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Birdie for the Bundeswehr: Rheinmetall Awarded €50 Million Order for Infrared Decoys

Tuesday, January 16th, 2024

The Bundeswehr has awarded Rheinmetall a substantial order for decoy flares for protecting aircraft. The German military can now procure over 470,000 decoys from Rheinmetall’s tried-and-tested Birdie product line. Covering the period December 2023 to December 2029, the contract is worth nearly €50 million.

Birdie is an acronym standing for “Bispectral Infrared Decoy Improved Efficiency”. Marketed by Rheinmetall Waffe & Munition GmbH of Fronau, these infrared decoys, or ‘flares’, are ejected from helicopters, transport planes and jets to distract oncoming infrared-homing guided missiles. The flares simulate the heat signature of exhaust gases emitted by the aircraft engine.
The current contract specifies delivery of two different Birdie products: IR-Birdie 118 BS and IR-Birdie 218 BS. Both are already in service with the Bundeswehr, which refers to them as “Decoy, Aircraft, DM189A1, PT” and “Decoy, Aircraft, DM169A1, PT”, respectively.

Owing to the current security situation, aircraft self-defence has come sharply back into focus again. Decoys are one way of accomplishing this. Among other things, these include pyrotechnic flares, i.e., products designed to distract infrared search head-equipped surface-to-air missiles (SAM) and air-to-air missiles (AAM). Other techniques include chaff for thwarting enemy radar, and smoke-obscurant munitions such as Rheinmetall’s fast-acting ROSY smoke screen.

Posted in Aviation, Contracts, International, Press Release | Comments Off on Birdie for the Bundeswehr: Rheinmetall Awarded €50 Million Order for Infrared Decoys

US Army Selects Strike Industries Cable Management System for Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) Program

Wednesday, January 10th, 2024

Las Vegas, Nevada — Strike Industries is proud to announce that its Cable Management System® (CMS) has been selected by the United States Army for use in the Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) Program (in use beginning 2024). We are very excited and honored for the opportunity to contribute to the US Military. This significant achievement represents a milestone for our company and a testament to the quality and innovation of our products.

Our CMS is a meticulously crafted ecosystem in development since 2018. Engineered to solve the cable conundrum stemming from flashlights, lasers, and other weapon electronics, our CMS does more than just hold cables. It ingeniously stores excess cable within the weapon accessories and guides the cable’s direction seamlessly.

We have developed over 20 CMS products which include handguards, rail covers, vertical grips, angled grips, picatinny mounted, M-LOK mounted accessories, and several more parts. To date, Strike Industries has received multiple issued patents for these products with more patents pending.

Within our CMS product line, three products were chosen after a rigorous evaluation and selection process that included extensive testing which included other companies’ products as well — to ensure who would meet the highest standards of performance, reliability, and security required by the US military:

Strike Multidirectional Picatinny Rail Cover w/ Cable Management

M-LOK Cable Management Covers (Long)

M-LOK Cable Management Covers (Short)

Image provided by US Army during testing.

Key benefits and features of these Cable Management System® products:

-Enables users to organize and store excess wire from weapon lights or any other cabled accessories.

-Aesthetic top rail cover protects hand or thumb from picatinny rail’s sharp edges while providing more control and comfort over the front end of the weapon platform.

-M-LOK covers serve in organizing wires and mitigating heat from the barrel.

-Come in a short version which is about the length of one M-LOK slot (1.57”).

-Come in a long version which is about the length of two M-LOK slots (3.14”).

For more information about the Strike Industries Cable Management System® or to see our entire CMS catalog, please visit our website at www.strikeindustries.com/products/ar/upper-parts/accessories/cms

Posted in Contracts, Press Release, Weapon Accessories | 14 Comments »

Aspetto Delivers Industry-Leading K9 Modular Vest System to the Norwegian Armed Forces

Monday, January 8th, 2024

The Norwegian Defence Material Agencies’ 15-year project seeking a tailored Modular K9 System has come to a conclusion in 2023. Upon delivery of the versatile system, Aspetto supplemented users with training and familiarization of the new kit, stimulating new and vital capabilities K9 Handlers will develop for the future.

Counter-IED operations remain a necessary tool in today’s war and continue to evolve through each conflict. With the guidance of Norwegian K9 Handlers and Leaders, team Aspetto and partners, Visual Engineering and Recon K9, developed a drop kit system that solved mission critical requirements.

