24/7 Wall St. Insights
- 2010 to 2020 was an important decade for the U.S. military, marked by technological modernization and new advancements in cyber warfare, drones, and artificial intelligence.
- Several new gun models were also produced during this time, equipped to aid forces spread throughout the Middle East and other areas of the world.
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The 2010s saw several changes in the U.S. military, including wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, a focus on counterterrorism operations, and a shift toward modernization to compete with China and Russia. These various challenges necessitated the development of new weapons and technology, with significant advancements in areas like drones, artificial intelligence, and cyber warfare. The 2010s were marked by a trend toward enhancing the effectiveness, reliability, and modularity of firearms to meet the challenges of modern warfare. (These are the newest guns to see everyday U.S. military use.)
As United States forces were spread throughout the Middle East during this time, feedback from soldiers in the field heavily influenced the design of many small arms produced. Additionally, sniper rifles, shotguns, and machine guns could be tailored to whatever scenario might arise, whether it was long-distance engagements or urban combat.
To identify American military guns introduced in the 2010s, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a catalog of small arms from Military Factory, an online database of military vehicles, arms, and aircraft. We ordered these guns alphabetically. We also included supplemental information regarding the type of small arm, year introduced, manufacturer, firing action, caliber, and feed.
The Remington MSR (Modular Sniper Rifle), for example, was one of the sniper rifles that saw service during this time. Introduced to service in 2013, the Remington MSR is a highly adaptable rifle that could change caliber or barrel length in fairly short order. The rifle can be outfitted for .338 Lapua Magnum rounds, as well as .338 Norma Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum, and the standard 7.62x51mm NATO rounds. It has a maximum effective firing range just short of one mile. Given its versatility, this sniper rifle was regularly used by Special Operations units, as its modularity could fit whatever mission was at hand. (These are 30 firearms used by the U.S. Navy.)
Why We’re Covering This
Technological advancements in the 2010s led to new and improved weapons that have since become models and blueprints for the U.S. military’s current arsenal. Understanding the types of firearms utilized by the U.S. in conflicts like the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq can help us gain insights into the challenges soldiers face and identify how military weapons and tactics might be improved in the future.
Here is a look at the American-made military guns of the 2010s:
AAI LSAT
- Type: Light machine gun
- Year introduced: 2010
- Manufacturer: AAI Corporation
- Firing action: Gas-operated piston
- Caliber and feed 5.56x45mm NATO; 100- or 150-round caseless
Ares-16
- Type: Modular automatic weapon
- Year introduced: 2012
- Manufacturer: Ares Defense Systems
- Firing action: Gas-operated, short stroke tappet, selective fire
- Caliber and feed 5.56x45mm NATO, .223 Remington; 20- or 30-round detachable box magazine
Barrett MRAD
- Type: Bolt-action sniper rifle
- Year introduced: 2012
- Manufacturer: Barrett Firearms Company
- Firing action: Manually-actuated, bolt-action system
- Caliber and feed .338 Lapua Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum, .308 Winchester; 10-round detachable box magazine
Barrett REC10
- Type: Designated marksman rifle
- Year introduced: 2017
- Manufacturer: Barrett Firearms Company
- Firing action: Semi-automatic, direct impingement
- Caliber and feed .308 Winchester; 20-round detachable box magazine
Colt LE901
- Type: Carbine
- Year introduced: 2013
- Manufacturer: Colt Manufacturing
- Firing action: Gas-operated, locking bolt, semi-automatic
- Caliber and feed .308 Winchester; 30-round detachable box magazine
Extar EP9
- Type: Personal defense weapon
- Year introduced: 2018
