September 2025 | Soldier Systems Daily Soldier Systems Daily

Archive for September, 2025

WATCHTOWER Defense and Its Owners Successfully Closed a Sale Transaction, Acquiring Substantially All the Assets of WATCHTOWER Firearms in its Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Case

Tuesday, September 30th, 2025

SPRING, TX (Sept. 30, 2025)— Veteran-founded firearms manufacturer WATCHTOWER Firearms today announced an exciting new future for WATCHTOWER Defense following a recent sale transaction that was approved by the Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas. The consummation of this sale transaction is an exciting time for employees who will transition from WATCHTOWER Firearms to WATCHTOWER Defense, as the new company and its future ensure stability and growth not only for employees but for future customers of WATCHTOWER Defense.

For a short period following the consummation of this sale transaction, WATCHTOWER Firearms and WATCHTOWER Defense are working cooperatively, through a transition services agreement, to transition to a new era. This transition services agreement allowed WATCHTOWER Defense to begin developing new plans for its company and to prepare for many changes that are on the horizon without pausing production or delay in satisfying customer orders.

Through new ownership, fresh capital, and expanded manufacturing capabilities, WATCHTOWER Defense will ambitiously push its company into defense and law enforcement markets. Also, as part of this new era, WATCHTOWER Defense is investing in a new 24,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility, where it will outfit production with modern machinery and tooling. This will not only result in even higher quality products, but the new and enhanced space will improve cost structures to ensure WATCHTOWER Defense is built for long-term strength and competitiveness.

While WATCHTOWER Firearms has been respected for its handmade 2011-style pistols, the new company, WATCHTOWER Defense will offer a duty-focused product line designed to meet the needs of military, law enforcement and defense customers. As a result, WATCHTOWER Defense’s brand will have a broader reach without sacrificing key core values: USA-made, veteran-owned, and backed by an industry leading lifetime warranty.

For WATCHTOWER Defense’s future dealer and distributor partners, the message is clear: A new day is dawning and WATCHTOWER Defense will be here to stay. Through consistent sales and customer service teams, dedicated leadership, and capital investments, partners will be able to count on Watchtower Defense’s brand for the long haul.

Through the Court-approved purchase of substantially all the assets of WATCHTOWER Firearms and the related transition services agreement between WATCHTOWER Defense, as purchaser, and WATCHTOWER Firearms, as seller, Watchtower Defense has positioned itself to deliver cutting-edge firearms for commercial, defense, and law enforcement markets—and to grow as a long-term American industry leader.

www.watchtowerfirearms.com

Posted in Firearms, Industry, Press Release | Comments Off on WATCHTOWER Defense and Its Owners Successfully Closed a Sale Transaction, Acquiring Substantially All the Assets of WATCHTOWER Firearms in its Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Case

Two Companies Selected to Support DIU’s Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems – NEXT Project

Tuesday, September 30th, 2025

The DOW and tech companies are leveraging commercially derived components and solutions to rapidly prototype and develop Counter UAS interceptors.

Mountain View, CA (September 29, 2025) — The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has started prototyping commercial and dual-use technology solutions to provide Counter UAS solutions that defeat group 3 and above adversarial threats, ensure the sovereignty of our national airspace, and protect our personnel, equipment, and facilities at home and abroad. Focus areas of the Counter NEXT project include providing a deeper interceptor magazine for our forces while preserving exquisite interceptors for exquisite threats, simplifying and accelerating the reloading process, addressing the cost asymmetry of the current threats and interceptors in use, and integrating with the existing combat systems.

Image taken during flight testing of Zone 5’s interceptor. (Source: Zone 5 Technologies)

DIU and our DoW partners selected Anduril Industries and Zone 5 Technologies to develop prototype solutions for the Counter NEXT program in fall 2024. These vendors were selected from more than 65 commercial and dual-use technology company applicants.

Less than a year later, both vendors completed initial design and developmental sprints and successful baseline flight testing of their proposed solutions. Based on the data gathered, warfighter feedback and knowledge gained during the first sprint, iterative improvements are being made to both systems to ensure the solutions address the capability gap before additional flight testing and safety/qualification testing occur in the months ahead.

