter and Stable Flight

The Mavic 2 delivers autonomous flight capabilities that help you capture shots with even more confidence in complex environments. A fully upgraded FlightAutonomy system transmits data to a more powerful central processor for more accurate obstacle sensing and safer flight. For the first time ever in a DJI drone, Mavic 2 has 10 sensors on all sides of the aircraft to automatically detect obstacles in its path and help prevent collisions, allowing you to focus on capturing the perfect shot.

An improved Advanced Pilot Assistance System (APAS) allows the aircraft to analyze its surrounding environment and automatically fly around obstacles without stopping. In addition, the Mavic 2 has a Bottom Auxiliary Light that turns on automatically to ensure safe and precise landings in low-light situations.

A newly designed OcuSync 2.0 video transmission system enables a more stable connection between the drone and its remote controller. The system features stronger interference resistance and auto-switching capabilities that supports both 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz frequency bands with the capability to use different frequencies for uplink and downlink data streams. It delivers 1080p video transmission feeds at a distance of up to 8km, allowing you to instantly edit and upload Full HD footage directly from the video cache in the DJI app in a wider variety of situations. Original resolution photos in JPEG can be saved directly to your mobile device, so you can immediately share what you create without the need to transfer files from the drone.

Aerodynamic Design and Extended Flight Time

The Mavic 2’s redesigned, more aerodynamic airframe reduces body drag by up to 19% compared to the Mavic Pro, allowing the Mavic 2 to fly at speeds of up to 44 mph (72 km/h) in Sport mode. Combined with a more efficient, quieter propulsion system and noise reducing propellers, the Mavic 2 has a maximum flight time of up to 31 minutes.

To ensure crisp photos and smooth, shake-free footage, the Mavic 2 houses an ultra-precise three-axis mechanical gimbal to stabilize its camera even during high-speed motion. Photos and videos can be saved directly to the drone using its 8 GB onboard storage. All DJI users have control over how their data is stored and managed, as part of DJI’s commitment to protecting its customers' data.

A redesigned remote controller features detachable control sticks for ease of storage and portability. The Mavic 2 is compatible with DJI Goggles with the gimbal (yaw) control range up to -75°¬– +75° in Head Tracking mode, offering users a more immersive FPV flight experience.

Price and Availability

The US retail price of a Mavic 2 Pro, including the drone, battery, remote controller, charger, and four pairs of propellers, is $1,499 USD. The US retail price of a Mavic 2 Zoom, including the drone, battery, charger, remote controller and four pairs of propellers, is $1,199 USD. A Fly More Kit, including two additional batteries, a multi-battery charging hub, a car charger, a battery to power bank adapter, two pairs of propellers and a carrying bag, retails at $319 USD. A gimbal replacement service exclusively for Mavic 2, will be available soon.

EA just took a bitter pill to swallow, allowing DICE to delay the release of the upcoming Battlefield V first person shooter gamer by a month and adjusted it full year guidance to reflect lower sales. The announcement caused a plunge in company’s share price almost hitting 10% when markets opened yesterday morning. It opened at 120.60 and closed at 115.94 at the end of the day's trading.

DICE said that Battlefield V will be released on the 20th of November instead of the planned 19 October release. It also makes it release not to be much in conflict with the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 which will come out 26 October and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 which will be on 12 October, avoiding being squeezed by these two big game titles.

In a posting at the Battlefield website by Oskar Gabrielson, General Manager of DICE, they are expecting more feedback when the Open Beta opens on the 6th of September,“We believe we have one of the best Battlefield games ever on our hands.  A game that will deliver on an emotional journey through the return of unseen single player War Stories, a deep multiplayer experience, Battle Royale, along with our new live service, Tides of War - a journey across multiple theaters of WW2 and designed to keep our community together.

With the Open Beta just around the corner, we are excited about the millions of you who will join us and experience the game. And we fully expect to see even more feedback coming our way.

And that’s why we’re moving our launch date. We’re going to take the time to continue to make some final adjustments to core gameplay, and to ensure we really deliver on the potential of Tides of War.”

The delay means that net bookings will be lower for the fiscal year 2019, with EA adjusting from US$5.55 billion to the US$5.2 billion.

Perhaps it is a good move for EA and DICE TO delay the release of Battlefield V for a month. Given the debacle they experienced with Battlefield 4 and Mass Effect Andromeda before, they would rather avoid issuing an excruciating apology to their fans if they do not execute Battlefield V according to their expectations. With more features and adding Battle Royale Mode to go head to head against PUBG, Fortnite, and soon, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Battlefield V will have need to come out as well baked tasty bread when it comes out on its new release date.

