Steyr IWS 2000
Encyclopedia
The Steyr IWS 2000 is an Austria
n semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle
, produced by Steyr Mannlicher
. IWS stands for Infantry Weapon System. It is actually a smoothbore
weapon, like many modern tank gun
s, and not a true rifle
but this can help accelerate projectiles and increase ballistic effectiveness. It fires a 15.2 x 169 mm armor piercing fin stabilized discarding sabot
round (207 mm long), and is the first man-portable rifle to use this type of ammunition.
The first variant of the weapon was the AMR 5075. AMR stands for Anti-Materiel Rifle. It used a 14.5 mm armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot round (200 mm long). The projectile was a solid tungsten fin-stabilized dart with a body diameter of 5.56 mm.
Other variants are expected with the weapon still being under development.
. The IWS 2000 also uses a multi-baffle muzzle brake
to distribute muzzle energy and further reduce recoil, similar to the ones used on D-30 2A18M 122 mm Towed Howitzers. The entire rifle body is made up of a combination of high-tension plastics and superlight polymers to increase manageability and cut down on weight. The smoothbore barrel is easily detached and packed away for increased mobility. The five-round box magazine is inserted on the right of the rifle at a 45-degree downward angle.
or depleted uranium
, capable of piercing 40 mm of rolled homogeneous armor at a range of 1,000 m, and causing secondary fragmentation. The cartridge consists of a plastic case, a steel head, and a plastic sabot shell around the penetrator.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle
Anti-materiel rifle
An anti-materiel rifle is a rifle that is designed for use against military equipment rather than against other combatants ....
, produced by Steyr Mannlicher
Steyr Mannlicher
Steyr Mannlicher is a firearms manufacturer based in the city of Steyr, Austria. Originally a part of the Steyr-Daimler-Puch manufacturing conglomerate, it became independent when the conglomerate was broken in 1990.-History:...
. IWS stands for Infantry Weapon System. It is actually a smoothbore
Smoothbore
A smoothbore weapon is one which has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars.-History of firearms and rifling:...
weapon, like many modern tank gun
Tank gun
A tank gun is the main armament of a tank. Modern tank guns are large-caliber high-velocity guns, capable of firing kinetic energy penetrators, high explosive anti-tank rounds, and in some cases guided missiles. Anti-aircraft guns can also be mounted to tanks.-Overview:Tank guns are a specific...
s, and not a true rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
but this can help accelerate projectiles and increase ballistic effectiveness. It fires a 15.2 x 169 mm armor piercing fin stabilized discarding sabot
Kinetic energy penetrator
A kinetic energy penetrator is a type of ammunition which, like a bullet, does not contain explosives and uses kinetic energy to penetrate the target....
round (207 mm long), and is the first man-portable rifle to use this type of ammunition.
The first variant of the weapon was the AMR 5075. AMR stands for Anti-Materiel Rifle. It used a 14.5 mm armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot round (200 mm long). The projectile was a solid tungsten fin-stabilized dart with a body diameter of 5.56 mm.
Other variants are expected with the weapon still being under development.
Mechanism
This rifle is based on a nine-and-three-quarter inch long recoil mechanism. This mechanism, usually found in shotguns, helps manage the heavy recoil forces of the 15.2 mm Steyr APFSDS round due to its damping effect that allows for force distribution over a longer period of time. Another unusual feature of this weapon is the movement of the barrel. After firing, the barrel recoils into a shock-absorbing hydro-pneumatic sleeve much like those found on a LG 1 Mark II 105 mm HowitzerLG1
The LG1 is a modern 105 mm/30-calibre towed howitzer designed and produced by GIAT Industries of France.-Design:The LG1 howitzer is a 105 mm towed artillery piece that features both low weight and a high level of accuracy over long distances. Its lightweight construction gives the barrel...
. The IWS 2000 also uses a multi-baffle muzzle brake
Muzzle brake
Muzzle brakes and recoil compensators are devices that are fitted to the muzzle of a firearm or cannon to redirect propellant gases with the effect of countering both recoil of the gun and unwanted rising of the barrel during rapid fire...
to distribute muzzle energy and further reduce recoil, similar to the ones used on D-30 2A18M 122 mm Towed Howitzers. The entire rifle body is made up of a combination of high-tension plastics and superlight polymers to increase manageability and cut down on weight. The smoothbore barrel is easily detached and packed away for increased mobility. The five-round box magazine is inserted on the right of the rifle at a 45-degree downward angle.
The projectile
The projectile is a 15.2 mm fin-stabilized discarding-sabot type with armor-piercing capability which the IWS 2000 was specifaclly designed to fire. It contains a dart-shaped penetrator of either tungsten carbideTungsten carbide
Tungsten carbide is an inorganic chemical compound containing equal parts of tungsten and carbon atoms. Colloquially, tungsten carbide is often simply called carbide. In its most basic form, it is a fine gray powder, but it can be pressed and formed into shapes for use in industrial machinery,...
or depleted uranium
Depleted uranium
Depleted uranium is uranium with a lower content of the fissile isotope U-235 than natural uranium . Uses of DU take advantage of its very high density of 19.1 g/cm3...
, capable of piercing 40 mm of rolled homogeneous armor at a range of 1,000 m, and causing secondary fragmentation. The cartridge consists of a plastic case, a steel head, and a plastic sabot shell around the penetrator.