Image taken during flight testing of Anduril’s AAV. (Source: Anduril Industries)

Counter NEXT vendors are incorporating commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components wherever possible to mitigate potential supply chain bottlenecks and keep costs low. The vendors are also leveraging modern air vehicle design concepts, ensuring air vehicles are not over-engineered for their intended mission but that they also minimize the use of expensive materials and enable high-rate production that is not possible with the more exquisite interceptors available today.

To enable future design improvements and rapid integration of subsystems and components as they improve, the Counter NEXT prototypes are utilizing a modular open systems architecture and being designed for mass production using modern manufacturing techniques. Additionally, all components of the solution will be qualified and certified to some of the most stringent military standards in order to provide an enduring capability to the warfighter wherever the solution is deployed.

“The Counter NEXT project is focused on leveraging the best-in-breed commercially derived technology and processes to accelerate the development, production, and fielding of these vital Counter UAS interceptors to our warfighters,” said Joshua Zike, Counter NEXT Program Manager for DIU. “While this solution is focused on a specific, pressing subset of the counter UxS problem set, variants for all domains should be developed and deployed to provide this vital layered kinetic counter UxS defeat capability to all our warfighters.”

Following Anduril and Zone 5’s recent successful flight demonstrations, both vendors received additional funding to further refine their rapid prototypes, integrate their systems with the mission partner’s combat systems, and conduct the safety testing required prior to a live fire test event in the summer of 2026.

Posted in C-UAS, Contracts, Drone, Press Release | Comments Off on Two Companies Selected to Support DIU’s Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems – NEXT Project

SIG SAUER Hosts 5th Annual Mogadishu Mile at SIG SAUER Academy

Tuesday, September 30th, 2025

Epping, N.H., (September 30, 2025) – SIG SAUER is proud to announce its continued support of the Three Rangers Foundation’s Mogadishu Mile. The 5th annual event will be held at the SIG SAUER Academy (233 Exeter Road, Epping, NH) on October 4th from 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM.

The Mogadishu Mile is the Three Rangers Foundation’s annual commemoration of Task Force Ranger and remembrance of the fallen Warriors of Operation Gothic Serpent. The primary objective of the operation was to capture Mohamed Farrah Aidid, leader of the Somali National Alliance who was wanted by the UNOSOM II in response to his attacks against United Nations troops.

On October 3, 1993, Task Force Ranger deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia, and engaged with Somali militiamen in an intense overnight gun battle. Using rocket-propelled grenades, Somali militiamen shot down two US Blackhawk helicopters, shifting the US raid into a rescue mission. When the relief convoy arrived on the morning of 4 Octoberthere was only enough room in the armored vehicles for the fallen and severely wounded. The remainder of Task Force Ranger maneuvered a mile on foot under relentless attack from rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire – this relatively short but lethal distance became known as “The Mogadishu Mile.”

Join SIG SAUER in honoring the heroic actions of Task Force Ranger by completing a commemorative one-mile run through the SIG SAUER Academy campus. The run can be completed with or without incorporating obstacle course elements. This remembrance event is open to all ages and abilities and does not require registration.

To learn more about SIG SAUER, please visit sigsauer.com.

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Scorpion Light Mobile Mortar Systems Set to Participate in U.S. Army’s Transformation in Contact 2.0

Tuesday, September 30th, 2025

TAMPA, FL – (30, September 2025) – Global Military Products has been invited to participate in the U.S. Army’s Transformation in Contact (TiC) 2.0 with its Scorpion Light 81mm mobile mortar system – under a Soldier Enhancement Program (SEP) contract with the Product Manager for Artillery Mortars and Precision Systems (PdM AMPS). Equipped with government-furnished M253 barrels, soldiers will have the opportunity to experience the latest advancements in mobile mortar technology and contribute to the modernization efforts within the mortar community.

