Space News: Mysterious ‘pi planet’ discovered in deep space

 

Mysterious ‘pi planet’ discovered in deep space

By  Chris Ciaccia,  Fox News , September 29, 2020

https://nypost.com/2020/09/29/mysterious-pi-planet-discovered-in-deep-space/

Scientists at MIT and elsewhere have discovered an Earth-size planet that zips around its star every 3.14 days.  NASA Ames/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle, C

A newly discovered exoplanet the size of Earth has one very peculiar characteristic — it orbits its star every 3.14 Earth days.

The research, published in the Astronomical Journal, notes the “pi planet” known as K2-315b is relatively close to Earth at 186 light-years away. A light-year, which measures distance in space, equals 6 trillion miles.

“The planet moves like clockwork,” the study’s lead author, MIT researcher Prajwal Niraula, said in a statement.

Exoplanet K2-315b was discovered in 2017 thanks to NASA’s Kepler telescope, but it wasn’t until this year that its orbit was confirmed via telescopes on Earth.

“Everyone needs a bit of fun these days,” co-author Julien de Wit added.

It’s believed that K2-315b is approximately 95% the size of Earth. It’s also believed to be terrestrial, or rocky, like Earth, but given its close proximity to the star, it’s likely not habitable with a surface temperature approaching 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

“This would be too hot to be habitable in the common understanding of the phrase,” Niraula added.

Additional research is needed to look into K2-315b and it could be “a promising candidate to follow up with” using the James Webb Space Telescope.

“There will be more interesting planets in the future, just in time for JWST, a telescope designed to probe the atmosphere of these alien worlds,” Niraula explained. “With better algorithms, hopefully one day, we can look for smaller planets, even as small as Mars.”

In July, Fox News reported that the launch of the James Webb Telescope originally scheduled for March 2021 was pushed back to Oct. 31, 2021, because of the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 4,000 exoplanets have been discovered by NASA in total, approximately 50 of which were believed to potentially be habitable as of September 2018. They have the right size and the right orbit of their star to support surface water and, at least theoretically, to support life.

Pi planet" Discovered🌍🌎🌏 | Strange Planet | Science On Space, Sep. 25, 2020

Please recommend this page & follow the Sputniks Orbit 

https://disqus.com/home/forum/thesputniksorbit-blogspot-com/

Rolls-Royce concludes testing of plane technology set to break electric speed record

SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 REPORT, by Bob Yirka , Tech Xplore

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-09-rolls-royce-plane-technology-electric.html

Credit: Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce has announced on its blog that the company has completed testing of the technology it plans to use in its line of electrically powered planes—one of which they expect will break speed records for electric airplanes. The new plane will be one of the core products of the company's ACCEL initiative, whose main objective will be to produce zero-emission planes and engines for other plane makers, and to be net-zero by 2050. Rolls-Royce has also created a video showing parts of the ground testing, which has been posted on YouTube.

The testing was done with a plane segment featuring a full-scale model of the front of the fuselage of the ionBird plane. It was fitted with a 500-horsepower electric engine backed up with 6,000 cells—enough, the company claims, to power supply 250 houses—which will keep the future plane going for approximately 320 km. The engine is also expected to deliver enough power to fly the plane at 480 km/h—which would be a record for an electric airplane.

Rolls-Royce has been working with electric motor maker YASA and Electroflight, an aviation start-up, and luxury watch company Bremont, which assisted with dashboard design, and which will also be the timekeeper when testing the speed of the plane.

The ground testing consisted of running the propeller at full speed (2,400 rpm), optimizing the system and putting procedures in place for using the technology in an actual airplane and analyzing data from sensors measuring aspects of the parts being tested. Officials with the company have announced that the first plane to use the new technology will fly sometime this year, with timing trials to be held early next year. That plane, which has not yet been named, will be a single-seater with three axial 750R electric motors to produce a 500-horsepower powertrain.

Credit: Rolls-Royce

https://youtu.be/UpEXwLm_qtw

Recommend this post and follow 

Sputnik's Orbit

Defense News: Czech Republic decides to purchase Rafael's SPYDER air defense system

 

Czech Republic decides to purchase Rafael's SPYDER air defense system

The European country will enter negotiations to procure the mobile system designed to counter attacks by a variety of aerial threats including planes, helicopters and UAVs

By Israel Defense, 09/27/2020

https://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/45503

SPYDER test firing, photo by Rafael 

Following an international tender process which lasted several years, the Czech Republic has decided to acquire Rafael's SPYDER air defense system, the Israeli defense contractor announced Sunday. 