This mesh-enabled TM-K9 solution emphasizes versatility across the various K9 verticals as the mission requires. GPS, IR, Thermal, and Audio functionalities allow users to communicate, locate, and gather valuable data in operation with the Military Working Dog.

The highly regarded tech is paired with Recon K9s DT alpha, ensuring proper fitment across various K9 breeds ranging in size and shape. This roping-rated vest is used globally in special operations.

The global solutions provider, Aspetto, will support Norway for years to come with its wide range of K9 products through several strategic partnerships. Aspetto invests and focuses on highly technical solutions like this to push the industry’s boundaries and ultimately protect our end users and their allies.

Aspetto has extended its global footprint to 38 countries with strategies to strengthen such partnerships and increase collaboration between nations.

Aspetto will exhibit the K9 MVS at SHOT show this month in Las Vegas. Stop by Booth #41250. Additionally, they will schedule meetings in their Venetian suite throughout SHOT – contact: ross.whitehead@aspettoinc.com for an appointment.?

Posted in Contracts, International, K9, Press Release | Comments Off on Aspetto Delivers Industry-Leading K9 Modular Vest System to the Norwegian Armed Forces

Government of Canada Orders the MQ-9B SkyGuardian RPAS from GA-ASI

Thursday, December 21st, 2023

SAN DIEGO – 19 December 2023 – The Government of Canada has signed a contract to purchase a fleet of MQ-9B SkyGuardian® Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI). The order includes the associated Certified Ground Control Stations and support equipment from GA-ASI. The first delivery is expected in 2028.

The SkyGuardian RPAS is interoperable with Canada’s domestic missions and its continental defence missions through NORAD, as well as with Canada’s closest allies – including the Five Eyes Alliance (FVEY) and NATO – for seamless integration with current and future Canadian defence, civil air, and ground assets.

“Canada’s vast territory and complex terrains, including in the Arctic, require a cost-effective multi-mission RPAS solution that can endure long periods on station, fly in harsh weather environments, and safely operate in all airspaces,” said Linden Blue, CEO of GA-ASI. “MQ-9B SkyGuardian delivers those critical capabilities. GA-ASI and Team SkyGuardian Canada are honored by this opportunity to become a key partner to Canada for the very long term in delivering these no-fail defence and security outcomes.”

Team SkyGuardian Canada is a coalition of leading Canadian businesses – including CAE, MDA Ltd., and L3Harris Technologies – that are working with GA-ASI on MQ-9B development, delivery, and sustainment. Canada’s investments in the RPAS Project and Team SkyGuardian Canada are a direct reflection of Canada’s vested domestic interest in pursuing leading-edge RPAS technologies.

GA-ASI has had a long, successful, and proud history with Canadian industry that continues to grow. Nearly every system that GA-ASI has delivered throughout its more than 30-year history has contained some level of Canadian content, including sensors, propulsion equipment, and training/simulation systems and services. CAE, MDA Ltd., L3Harris, and GA-ASI are committed to delivering the world’s premier RPAS capability to Canada while creating domestic economic benefits and work opportunities.

MQ-9B is the next generation of RPAS, delivering exceptionally long endurance and range, with auto takeoff and landing under SATCOM-only control, and will be able to operate in unsegregated airspace using the GA-ASI developed Detect and Avoid system. First customer deliveries of MQ-9B began in 2022 to the U.K. Royal Air Force, and contracts have been signed with Belgium and the U.S. Air Force, in support of Special Operations Command. The Japan Coast Guard is currently operating the MQ-9B for maritime operations, which the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) also selected for its Medium-Altitude, Long-Endurance (MALE) RPAS Trial Operation Project. MQ-9B has additionally supported various U.S. Navy exercises this year, including Northern Edge, Integrated Battle Problem, and Group Sail.

“We look forward to working with our Team SkyGuardian Canada partners to deliver our industry leading RPAS for Canada’s dynamic mission requirements. GA-ASI is the world leader in reliable, cost-efficient, and sustainable remotely piloted aircraft systems. These aircraft perform advanced interoperable and systems-of-systems operations for our valued customers around the world – all at a fraction of the carbon footprint impact as traditional manned systems performing similar missions,” added Blue.

