护木和上机匣对分别军版M16系列的识别作用越来越小了 - 作战2000论坛

After years of requests from senior Iraq politicians and generals, the U.S. has begun quietly converting the Iraqi army over to the M-16, the main rifle for U.S. soldiers for more than 50 years.

At left, Iraqi soldiers stand in formation near a dusty firing range in Camp Taji, northwest of Baghdad, as they prepare to fire their M-16s for the first time.

Through decades of war, the Iraqis replied on the cheap, plentiful and easy-to-use AK-47 assault rifle. The M-16 is a far more accurate and deadly weapon than the AK-47, and some U.S. troops question the wisdom of giving such powerful rifles to an army riddled with insurgent sympathizers.

Here, an American contractor shows his Iraqi students how to "clear" their M-16s to make sure there are no bullets left in their weapons.

In a country where almost every family keeps an AK-47, the M-16 has become an important symbol of a new, modern Iraq.

At left, Iraqi soldiers practice disassembling and cleaning their newly issued M-16s.

Here, an Iraqi soldier holds his M-16 after learning how to quickly reassemble his machine gun.

The M-16 demands regular maintenance and cleaning or it will cease firing. The American rifle also has more parts, springs and pins than an AK47, which means that soldiers need to have access to far larger pool of spare parts than are needed with an AK47.

The Iraqis received their first shipment of 20,000 M-16s earlier this year and will receive a second shipment of 21,000 weapons this fall. So far, the U.S. has distributed only about 2,400 of them.

At left, a U.S. contractor shows a class of Iraqi soldiers the proper way to grip an M-16.

Some U.S. trainers say the switch to the M-16 will help improve the professionalism of the Iraqi force and its performance on the battlefield.

Here, an American military adviser helps an Iraqi soldier practice loading and unloading his M-16.

At left, an Iraqi soldier poses with his M-16 after finishing three days of instruction on his new weapon. U.S. soldiers undertake almost two weeks of training on the same guns.

Iraqis say they want the weapons more for esprit de corps than for military effectiveness. Senior U.S. commanders say they have noticed the psychological advantage the M-16s give Iraqi soldiers, but it'll take time for the army to learn to operate the weapons effectively. Even among the Iraqis, after the initial enthusiasm of getting the new guns wore off, some soldiers began to complain that they preferred their old AK-47.

Here, Iraqi soldiers use wooden cut-outs to practice aiming their M-16s at a firing range at Camp Taji.