3 of the Oldest Weapons in the Pentagon’s Inventory

[rangerrebew]

3 of the Oldest Weapons in the Pentagon’s Inventory

If it ain't broke, why fix it?
By Kyle Mizokami   
May 21, 2018
 

For a country with a $600 billion dollar defense budget, the United States still uses a sizable amount of old gear. Some of the antiquated stuff is around because it works really, really well, and there’s not come along anything better to replace it with. In other cases attempts to replace the equipment have floundered, usually for reasons having to do with complexity or cost.

Over at Task & Purpose, veteran defense reporter Tom Ricks has posed a question: What is the U.S. military’s oldest piece of gear? Here at Popular Mechanics we dug up three examples that rank among the oldest still in action: the M2 heavy machine gun, KC-135 Stratotanker, and B-52H bomber.

Even though one of these weapons dates back to World War I, the Pentagon does not have plans to retire any of them any time soon.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a20777886/3-of-the-oldest-weapons-in-the-pentagons-inventory/

[Elderberry]

3 More:

1911

The M1911 is a creation of the legendary gunmaker John Browning, and it endured in service for over 100 years. The pistol became an icon for its strength in battle and by those who used it. The M1911 was phased out in favor of the Beretta M9 9mm pistol in the late 1980s but has stayed in service with Marine Special Operations units and is now designated as the M45.

M14

The M14 had a short service life as the standard American infantry rifle from 1959 to 1964 when it was replaced by the M16. But the rifle never left service and was the basis for the M21 and M25 sniper rifles before making a serious comeback during the Global War on Terror when it was upgraded to the M14 Enhanced Battle Rifle.

M61 Vulcan 20 mm Cannon

The M61 is the United States' primary armament for fixed-wing aviation. After entering service in 1959, the gun saw extensive use in Vietnam by all branches fighting in the skies. The gun was credited with shooting down 39 MiGs during the war. After over 50 years of service, the M61 is still found on American fighters and in the Navy's Phalanx CIWS.

[TomSea]

Is that why some folks around here have "vulcan" in their forum name? See "M61 Vulcan 20 mm Cannon".

[Cyber Liberty]

Some of the antiquated stuff is around because it works really, really well, and there’s not come along anything better to replace it with.

I remember the good old days, when Pop Mech actually had literate writers on the staff...otherwise a pretty good article once I got past the demand to allow ads.

[Free Vulcan]

Is that why some folks around here have "vulcan" in their forum name? See "M61 Vulcan 20 mm Cannon".