Posted in Contracts, Press Release, UAS | Comments Off on Government of Canada Orders the MQ-9B SkyGuardian RPAS from GA-ASI

Rheinmetall Wins Follow-Up Order from Vienna: Austrian Army Procuring More Trucks – Potential Additional Sales of Over €300 Million

Thursday, December 21st, 2023

Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV) has just scored another significant sales success in Austria, winning a request for tenders for a further lot of logistic vehicles for the Austrian Army. A corresponding enlargement of the existing framework agreement with Bundesbeschaffung GmbH (BGG) of Vienna, the Austrian procurement organization, envisages delivery of up to 300 trucks, primarily from the HX family of vehicles. The expanded contract for the newly won lot runs for 48 months and offers the possibility of flexible call-offs of vehicles with an aggregate value of over €300 million.
In spring 2023, Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles won all six military lots in a request for tenders for a total of 23 lots of trucks. The resulting framework contract runs for seven years and envisages delivery of up to 1,375 vehicles from RMMV’s HX, TGS and TGM series. Order volume could be as high as €525 million. For Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles, the award of an additional lot brings the framework contract volume to over €825 million.

The expansion of the framework agreement concluded just last spring forms part of a comprehensive modernization of the Austrian Army, whose “Build-up Plan 2023” calls for substantial investment in the country’s military capabilities. Improving the mobility of forces in the field is a key element of the plan, reflected in the now well-endowed BBG framework agreement.

Austrian defence minister Klaudia Tanner recently visited the RMMV plant in Vienna’s Liesing district, where she praised the work of the Viennese staff: “I’m impressed by the professionalism of the work being done here. And I’m very glad that the Austrian armed forces have such a reliable partner as RMMV at their side.”

“The expansion of the framework agreement with Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles GmbH is another strong sign that the Austrian Army is modernizing, but this applies all the more so to the Austrian economy”, declares Michael Wittlinger, managing director of RMMV. We’re proud not only of our Vienna plant’s contribution to Austrian value added, but also of being able to enhance the resilience, autarky and sustainment of the Austrian Army.”

The Austrian Army has been a very good customer of RMMV for many years, with vehicles from the company’s TGM, TGS und HX lines successfully in service. Under the new framework agreement, the first half of 2023 witnessed an order of 850 TGM trucks with a double cabin and swap body build-on system as well 15 HX81 armoured recovery vehicles, including an 8-axle trailer. Furthermore, HX trucks with a three-sided tipper build-on and rear crane are slated for delivery in the next few years, as are TGS 8×8 vehicles with a Palfinger hook system. At the end of 2021, moreover, the Austrian Army placed an order with RMMV for exchangeable integrated armoured cabins. These can be mounted on existing HX vehicles in very short order in line with operational requirements.

RMMV is a joint venture company in which Rheinmetall AG holds a 51% stake, with the remaining 49% held by MAN Truck & Bus SE.

Posted in Contracts, International, Mobility, Press Release | Comments Off on Rheinmetall Wins Follow-Up Order from Vienna: Austrian Army Procuring More Trucks – Potential Additional Sales of Over €300 Million

U.S. Air Force Selects Somewear Labs to Maximize Interoperability and Ensure Critical Situational Awareness

Tuesday, December 19th, 2023

Somewear Labs provides a secure, agile network that can be used for communication, location tracking, and other tactical applications across multi-domain operations

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Today, Somewear Labs, the technology company enabling critical communications for defense, public safety, and commercial frontline teams, announced it has received a $1.8 million contract from the U.S. Air Force. This award builds on the company’s AFWERX SBIR Phase II contract through the Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) program. This initiative integrates Somewear’s existing commercial capabilities across USAF mounted and dismounted communications and networking systems, enhancing the full spectrum of Special Tactics (ST), Personnel Recovery (PR), and Terminal Attack Control (TAC) operations. The award comes in collaboration with the Special Warfare community across the National Guard and active duty units.

New missions and threats will require units to deploy faster, identify threats quicker, and survey areas further. Incorporating Somewear’s advanced technologies into the Department of Defense (DOD) will improve required operational capabilities and enhance integration with coalition forces and foreign partners.

Supporting customers across every branch of the DOD, Somewear Labs is accelerating military modernization through unified, secure communication solutions, guaranteeing resilient and reliable communications when traditional networks are lost. Through this contract with the U.S. Air Force, Somewear Labs will deliver enhanced capabilities to further integrate into the TAK ecosystem and other government systems providing critical interoperability between dismounted personnel and Air Support Operations Centers.

Somewear’s critical communication platform, Somewear Grid, and accompanying network enabling hardware, enhance operators’ capabilities by increasing network resiliency and situational awareness across multiple domains, even in denied, degraded, intermittent, and limited-bandwidth (DDIL) environments:

• The company’s existing commercial technology enables beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) satellite communication through the Somewear Global Hotspot and Somewear suite of apps across Android, iOS, Web, and ATAK, ensuring strategic interoperability.