Early this week, we read about news reports coming from South America in which FAL rifles from the Paraguayan Police were stolen, part of a big cache of firearms stolen from the Headquarters of the Department Armaments and Munitions of the National Police. Airsofters started sharing the story as reports say that they were replaced by airsoft replicas to avoid suspicion that they real FN FAL rifles were missing.

The FN FAL Rifles were made in Brazil and are in storage in Capiatá, southeast of the country’s capital, Asuncion. The missing now number to be 44 with 90 more small arms also reported. According to Ultimahora.com the technicians conducting the inspection of the rifles presume that they were airsoft FN FAL rifles.

ABC.com, a news site based in Asuncion, tweeted a photo of one of the replicas used to replace the stolen ones:

Roban 42 fusiles de guerra que estaban resguardados en un cuartel policial y lo reemplazan por réplicas de juguete. https://t.co/FP6xCO3F6npic.twitter.com/ukoXoUnlDY

— ABC Digital (@ABCDigital) 25 August 2018

The BBC reports that police officer in charge was replaced but no arrests were made and that the inspections were made when the rifles started appearing in the black market, and they can fetch up to US$10,000 with some ending up in Argentina and Brazil as these countries share a border with the landlocked South American country.

The FN FAL is widely used rifle, which initially served the armed forces of NATO members and allies during the Cold War that it earned the “The right arm of the Free World” title and which you can find in morale patches that show the FN FAL rifle. It is still much in use in militaries in Africa and South America. It has many variations to meet the requirements of clients such as the British L1A1 SLR, which is a licensed version of the FN FAL so it can use Imperial Units rather than the SI or Metric System.

As always in airsoft, speculations will be what airsoft brand the thieves use to replace the stolen ones. Most probably they acquired used or discarded airsoft FN FALs that look to be functional at first glance. Star Airsoft when it was existing, produced an L1A1 SLR. Ares Airsoft (pictured above) and King Arms also produce L1A1 AEGs. Jing Gong/ASP produces some FN FAL variants as well.

Nevertheless, even if the airsoft guns used in the heist are brand new, if each of the real ones were sold at the maximum black market value of US$10,000, then perpetrators got many times more than their initial investment.

Better leave early. That’s what BBC Breakfast advised to anyone planning to go out for the last Bank Holiday weekend before Christmas. With disruptions in public transport especially in the south, most will be taking cars to go to whatever destinations they planned going to. That means motorways will be clogged.

We could not leave immediately as there were things that needed to be done at work and at home. Still Master Chief was able to ensure that we got to leave my digs by 12 noon. Sure enough, upon hitting the M25 we were immediately got greeted by traffic build up and slowdowns in both directions made worse by the rain. Leaving the M25 to the M3 and seeing the same thing made us conclude that our usual 2 hour drive to Ground Zero Woodland for the National Airsoft Festival 2018 will take longer.

Total drive time was three hours we arrived around past 1500H, though that’s nothing compared to those who came from farther places, like our friends from the Netherlands headed by Stef Smeets who started their trip yesterday, gear and all.

Upon arriving, it was raining though it was manageable that people remained outside their tents and a small queue at the registration area. But the busy moments were in the camp sites where people quickly scrambled from their vehicles,  grabbed their tents to set them up before the heavens opened up again. National Airsoft Festival’ Howard “H” Payne, the overall coordinator of the weekender quickly got us our kit and brought us to Neil who immediately brought us to the Media tent which the organizers put up for the first time. With charging facilities it was less worries for us to have our batteries drained quickly and nowhere for us to charge them.

Just right behind the Media Tent was a narrow space that we were able to squeeze in our tent. Good thing it was a pop-up tent that we immediately set it up before it rained again. Throwing our stuff quickly inside the tent, we went back to the Marquee tent where the Zero One on-site shop can be found. There inside, airsoft players for the weekend grabbing gear, BBs, accessories, and boxes and boxes of airsoft guns.

The first day also saw the first skirmish where a pistol and shotgun game was held to cater those who already have itchy trigger fingers and cannot wait for the first day of hostilities.

Milling around, we saw the same food stalls, though a new one is the Thai food stall which served good food. We also got to see the usual suspects at the National Airsoft Festival, the ASG guys with Jake, Benn, and Jody, Airsoft Action Magazine with Nigel and Bill, Gavin of Viper Tactical, and Kelly Louise Hardwick, the Femme Fatale Airsoft who found us inside the beer tent. It was already 1900H but this time so we grabbed some Thai food for dinner.

