The
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
uses various equipment in the course of their work.
Small arms
Firearms
Explosives
Artillery
Vehicles
MRAP vehicles
The Pentagon bought 25,000
MRAP
Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP; ) is a term for United States Armed Forces, United States military light tactical vehicles produced as part of the MRAP program that are designed specifically to withstand improvised explosive device (IE ...
vehicles since 2007 in 25 variants through rapid acquisition with no long-term plans for the platforms. The Army plans to divest 7,456 vehicles and retain 8,585. Of the total number of vehicles the Army is to keep, 5,036 are to be put in storage, 1,073 used for training and the remainder spread across the active force. The
Oshkosh M-ATV
The Oshkosh M-ATV is a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle developed by the Oshkosh Corporation for the MRAP All Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) program. Intended to replace M1114 HMMWVs (Humvee), it is designed to provide the same levels of p ...
will be kept the most at 5,681 vehicles, as it is smaller and lighter than other MRAPs for off-road mobility. The other most retained vehicle will be the
Navistar MaxxPro Dash with 2,633 vehicles and 301 Maxxpro ambulances. Other MRAPs such as the
Cougar
The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large Felidae, cat native to the Americas. Its Species distribution, range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mamm ...
,
BAE Caiman, and larger MaxxPros will be disposed.
Vehicle-mounted weapons
* The M240, MK 19, and M2 machine guns can be mounted on vehicles.
* The
M134 Minigun
The M134 Minigun is an American 7.62×51mm NATO six-barrel rotary machine gun with a high rate of fire (2,000 to 6,000 rounds per minute). It features a Gatling-style rotating barrel assembly with an external power source, normally an electric ...
, fires 7.62mm ammunition at 3,000 to 4,000 rpm.
* The
M3P Machine Gun, an M2 variant with a higher rate of fire mounted on the
Avenger Humvee.
* The
GAU-19, a rotary gun that fires .50 caliber ammunition. Mounted on Humvees and helicopters.
* The
M230 Autocannon fires 30×113mm ammunition at a rate of 625 rounds per minute. It is mounted on the
AH-64 Apache
The Boeing AH-64 Apache () is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. It features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night vis ...
and
UH-60 Black Hawk Direct Action Penetrator helicopters.
* The
M242 Autocannon fires 25×137mm ammunition at a rate of 200 rounds per minute. It is one of the primary armaments of the
Bradley Fighting Vehicle
The Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV) is a tracked armoured fighting vehicle platform of the United States developed by FMC Corporation and manufactured by BAE Systems Land & Armaments, formerly United Defense. It is named after U.S. General Om ...
, and is one of a variety of anti-air and anti-surface naval armaments.
Aircraft
The U.S. Army operates some fixed-wing aircraft and many helicopters.
*
Number of aircraft
As of 4 April 2019, the Army has;
*193 – fixed-wing/STOL aircraft +
*3,372 – rotary-wing/helicopters =
*3,565 – total crewed aircraft +
*10,441 – UAVs/UCAVs/drones =
*14,006 – grand total of aircraft
Vessels
The Army also operates several vessels.
Uniforms
The standard garrison service uniform is known as "Army Greens" or "Class-As". The "Army Blue" uniform, is currently the Army's formal dress uniform, but in 2009 it replaced the Army Green and the Army White uniforms (a uniform similar to the Army Green uniform, but worn in tropical postings) and became the new
Army Service Uniform
The Army Service Uniform (ASU) is a military uniform worn by United States Army personnel in situations where formal dress is called for. It can be worn at most public and official functions. Over history, a number of different non-combat service ...
, which functions as both a garrison uniform (when worn with a white shirt and necktie) and a dress uniform (when worn with a white shirt and either a necktie for parades or a bow tie for "after six" or "black tie" events). The Patrol Cap is worn with the ACU for garrison duty; and the beret with the Army Service Uniform for non-ceremonial functions. The Army Blue Service Cap, is allowed for wear by any soldier ranked CPL or above at the discretion of the commander.
