assault rifle, military firearm that is chambered for ammunition of reduced size or propellant charge and that has the capacity to switch between semiautomatic and fully automatic fire. Because they are light and portable yet still able to deliver a high volume of fire with reasonable accuracy at modern combat ranges of 1,000–1,600 feet (300–500 metres), assault rifles have replaced the high-powered bolt-action and semiautomatic rifles of the World War II era as the standard infantry weapon of modern armies. A hint at this new weapon had been given during World War I, when Vladimir Grigorevich Fyodorov, father of Russian
Department of Defense photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dusty Howell, U.S. Navy
Top Questions
What is an aircraft carrier?
An aircraft carrier is a naval vessel from which airplanes may take off and land. Basically, an aircraft carrier is an airfield at sea. Special features include catapults on the flight deck to assist in launching aircraft; for braking while landing, aircraft are fitted with retractable hooks that engage wires on the deck.
Who was the first pilot to take off from a platform on a ship, a forerunner of the aircraft carrier?
American civilian Eugene Ely was the first pilot to fly a plane off a specially built platform on the deck of the U.S. cruiser