After dinner, we grabbed more beer before going around again seeing other familiar faces we got together with the ASG crew, Femme Fatale Airsoft and other friends. The Enola Gaye stall was still open around 2000H and we hanged out there until they decided to call it a day. Femme Fatale Airsoft went for the mechanical bull ride where we had a good laugh watching her try and hold on as long as she can, which was not long enough.

We grabbed a few more beer and headed off the Media Tent where we mainly talk whatever we had mind to kill time. By around 2330H we called it a night it as it is going to be a long day tomorrow. The temperature that night was almost freezing, and it was fortunate that we slept through it uneventfully though in the various camp areas, it was still party for them until the next day.

The Day 1 photos of the National Airsoft Festival 2018 on the Popular Airsoft Facebook Page.

I woke up at 0600H, to a wet safe zone and still few people awake. After doing my morning rituals, I went to grab coffee, pulled out my laptop and check on updates to the Popular Airsoft. Master Chief woke up before 0700H and we went to grab breakfast where there was already a queue to the breakfast van.

The mood is a bit subdued for this Saturday morning whereas last year, people were already in full gear and checking their guns at the Saloon shooting range by this time. Perhaps because of the rain last night, people remained inside their tents until it was bit drier outside. By 0800H the queue to the breakfast van was already longer and we saw more players arriving already in full gear even if briefing was still two hours away.

Preparing our camera gear for the first day of firefights, there are more camera crews this year bringing drones, DSLRs and what have you. So apart from the action cam footages that players posted on social media, expect more professionally made videos from the Pew Hub, WA03 Media, Cybergun, and more.

We finally met the TrueMobster crew, a massively popular YouTube Channel with over a million subscribers. They do a lot of a videos with airsoft guns as their props and it was their first National Airsoft Festival. Eager to learn more about airsoft skirmishing apart from using airsoft sites for filming, they are a nice group of very young men and we highly recommend that you subscribe to their channel to find out what they are up to. Two of their most watched videos are Fortnite Battle in Real Life and Airsoft War: Modern Combat Frontline In Real Life.

By 0930H the grounds at the Marquee tent was already teeming with airsoft players from the Bravo, Delta, and The Others, the three factions vying for supremacy each year, all eager to rock and roll and sling BBs at each other. Whilst most are in the usual BDUs and camo gear, a good number come in more fancy costumes, from a Hen party group, to an all-pink cowboy. Well, there are notuniform requirements at the National Airsoft Festival, come in whatever attire you want. I remember years back, someone was in a Mankini to raise funds for charity.

Finally, the “H” climbed up the tower for the briefing. This briefing is always a reminder of the house rules in airsoft such as calling hits, safety, communications, and also, lost and found announcements. It was a quick one that by 1030H all factions were already on their way to their staging areas. Bravo will start from The Burrows; Delta will have Fire Base Charlie as their HQ; and The Others at the Landing Zone.  As we play for The Others, it was the Landing Zone for us.

It’s Woody again for The Others as the Commander and most determined to have a win this year. The Others are always at the bottom in scores and rare is the win for the group. We really don’t mind losing as it is more about fun and mayhem when playing as a group. Of course, winning this year would be a big bonus to keep our party going. He took his place by the bales and drums to give his briefing and morale speech to get his troops psyched up for the intense day ahead.

By 1100H the fireworks and explosions that signal the start of the hostilities were set off. Game on!

Quickly, we went to the Trenches and The Nest, two of the magnets for all three groups to capture and hold as these give them vantage points and can pick off opponents from those heights. Bravo were there first already keeping both the Deltas who were approaching from the East and the Others from the West from overrunning their positions. The Others positioned themselves at the Heartbreak Ridge which is also a good vantage point to pick off approaching enemy whilst Delta quickly took over The Prison Camp and The Village, which are also major objectives in the game.

Intense shooting all over the Ground Zero Woodland and BBs were just zinging over our heads. As expected, we got hit more taking photos and videos more than when we were actually shooting. Even our orange hi-viz on, we can only just ignore the hits and just keep on doing the photos and videos. It’s all worth taking shots, with our cameras of course, airsoft players who are either all smiles for lots of targets to shoot at, or all business and accomplish the missions to grab as many points as they can for their groups.

At around 1230H, The Others and Deltas were engaged in a long range battle as they try to shoot at each other from their positions that were in full view of each other. The Deltas at Firebase Delta and The Others at the Stag Camp. The shooter who had the longest reach got to reap the reward. Walking our way around, we finally found ourselves back at the Safe Zone by 1300H, which means lunch and get into playing gear.