SPYDER test firing, photo by Rafael 

The Czech Defense Ministry informed the Israeli Defense Ministry's Directorate of International Defense Cooperation of its decision to equip the Czech military with the system, Rafael said.  

On Friday, the Czech government approved the launch of negotiations to procure four SPYDER batteries within the framework of a government-to-government (GTG) agreement between the two countries. Israel was selected as the sole supplier for the project, and the expected deal between the countries' defense ministries is estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, according to the company.

photo by Rafael 

SPYDER (Surface-to-air Python & Derby), is a quick reaction, low- to-high surface-to-air missile system designed to counter attacks by a variety of aerial threats including planes, helicopters and UAVs. 

The system is said to provide effective protection of valuable assets as well as first-class defense for maneuvering forces located in combat areas. The SPYDER system includes a radar system produced by Elta, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries. 

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said, "We thank the Czech government for their partnership and for the decision to equip their military with Israeli air defense systems. This is another significant step in strengthening security relations between our two countries, and it is also great news for Israeli defense industries during such a complex period."

SPYDER Family - Air Defense Against all Threats, Rafael video, May 10, 2018

Ariel Karo, EVP marketing and business development at Rafael, commented "We are very proud to have been selected to provide SPYDER systems to the Czech Republic through a GTG process. 

The decision to select SPYDER, developed and produced by Rafael, is a significant vote of confidence in our proven air defense capabilities demonstrated over the years through a variety of solutions that span from Iron Dome, David's Sling, and the SPYDER air defense system, in service and combat-proven in different countries around the world."

SPYDER - Mobile, Quick Reaction Air Defense Systems, Rafael video, Aug 21, 2019

Rafael designs, develops, manufactures and supplies a wide range of high-tech defense systems for air, land, sea and space applications. 

Please recommend this page & follow the Sputniks Orbit 

https://disqus.com/home/forum/thesputniksorbit-blogspot-com/

SPACE - S0 - 20200930 - Large Plasma Filament, Solar Sign Confirmed

Good Morning, 0bservers!

   

    

Solar winds are still in the 550-620 KPS range right now, after (briefly) peaking at around 680 KPS right after midnight yesterday. We did see a small dip in both temperature and particle density in the mid-evening. The KP-Index calmed a bit yesterday to the KP-3 range (with a KP-2 snuck in there), but right after midnight UTC we went back into a minor solar storm with a couple of KP-4 (yellow) readings. Not sure if this is the leading edge of the push from the coronal hole/bright spot turning through yesterday. That passing bright spot is building a pretty large plasma filament, which could burst without warning, so eyes open. The Electron Flux has pretty much stayed OVER the threshold for the past 36 hours, but the X-Ray Flux has remained in the mid-Class A flare range for several days now. Surprisingly, not a single quake above Mag 4.5 was reported, only half a dozen blot echoes ranging from Mag 4.0-5.1.

Please Recommend this page and be sure to follow the Sputnik's Orbit 

https://disqus.com/home/forum/thesputniksorbit-blogspot-com/ 

AND WHILST YOU ARE HERE BE SURE TO FOLLOW AND RECOMMEND THE COCONUT WHISPERER https://disqus.com/home/forum/the-coconut-whisperer/

Researchers develop a new membraneless fuel cell

SEPTEMBER 29, 2020, By Institut national de la recherche scientifique - INRS https://phys.org/news/2020-09-membraneless-fuel-cell.html

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The research team of INRS Professor Mohamed Mohamedi has designed a green membraneless fuel cell that uses oxygen from the air. The results of this innovative microfluidic application—a first in Canada—were published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.

Conventional fuel cells are ubiquitous. They power electric cars and powered the computers used in the 1969 Apollo moon landing. These fuel cells lose voltage as they are used and eventually stop working. This happens because alcohol molecules (methanol or ethanol) in the fuel cell's anode compartment cross over the membrane separating them from the cathode compartment. Oxygen molecules in the cathode compartment react with the alcohol, causing a drop in voltage.