- Manufacturer: Extar
- Firing action: Blowback
- Caliber and feed 9x19mm; 17-round detachable box magazine
Fabrique Nationale 509
- Type: Semi-automatic hand gun
- Year introduced: 2017
- Manufacturer: Fabrique Nationale
- Firing action: Semi-automatic, strike-fired
- Caliber and feed 9x19mm; 10-, 17- or 24-round detachable box magazine
Fabrique Nationale FNS
- Type: Semi-automatic service pistol
- Year introduced: 2011
- Manufacturer: Fabrique Nationale
- Firing action: Striker-fired, double-action, semi-automatic
- Caliber and feed 9x19mm Parabellum, .40 S&W; 10-, 12-, 14- or 17-round detachable box magazine
Flexforce Dronebuster
- Type: Hand-held anti-drone weapon
- Year introduced: 2016
- Manufacturer: Flexforce Enterprises
- Firing action: Electronic
- Caliber and feed N/A; N/A
GS-777
- Type: Lightweight shoulder-fired rocket launcher
- Year introduced: 2015
- Manufacturer: AirTronic
- Firing action: Rocket propelled grenade
- Caliber and feed 40mm; Single-shot, reusable launch tube
HK M27 IAR
- Type: Designated marksman rifle
- Year introduced: 2011
- Manufacturer: Heckler & Koch
- Firing action: Gas-operated, rotating bolt, select-fire, piston-driven
- Caliber and feed 5.56x45mm NATO; 30-round detachable box magazine
HK XM25 CDTE
- Type: Grenade launcher
- Year introduced: 2015
- Manufacturer: Heckler & Koch
- Firing action: Gas-operated, semi-automatic
- Caliber and feed 40mm; 4-round magazine
Kel-Tec KSG
- Type: Pump-action bullpup shotgun
- Year introduced: 2011
- Manufacturer: Kel-Tec CNC Industries
- Firing action: Manual pump-action
- Caliber and feed 12-gauge; Twin 6-shot internal tube magazine
Kel-Tec PMR-30
- Type: Semi-automatic pistol
- Year introduced: 2011
- Manufacturer: Kel-Tec CNC Industries
- Firing action: Semi-automatic, unlocked short-recoil, single-action
- Caliber and feed .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire; 30-round detachable magazine
Kel-Tec RDB
- Type: Semi-automatic bullpup rifle
- Year introduced: 2015
- Manufacturer: Kel-Tec CNC Industries
- Firing action: Short-stroke, gas-operated, rotating bolt, semi-automatic
- Caliber and feed 5.56x45mm NATO, .223 Remington; 20-round detachable box magazine
M2010 ESR
- Type: Bolt-action sniper rifle
- Year introduced: 2011
- Manufacturer: Remington Arms Company
- Firing action: Manually-operated bolt-action
- Caliber and feed .300 Winchester Magnum; 5-round detachable box magazine
Mk13 (SOCOM)
- Type: Bolt-action sniper rifle
- Year introduced: 2017
- Manufacturer: Accuracy International
- Firing action: Manually-actuated, bolt-action system
- Caliber and feed .300 Winchester Magnum; 5-round detachable magazine
Model 1216
- Type: Semi-automatic shotgun
- Year introduced: 2016
- Manufacturer: SRM Arms
- Firing action: Roller-delayed blowback, semi-automatic fire
- Caliber and feed 12-gauge; 8-, 12- or 16-round
Origin-12
- Type: Semi-automatic tactical shotgun
- Year introduced: 2014
- Manufacturer: Fostech Arms
- Firing action: Gas-operated, rotating bolt
- Caliber and feed 12-gauge; 5-, 8-, or 10-round detachable box magazine
P365
- Type: High-capacity semi-automatic pistol
- Year introduced: 2018
- Manufacturer: SIG-Sauer
- Firing action: Semi-automatic, short-recoil, locked breech
- Caliber and feed 9×19 Parabellum, .380 ACP; 10- or 12-round detachable box magazine
Remington MSR
- Type: Bolt-action sniper rifle
- Year introduced: 2013
- Manufacturer: Remington Arms Company
- Firing action: Manually-actuated bolt-action system
- Caliber and feed .338 Lapua Magnum, .338 Norma Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum, 7.62x51mm NATO; 5-, 7- or 10-round detachable box magazine
TDI Vector (KRISS Super V)
- Type: Submachine gun
- Year introduced: 2010
- Manufacturer: Transformational Defense Industries
- Firing action: Closed bolt, patented delayed-blowback
- Caliber and feed .45 ACP, .40 S&W; 13-, 17- or 30-round detachable box magazine
590M Shockwave
- Type: Magazine-fed pump-action shotgun
- Year introduced: 2018
- Manufacturer: Mossberg
- Firing action: Manually-actuated pump-action slide, magazine-fed
- Caliber and feed 12-gauge; 5-, 10-, 15-, or 20-round detachable box magazine
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