After a heavy meal of Greek Gyros, we changed from cameras to airsoft guns. I got the SGR-12 of Tokyo Marui which is a hefty piece whilst Master Chief took a sniper rifle with him. At around 1400H, we were at the Landing Zone to find it out being attacked by Bravo. So we immediately moved forward under fire from Bravos shooting The Nest. Whist the snipers from The Others tried to tap out those at the Nest, I tried to lob a few BBs with the Marui shotgun, which had a good range. I heard a “hit!” which meant one of the BBs found its mark at The Nest area. But then, Master Chief got hit shortly and then myself also got tagged so to the Respawn area for us for five minutes before getting back into the game.

Moving forward to The Nest was tough as Bravo did have a good vantage point and what we can do was wait for Bravos to move forward when they thought it was safe. It was a see-saw thing but the Bravos were doing a good job. It was back to the Respawn for us several times.

By 1600H, it was time for the big push before the shooting day ended. It is usually a push to The Village for us but Woody decided to bring a big bulk of The Others to raid Fire Base Charlie whilst Delta made their way to The Village. We joined this group and we split up, with Wood as we were to approach Fire Base Charlie by circling from the East. There was a blocking force Deltas at around 1630H and they pinned us down. I found myself to be taking point when another Delta just jumped out and aimed at me. He missed, but I was unable to respond as I ran out of batteries on my SGR-12 and when I went for my backup, it was also out of gas. No batteries and no gas meant that I was out of the fight. Since there was nothing more that I could do, it walked back to the safety zone leaving Master Chief there to carry on the mission with the remaining The Others.

At the Safe Zone, whilst waiting for the first day of hostilities to end, it was more of a chit chat with Bill of Air Action, Stef Meets, Gavin of Viper, and Amy-Louse Simpson. More of catching up as we usually meet only once or twice a year. For me, it was good to be out of my gear and let my feet breath a bit. From afar, we head the whistle blown, marking 1700H and the staccato of airsoft gunfire started dying down. Slowly, airsoft players started trickling back to the Safe Zone. I changed clothing to more comfortable ones and got hold of my camera one again for the Day 1 debrief and Raffle Draw.

The “H” went up the tower again by 1900H, as always, for the quick debrief which really was very quick as it was just a 7 minute talk, and did not waste time to announce the scores. Rich took over with an even better entrance this year, popping up a red smoke grenade to make his appearance to the glee of the crowd below. With Rich, the much anticipated raffle draw started with the most important raffle prizes drawn in real time whilst the rest were already pre-drawn given the large amounts of raffle prizes that were given away, or else it will take a more than an hour as was the case years back.

After the days debrief many went back to their tents whilst others stayed to order food from the food stalls. For us, it was a long wait at the pizza as there were loads of orders from hungry players. It took 30 minutes to get our pizza and it was almost 2100H by then and players for the night game were already heading out. As we were famished, we made quick work of the pizzas.

Ben and Jody from the ASG booth joined us at the Media Tent for quick chat until they decided to call it a night at around 2230H. For me and Master Chief, I guess it’s our ages that we felt we decided to hit the sack at 2300H. After a tiring day, sleep came quickly and we never noticed the players from the night game back at 0000H.

Scores on the first day:

3220 Delta
2880 Bravo
4000 The Others

Photos for the second day on the Popular Airsoft Facebook Page.

Read Day 1 of the National Airsoft Festival.

On the dot, I woke up at 0600H, feeling refreshed as it was an uninterrupted sleep that can be attributed to the noise cancelling headset I used which was absolutely amazing. I never got disturbed by the din outside even when we went to retire for the night. Outside, it was also quite as most were still in their tents. It was eerily quiet.

Good thing the breakfast van was open 24 hours so coffee was readily available. Getting a cup, I did some quick updates with my laptop and started organising my equipment to be packed away. The weather prediction was that it will be heavy rains around 1000H so we should have packed away our stuff, tent and all into the car before that.

Master Chief woke up at 0700H and we immediately went to grab some breakfast. The queue at the breakfast van was still short so it was a quick wait. Some drizzle came so we rushed back to the Media Tent to avoid eating soggy bread. It was a slow breakfast as we some friends dropped by to say hello and some quick chit chat on what happened yesterday.

By 0830H we started packing up our stuff. It is still quiet outside and still a few people at the breakfast van. I guess people were still recovering from yesterday and a good number may have partied well into the night to wake up early. Even just a few minutes before 0900H, just a small number were having breakfast. Also, by this time, the National Airsoft Festival 2018 staff were all ready but a bit more relaxed as it is less hectic as compared to the day leading to the Festival until yesterday.

The heavens opened at around 0930H and in the nick of time, we finished packing up… well just the major stuff were already stowed in the car. Nigel and Bill of Airsoft Action joined us in the Media Tent as we watched people outside in gear running to find cover to keep themselves dry. Many went inside the Marquee tent to do some final shopping of airsoft guns and gear and many more were a the Beer tent.