Scientists have unsuccessfully tried to develop a membrane that stops alcohol molecules from passing through it. Professor Mohamed Mohamedi, a lead author of the study published on September 8, took another tack: developing a fuel cell without a membrane.

His novel solution costs less and requires fewer steps to manufacture, but it fails to address a key challenge. "When the membrane is removed, the methanol or ethanol reacts with the oxygen, just like in conventional fuel cells. To prevent voltage drops, we had to develop selective electrodes in the cathode compartment. These electrodes, designed by doctoral student Juan Carlos Abrego-Martinez, remain inactive in the presence of alcohol molecules, but are sensitive to the oxygen that generates electricity," Professor Mohamedi explains. He notes another unique property of this membraneless fuel cell: it uses oxygen from the air around it.

From Model to Prototype

The first step the researchers took in building a working prototype was to run numerical simulations created by Alonso Moreno Zuria, INRS postdoctoral fellow and a lead author of the study. Through computer modeling, the team tested different configurations of selective electrodes in the fuel cell. "Conventional fuel cells are like sandwiches with the membrane in the middle. We chose instead to work on a single-layer design. We had to determine how to arrange and space the electrodes to maximize fuel use while keeping ambient air oxygen concentration in mind," says Professor Mohamedi.

Once the researchers settled on a configuration, they tested a prototype that became a proof of concept. The membraneless fuel cell powered an LED for four hours using only 234 microlitres of methanol. The researchers want to optimize the fuel cell so it can use ethanol, a greener fuel that can be produced from biomass and agricultural waste. Ethanol also provides more power per equivalent unit of volume.

The team expects the fuel cell to power portable electronics such as mobile phones and microsystems such as air pollution sensors. Unlike conventional batteries that store electricity and must be recharged, fuel cells continue to produce energy as long as fuel is available. "This energy supply method is particularly effective when recharging is not possible. Imagine being in the middle of the desert, without electricity. You could recharge your mobile phone using a small capsule of ethanol that you connect to the device," says Professor Mohamedi.

This pioneering technology has already attracted industry attention even though the research team is only at the prototype stage.

Recommend this post and follow 

Sputnik's Orbit

The mysterious luminescence phenomena of earthquake lightning

SEPTEMBER 28, 2020, by Shinshu University

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-mysterious-luminescence-phenomena-earthquake-lightning.html

Luminescence due to rock impact. 

Credit: Yuji Enomoto, Faculty of Textile Science and Engineering, Shinshu University

Were you aware that earthquakes are sometimes associated with luminescence, called earthquake lightning? 

This phenomenon had been documented throughout history, such as between 1965 and 1967, the Matsushiro earthquake swarm caused the surrounding mountain to flicker with light multiple times. In 1993 when an earthquake caused a tsunami off the coast in Southwest Hokkaido which caused 5 boats resting at shore to instantly ignite and burn. Various models have been proposed to explain earthquake lightnings, and it seems as though various factors contribute to such light emissions. Professor Emeritus Yuji Enomoto of Shinshu University, first author of the study "Laboratory investigation of earthquake lightning due to landslide," does not think these incidents can be explained in a unified way using a single model.

Therefore, the study focused on luminescence phenomenon caused by landslides. The team picked out various types of rock that form mountains representative of land across Japan; granite, pyroclastic rocks, rhyolite, limestone and serpentinite. What he found was that different rocks have different reasons for luminescence and some rocks such as serpentinite does not emit light at all.

Granite is known to exhibit remarkable photoemission due to the piezo-induced effect of the quartz within. There have been witness accounts of earthquake lightning in areas without granite. The researchers looked at descriptions of earthquake lightning in the Japan Historical Earthquake Archives. At least 5 of the 55 accounts of earthquake lightnings were due to landslides since 869 A.D.

You can probably imagine how light can be emitted when rocks collide violently. However, the luminescence of rocks is instantaneous and faint. For this reason, ultra-sensitive, high-speed, high resolution cameras and spectroscopes were required for the study. Fortunately, excellent cameras with an ISO sensitivity of 25,600 was available in the market at relatively low prices. For ultra-sensitive spectrum analysis, a device suitable for the purpose was commercially available but too expensive. Fortunately, the research team was able to borrow one from Konica Minolta, and the difficulty of continuing research was solved.

