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AUSA 25 – Rheinmetall Highly-Advanced Multi-Mission Rifle

Monday, October 20th, 2025

Rheinmetall’s Highly-Advanced Multi-Mission Rifle has come quite a ways since I first mentioned it during a visit to Australia in 2022.

Originally referred to as the Squad Support Weapon, this semiautomatic 40mm shoulder fired weapon is box fed is capable of firing common low velocity as medium velocity ammo. It features a 5 round box magazine and the rounds are programmable via IR for desired distance until burst.

While many are concerned about the weight of a 40mm system, this offers one serious advanatge over other current individual grenade launchers, compatibility with all current 40mm grenades. Additionally, now that they’ve added a breach loading capability, rounds which are too long for the M203 or an semiauto action can be loaded one at a time into the HAMMR.

Although it hasn’t been formally put forward as a candidate for the US Army’s Precision Grenadier System program, it’s definitely a contender. Since the actual PGS program solicitations is still a few years out, Rheinmetall still has time to secure a US partner and make further refinements.

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AUSA 25 – Aerial Clarity Essentials Kit by Pro Shot Products

Monday, October 20th, 2025

Pro Shot Products is right at the forefront of the Drone Dominance strategy with their Aerial Clarity Essentials Kit (ACE) Kit which consists of items needed to maintain your drone’s optics.

Features:

Mission Ready Chest, Hip, or Standalone Rig – Durable, lightweight and MOLLE compatible for easy carry and quick access.

Advanced Lens Cleaning System – Removes dust, smudges, and environmental debris from drone cameras, sensors, and optics.

Superior Solutions – Includes Mil-Spec Anti-Fog / Anti-Static / ANTI-GLARE Lens Cleaner, Mil-Spec Lens Tissue, Soft Lens Safe Brush, and Microfiber Cloths to maintain optical clarity.

Field-Tested Performance – Engineered for harsh conditions and battle-proven, ensuring drones stay operational with uncompromised visibility.

All-in-One Convenience – Compact yet fully equipped, making it an essential gear addition for tactical and field professionals.

Visit www.proshotproducts.com or contact jjohn@proshotproducts.com for a quote.

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AUSA 25 – Modular Handgun eXchange, Optional Components for MHS from SIG

Monday, October 20th, 2025

Although the US military selected and fielded its first truly modular pistol, so far they haven’t taken advantage of the possibilities associated with the SIG P320 platform. All that is about to change.

Not long after the contract win SIG put together a custom version of the M18 which I called a SOPMOD pistol at the time. At the time, USSOCOM was keen to move on from their Special Operations Peculiar upgrades to the M4 carbine as it had become an Army common weapon and grated at my appellation. Likewise, the Army hadn’t started fielding yet and wasn’t ready to start making major configuration changes to a pistol that had just adopted.

During AUSA SIG showed three configurations of MHS up for adoption as additional authorized items which they are referring to as Modular Handgun eXchange or “MHX.” Evaluated under the Soldier Enhancement Program, once assigned National Stock Numbers, units will be able to procure the components with O&M dollars like the ROMEOM17 optic authorized in 2023.

The first option is closest to availability and is awaiting assignment of NSNs.

Intended for SOF use, the MHS-SOF takes a rack M18 and incorporates a Brouwer M1811 frame with its integrated flared magwell, flat trigger, safety delete pin to remove the manual safety, threaded barrel for use with a suppressor, and a gas pedal takedown lever, and suppressor height adjustable sights.

The next two options are still undergoing evaluation.

Intended for adoption by units equipped with the M17 or M18, this variant is called the MHS-GFC (General Forces Configuration). It features an improved grip module, Gaspedal takedown pin, and flared magwell.

Here is a shot of the adjustable rear sight.

The last configuration they exhibited is intended for undercover use and named the M18-CC for Concealed Carry.

Like the other options it retains the serialized FCU which is the core of MHS and transforms the pistol into a Black gun more commonly associated with law enforcement. The grip module is available in several size options and is combined with a 3.9″ slide and barrel as well as a flat blade trigger. The 15 round magazine fits flush with aluminum baseplate.

The pistol is also fitted with a compact red dot sight.

We’ll keep you updated as we learn more.

Posted in Advertiser, AUSA, Weapon Accessories, weapons | 5 Comments »

AUSA 25 – Galvion Update

Monday, October 20th, 2025

First off, Galvion caught us up on their new Caiman UL (Ultra-Light). Available in five sizes, it incorporates the latest version of their APEX liner system.

It incorporates their new proprietary low-profile 3-hole shroud which signals a move away from the Wilcox shroud they’ve been using. It incorporates ballistic mounting hardware and uses rubber bumpers for rattle prevention and a more stable platform for NVGs. You’ll notice a slight color difference in the center portion of the shroud pictured above. That is an interchangeable metal plate to accommodate a variety of NVG and future headborne accessories. The new Galvion shroud is also featured on their SAR helmet.

They also gave us a peek at what the future holds in store for their Cortex ecosystem which integrates headborne technologies from disparate manufacturers into a usable system with Tactical Awareness Kit interface to get your head in the fight and out of ATAK. Data collected by various headborne sensors and indicated on the ATAK screen is routed as Augmented Reality date on an eyepiece or full heads up display visor which is not fed data via the Cortex system but also power, just like everything else mounted to the head, including lights and strobes. Cortex remains a plug and play system, integrating new peripherals as they are added to the ecosystem by the user.

