20 Destructive Facts About Incredible Military Weapons That’ll Surprise You

The Soviets produced an assault rifle, the TKB-517 that was more reliable and accurate, and easier to produce and maintain than the AK-47. It was only rejected because of a greater proficiency with the AK-47 among the Russian military.

The FP-45 Liberator was an extremely cheap single shot pistol, which was developed by the US military to be airdropped in occupied territories during World War 2. It was intended for use by resistance forces fighting axis powers.

In 1967, a then-classified Army report showed that out of 1,585 troops questioned, 80% experienced a stoppage while firing the M16 rifle. This occurred while the Army insisted to the public that it was the best rifle available for fighting in Vietnam.

One of the weapons U.S.A. would have used in the planned invasion of Japan was Little David, a 36 inch (914mm) mortar used to test aerial bombs. Converted into a mobile siege gun, it fired 3650 lb (1600 kg) shells at a range of 6 miles and would have been the largest caliber gun ever fielded.

The US Army during World War 2 developed a grenade (T13 Beano Grenade) the same size and shape as a baseball, to make it more effective for the soldiers who had grown up playing baseball.

The Australian Mk 3 Centurion 169041 was nicknamed "The Atomic Tank" due to it surviving a 9.1kt blast from 460 meters away. The tank was simply driven off after the test and went on to spend another 23 years in service, including time in the Vietnam war.

The US military at one time invented the M65, the recoilless nuclear rifle. It fired nuclear rockets.

The Russian attack helicopter Kamov Ka-50 has an ejection seat. Before the rocket in the seat deploys, the rotor blades are blown away by explosives in the rotor disc.

The US military adopted the M2 Browning heavy machine gun in 1933, and still uses it extensively to this day.

During Operation Desert Storm there were 9 American M1 Abrams tanks destroyed. All 9 were destroyed by Americans.