There are many cases in which electromagnetic anomalies associated with earthquakes have been documented while the cause remains a mystery. Even though it is a rare phenomenon, Professor Emeritus Enomoto feels an obligation as a Geo-tribologist to elucidate such phenomena. He hopes understanding such phenomena will lead to the advancement of earthquake prediction and promote active disaster prevention.

During the 2011 magnitude 9.0 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake, the number of electrons in the ionosphere suddenly increased above the epicenter of the earthquake about 10 minutes after the earthquake struck. Enomoto has studied this incident and proposed the lithosphere-hydrosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere coupling model in terms of current generation of charged mists. He is currently working to elucidate why in 1995, during the Hyogo-ken Nanbu Earthquake, the sky in the West which ordinarily remains dark became brighter than usual, and the color changed from bluish purple, white, then red. This is a difficult task. Enomoto hopes to put together a research-outreach book that explains these incidents so that they can be understood by a wider audience.

Recommend this post and follow

Sputnik's Orbit

Defense News: Knight's Armament awarded US Army contract for M110 sniper rifles

 

Knight's Armament awarded US Army contract for M110 sniper rifles

The firearms manufacturer is to provide the weapons under a contract worth almost $13.5 million

By Eyal Boguslavsky, Israel Defense, 09/27/2020

https://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/45497

The M110 sniper rifle. 10 rd. mag  Photo: US Army

US-based Knight's Armament Company (KAC) was awarded a nearly $13.5 million contract to supply the US Army with the M110 semiautomatic sniper rifle in various configurations. 

The M110 sniper rifle with a silencer/flash suppressor & 20 rd mag. Photo: US Army

KAC is estimated to complete delivery under the $13,480,110 firm-fixed-price contract by September 2025.

The M110 sniper rifle. 10 rd. mag  Photo: US Army

The M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System (M110 SASS) is a semi-automatic precision rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO round. 

The M110 sniper rifle. 20 rd. mag  Photo: US Army

It was developed from the KAC's SR-25 and adopted by the Army following the 2005 US Army Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle (XM110 SASR) competition. 

The M110 sniper rifle  on a quad mounting with a silencer/flash suppressor & 20 rd mag. Photo: US Army

The Army Recognition website reports that the M110 is to be replaced by the lighter and more compact M110A1 CSASS[2], which was developed from the G28, a variant of the Heckler & Koch HK417.

US Military MOST FEARED sniper uses M110 SASS rifle, Jan 22, 2016

Please recommend this page & follow the Sputniks Orbit 

https://disqus.com/home/forum/thesputniksorbit-blogspot-com/

SPACE - S0 - 20200929 - Space Weather, Solar System, Nova Science

Good Morning, 0bservers!

   

    

Rather than the usual start to this report, let's instead begin with the KP-Index as opposed to the solar wind speeds...

 

Yeah, yesterday was a bit of a bugger, geomagnetically speaking. It's calmed - slightly - after 0300 UTC, but it was a busy day up there, to say the least. Luckily, the last two readings have calmed back down to KP-3 on the image above. Solar winds (y'see, I didn't make you wait too long) remained elevated, staying in the 550-650 KPS range, with a brief spike right after midnight. Particle density was steady as a rock, but temperatures have risen slightly in the past few hours. Electron Flux is over the threshold again, but the X-Ray Flux has remained relatively steady in the mid Class A Flare range. The large Northern coronal hole, and the large bright spot behind it, are now both past the midpoint, so we'll be seeing that manifesting itself within the next 24-36 hours. The quake report is a bit busier this morning, but frankly not as busy as I was expecting it to be. We had a Mag 5.1 in the South Sandwich Islands region, a Mag 5.2 South of the Kermadec Islands, and a Mag 5.0 about 70 miles East of Guam. 

