The Sad Tale of Silver Streak

((Authors Note - This really has nothing to do with the story, but I thought it would be nice to explain the military of Equestria in this fan fics universe. It explains the type of equipment the military uses and their responsibilities. Please remember the fact that this fan fic takes place in the year 2019. The military of Equestria is mostly based on the United States Military, with some modifications. A lot of the stuff here is technical stuff, just so you know.

Also, some stuff on this page is not real, such as the F/A-37 Thunderbolt III. Keep in mind, this information is NOT canon.

Status - Information of Air Force, Army, National Guard, Royal Guards, and Task Force 44 complete. Information on Marines and Navy coming soon.))

In times of crisis, a need arises for heroes. The typical citizens of Equestria believe that the Royal Guard are responsible for keeping the peace and protecting their citizens. However, this is not completely true. The Royal Guard is a special unit within the Royal Equestrian National Guard, known as the 34th Royal Guard Unit and the 56th Royal Guard Unit. They were originally assigned to protect the princesses, but are mainly around for ceremonial purposes. In modern times, their weaponry, which consists of antique swords and spears, and their armor, would not stand a chance against modern weaponry, such as someone wielding an automatic rifle or a sub machine gun.

Unbeknownst to many, however, is that the Princesses have been under a new units protection ever since the invention of the first automatic weapon. This unit is known as the Task Force 44, or the Guardians. They are equipped with the most high tech technology the Equestrian Military has access to, and will protect the Princesses at all costs. They are made up of four battalions, each with a certain responsibility. The First Battalion dresses as civilians and hides in the crowds, armed with a sub machine gun (originally a MP-40, but was later replaced by an MP5K and its later models, which was in turn replaced by the XM8 Compact, and later, the M8 Compact), searching for possible threats and, in case of an attack, keeping the civilians calm and orderly. The Second Battalion dresses as guards, but however, hidden in a secret compartment within their armor is a select fire carbine (originally a M1A1 Carbine, which was later replaced by the CAR-15, which was then replaced by the Mark 18 Close Quarters Battle Reciever). They are the first responders in case of an attempt on the Princesses life. The Third Battalions are dressed in military uniforms (originally an olive drab jacket and pants, flak jacket, and a combat helmet, now they wear the Army Combat Uniform, as well as improved outer tactical vest and advanced combat helmets) and use a variety of firearms, such as the M8, MP7A1, and the SCAR-H (Formed several years after the forming of the first two battalions. Originally used the M16A1, M16A2, MP5A2, and M14)). The Third Battalion also has weapons such as M249's and M240's for when heavy firepower is needed, AT4's for anti-vehicular combat, and M14 EBR's and M107's for snipers. The Fourth Battalion is made up of fifty of the best marksman that the Royal Equestrian Armed Forces has to offer. They wear the Army Combat Uniform with the lightweight modular body armor vest, and are all armed with either a M14 EBR or an Intervention sniper rifle. They also have access to the M82A3 when the need arises. They are typically stationed on nearby buildings, hills, and other vantage points. The seventeen pegasi in the battalion are perched up on clouds positions around the AO (Area of Operation).

While Task Force 44 protects the Princesses, the Royal Equestrian National Guard are responsible for handling the problems at home. It was formed in 1009, when Princess Luna developed a new organization system for the military. This revolutionary new system helped Equestria's military become the top dogs. While the Army was out fighting wars, however, the National Guard was responsible for securing Equestria's borders. A thousand years later, the National Guard still lives. Now a days, however, the Guard doesn't need to defend our borders from constant attack. So, they are deployed in times of crisis, such as riots or natural disasters. A good example of this would be when the Lord of Chaos, Discord, returned. Using a small army of corrupted ponies, numbering roughly one thousand ponies, he tried to overthrow the Princesses from their throne. When this army arrived in Canterlot, however, they were met with 750 members of the 65th Guard Unit, all armed with riot gear, batons, tear gas, and shotguns loaded with bean bags and rubber bullets. The reason they weren't using lethal weapons is because the Princesses knew that the moment Discord was defeated, they would turn back. Due to this, the 65th had 143 casualties, as well as over 300 injured. But, ultimately, they pushed Discords army out of the capital, leading to a victory for Equestria. However, in combat operations, they are typically armed with weapons formally used by the Army, such as the M16A2, the M4 Carbine (Not to be confused with the M4A1, its fully automatic variant) and the M60, with some units having access to more up to date weapons, such as the M4A1, M8, and the SCAR-L. Sharpshooters within the National Guard use the M14 DMR and the M82A1. Gunners use the variants of the M60, as well as the original M249's and the M240B (Which was recently replaced by the M240B). They also have recently switched from the BDU and DCU to the ACU, which is currently in use by the Army and Task Force 44, as well as the improved outer tactical vest and the advanced combat helmet. The National Guard also uses a variety of vehicles, such as the HMMWV (better known as the humvee), the M113, the M2A2 Bradley, and the M1 MBT.

