I just found that HSP has updated their 1913 QD mount. The new Thorntail X 1913 QD mount has a smaller footprint than the original design while having greater tensile strength.
The 1913 QD Sling Mount is ideal for two-point slings and accepts all standard QD Sling Swivels or can be used as an attachment point for other types of sling hardware (HK Hooks, ULoop, paracord, etc.).
haleystrategic.com/shop/hard-goods/thorntailx/thorntail-x-1913-qd-sling-mount
With no explanation, SIG SAUER’s Instagram account was reinstated after being placed in indefinite suspension on Sunday.
It’s great to see they are back but it would be even better if Meta, the owners of IG and Facebook didn’t go after the firearms industry.
(McLean, VA – February 21, 2023) FN America, LLC is pleased to announce the release of four new promotional pistol bundles for the FN 509® and FNX™-45 Tactical that include upgrades like the FN 509 flat-faced trigger and fiber optic front sight. Each pistol includes five magazines packaged inside a premium FN zippered range bag at no added cost. These exclusive bundles will be sold through authorized FN distributors and retailers and are available for a limited time only.
Each pistol will be packaged with three additional extended capacity magazines, where applicable, for a total of five per pistol. The FN 509 Tactical, FN 509 Compact and FN 509 MRD will feature FN’s custom flat-faced precision trigger that breaks vertically at 90 degrees while the FN 509 MRD FOS will feature the green fiber optic front sight found only on the FN Edge Series models.
FN 5 Mag Pistol Bundle Details:
These added accessories and upgrades will be offered at no additional cost to the retail price of the standard models but will be a one-time production run and available only for a short period of time. To purchase, look for the black branded band around the grip at your local retailer. Visit fnamerica.com/promotions/5mags/ to learn more.
Joint Venture in More Than 10 Cities Will Enforce U.S. Laws Protecting U.S. Advanced Technologies from Illegal Acquisition and Use by Nation-State Adversaries
Today, the Department of Justice and the Department of Commerce are launching the Disruptive Technology Strike Force. Under the leadership of the Justice Department’s National Security Division and the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the strike force will bring together experts throughout government – including the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and 14 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in 12 metropolitan regions across the country – to target illicit actors, strengthen supply chains and protect critical technological assets from being acquired or used by nation-state adversaries.
“Today, autocrats seek tactical advantage through the acquisition, use, and abuse of America’s most innovative technology. They use it to enhance their military capabilities, support mass surveillance programs that enable human rights abuses and all together undermine our values,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Using real-time intelligence and 21st century data analytics, the Disruptive Technology Strike Force will bring together the Justice and Commerce Departments’ expertise to strike back against adversaries trying to siphon off our most advanced technology, and to attack tomorrow’s national security threats today.”
“The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security remains steadfast in our coordination with our federal partners at the Department of Justice and vigilant in our enforcement of our export controls,” said U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves. “This interagency strike force will further strengthen this shared national security priority.”
“Illegally exporting sensitive technology is not an abstract economic concern — it is a crime with a direct impact on the safety of the American people,” said FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate. “To be clear, adversaries are directly threatening our national security. These crimes have the potential to de-stabilize American economic security, negatively impact American businesses, and affect employment. The FBI looks forward to amplifying our collective capability to combat the threat through the DIS-TECH Strike Force — a partnership that will serve as a force multiplier to the work involving each participating agency.”
The strike force will be co-led by Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division and Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew Axelrod of the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security.
When acquired by nation-state adversaries such as the People’s Republic of China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea, advanced technologies can be used in new or novel ways to enhance their military capabilities or support mass surveillance programs that enable human rights abuses. End users of national security concern seek technologies, including those related to supercomputing and exascale computing, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing equipment and materials, quantum computing, and biosciences. Although they have important commercial uses, technologies in these fields can threaten U.S. national security when used by adversaries for disruptive purposes, such as improving calculations in weapons design and testing; improving the speed and accuracy of military or intelligence decision-making; and breaking or developing unbreakable encryption algorithms that protect sensitive communications and classified information.
“The Disruptive Technology Strike Force takes aim at those who imperil our national security and the rule of law by illegally transferring sensitive technologies to foreign adversaries,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen. “We must remain vigilant in enforcing export control laws, which defend military readiness, preserve our technological superiority over our adversaries, and help to protect human rights and democratic values.”
“Advances in technology have the potential to alter the world’s balance of power,” said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod. “This strike force is designed to protect U.S. national security by preventing those sensitive technologies from being used for malign purposes.”
The strike force’s work will focus on investigating and prosecuting criminal violations of export laws; enhancing administrative enforcement of U.S. export controls; fostering partnerships with the private sector; leveraging international partnerships to coordinate law enforcement actions and disruption strategies; utilizing advanced data analytics and all-source intelligence to develop and build investigations; conducting regular trainings for field offices; and strengthening connectivity between the strike force and the Intelligence Community.
In addition to the National Security Division and the Bureau of Industry and Security, this strike force will be comprised of officials from designated U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
“HSI remains committed to our interagency partners and will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of the American people to ensure sensitive technologies and proprietary information do not fall into the hands of our adversaries,” said Acting Executive Associate Director Steve Francis of Homeland Security Investigations.