Body Armor
Field equipment
Modular sleep system
The Modular Sleep System (MSS) is a sleeping bag kit part of the
Extended Cold Weather Clothing System
The Extended Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS ) is a protective clothing system developed in the 1980s by the United States Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, Natick, Massachusetts. The first generation ECWCS cons ...
(Gen I to
Gen III) used by the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
and manufactured by Tennier Industries. It consists of a camouflaged, waterproof, breathable bivy cover, a lightweight patrol sleeping bag, and an intermediate cold-weather sleeping bag (note that the color differs depending on the vintage of the gear). Compression sacks are included to store and carry the system. The MSS is available in a variety of camouflage patterns. The patrol bag provides weather protection from . The intermediate bag provides cold weather protection from . Combining the patrol bag and intermediate bags provides extreme cold weather protection in temperatures as low as . The bivy cover can be used with each of three MSS configurations (patrol, intermediate, or combined) to provide environmental protection from wind and water. The sleeping bags are made of ripstop nylon fabrics and continuous-filament polyester insulation; the camouflage bivy cover is made with waterproof, breathable, coated or laminated nylon fabric; the compression sacks are made with water-resistant and durable nylon fabrics.
Army Elements Fleece
Used by Army aviation crews to adapt to varying mission requirements and environmental conditions.
''This section incorporates work from https://peosoldier.army.mil/newpeo/Equipment/Temp.asp?id=CIE_SS, which is in the
public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work
A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...
as it is a work of the United States Military.''
3D printing
In November 2012, the U.S. Army developed a tactical
3D printing
3D printing or additive manufacturing is the Manufacturing, construction of a three-dimensional object from a computer-aided design, CAD model or a digital 3D modeling, 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is ...
capability to allow it to rapidly manufacture critical components on the battlefield.
Additive manufacturing is now a capability at
Rock Island Arsenal
The Rock Island Arsenal comprises , located on Arsenal Island, originally known as Rock Island, on the Mississippi River between the cities of Davenport, Iowa, and Rock Island, Illinois. It lies within the state of Illinois. Rock Island ...
[New Army initiatives cut costs, get essential equipment to Soldiers faster]
/ref> where parts can now be manufactured outside a factory including:
*M1A1 Abrams tank turret
*40 mm grenade launcher
Future acquisitions
The U.S. Army has announced plans to replace numerous weapons in its arsenal, such as the M4 Carbine
The M4 carbine (officially Carbine, Caliber 5.56 mm, M4) is a 5.56×45mm NATO, gas-operated, magazine-fed carbine developed in the United States during the 1980s. It is a shortened version of the M16A2 assault rifle.
The M4 is extensively ...
and M2 Bradley IFV
The M2 Bradley, or Bradley IFV, is an American infantry fighting vehicle that is a member of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle family. It is manufactured by BAE Systems Land & Armaments, which was formerly United Defense.
The Bradley is designed fo ...
.
See also
*Equipment of the United States Armed Forces
The equipment of the United States Armed Forces includes: weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and attire.
Weapons
Vehicles Fixed-wing aircraft
Rotary Winged-Aircraft/VTOL/VSTOL
Spacecraft
Land vehicles
Watercraft
Attire
Uniforms
...
*Equipment of the United States Air Force
The equipment of the United States Air Force can be subdivided into: aircraft, ammunition, weapons, and ground vehicles.
Munitions
Weapons
Vehicles
Aircraft
*List of active United States military aircraft
Ground vehicles
Attire
Other ...
*Equipment of the United States Coast Guard
Equipment most commonly refers to a set of tool
A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, onl ...
* Equipment of the United States Marine Corps
*Equipment of the United States Navy
The equipment of the United States Navy have been subdivided into: watercraft, aircraft, munitions, vehicles, and small arms.
Surface ships
Commissioned surface ships and submarines (arranged by class and displacement)
Small boats
Submari ...
*
References
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United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
Equipment
Equipment most commonly refers to a set of tools or other objects commonly used to achieve a particular objective. Different job
Work or labor (or labour in British English) is intentional activity people perform to support the needs and ...