Image source: topwar.ru
The Armed Forces of Ukraine have received American M4A1 automatic carbines. According to a number of Ukrainian Telegram channels, the weapons arrived together with the next batch of weapons delivered from the United States.
According to publications, the Ukrainian Armed Forces received 7 thousand brand new M4A1 assault rifles of 5.56 mm caliber, as well as ammunition for them. The exact number of 5.56 mm cartridges delivered is not reported, but in the last batch there were something in the region of 50 thousand units. Later, a photo of the M4A1 carbine unpacked by the Ukrainian military appeared in Ukrainian social networks, judging by the picture, the machine is brand new and is in grease.
The M4A1 assault rifle is a shortened version of the M16A2 rifle, equipped with a folding stock, Piccatini bars for installing various sights and other devices. The carbine can be mounted with an M203A2 or M320A1 grenade launcher, as well as an M26 modular shotgun.
Image source: topwar.ru
One thing remains unclear why the United States supplies small arms to Ukraine, and even NATO-caliber ammunition stocks for which there are no supplies in Ukraine, and supplies cannot save the situation, because when conducting combat operations, small arms ammunition is spent by hundreds of thousands. In addition, Ukraine has enough Soviet-caliber weapons left over from Soviet times, as well as those purchased later in the same Russia. And there's plenty of ammunition for them. Moreover, the enemy uses the same caliber.
And one more small but important remark. In 2018, the US Army announced problems with the M4A1 automatic carbines (submachine guns), which turned out to be unsafe. As it turned out, the weapon can shoot involuntarily when switching the firing mode. To identify this problem, almost 9,000 M4A1 units were tested, of which 10% turned out to have the above defect. At the same time, it was detected in both Colt and FN carbines.