The strike force will operate in 12 metropolitan regions across the United States, with oversight and support from the local U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City (Southern and Eastern Districts of New York), San Jose, California, Phoenix, Portland, Oregon, and the Washington, D.C. region (District of Columbia and the Eastern District of Virginia).
With the proliferation of the various versions of the Tactical Awareness Kit, more and more personnel are carrying End User Devices.
The KOMMANDO Mount from Verken Group is a PALS compatible mounting solution for EUDs which keeps them handy, right at chest level for easy use and reference.
It is compatible with a wide range of EUDs using the included mount tether, or can be used with Kägwerks cases via Verken’s Mounting Clip.
www.verkengroup.com/product-page/kommando-mount
Moshav Beit Nehemya, Israel, 20 February 2023:
General Robotics, Israel’s leader in Light Weight RCWS Systems and tactical robotics, highlights advanced integrations of the company’s systems over platforms from several manufacturers. The systems are displayed by several leading integrators participating in the IDEX defense exhibition and NAVDEX naval expo opening today in Abu Dhabi.
SHARK – Naval Light & Smart RCWS
On display is the SHARK, a remotely controlled weapon system (RCWS) mounting an M2HB .50 machine gun. SHARK is installed over the 170M DETECTOR, an autonomous vessel developed by the ADSB company and IAI. (Stand 05-A05)
Built as a rugged, robust, seaworthy system, it is versatile enough to operate remotely on a cluttered deck, scoring direct hits at a sea state up to 3, where the platform and targets constantly move. With SHARK onboard, operators can benefit from advanced automation, stabilization, and platform integration functions such as the intuitive ‘Point & Shoot™ technology’. The AI-driven fire control runs a target prediction algorithm (TPA) to align the projectile’s path and the target’s expected location and points the weapon in that direction. Only then is a burst fired. This technique has demonstrated a hit accuracy of over 80 percent.
PITBULL RCWS
The latest version of the PITBULL lightweight RCWS is shown in two configurations. One is shown by the Abu Dhabi company EDT, mounted on Plasan’s ATEMM, a ground robotic vehicle that can be deployed as an unattended weapon system. The ATEMM on display carries a stack of loitering weapons, self-protected by General Robotics’ PITBULL RCWS mounting the .50 CAL H2MG. (Stand 11-C07). The PITBULL is also displayed with the new MG338 at Sig Sauer’s Stand 02-B14.
Robotic Teamwork
The teamwork of two operational robotic systems developed by General Robotics is also explored. DOGO, a small tracked armed reconnaissance robot optimized for operations indoors, is now geared to work with Chameleon as a marsupial robot carried on DOGO’s back or thrown up to a higher floor or roof to enhance situational awareness and extend communications link. DOGO and CHAMELEON are on display at International Golden Group (IGG) at Stand 04-C20
PITBULL Anti Drone
Another version of PITBULL highlights the system’s anti-drone capabilities. PITBULL can be equipped with electronic effectors from D-FEND Solutions or Droneshield for soft-kill or employ a firearm with its sophisticated automatic target recognition, tracking, and advanced target prediction capabilities for hard kill. Resource Industries (Booth CP-050) shows the PITBULL Anti-Drone in this configuration.
DETROIT ARSENAL, Mich. (Feb. 9, 2023) – The Army announced today the award of a requirements contract with five base ordering years plus five one-year optional ordering periods to AM General LLC for estimated Joint and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) production of up to 20,682 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) and up to 9,883 JLTV Trailers. The total contract value is $8.66 billion. This competitive follow-on production contract has been part of the JLTV acquisition strategy from the beginning and focused on a best value determination that includes retaining the capability of the JLTV today, while ensuring that it can be upgraded in the future with the latest technologies.
The JLTV follow-on contract strategy was designed to provide a fair and competitive environment, while ensuring the Army obtained a premier manufacturer that delivers the highest quality, most capable, and affordable tactical vehicle in the world.
The JLTV follow-on contract request for proposal, in accordance with the Army Climate Strategy, sought to incentivize offerors to propose fuel efficiency technologies that targeted on-the-move fuel economy improvements and anti-idle capability in support of optimizing combat effectiveness. The JLTV A2 design is the first tactical wheeled vehicle with baseline architecture utilizing lithium-ion batteries, which is a key enabler for anti-idle capability.
Effective competition is the critical element for controlling cost and maximizing buying power for the government. The JLTV engagement strategy with industry has been very successful in establishing executable timelines, adding mature technology insertions, and providing transparency throughout the process to allow contractors to make individual business decisions.
“One of the key strategies of the JLTV program from its earliest days was to leverage competition to control cost and maximize buying power for the government,” said Brig. Gen. Samuel L. “Luke” Peterson, program executive officer, Combat Support & Combat Service Support. “From the start of production, the government procured the data rights to the JLTV Technical Data Package from the original equipment manufacturer, which the program leverages to conduct future production competitions and control the platform’s configuration and vehicle price well into the future. These government-held data rights permitted the program to compete this follow-on production contract with much better control of the production configuration and cost.”
