Weapons: Jungle Proving Ground

The nasty uncertainties of jungle warfare range from subversion to sabotage, from booby traps to base infiltration, and last week’s damaging attack on the U.S. airbase at Danang (see THE NATION) was a deadly reminder that the best-equipped troops can be surprised by a determined enemy. For all that, Viet Nam has become a veritable jungle proving ground for new weapons and novel equipment, much of it designed specifically for the kind of war the U.S. must fight there. Some of the armament has already been thrown into combat, some is undergoing advanced testing, some is just off the drawing board.

In regular use:

> U.S. planes are dropping Lazy Dogs, which explode in the air and spray the ground with small, razor-sharp projectiles; Cluster Bombs, loaded with hundreds of small bombs, explode after they have penetrated the jungle canopy, and Shrike and Bullpup air-to-ground guided missiles zero in on preselected targets. Ingeniously designed for low-flying missions is the Snakeye, a bomb that upon release opens an assembly of metal ribs like an umbrella’s skeleton. The sudden increase of air resistance retards the falling bomb and thus permits the jet that drops it to escape the blast of detonation.

> An 18-oz. radio transmitter was recently used in the rescue of a U.S. airman downed in the jungles of North Viet Nam. The transmitter emits a sirenlike radio beacon on preset frequencies, enabling rescuers to home in on survivors.

> A lightweight bulletproof vest and seat protector is being issued to U.S. helicopter pilots. Made of a classified combination of synthetic fibers and metal, weighing half as much as steel, the vest can absorb the full impact of a rifle or pistol bullet, shredding the bullet as it pierces the outer layer of the plating.

Undergoing advanced testing:

>The Army is field-testing a radio navigational system that enables troops to triangulate their position in unmapped areas. An 8-oz. radio receiver that a G.I. can clip onto his helmet allows him to hear his commanding officer’s voice at all times.

> The Redeye antiaircraft missile should give the infantryman his own weapon against strafing planes. It can be fired from the shoulder, is capable of finding its target by sensing the heat of the airplane’s engine.

> Mini Gun, a modern version of the Gatling gun used in the U.S. Civil War, is now getting a battlefield workout. Its six barrels can fire up to 6,000 rounds of ammunition per minute.

>A portable fuse jammer, details of which are still classified, offers protection by sending out electronic signals that cause artillery shells containing proximity fuses to explode prematurely.

Experimental:

>A newly developed recoilless pistol that fires a tiny rocket with twice the wallop of a .45, is inexpensive to produce (as low as 850 each) and simple to operate. Loaded with six 13-mm. rounds, each an inch and a half long, the gun ignites the rocket’s solid fuel to fire the projectile toward the target.

>The Ping-pong reconnaissance missile, fired with a bazookalike launcher, is programmed to zoom over an enemy position, take pictures, then fire reverse rockets to fly back to the launch site and land by parachute.