Around 400 Remington M-4 automatic rifles were distributed to Army units based in
These units are the 79th Infantry Battalion and the Light Reaction Regiment, the premier counter-terrorist unit of the Philippine Army.
Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato, Army spokesperson, said that more M-4s will be added to the arsenal of these units in the coming days.
He also said that another 400 M-4s will be distributed to 84th Infantry Battalion, a field unit of the Eastern Mindanao Command, Friday afternoon.
The initial batch of 27,300 units out of the 63,000 M-4 units acquired for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) arrived last July.
The M-4 is a gas-operated, magazine-fed, selective fire, shoulder-fired weapon with a telescoping stock and 14.5 inch (370 mm) barrel to ease close quarters combat.
It fires the .223 caliber, or 5.56 mm NATO round.
"The M-4 carbine is a lighter and shorter variant of the M-16A2 assault rifle. The two have roughly 80 percent of their parts in common (and thus) cost efficient," the AFP earlier said.
And despite its short length, the M-4 has a point target range of 500 meters and area target range of 600 meters.
This is greater than the 460 maximum effective range of the M-16A1 assault rifle.
Detoyato earlier said M-4 can fire a more heavy shell than the M-16 automatic rifle it is replacing, thus ensuring greater damage to its target.
It can do this due to so-called "rifle twisting".
"The old M-16s have a 1-in-12 twist while the M-4s have a 1-in-7 twist making more powerful," he added.
Detoyato stated that the M-4 can be more easily upgraded with modern sighting devices.
"The new M-4s (are) ready for enhancements as it is the A3 model. Its carry-handle is removable (thus ensuring) its conversion as 'flattop' rifle with Picattiny rail for night vision gear. It also has a handguard to accommodate TGT designators, flash lights and many other items," he added.
And due to its smaller size than the M-16, Detoyato said the M-4 is more easier to carry in foliage and inside vehicles.
With this characteristics, the weapon is more easier to fire and reload during engagements, he added.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=680574
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