However, the National Guard is actually a part of the Royal Equestrian Army. The Royal Equestrian Army is deployed in conflicts outside of Equestria's borders, as well as high risk conflicts within Equestria's borders. They are equipped with the most up to date equipment available to the Equestrian Military. Its most widely used firearms are the M8 and the M4A1, however, they also use the UMP 45, M249, SDM-R, M240L, M1014, M32 MGL, M110 SASS, and the M82A3. They also wear the army combat uniform, as well as the improved outer tactical vest and the advanced combat helmet. The Army has a specific squad system, such as the other branches. The following is the organization system for the Armies squads.

Infantry Squad:

-Three soldiers armed with M8's or M4A1's.
-Two soldiers armed with an M8 with an M320 grenade launcher or an M4A1 with an M203 grenade launcher.
-Two soldiers armed with an M8 or M4A1 and an M110 SASS or a SDM-R.
-One soldier armed with an M249 or an M240L.

Light Infantry Squad:

-Three soldiers armed with M8 Carbines or M4A1's.
-Five soldiers armed with Compact M8's.
-One soldier armed with an M110 SASS or a SDM-R and an UMP45.

Marksman Squad:

-Two soldiers armed with an M8 or M4A1 that is equipped with an ACOG sight.
-One soldier armed with an M110 SASS and an UMP45.
-One soldier armed with an M82A3 and an UMP45.

Assault Squad:

-Three soldiers armed with an M8, equipped with an M320 grenade launcher or an M4A1, equipped with an M203 grenade launcher.
-Two soldiers armed with an M249 or an M240L.
-Two soldiers armed with an M32 MGL and an M8 Carbine or M4A1.

Engineer Squad:

-Four soldiers armed with an M16A4, equipped with an M203, or a SCAR-L, equipped with an FN40GL, as well as an XM25.
-Two soldiers armed with M249's or an M240L.
-Two soldiers armed with an M1014 and an AT4.
-A soldier with an M1014 and various types of explosives.

Apart from the regular Army forces, the Army also has multiple Special Operations groups, such as the Green Berets, the Army Rangers, and Delta Force. They use different firearms than the regular Army unit. Below is some examples:

Assault Rifles used by regular Army units: M8, M16A4, and the M4A1.
Assault Rifles used by Special Operations units: HK416 and the SCAR-L.

DMR's/Sniper Rifles used by regular Army units: SDM-R, M82A3, and the M110 SASS.
DMR's/Sniper Rifles used by Special Operations units: SCAR-H, HK417, M107A1, Intervention, and the M14 EBR.

LMG's used by regular Army units: M249 and the M240L.
LMG's used by Special Operations units: Mk 46, Mk 48, and the M27 IAR.

SMG's used by regular Army units: UMP45 and the MP5A3 (Being phased out).
SMG's used by Special Operations units: MP7A1, P90, and the MP5A3 SD (Being phased out).

The regular Army units and Special Operations units also share certain weapons, such as the USP (standard sidearm of the Army and Navy), the M1014 (used in breaching and close quarters), and the MP5 (Former standard SMG with Special Operations and regular Army units, currently being phased out. The MP5N is still in use by the Navy and the MP5A3 is being used by the Royal National Guard.) Additionally, Special Operations units used to use the M4A1, but was later replaced by the SCAR and the HK416, though National Guard Special Forces still use the M4A1.

Like the regular Army unit, Special Operations units also have a specific system for their teams. See below for some examples:

Special Operations Team (Assault):

-Five operatives armed with a HK416 or a SCAR-L, all upgraded using a SOPMOD kit.
-Two operatives armed with a SCAR-H or an HK417 with an ACOG sight attached to it.
-Two operatives armed with a M27 IAR or a Mk 46.
-An operative armed with a Mk 48.
-An operative armed with a M14 EBR.

