AR-15 Prequel - From "Salvo" to AR-10

AR-15 Prequel - From "Salvo" to AR-10

The development of the American 5.56mm caliber M16 rifle family originated from a study conducted by the Operations Research Office (ORO) of the United States Army. Established in September 1948 at Johns Hopkins University, the ORO was a civilian research institution funded by the Army to conduct studies aimed at enhancing military combat capabilities. Their initial research project focused on designing better protective combat body armor, known as the ALCLAD program. During this research, the ORO investigated over three million casualty reports from World War I and II and interviewed soldiers who participated in the Korean War. Their findings revealed that the majority of combat engagements occurred at close range. They concluded that combat squads with superior firepower were more likely to prevail, and proposed that infantry should be equipped with fully automatic rifles to increase firing rates. However, they also recognized the need for increased ammunition consumption and the necessity for infantrymen to carry a significant amount of ammunition, thus emphasizing the importance of reducing the weight of equipment carried by soldiers.

Shortly after the publication of the ORO's research findings, the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps initiated the "Salvo" program, which consisted of two phases. The first phase of "Salvo" proposed that when weapons fired in succession, the dispersion of ammunition within a 20-inch (0.5-meter) range would significantly increase hit probability. The second phase, "Salvo 2," tested conceptual weapon designs, including dart projectiles and multi-barrel weapons. Concurrently, the U.S. Army conducted tests on the T44 rifle (later adopted as the M14) and considered introducing the FAL rifle.

In 1955, Eugene Stoner designed the AR-10 automatic rifle, which utilized the gas tube principle from the AG42 Ljungman rifle and fired the T65 rifle cartridge. The AR-10's design was considered modern, incorporating composite materials, aluminum alloys, and glass-reinforced plastic, which provided advantages in weight reduction and recoil control. However, the AR-10 entered Army trials relatively late, in 1956, when the T44 and T48 rifles had already progressed to the final testing stage. Due to issues such as barrel overheating causing loosening of the muzzle device, the AR-10 was disqualified during trials. Nevertheless, the AR-10's design laid the foundation for the development of modern rifles, prompting the U.S. Army to request the design of a high-velocity .22 caliber rifle.

Although Stoner's design was considered too advanced at the time, the emergence of the AR-10 was significant for the development of modern rifles.

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