Game resumed at 1030H. Deltas started from The Burrows, Bravos from The Landing Zone, and The Others from Firebase Charlie. Rain was heavier now, which meant lesser players on the field. Nevertheless, the action continued, as in airsoft, rain or shine, the show must go on. I checked The Others at Firebase Charlie where Woody was issuing mission orders that those who are still up to some more airsoft fighting can accomplish. There was also some heavy action on the way to The Prison Camp which as The Others were clearing the place of Deltas.

For the Bravos, they were under siege at The Village by the Deltas but then they got a massive reinforcement of Bravos coming The Landing Zone that and they controlled the The Village and the area around it by 1130H. I made my way to The Nest and a lot Deltas were there, bunched up, wet and trying to keep themselves dry and warm from the rain. Well, it was an exercise in futility as there was not much cover there.

From The Nest, the Deltas controlled The Trenches and The Chapel as these were within easy reach fom The Burrows and thus, easy to reinforce. They were also trying to dislodge the Bravos from the Heartbreak Ridge which was tough to do given the wet conditions, they’ll just got bogged down going up the hill.
Bravos were spread in a line just outside The Landing Zone as it looked like there were some attempts at their leadership.  A group of The Others were captured and disarmed. I lost track of the discussions but it led to a pistol duel between the leader of The Others team and the Bravo Commander in which the latter won. The Others were then let go to respawn.

By 1200H, the rain slackened a bit and I made my slowly back to Safe Zone. We had to drive back earlier than usual as we were expecting traffic due to heavy rains and thus a longer travel back home. We said our thanks and goodbyes. True enough, when we hit the A35, just right outside of Ringwood, traffic was heavy with road already flooded. Just like how we arrived at the National Airsoft Festival 2018 last Friday, we got home later than usual.

The Others finished the National Airsoft Festival on a high note, even the victory was dampened by the rain. It’s the third victory of The Others with the last time being in 2012.

Final scores:

Bravo: 4680
Delta: 4750
The Others: 6240 (Winners)

As always, the level of organisation for the National Airsoft Festival sets the bar high in organising airsoft events in the UK. Every year, things get improved upon to keep the interests of players as well the airsoft and festival experience of the players. It may not be a serious Milsim which might disappoint others, but the mere name itself says it all. It is the National Airsoft Festival and it's about enjoying the moment when thousands of airsoft players come together in the spirit of fun and good sport. No wonder participation each year increases as veterans keep coming back and bringing new players experience the airsoft festivities.

Photos of the Day 3 of the National Airsoft Festival 2018 on the Popular Airsoft Facebook Page.

Read Day 1 of the National Airsoft Festival.
Read Day 2 of the National Airsoft Festival.

Confused with the Scorpion W2 pattern and the Crye Precision Multicam Pattern? We cannot blame as they are really indistinguishable from each other and share the same history. The original pattern called the “Scorpion” pattern was developed by Natick Labs and Crye Precision in 2002. But due to dispute in “printing fees”, it never got to be used by the U.S. Army and Crye Precision went on to further develop it as the famous guccicam, the Multicam Pattern.

Meanwhile the Natick Labs modified the original Scorpion Pattern in 2009,  leading the Scorpion W2 Pattern. This pattern was adopted by the U.S. Army and announced in 2014 that it will be used in the field as the Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP) and the OCP ACU was made available in 2015 for soldiers to procure. The U.S. Air Force also announced that it will be adopting the OCP uniform and that all Airmen should be owning the uniform by the 1st of April 2021.

You may wondering why you cannot find the OCP uniform available at gear retailers as the U.S. Army has the option to restrict the pattern to service men and women only as it owns the rights to the pattern. So since its adoption in 2014, it is only soldiers and airmen who can wear the OCP ACU.

The U.S. Army has finally licensed the printing and sale of the Scorpion W2 OCP for commercial purpose in August 2018 as the demand for the OCP ACU has increased during the transition periods. The Army’s mandatory possession date for the OCP is approaching on October 1, 2019, adding to the need for new manufacturers of the pattern.

TacticalGear.com sent us the information and that they will be the first to retail the OCP ACU and they are now taking pre-orders with expected availability by the end of next month. 

“We have inquiries for OCP from soldiers and airmen daily,” says Andrew Hoefener, CEO of TacticalGear.com. “Having uniforms and essential equipment in the approved pattern available for sale is crucial to serving our military customers.”

The company says that this has been anticipated since the first announcement of the transition in 2014, especially now with the high demand for uniforms. The commercial release was delayed due to the possibility of Crye Precision taking legal action due to the similarities between the two patterns.