Special Operations Team (Light Assault):

-Three operatives armed with a HK416 or SCAR-L, all upgraded using a SOPMOD kit.
-Two operatives armed with a SCAR-H or an HK417 with an ACOG sight attached to it.
-One operative armed with a M27 IAR or a Mk 46.
-One operative armed with a M14 EBR.

Special Operations Team (Stealth):

-Four operatives armed with a MP7A1 or P90 with a suppressor attached to it.
-Two operatives armed with a M14 EBR and a MP7A1 or P90, both having a suppressor attached to them.

Special Operations Team (Marksman):

-Two operatives armed with a HK416 or SCAR-L, all upgraded using a SOPMOD kit.
-One operative armed with a SCAR-H or an HK417 with an ACOG sight attached to it.
-One operative armed with an Intervention sniper rifle or an M107A1 and a SCAR-L or HK416.

When it comes to the vehicles the Army uses, there is a large variety of them, from helicopters to tanks. For ground vehicles, the Army uses the HMMVW, the IAV Stryker, M2A3 Bradley, the FMTV, and the M1 MBT (M1A1 and M1A2 variants), as well as the M113 and M393 Truck, both of which are probably going to be phased out by 2024. For aerial vehicles, the Army uses the UH-60 Black Hawk (UH-60A, UH-60L, and UH-60M variants), MH-60 Black Hawk (MH-60K and MH-60L variants), the CH-47 Chinook (CH-47D and CH-47F variants), the MH-47 Chinook (MH-47D, MH-47E, and MH-47G variants), the AH-64 Apache (AH-64A and AH-64D variants), and the UH-72 Lokota. When the Army needs something larger, they normally call in the Air Force for assistance.

Air Force

Back in 526, when Equestria was founded, the Air Force was a division in the Army, known as the Royal Equestrian Army Air Forces, which operated like how modern day Airborne divisions operate. Most Pegasi were placed in this division. On the battlefield, Pegasi would strafe enemy infantry using bows and arrows, later crossbows and automatic crossbows. They would also pour buckets of boiling oil on the enemy, before lighting the oil on fire using a flaming arrow. However, these Pegasi wore no protective armor whatsoever, since any armor manufactured at the time was too heavy for a Pegasus to fly with. This changed in the year 1247, when a lightweight armor was developed for the REAAF, which is still used to this day as a dress uniform for all branches (Black with a gold trim for active duty, silver with a black trim for reserves and the National Guard, and gold for members of the Royal Guard, as well the members of Task Force 44's Second Battalion).

Hundreds of years later, in the year 1922, the Air Force was separated from the Army, due to the invention of the first fighter, named the P-25 Avenger. The Avenger was used as the Air Forces primary fighter, until the introduction of the P-51 Mustang the early 1940's. The Mustang and Avenger both continued to be used well into the 1970's. However, in the year 1959, the first fighter jet was developed and introduced to the Air Force. This fighter jet was named the F-86 Sabre, which was built to combat the MiG-15 developed and used by the Griffons and Diamond Dogs. A few years later, the Air Force adopted the F-4 Phantom. Since the Mustang and Avenger were now obsolete, the remaining ones were either transferred to the Air Force Reserve or scrapped. The F-4 faced competition from the MiG-21 used by the Diamond Dogs, and the Griffons reverse engineered version of the Phantom, the F-55 Geist. Apart from fighter aircraft, several helicopters were introduced into service, the H-47 Chinook, the CH-53 Super Stallion, the MH-53 Pave Low, and the UH-1 Iroquois, or the Huey, and later, the UH-60 Black Hawk.

With the developement of these helicopters, the Air Force developed an elite division of Pararescuers. Their primary purpose is to extract downed pilots, but they also participate operations behind enemy lines, as well as joint combat operations with other Special Operations divisions. When they were first formed, they used BDU's, flak jackets, M16A2's, MP5's, and CAR-15's. Now a days, they use the ABU, which uses a digitalized tigerstripe pattern with a color scheme similar to the ACU, interceptor body armor, the advanced combat helmet, the M4A1, the Mark 18 Close Quarters Battle Receiver, the SCAR-L, and the M14 EBR, as well as numerous other weapons. They typically use the Black Hawk, but also use the Super Stallion and the Huey.