Please Recommend this page and be sure to follow the Sputnik's Orbit 

https://disqus.com/home/forum/thesputniksorbit-blogspot-com/ 

AND WHILST YOU ARE HERE BE SURE TO FOLLOW AND RECOMMEND THE COCONUT WHISPERER https://disqus.com/home/forum/the-coconut-whisperer/

Space News: ISS forced to make emergency maneuver to dodge space debris

 

ISS forced to make emergency maneuver to dodge space debris

By Harry Pettit,  the Sun, September 24, 2020

https://nypost.com/2020/09/24/iss-forced-to-make-emergency-maneuver-to-dodge-space-debris/

The International Space Station. Getty Images

The International Space Station was forced into an emergency maneuver last night to avoid a catastrophic collision with a rogue piece of space debris.

NASA said crew took shelter while controllers worked to urgently adjust the course of the floating lab, which orbits roughly 260 miles above Earth.

An American and a pair of Russians relocated to their Soyuz spacecraft as the change in course began so they could evacuate if necessary, NASA added.

The mystery object hurtled past the station at a distance of less than a mile at 11:21 pm BST (6:21 pm ET) on Wednesday.

The incident highlights the danger posed by a rising amount of space trash in our planet’s orbit.

“The @Space_Station has maneuvered 3 times in 2020 to avoid debris,” NASA boss Jim Bridenstine said following the near miss.

“In the last 2 weeks, there have been 3 high concern potential conjunctions. Debris is getting worse!”

NASA said it spotted the debris late and had to fire the engines of a Russian cargo spaceship attached to the International Space Station (ISS) to avert it.

Having safely dodged the object, Chris Cassidy, Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner, the current crew, have now resumed their regular duties.

Despite the need for an urgent maneuver, NASA claimed the crew was never in any danger.

ISS moves to avoid collision with space trash | Oneindia News, Sep.23, 2020

The ISS orbits Earth at roughly 17,130 mph. At that speed, even a collision with a small piece of debris could cause massive damage

Space debris has grown exponentially since the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landings.

Today we have nearly 2,000 live satellites in space and more than 3,000 discarded ones that remain in orbit.

On top of that, disused rocket boosters can circle our planet for decades after they’re launched.

The ISS maneuvered to dodge such debris 25 times between 1999 and 2018, according to NASA.

Please recommend this page & follow the Sputniks Orbit 

https://disqus.com/home/forum/thesputniksorbit-blogspot-com/

Young physicist 'squares the numbers' on time travel

SEPTEMBER 24, 2020, By University of Queensland

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-young-physicist-squares.html

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Paradox-free time travel is theoretically possible, according to the mathematical modeling of a prodigious University of Queensland undergraduate student.

Fourth-year Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours) student Germain Tobar has been investigating the possibility of time travel, under the supervision of UQ physicist Dr. Fabio Costa.

"Classical dynamics says if you know the state of a system at a particular time, this can tell us the entire history of the system," Mr Tobar said.

"This has a wide range of applications, from allowing us to send rockets to other planets and modeling how fluids flow.

"For example, if I know the current position and velocity of an object falling under the force of gravity, I can calculate where it will be at any time.

"However, Einstein's theory of general relativity predicts the existence of time loops or time travel—where an event can be both in the past and future of itself—theoretically turning the study of dynamics on its head."

Mr Tobar said a unified theory that could reconcile both traditional dynamics and Einstein's Theory of Relativity was the holy grail of physics.

"But the current science says both theories cannot both be true," he said.

"As physicists, we want to understand the Universe's most basic, underlying laws and for years I've puzzled on how the science of dynamics can square with Einstein's predictions.

"I wondered: "is time travel mathematically possible?"

Mr Tobar and Dr. Costa say they have found a way to "square the numbers" and Dr. Costa said the calculations could have fascinating consequences for science.

Dr Fabio Costa (left) with Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours) student Germain Tobar. Credit: Ho Vu

"The maths checks out—and the results are the stuff of science fiction," Dr. Costa said.

"Say you traveled in time, in an attempt to stop COVID-19's patient zero from being exposed to the virus.

"However if you stopped that individual from becoming infected—that would eliminate the motivation for you to go back and stop the pandemic in the first place.

"This is a paradox—an inconsistency that often leads people to think that time travel cannot occur in our universe.

"Some physicists say it is possible, but logically it's hard to accept because that would affect our freedom to make any arbitrary action.

"It would mean you can time travel, but you cannot do anything that would cause a paradox to occur."

