Are submachine guns becoming obsolete?

Question

They are nowhere near as powerful as rifles, yet bigger and less maneuverable than the newer generation of PDW's, and unlike PDW's, most of them don't have the ability to defeat body armor. Are they on the way out or are they still useful?

Curt, hate to give you the first thumbs down but the H&K MP7 is classified as a PDW because it is not much bigger than a large pistol.

Reasonable Guy: yes I agree with you on the drills part... Last year I took part in a parade with this weapon:

http://world.guns.ru/assault/as31-e.htm

It was only 80cm long, too short to put down so we had to hold it up for the whole of one hour.

L J, if there's one SMG that is obsolete it's the Tommy Gun. It is the stuff of museums. Far too heavy at more than 4.5kg empty. That's heavier than a rifle in fact; the FN P90 in comparison only weighs 2.5kg empty.

Answer 1

SMGs are not obsolete and in no danger of becoming obsolete. They fulfill a need for a weapon in between the assalt rifle and the pistol. If you spend a day climbing in and out of a tank or truck, you'll appreciate the smaller form factor.

The MP7 looks cool but the rounds are too small. I believe they work out to .18 cal. They are nasty if the target is wearing body armour but do not transfer enough energy for hydrostatic shock to unarmoured targets.

SMGs like the classic MP5 still have the best mix of size, stopping power, and rate of fire for close combat or for non-combat troop's primary weapons.

Of course, I'm more partial to 120mm smoothbore APFSDS, but that could just be me.

Edit - The Tavor looks neat, but I bet that the drill maneauvers are a B!T@#

Answer 2

They are still used, and will continue to be used, by Special Operations Forces. If you saw the MP7 on Future Weapons you saw the kind of power they can have(it pierced armor and a kevlar helmet completely through the other side). And is very maneuverable and has a short barrel.

Answer 3

I think the M4 is a much better choice than the SMG for close quarters combat.

Answer 4

SMG's such as the MP5 are still widely used by Spec ops teams for CQB situations. They are also carried at times by platoon leaders to replace the usual sidearm as a defensive weapon. SMG's were never widely used by infantry forces. Mostly carried by officers and NCO's whose main function is to direct their troops fire rather than laying down fire themselves.

Answer 5

No i don't think so but the best sub gun is the full auto Thompson they are just too expensive to manufacture

Answer 6

this seems to be the future. however you classify it.

http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/small_arms/tavor/Tavor.html

http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/small_arms/magal/Magal.html