TiC 2.0 launches October 20th in Hawaii, where soldiers will first undergo five days of new equipment training from Global Military Products to achieve the operational knowledge and limited safety release required to live-fire the system. Soldiers will then participate in an additional 10 days of tactical scenarios and simulated combat operations with the Scorpion Light Systems. Training and experimentation will also include the Scorpion Light’s rapid-fire control system – designed to elevate operational efficiency with its ability to auto-lay and auto re-aim.

“Soldier touchpoints like the TiC 2.0 serve as an invaluable platform for government and industry to collaboratively review, assess and innovate with the latest technologies. Most importantly, they facilitate the utilization of soldier feedback to inform requirements and expedite the acquisition process for mortar modernization,” said James Knight, senior Manager, Defense Systems and Energetics, Global Military Products. “As a retired Army mortarman, I am intimately familiar with the Army’s requirements for mortar modernization and strongly support the TiC initiative to swiftly enhance the mobility, lethality, operator safety and air transportability of these assets.”

The Scorpion Light 81mm mobile mortar system can fire eight rounds and relocate in under two minutes, taking just 30 seconds to fire the first round and 30 seconds to displace after firing the last round. The unique, non-seating baseplate allows the system to emplace and displace rapidly and fire on nearly any surface. Its robust design, rugged construction, and resilient technologies make it a durable weapon that can withstand the rigors of combat, extreme temperatures, and harsh conditions, while remaining effective. The Scorpion Light on the IUV, has also been certified in the U.S. to be air-droppable and maintains internal air transportability within a CH-47, supporting expeditionary forces.

The Scorpion Light 81mm mobile mortar system and 72 mortar rounds will be fully integrated on two GM Defense Infantry Utility Vehicles (IUVs), a variant of the U.S. Army Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV). The modularity of the system, however, is platform agnostic and allows for integration onto any vehicle platform. Integrations have already been completed on a G-Wagon and Polaris MRZR Alpha 4×4 and 6×6 platforms.

Global Ordnance is exhibiting at the 2025 AUSA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. October 13-15 in booth #943. The display will include a Scorpion 120mm mobile mortar system integrated on a high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV).

Posted in Advertiser, Army, Mobility, Press Release, weapons | Comments Off on Scorpion Light Mobile Mortar Systems Set to Participate in U.S. Army’s Transformation in Contact 2.0

Save 5% on Crye Precision at O P Tactical

Tuesday, September 30th, 2025

Get 5% off all in stock Crye Precision products at O P Tactical! Discount applied in cart, while supplies last. Sale runs through 1 October ET.

www.optactical.com

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Draganfly Selected by U.S. Army to Supply Flex FPV Drone Systems

Tuesday, September 30th, 2025

Tampa, Florida – September 30, 2025 — Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO) (CSE: DPRO) (FSE: 3U8) (“Draganfly” or the “Company”), an industry-leading developer of drone solutions and systems, today announced its selection by the U.S. Army to provide Flex FPV drone systems.

Under the initial order, Draganfly will deliver Flex FPV drones designed for high-performance operations as well as help establish on-site manufacturing of the Flex FPV (First Person View) within overseas U.S. Forces facilities to accelerate deployment and reduce supply-chain timelines. The Company will also provide both flight and manufacturing training to enable Army personnel to sustain operations, and will manage logistics to ensure a secure, NDAA-compliant supply chain practice. This marks a significant milestone in evolving critical drone capabilities closer to the theater of operations, reducing logistical vulnerabilities and enhancing force readiness.

Recent exercises have underscored the importance of FPV technology for U.S. forces. During the Swift Response 2025 exercise in Lithuania, paratroopers operated and detonated in-house-built FPV drones against dismounted and vehicle-sized autonomous targets. The unit has also established its own drone lab for design, training, and rapid innovation. In August 2025, the U.S. Army executed the first-ever air-to-air kill with an armed FPV drone, advancing the evolution of drone warfare. Draganfly’s Embedded Manufacturing Program and the Flex FPV Drone systems are in direct support of this strategic shift to decentralized and agile innovation.