TacticalGear.com has comprehensive information on the OCP ACU uniforms such as the features of the uniforms for Army and Air Force us. The OCP ACU that will be available soon such as the Uniform Coat and the Uniform Pants are made by Tru-Spec.

Top photo:U.S. Army Paratroopers with 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade training in Germany (U.S. Army photo by Gertrud Zach)

We do love our gear that use MOLLE since we prefer modular systems to configure our loadout to meet the requirements of the mission or in the case of airsoft, of the game/event. That’s the nice thing about MOLLE,  which is short for Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment, you can have a loadout that is either heavy or light. All you need to do is add a pouch here, remove a pouch there, attach a backpack on the back of the MOLLE vest, or discard that admin panel up front. There are lots of configurations and it gives you the freedom to put together a loadout that is most comfortable for you.

But the big caveat we have with the MOLLE is that it is sometimes a taxing process weaving the nylon straps through the weaving. What you initially expect will take you just under a minute to do sometimes can take longer and worse, it can also get frustrating for some. The MOLLE needle can help but is there a better way?

You bet there is. Ripstay, claimed to be the fastest MOLLE connection system on Earth by its makers, is now on  Kickstarter and if it does reach its funding goals, can be mass produced and be widely available to MOLLE gear owners around the world.

You can quickly attach a Ripstay equipped pouch much faster than the usual MOLLE straps allowing to reconfigure your loadout much faster. You can also quickly detach the pouch when needed; especially if you want lighten your load in the middle of a mission without fumbling through your vest pulling out unneeded pouches and bags.

Garrett Lommatsch and Martin Evans, the team behind the Ripstay, tell the story of why they made this product:

Garrett and I originally developed the Ripstay MOLLE connection system because we wanted a simple solution for customizing our MOLLE configurations. When we looked around, we discovered nothing makes MOLLE easy. The entire MOLLE/PALS attachment and removal process is slow and cumbersome by  design. There’s no way around it. It’s just painstakingly tedious to remove each individual nylon strap.

So, we decided to create the ideal solution ourselves. This journey began two years ago. Since then, we’ve built and tested many iterations, leveraging 3D printing and thermoformed plastics to develop each prototype.

With hundreds of handmade kits sent to domestic and international experts in the military, police, SWAT, rescue, airsoft/milsim, and outdoor communities, we’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback from all over the world.

To get a RipStay kit, you can pledge at least US$23 to get Ripstay Single Panel Kit on KickStarter. If you want more, you can pledge up to US$180 which allows you provide for your squad or airsoft team.

If all things go according to plan, such as either the backers meet their KickStarter funding requirements or are able to raise the money themselves, then Ripstay will be delivered to customers starting in May 2019.

A year ago, US Palm, a very much familiar name amongst airsoft players through the airsoft versions of their magazines for AK AEGs, announced on social media that they were shutting down. Citing downsizing economy, industry instability, and internal factor, they decided to discontinue their business. While indeed they have gone out of business, some of their designs were carried on by Armor, Express Wilderness Tactical Products, and K-9EDGE.

But they never closed down their Facebook page since they posted their farewell message to fans and costumers last August 6, 2017. Last Thursday, the 6th of September, someone with access to post on their Facebook page posted an image of human arm that has broken out of a grave with a headstone showing the logo of US Palm and the years 2009-2017, the years the company was in business as in the photo above.

Obviously, it signals a rising from the dead. So does this mean the US Palm has been pulled from the grave and being revived to resume business? Many following the company on Facebook certainly hope so given the comments they made on the post.

The post was just the image and no text accompanied it confirm that it is back from the dead. There is nothing to see at their website so for now we can just speculate. The image of course is a positive indicator and it is a welcome development given than US Palm has given the AK rifle a cooler look with its products such as the Battle Grip and AK30 Magazine.

There will be questions if the company will be run by the same owners or taken over by another group.

PTS Syndicate holds the license from US Palm to distribute airsoft versions of their products. If you check their online store, the PTS Steel Shop, the US Palm products are mainly sold out with just the AK Battle Grip for Gas Blowbacks still available. We might expect stocks to be refreshed again if they are still allowed to carry on by the risen US Palm.

The U.S. Marines want to protect the hearing of their infantry when they are in battle. That means issuing earplugs to deal with such sounds. However, according to them, sometimes they tend not to wear them for situational awareness. It is understandable as they will need to be able to listen carefully what is the most immediate threat in their sector.