To ensure the JLTV follow-on production contract was robustly competitive, the government focused on rigorous communication with its industry partners. This consistent communication strategy included prior notifications to the current contractor that future contracts were intended to be competitive. The original JLTV contract was awarded in August 2015 to Oshkosh Defense, and the Technical Data Package option was ordered shortly thereafter.
“Our industry partners are essential to ensure we deliver critical, advanced technology and capabilities like the JLTV to our warfighters,” said Brig. Gen. David Walsh, commander of Marine Corps Systems Command. “We look forward to partnering with AM General to build upon this proven platform and ensure our warfighters have the latest in vehicle technology.”
Since August 2019, Joint Program Office JLTV actively engaged the light tactical wheeled vehicle industrial base. The feedback received from market research was instrumental in framing the acquisition plan, which was approved by the Army Acquisition Executive in November 2020. The plan:
Focused on and extended the presolicitation period
Provided multiple draft Request for Proposal releases that sought feedback to shape the solicitation and eliminate barriers
Provided lease vehicles to provide a deeper level of understanding for the nonincumbents
Released both the JLTV A1 and A2 Technical Data Packages to provide competitive balance
Enabled multiple static displays and one-on-one sessions with government subject matter experts
Provided a responsive Q&A forum, resulting in active industry engagement (more than 400 questions submitted and corresponding responses.)
The JLTV Family of Vehicles, an Army-led joint program with the U.S. Marine Corps, closes capability gaps in the light tactical vehicle fleets. JLTVs can perform multiple mission roles and are designed to provide protected, sustained, networked mobility for personnel and payloads across the full range of military operations. The JLTV brings increased protection and performance to the fleet; minimizes ownership costs by maximizing commonality, fuel efficiency and reliability; and maintains effective competition throughout its life cycle. Commonality of components, maintenance procedures, training, etc., between vehicles is expected to be inherent in Family of Vehicle solutions across mission variants to minimize total ownership cost.
The JLTV program has been lauded as a model of successful acquisition. It has received two David Packard for Acquisition Excellence Awards as well as Department of Defense Should-Cost and Innovation Awards.
By Sam Tricomo, Program Executive Office Combat Support & Combat Service Support
The leading European robotics and autonomous systems developer Milrem Robotics exhibits several cutting-edge intelligent and integrated robotic systems at IDEX 2023 launched today in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The robotic systems on display are intended for a wide range of missions, including tactical intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and sophisticated combat operations.
Milrem Robotics’ unmanned systems are complemented with Milrem’s Intelligent Functions Kit MIFIK which provides autonomous capabilities and a command-and-control system intended specifically for robotic systems that integrates multiple dissimilar unmanned aerial and ground assets. Milrem Robotics’ solutions aim to facilitate manned-unmanned teaming, the synchronized deployment of soldiers, manned and unmanned air and ground vehicles, robotics, and sensors to achieve enhanced situational awareness, increased lethality, and improved survivability.
”In ten years Milrem Robotics has evolved from a vehicle developer into a system integrator in the robotics domain. We provide full system solutions including different ground and aerial systems with integrated command and control. Over the next years we will increase our product portfolio in terms of new autonomous ground systems and work on manned-unmanned teaming solutions,” said Kuldar Väärsi, CEO of MIlrem Robotics.
Altogether three Milrem Robotics’ systems can be found at IDEX.
The Type-X Robotic Combat Vehicle is an organic part of mechanized units that can take the most dangerous positions and provide equal or overmatching firepower and tactical usage compared to traditional Infantry Fighting Vehicles. Thanks to Vegvisir’s Mixed Reality Situational Awareness System Type-X operators have a 360-degree virtual dome with EO/IR sensor fusion for both close and medium proximity vision and target engagement capabilities in any condition.
In addition to a 30mm autocannon, the Type-X is equipped with Halcon’s Hunter 2S loitering munitions launchers.
The two other displayed robotic systems are based on the multi-mission THeMIS unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) that is already delivered to 16 countries, including 8 NATO members and that has proven itself during a 12-month deployment in Mali during Operation Barkhane.
The THeMIS Combat UGV provides high-precision direct-fire support for manoeuvre units. With the self-stabilizing, dual-gun SCORPION Remotely Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS) by Saudi Advanced Technologies (Wahaj), advanced sensors and fire control system, the THeMIS Combat allows units to assess and engage the enemy at maximum standoff distances, increasing force protection and survivability. Additional security is provided with the Spexer 2000 radar, which can detect small and slow as well as fast manoeuvring targets on the move and operate in a high-clutter environment.
The THeMIS Observe is built for tactical reconnaissance missions. The system includes a variety of sensors for day and night operations, acoustic gunshot detector, smoke screen protection and a ground surveillance radar. Extra security is provided by the deFNder® Light RWS by FN Herstal. The combination of those systems allows units to do multi sensor identification on one platform and react faster on emerging targets.
The company’s products are on display with EDGE, one of the world’s leading defence groups, and an emerging leader in the development and manufacture of technologically advanced autonomous systems in stand A05 – C10.