The current state of the system is seen above while below we get a glimpse of what we alluded to when we wrote about the system during our SOF Week coverage.

While the helmet seen remains a concept prototype it gives us an idea of how all of the cabling and connections will become streamlined in future iterations of the technology.

We’ll continue to update you on new systems as Galvion rolls them out. In particular, we’ll be telling you about a new charging system they’ve developed with an industry partner to wirelessly charge drones once they’ve landed.

Posted in Advertiser, AUSA, Helmets, TAK | 1 Comment »

AUSA 25 – AeroVironment Switchblade 400

Friday, October 17th, 2025

Released during the 2025 AUSA meeting, the new Switchblade 400 is a medium-range, man-portable anti-armor loitering munition with rocket-assisted take-off (RATO). At under 40 pounds for the all-up round (AUR), the effector provides lethal standoff capability in under five minutes to defeat tanks and heavily armored targets with precision accuracy.

With 35 minutes of endurance, Switchblade 400 enables rapid target acquisition and high-confidence strikes against both fixed and moving threats.

Sized to fit in common launch tubes (CLT), the unit’s design streamlines training and enables rapid, plug-and-play integration. Its advanced pan-tilt EO/IR optic suite with hybrid Aided Target Recognition (AiTR) delivers reliable target recognition at 5.5 km in EO and 1.4 km in IR and advanced edge computing provide autonomous detection, classification, and elimination of threats, day or night.

Driven by AV_Halo Vision (previously AV’s SPOTR-Edge software) which is part of AV’S unified suite of mission-ready software tools. These platforms provide onboard computer vision for detection, classification, localization, and tracking of operationally relevant objects, including people, vehicles, and maritime vessels, day or night, even in GPS-denied or comms-degraded environments.

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AUSA 25 – FANG F7 by Red Cat

Friday, October 17th, 2025

As soon as I read about Red Cat’s new FANG FPV drone and sure enough, it fits right in what what I refer to as the “155 shell of the future” an attritable FPV drone made with NDAA compliant components that comes in under $3000.

Featuring a 7″ carbon fiber frame and Integrated HD FPV Camera w/ Low-latency Transmission along with UMAC NDAA-compliant Motors and a 6S Li-Ion Battery it can recovered for continued system training.

During a drone racing competition earlier this month in North Carolina, the FANG came in first place so we know it has the speed and agility we are looking for.

Sales are restricted to government customers and systems will be sold as kits which include several FANGs and a controller at a great price.

Above you can see the FANG next to the Black Widow to give you an idea of the size difference between the two.

redcat.red/fang

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AUSA 25 – FN Multi-Purpose Tactical Launcher 30mm (MTL-30)

Friday, October 17th, 2025

I got some hands on time with an example of FN America‘s new Multi-purpose Tactical Launcher 30mm (MTL-30), one of several designs vying to become the US Army’s Precision Grenadier System, a semi-auto, box magazine fed grenade launcher with programmable bursting munitions.

The Army’s requirement was caliber agnostic and FN engineers chose 30mm as their “Goldilocks” caliber to achieve the desired effects. The medium velocity rounds produce 45 ft lbs of recoil and shoot pretty flat. With under 3 seconds time of flight to 300 meters, the max elevation for the ammunition is 11m out to 500m.

It features a detachable box magazine with 3- or 5-round capacity. At just 35 inches in length and 8.5 inches tall, the weapon weighs just over 10 lbs. The bolt catch, magazine release and safety selector are all ambidextrous, plus there is an M4-style telescoping buttstock with a modular cheek riser. The modular rail system has a contiguous top rail for mounting of visual augmentation systems (VAS) and other devices, plus side M-LOK slots with a MIL-STD Picatinny rail.

Ammunition is from Nostromo LLC and includes High Explosive Air Burst, Counter-UAS, and Training rounds.

Finally, mag pouches have been developed.

Posted in AUSA, weapons | 6 Comments »

AUSA 25 – SIG SAUER Introduces New Robotic Solutions

Friday, October 17th, 2025

Over the past few AUSA meetings SIG SAUER has incrementally introduced new robotic solutions such as the Pitbull Remote Weapon Station and small arms integration into aerial drones.

This year they exhibited a scaled down version of their RWS mounted to an IAI Fire Storm APUS 60 quadcopter which was developed specifically for this application. It is fuel powered and offers 3 hours of endurance.

The RWS features an LMG and 200 rounds of 7.62 NATO ammunition for a total weight of 24 kg.

It uses the same tech as the ground based RWS but scaled down for aviation use. Consequently, it is purpose built for use with the LMG and is not modular, or meant to accept a variety of weapons.

It will traverse 30 deg left and right and depress -45 deg. That combined with the maneuverability of the drone will ensure target acquisition, PID, and engagement via the controller.

Additionally, they showed the Pitbull RWS mounted to a Deka Sentry Security Platform. This all-terrain, wheeled, multi-mission robot is offered in 3 models with this being the Monster Bot.

It is adapted from a carriage for individuals with mobility challenges and is gyrostabilized to offer a solid, upright platform for any application including ISR and weapon employment. For example, it keeps the payload level even when negotiating stairs.

While the weapon station relies on SIG’s controller, the platform itself can be autonomous, negotiating terrain on its own with little to no human input other than waypoints.

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