Small Arms
- See Category:United States Coast Guard weapons
From 1986 until 2006, Coast Guardsmen on patrol were armed with Beretta M9 9 mm pistols. The Coast Guard has since transitioned to the .40 S&W caliber SIG-Sauer P229R DAK as the standard personal defense weapon, completing the changeover as of April 2006. Other small arms in service include the M16A2 rifle, the M4 Carbine and the Remington 870 police magnum riot shotgun, from which the Coast Guard employs both lethal and non-lethal rounds. The M14 Tactical rifle, (a variant of the M14 service rifle fitted with the same stock used on the Mk 14 Enhanced Battle Rifle), and a variant of the .50-caliber M107 precision rifle are used for Airborne Use of Force (AUF) missions. Specialized units within the Deployable Operations Group also employ the Mk 18 carbine and the Mk 11 7.62mm precision rifle. The Coast Guard's standard general purpose machine gun is the FN M240 machine gun which has replaced the M60. The M240B variant of this weapon is employed aboard surface vessels while the M240H is used aboard the MH-60 Jayhawk and MH-65 Dolphin helicopters. Many Coast Guard units are also equipped with the .50 caliber M2 machine gun. Weapons above .50 caliber are considered "weapons systems", rather than "small arms". Specific units such as Port Security Units use the M203 grenade launcher.
Read more about this topic: Equipment Of The United States Coast Guard
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