Now, they want to something that will be able to have the Marines have the situational awareness and at the same time have their hearing protected. The USMC have issued out a Request for Information for Hearing Enhancement Devices that can amplify important battlefield sounds and be able to listen to orders. The candidate device will be assessed by the Marine Corp Systems (MCSC) Command and should be compatible with the Corps’ radios and the Enhanced Combat Helmet (ECH).

“Marines have the earplugs and they do provide protection, but sometimes they choose not to wear them because they want to be aware of their surroundings at all times,” said Steven Fontenot, project officer for Hearing, Eye Protection and Loadbearing Equipment in PM ICE as reported by the MCSC news. “The new headset we want to acquire will allow Marines to wear hearing protection, yet still provide the opportunity to communicate and understand what is going on around them.”

USMC Photo By Staff Sgt. Ezekiel Kitandwe

In the same report, 220 sample headsets had already been issued last February to 220 infantry, artillery, reconnaissance and combat engineer Marines. They have been asked how they find the samples in terms of fit, form, function, and comfort.  Fontenot mentioned that the tests were done at the Air Force Laboratory, Infantry Training Exercises, and the Recon Marines  bringing them to Norway to test them in cold weather.

The Marines are expecting to release new weapon systems that will have impact to hearing in the field and with the Enhanced Hearing Devices, the infantry will be ready for such systems. They are looking into purchasing the devices by 2020.

Top photo: Regimental Combat Team 5 Personal Security Detachment in Afghanistan (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Alfred V. Lopez)

Remember Brandon Herrera, more known as the AK Guy? You would probably known him on YouTube with that same name and here on Popular Airsoft as we have written about his famous work, the .50 BMG firing AK-50. He also owns the AK Guy Inc., an FFL-07 licensed firearms manufacturer based in North Carolina.

Now, he has announced the AKG-47, his own production line of AKM rifles that he says is a more affordable line of quality AKs under US$1,000. The AKG-47 is a 7.62x39 AKM that is fully built in the U.S.

The AKG-47 starts life as a new production, virgin Romanian military grade parts kit. It's built on a standard 1mm stamped steel receiver using Russian spec rivets, and fitted with a cold hammer forged Romanian barrel. Once completed, the rifles are Cerakoted by "We Plead the 2nd." Rifles are then inspected for quality control purposes, and come zeroed at 200 yards.

All AKG-47's are hand built, and everyone is personally inspected/test fired by me (Brandon Herrera, the owner) to ensure you get a rifle worthy of the "AK Guy" name.

Quick Specs:

• Romanian Military Parts Kit
• Cold Hammer Forged Barrel
• 7.62x39mm
• Cerakoted "Graphite Black"
• Side-Rail Included
• XTech 30 Round Magazine (1)
• Lifetime Warranty

The US$899 price is with the Romanian furniture, but with if a customer opts for the Russian furniture, the price rises to US$999 which is basically almost US$1,000 territory. It will shop with the standard slant muzzle brake though the photos show with the JMac Customs RRD-4C muzzle brake. As for the magazine that comes along with it, it is the XTech Tactical MAG47 30-round polymer AK magazine that it claims to be the world’s strongest magazine.

Now, would you a licensed airsoft version of this? If yes, why not ask your favourite airsoft manufacturer to get a license from Brandon? It would be cool to have an AK Guy airsoft gun.

Have you been eyeing to get the new MRE Pizza when it becomes commercially available so you can bring it your milsim or airsoft weekenders? Perhaps you are still unsure if you will like the taste of the new menu and think that it’s a Meal Rejected by The Enemy? Well, don’t worry as the valiant troops in Afghanistan are trying it out to find out if it is edible to eat and taste like the pepperoni pizza they’re used to back home.

Promised as a “day after pizza” which always brings to mind the pizza left in the fridge, the MRE Pizza is comprised of the following:

• Pepperoni Pizza
• Cherry blueberry cobbler
• Cheese spread with cheddar and jalapeno cheese
• Italian bread sticks
• Cookies
• Chocolate protein drink powder

But of course, the most important component is the Pepperoni Pizza, as pizza is the holy grail of the U.S. Military’s food technologists. While it is already a big achievement being able to have an MRE pizza, will it really pass muster among the troops who are in the field? Stars and Stripes tried to find out by having their reporter in Kabul to see if the troops at the NATO Headquarters if they would have it in their bags when on missions or would rather face an incoming bullet from the enemy than eat it.

Luckily, the MRE pizza, despite initial criticisms on its appearance, seems to be get their approval and does taste like a day old pizza as promised. Even men from the land of pizza and pasta, Italy, were made to suffer eating a piece but they actually did like, meaning a pizza in the frontlines, it actually tastes good. Maj. Gianluca Cinque of the Italian Alpini Mountain Troops said that, “Taking into consideration where I’m going to eat that kind of pizza, yes, it’s good, in the middle of the s---.”