“We are honored to support the U.S. Army as it moves critical drone capabilities closer to front lines,”

Cameron Chell, President & CEO

“We are honored to support the U.S. Army as it moves critical drone capabilities closer to front lines,” said Cameron Chell, President & CEO of Draganfly. “By combining advanced Flex FPV Drone systems, embedded manufacturing, training and secure logistics, we are helping reinforce operational agility and sustainment for forward-deployed forces. This helps ensure personnel have the tools, training and capabilities required when and where they need them most.”

Posted in Army, Contracts, Drone, Press Release | Comments Off on Draganfly Selected by U.S. Army to Supply Flex FPV Drone Systems

Mustang Survival Expands Innovation Team and Lab, Harnessing AI to Advance Marine Safety

Tuesday, September 30th, 2025

Burnaby, BC — Mustang Survival, part of Wing Group, is expanding its research and development capabilities through a newly formed R&D and Advanced Concepts teamwith investments in state-of-the-art testing, AI-driven analytics, and global collaborations. Built on decades of problem-solving in the harshest conditions, the company is accelerating the entire cycle — from early-stage research and user engagement, through identifying needs and defining problems, to concept development and commercialization — reinforcing its role as a pioneer in marine safety innovation.

From military operations and public-safety agencies to industrial sectors and recreational communities such as sailing, paddling, and fishing—Mustang Survival’s heritage includes category-defining solutions like the original Floater® Coat, the RATIS™ system and the award-winning Atlas Life Jacket and Elite PFD.

As part of this effort, the company has expanded their on-site laboratory to simulate extreme environments more effectively, enhancing fire-resistance and cold-immersion testing—accelerating learning cycles from concept to commercialization within the WaterlifeStudio.

Jill Davidson, Director R&D and Advanced Concepts

“A big unknown piece is how materials behave at different temperatures. Being able to understand these shifts allows us to best address solutions around mobility, insulation, and inflation,” said Jill Davidson, Director R&D and Advanced Concepts, Mustang Survival.

Additionally, as part of Wing Group’s broader initiative, the team is applying AI and advanced analytics to accelerate insights from testing and improve material evaluation—supporting faster iteration and more reliable outcomes across programs.

To deepen its research pipeline, Mustang Survival has expanded collaborations with universities across Canada and strengthened relationships with third-party laboratories locally and globally. The team has also secured government funding to advance research and intellectual property development, creating further opportunities for patents.

“By increasing our commitment to R&D and Advanced Concepts, we are dedicated to a long-term, sustainable solution to the problems that our core users face, ensuring Mustang Survival stays on the leading edge of defining innovation within our market and categories,” said Kenny Ballard, President, Mustang Survival.

By investing in people, processes, and partnerships—and by testing directly in real-world conditions—Mustang Survival is extending their solutions-driven heritage while building a stronger foundation for future advancements in marine safety.

mustangsurvival.com

Posted in Industry, International, Maritime, Press Release | Comments Off on Mustang Survival Expands Innovation Team and Lab, Harnessing AI to Advance Marine Safety

Introducing Brookwood’s Apocalypse – Built for the World’s Harshest Environments

Tuesday, September 30th, 2025

In-Stock- Multicam® and Ranger Green

Engineered for tropical and high-humidity operations, Apocalypse™ is a next-generation hot weather combat fabric. This ultralight nylon ripstop is fast-drying, abrasion-resistant, and powered by Brookwood’s DRYPOINT ™ technology to actively wick moisture, resist saturation, and deliver UV protection in punishing sun exposure.

Designed as a base platform for mission-ready systems, Apocalypse™ can be seamlessly integrated with Brookwood’s MultiCam® printed Flex™ Stretch for enhanced mobility and with 330D Multicam® printed Cougar™ for reinforcement in high-wear zones for uncompromising durability. The result: a field-proven fabric package that balances speed, comfort, and survivability in environments where gear failure is not an option.

Apocalypse™ – Fight the climate, not your kit.

brookwoodcompanies.com

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