In the year 1981, the Air Force developed a new fighter jet named the F-16 Fighting Falcon, which replaced the remaining Sabre's, as well as the earlier variants of the Phantom. A few years later, the F-15 Eagle and the F/A-18 Hornet were developed, replacing the remaining Phantoms. The latest variant of the Phantom, the F-4E, which was planned to be introduced to the Air Force in 1985, was instead placed in the reserves, replacing the remaining Avengers, Mustangs, and Sabre's. The first stealth bomber, the F-117 Nighthawk, was developed, as well as the B-2 Spirit. The F-4E continued to serve in the reserve until 1999, where it was replaced by older models of the F-15, F-16, and F/A-18. These older models were in turn replaced by the F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornets, as well as the F-16C and F-16D Fighting Falcons and the F-15E Strike Eagle. Around this time, a new stealth bomber was also developed, named the B-1 Lancer, which replaced the F-117's. The B-2 remained in wide spread use, since it could carry much more of a payload than the Lancer.

In 2005, the first stealth fighter jet, named the F-22A Raptor, was developed. It first saw combat in the 2009 Equestria-Canine Arabia Border Conflict, where several squadrons of Raptors, with support from a few squadrons of Griffon F-155F Super Geists, engaged in an air-to-air battle against approximately sixty-two MiG-29's, and thirty MiG-31's. Though the Raptors and Super Geists were heavily outnumbered and took heavy casualties, the Diamond Dogs ended up suffering almost one hundred percent casualties, with only a few MiG's left when they were told to retreat. The downed pilots of the MiG's ended up fighting to their deaths against Air Force Pararescuers and members of the Armies First Armored Division or committed suicide. After reviewing footage of the air-to-air battle, the Diamond Dogs casualties were thirty percent friendly fire, twenty two percent were downed by the Super Geists, and the rest were downed by the Raptors. In the aftermath of this battle, the Air Force of Canine Arabia was crippled, not because of the number of aircraft lost, but because of the loss of the majority of their best pilots. This helped a lot in the 2015 Canine Arabian Invasion of Equestria, where the Equestrian Air Force suffered only 24 casualties in air-to-air, while the diamond dogs suffered over 500 casualties in air-to-air.

In the year 2013, the F-35A Lightning II entered service in the Air Force, replacing the F-16C and F-16D, as well as the F-15C. These replaced the F-16A's, F-16B's, F-15A's, and F-15B's of the Reserves. The F-35A was very similar to the F-22A, though it was half the cost. The F-35A continued to fly along side the F-22A, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and F-15E Strike Eagle until 2018, where the F/A-37A Lightning III, F-22B and F-22C Raptor, F/A-18H Super Hornet, and the F-15SE Silent Eagle replaced them.

Current Inventory:

Fighter Aircraft - F/A-37A Lightning III, F-22B Raptor, F-22C Raptor, F/A-18H Super Hornet, F-15SE Silent Eagle.
Bomber Aircraft - B-2C Spirit, B-1C Lancer, B-52H Stratofortress.
Attack Aircraft - A-10 Thunderbolt II, AC-130U Spooky II, AC-130J.
Electronic Warfare - EC-130J Commando Solo IIII.
Helicopter - HH-60H Pave Hawk, HH-60J Pave Hawk.
Cargo Helicopter - CV-22H Osprey.
Transport Aircraft - C-130G Hercules, C-130J Super Hercules, C-17C Globemaster III.
Reconnaissance Aircraft - U-2V, SR-171 Blackbird, RQ-170 Sentinal
Trainer Aircraft - T-22A Raptor, T-35A Lightning II, T-38E Talon.

Firearms:

Assault Rifles - M4A1, SCAR-L, SCAR-H, Mark 18 Close Quarters Combat Receiver, ACR.
Sniper Rifles - M107A3, M14 EBR.
Sub Machine Guns - P90A2, MP7A3.
Light Machine Guns - Mk 48 Mod 2, Mk 46 Mod 2, M249, M249.
Heavy Machine Guns - M2HB, XM806.
Shotguns - M1014.

Information on the Marines and Navy to come soon.