There you go folks, it’s safe, it’s edible, and yes it will be the pizza you will happily welcome when you’re in a hostile environment teeming with enemy troops after your neck. Just don’t forget to bring the beer.

September is a very busy month for Tokyo Marui as they will be at two big events this month. The first one is the Tokyo Game Show (TGS) 2018 on the 20th to the 23rd of September and to be followed right after by the 59th All Japan Model Hobby Show on the 28th to the 30th of September. For this feature, we’ll delve into the TGS 2018.

The TGS is the biggest video game show expo in Japan that is hosted by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) showcasing the most popular video games in Japan and around the world. Video game developers in the country promote their upcoming titles and they are joined by other game publishers from other parts of the world.

For TGS 2018, CAPCOM will be promoting the latest in the Biohazard/Resident Evil video game franchise, Biohazard/Resident Evil RE:2 is a remake of the Biohazard 2/Resident Evil 2 in which rookie police officer Leon S. Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield attempt to escape from Raccoon City during a zombie apocalypse. The remake will be released worldwide on January 25, 2019 and will be available on the Microsoft Windows, Playstation 4, and Xbox One.

Tokyo Marui’s strong partnership with CAPCOM continues with their Biohazard/Resident Evil collaboration. Tokyo Marui develops the airsoft versions of the guns from the game as well as contribute gun designs that can be used in the game, such as the Thor’s Hammer, based on the Marui SGR-12 AES. Their collaboration extends to supporting CAPCOM at the TGS where the airsoft company puts up a gun range for visitors to try and immerse themselves as characters in the game franchise and shoot targets based on the game using the Biohazard airsoft guns Tokyo Marui provides at the TGS.

The shooting range that Tokyo Marui will setup at the TGS 2018 will be called the Gunshop KENDO (ガンショップKENDO Gan shoppu KENDO). Visitors at the show will be able to shoot at zombie targets in the dark using tracer BBs. They will be able to use the Tokyo Marui Samurai Edge Gas Blowback Pistols, especially the newly released Albert.W.Model 01P Gas Blowback Pistol.  Only visitors 18 years and above will be allowed to shoot at the range, and they will need to show a ID proving their age upon entry at the range.

The Kendo Gunshop is based on the game's Kendo Gun Shop in Raccoon City owned by Robert Kendo who was good friend of Special Tactics And Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.) member Barry Burton. He is the character who helped create the custom guns for Barry and the other S.T.A.R.S. and with the airsoft versions produced by Tokyo Marui.

A limited edition Survive Magazine will be given away to visitors, subject to availability.

The Tokyo Game Show 2018 will be open only to industry/business visitors on the 20th to the 21st of September and then will be open to the public on the 22nd to the 23rd of September.

Much has been reported and written about the Modular Handgun System (MHS) program of the US Army in which SIG Sauer’s entry, the P320, won over strong competition from Glock, FN America, and Beretta, and became the M17, the U.S. Army’s latest service pistol.

With the release of the video series called “The Chosen One”, SIG Sauer chronicles the MHS program and is a four-part series that ends wanting you to keep a “piece of history” and get the P320-M17 pistol that the company made available for the civilian market.

In a press release from SIG Sauer, Tom Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, Commercial Sales, SIG SAUER, Inc. said, “The selection of the P320-M17 as the handgun for America’s soldiers was a historic moment for the U.S. Army, and also for Sig as a company. This video series tells the story of the P320-M17 and archives the comprehensive selection process that was undertaken by the U.S. Army. It’s a tremendous honor to support the mission of the U.S. Army and provide the handgun that protects those who serve our country in harm’s way.”

You can watch all the episodes below:

Episode One– The Search Begins: A historical review of the U.S. Army’s sidearm leading up to the search for a new modular handgun system to meet the demands of the modern battlefield.

Episode Two– The Chosen One: The search for the U.S. Army’s new sidearm begins and SIG SAUER develops the modular handgun system that would become – The Chosen One.

Episode Three– The M17 Enters Service: The M17 is officially placed into service with the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Episode Four– Own a Piece of History: The M17 is bringing a new level of capability and adaptability to the battlefield helping to keep America’s soldiers safe, and now civilians can own a piece of history with the P320-M17.

SIG Sauer also have the whole series on their website with even more information about the pistol in photos and in text.

We just wait for Cybergun to announce that they will be releasing a version of the airsoft market. We know that WE Airsoft are working on the SIG P320 Gas Blowback Pistol, it’s just a matter of tweaking the design make it look more like the M17 and even better, add the compact M18 to the airsoft offering.