Factoid: The .50 caliber was used as a sniper weapon by US forces during the Vietnam War.

Length: 61.42 inches (156 centimeters)
Gun: 84 pounds (38 kilograms)
M3 Tripod (Complete): 44 pounds (19.98 kilograms)
Total: 128 pounds (58 kilograms)
Bore diameter: .50 inches (12.7mm)
Maximum effective range: 2000 meters with tripod mount
Maximum range: 4.22 miles (6.8 kilometers)

Primary function: 5.56 mm light machine gun for use in infantry squads
Weight: With bipod and tools, 15.16 pounds (6.88 kilograms); 200-round box magazine adds 6.92 pounds (3.14 kilograms); 30-round magazine adds 1.07 pounds (0.49 kilograms)
Maximum effective range: 3,281 feet (1,000 meters)
Rate of fire: cyclic, 725 rounds per minute; sustained, 85 rounds per minute

Gas operated, and air-cooled, it has a collapsible stock and can be fitted with rubber bullets for crowd control. The M4A1, the version made for Special Operations Forces, has a full automatic mode. But the tradeoff for making a shorter, handier version of the M16 has been in penetration, velocity and accuracy over longer ranges.

Primary function: 5.56 mm rifle for close-quarters battle
Weight: 7.92 pounds (3.6 kilograms)
Maximum effective range: area target, 2,624.8 feet (800 meters); point target, 1,650 feet (500 meters)
Rate of fire: 45 rounds per minute, semiautomatic
Other features: Can be fitted with M203 grenade launcher
Used by: Marine Expeditionary Units and U.S. Army units

Various other armies worldwide have adopted the Beretta for force protection. The handgun can be fired in double or single action mode. It has a reversible magazine release and a rear sight for spontaneous targeting. The Beretta 9mm is safe and reliable, but it's the immense power and precision that make it the military's top gun.

Though the US government had ordered 9mm Glock pistols for the Iraqis, the arrival and distribution hadn't made its way into Fallujah by the time the police station was overrun. The supply of weapons at the Fallujah station was so low - one gun to every four officers. According to one policeman, officers were bringing weapons from home for additional protection. Ammunition for the government-issued weaponry was inadequate too. One survivor of the police raid reported having just 10 bullets in his Kalashnikov to fend off the attackers. He survived by playing dead under a desk and managing to kick a grenade out the door. Before work the following day, he bought more bullets.

Factoid: The Beretta family has an amazing 475 years of experience in gun making and firearms expertise.

Length: 8.54 inches (21.69 centimeters)
Width: 1.50 inches (3.81 centimeters)
Height: 5.51 inches (14 centimeters)
Barrel length: 4.92 inches (12.5 centimeters)
Weight fully loaded: 2.55 pounds (1.16 kilograms)
Bore diameter: 9mm (approximately .355 inches)
Maximum effective range: 152.5 feet (50 meters)
Magazine capacity: 15 rounds
Muzzle velocity: 1200 feet (365 meters) per second
Unit Replacement Cost: $263

Humvees are droppable from a variety of aircraft, and its high power-to-weight ratio, four-wheel drive and high ground clearance combine to give it outstanding cross-country mobility.

Factoid: The Humvee has a snorkel kit which allows it to ford 60" of water.

Length: 15 ft
Width: 7.08 ft
Height: 6.00 feet reducible to 4.5 feet
Weight: 5,200 lbs
Engine: V8, 6.2 litre displacement, fuel injected diesel, liquid cooled, compression ignition
Horsepower: 150 at 3,600 RPM
Transmission: 3 speed, automatic
Transfer Case: 2 speed, locking, chain driven
Electrical System: 24 volt, negative ground, 60 amps
Brakes: Hydraulic, 4-wheeled disc
Max Speed: 65 mph

Last year, Army soldiers in Iraq began modifying some basic transportation vehicles like the M872 to carry additional weapons, usually the M-2 .50-caliber machine gun, the M-249 SAW, and the MK-19 automatic grenade launcher. By adding extra ammunition, soldiers hope to counter the ongoing threat of ambushes convoys face by surprising insurgents who might not suspect a counter-attack from a historically soft target. The tactic was used successfully in Vietnam where jeeps and trucks were also equipped with extra weaponry.

In the face of RPG, mortar attacks, and the remarkable number of improvised explosive devices, nearly 3,000 medium-weight trucks and at least 1,600 heavyweight vehicles are awaiting government-issued armor kits.

Factoid: The stunning success of IED attacks in Iraq prompted units to add sandbags to the floors of transport vehicles and sheets of steel to the truck bodies. The result is dubbed "hillbilly armor."

Factoid: The AK-47's inventor never earned a single ruble for the 100 million AKs in the world today. He didn't patent it.

Primary function: 7.62-mm assault rifle
Weight: 9.4 pounds (4.3 kilograms) with 30-round curved box magazine
Rate of fire: 100 rounds per minute/cyclic 600 rounds per minute
Effective range: 990 feet (300 meters)

The RPK is essentially a variant of the AKM assault rifle with a longer, heavier barrel and is fed either by a 40-round curved box magazine or a 75-round drum magazine.

It can also use the AKM's 30-round box magazine. The RPKS-74 version with folding butt was intended for airborne paratroops. These machine guns differ from the AK-74 assault rifle in barrel length and weight, sight windage mechanism, butt shape, dimensions weight and the design of the recoil compensator.

Primary function: 7.62 mm squad machine gun
Weight: Up to 15 pounds (7 kg) depending on magazine
Rate of fire: 150 rounds per minute in automatic mode
Maximum effective range: 2,640 feet (800 meters)

Factoid: In the Mogadishu ambush, it was an RPG the Somalis used to down the Blackhawk.

Primary function: Shoulder fired anti-tank weapon
Weight: 15.2 pounds (6.9 kilograms)
Effective range: 1,640 feet (500 meters)
Rate of fire: Four to six rounds per minute
Ammunition: 85 mm grenade
Other features: Can penetrate 260 mm armor

Factoid: Earlier this year, two Dragunov Sniper Rifles confiscated in Iraq had been found with holes drilled beneath the handguards in a deliberate attempt to wound anyone who found the ../weapons. During a US test fire, pieces of the handguards were blown thirty feet off the rifle.

Caliber: 7.62 x 54mm
Capacity: 10 round detachable box magazine
Length: 48.2 in.
Barrel length: 622 mm
Weight: 9.5 lbs.
Max rate of fire: 30 RPM