【4月30日】看軍聞學英語

■刀客

原文：

In 1951, the Army developed the Special Purpose Individual Weapon, which fired plastic-cased 12-gauge rounds filled with multiple flechettes in an attempt to increase the probability of hitting enemy targets.

The Advanced Combat Rifle program, launched in 1986, pursued a similar goal, with several of the prototypes featuring plastic-cased ammo.

The Army took a renewed interest in lightweight ammo after 9/11, when combat troops began to struggle under heavy combat loads in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Despite years of research and development, the Army's weapons and equipment are still too heavy to allow foot soldiers to maneuver safely under fire. The only way to fully realize lightweight concepts is to take lightweight polymer composites for cartridge case applications.

中譯：

美國陸軍於1951年開發的特種用途單兵武器，可發射裝有多枚飛鏢彈的12號口徑塑膠彈殼子彈，以增加命中敵目標機率。

1986年展開的先進戰鬥步槍計畫，為達成類似目標，開發出數種主打塑膠彈殼的原型彈藥。

911事件後，當戰鬥部隊開始在伊拉克及阿富汗肩負沉重的戰鬥裝具奮力抗敵時，陸軍再度關注起輕量彈藥。

雖經多年研發，陸軍武器及裝備仍因過重，而無法讓步兵在敵火下安全行動。唯一能落實輕量化概念，就是運用輕量聚合物複合材料製作彈殼。

-關鍵軍語-

※flechette:

A pointed steel projectile with a vaned tail for stable flight.

※combat load:

The minimum mission-essential equipment required to fight and survive.

例句：

In the last 30 years, combat loads have skyrocketed.

近30年來，戰鬥裝具愈形加多。