However the researchers say their work shows that neither of these conditions have to be the case, and it is possible for events to adjust themselves to be logically consistent with any action that the time traveler makes.

"In the coronavirus patient zero example, you might try and stop patient zero from becoming infected, but in doing so you would catch the virus and become patient zero, or someone else would," Mr Tobar said.

"No matter what you did, the salient events would just recalibrate around you.

"This would mean that—no matter your actions—the pandemic would occur, giving your younger self the motivation to go back and stop it.

"Try as you might to create a paradox, the events will always adjust themselves, to avoid any inconsistency.

"The range of mathematical processes we discovered show that time travel with free will is logically possible in our universe without any paradox."

The research is published in Classical and Quantum Gravity.

Recommend this post and follow Sputnik's Orbit

https://disqus.com/home/forum/thesputniksorbit-blogspot-com/

SPACE - S0 - 20200928 - "New" Nova Trigger, Solar Storm Continues, Electroquakes

Good Morning, 0bservers!

   

    

We're in the middle of a geomagnetic storm right now, folks, with KP-5 and KP-6 readings on the chart since before midnight. This was reflected by a strong uptick in solar wind speeds starting mid-evening yesterday, jumping from a low of around 460 KPS to over 650 KPS, with the current speed in the 600-650 KPS range. There was no corresponding rise in density (which was already up there quite a bit) but I did see some Phi Angle activity near the same time, so it appears that the existing coronal stream was boosted by this magnetic instability. The SWPC forecasts continued geomagnetic storms for the next two days. So far, though, the storm appears to be flare-free. The X-Ray Flux readings are pretty much steady over the last couple of days, in the middle of the Class A flare range. The videos show that most of the rather large Northern coronal hole has passed central heliographic longitude. And the trailing (and rather large) bright spot is still showing a lot more magnetic complexity than I'm comfortable with, crossing the midpoint today. Surprisingly, though, the lithosphere has been amazingly quiet since yesterday, with only a few moderate (Mag 4.1-4.9) blot echoes, and a Mag 5.2 about 70 miles SSW of Nikolski Alaska.

Please Recommend this page and be sure to follow the Sputnik's Orbit 

https://disqus.com/home/forum/thesputniksorbit-blogspot-com/ 

AND WHILST YOU ARE HERE BE SURE TO FOLLOW AND RECOMMEND THE COCONUT WHISPERER https://disqus.com/home/forum/the-coconut-whisperer/

Defense News: US Defense Dept orders nearly $79 mil. worth of M249 machine guns from FN America

 

US Defense Dept orders nearly $79 mil. worth of M249 machine guns from FN America

The weapon is the American adaptation of the Belgian FN Minimi light machine gun

By Eyal Boguslavsky, Israel Defense, 09/24/2020

https://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/45466

A "fully improved" U.S. Army-issue M249, circa July 2010

Read more on:-

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/M249_light_machine_gun#

The US Department of Defense has awarded FN America LLC with a $78.7 million contract to supply M249 Squad Automatic Weapons to the Army.

A U.S. Marine firing an M249 from an M122A1 tripod at a training range in November 2003

The Virginia-based company is estimated to complete delivery under the $78,709,973 firm-fixed-price contract by September 2025. 

Early M249 "Para" equipped with a M145 Machine Gun Optic, October 2005, Koshk Kowl, Afghanistan

The M249 light machine gun is the American adaptation of the Belgian FN Minimi, a light machine gun manufactured by the Belgian company FN Herstal. The weapon was introduced in 1984 after being judged the most effective of a number of candidate weapons to address the lack of automatic firepower in small units. The M249 provides infantry squads with the high rate of fire of a machine gun combined with accuracy and portability approaching that of a rifle.

A Ranger with 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment armed with a Mk 46 machine gun provides overwatch security on an objective during a mission in Iraq, November 2006. The Mk 46 is a variant of the M249 SPW that was adopted by USSOCOM.

The Army Recognition website said that M249s have seen action in every major conflict involving the United States since the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989. Due to the weight and age of the weapon, the Marine Corps is fielding the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle with plans to partially replace the M249 in Marine Corps service.

Please recommend this page & follow the Sputniks Orbit 

https://disqus.com/home/forum/thesputniksorbit-blogspot-com/