• Earlier this year, Somewear introduced Node, a pocket-sized multi-network device that features novel automation to route data via the efficiency of mesh radio technology or the resilience of satellite connectivity, empowering teams to maintain agile, resilient communication regardless of mission needs or operating environment.

• Additionally, the Somewear Grid platform integrates with tactical systems like ATAK and provides a low SWaP (size, weight, and power) solution for the last tactical mile of Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2).

“Partnering with companies like Somewear Labs enables new innovative solutions to solve some of the hardest problems faced by the 147th ASOS, the U.S. Air Force, and beyond,” said Major Kris Bartels, 147th ASOS, Director of Operations. “Ensuring communications are survivable in bandwidth constrained environments is critical for the safety of our operators and the effectiveness of our operations. The interoperability of the Somewear platform, across civilian and military responders, and its ability to integrate into existing systems extends communication capabilities, providing a reliable, resilient network for teams on the move.”

During military operations, real-time communication and situational awareness is paramount to ensuring the warfighter can make strategic, informed decisions at the right time — in any environment. Mission advantage will go to military forces who can coordinate and act together across all domains, rapidly. This is especially important for missions that are conducted in cell-denied terrain and in contested environments. When traditional networks are lost, communication barriers and unreliable systems put the mission and operators at risk.

“It is a privilege to grow our partnership with the U.S. Air Force and adapt our platform to the evolving needs of the DOD as we look to the future,” said James Kubik, Co-Founder and CEO at Somewear Labs. “With this contract, we are able to build on our interoperable solutions to break down communication barriers, redefine interagency collaboration, and ensure operators always maintain situational awareness, communications, and operational effectiveness.”

The TACFI effort is the epitome of strong collaboration from small businesses and government in order to advance cutting-edge technology at the intersection of commercial and national security interests.

For more information, please visit somewearlabs.com.

Posted in Air Force, Comms, Contracts, Press Release | Comments Off on U.S. Air Force Selects Somewear Labs to Maximize Interoperability and Ensure Critical Situational Awareness

Further Call-off from Rheinmetall Framework Agreement: Ukraine Receives Artillery Ammunition – Order Value in the Triple-Digit Million Euro Range

Tuesday, December 19th, 2023

The German Bundeswehr has again called off 155 mm artillery ammunition from Rheinmetall under the framework agreement. Rheinmetall has been commissioned to supply a total of several tens of thousands shells of various types for the Ukrainian armed forces. The order is worth a three-digit million euro amount. Delivery is scheduled for the course of 2025.

The new call-off continues the series of artillery ammunition orders previously placed by the Bundeswehr for the Ukrainian and German armed forces. In July 2023, Rheinmetall concluded a new framework agreement with the Bundeswehr in the artillery sector. It covers the delivery of several hundred thousand shells, fuses and propelling charges. The new framework agreement runs until 2029 and has a potential gross order volume of around €1.2 billion (including VAT).

The need to replenish stores of ammunition caused by the war in Ukraine is resulting in major artillery ammunition contracts for Rheinmetall.

Rheinmetall’s family of artillery ammunition includes, among other ordnance, the high explosive DM121, the DM125 smoke/obscurant shell, the DM121 SMArt search-fused round (jointly developed with Diehl Defence), as well as the RH68 practice version and the range-optimized RH1901 and RH1902 smoke/obscurant shells. The Group’s product portfolio also encompasses the versatile Assegai family of 155mm artillery ammunition made by Rheinmetall Denel of South Africa. It includes insensitive munitions (IM), conventional high explosive (HE) rounds, as well as smoke/obscurant, illumination, infrared illumination, and other shells. With its boat tail (BT) and base bleed (BB) configurations, the Assegai family displays a ballistic equilibrium, ensuring that the entire ammunition spectrum can be used at its maximum effective range of approximately 40 kilometres. Under the framework contract, the Bundeswehr will be introducing the tried-and-tested Assegai ammunition family. Rheinmetall also offers the artillery family from Rheinmetall Expal Munitions, including the 155mm M107 and 155mm Extended Range.

Posted in Ammo, Contracts, International, Press Release | Comments Off on Further Call-off from Rheinmetall Framework Agreement: Ukraine Receives Artillery Ammunition – Order Value in the Triple-Digit Million Euro Range

Rheinmetall and Airbus Transfer Another Simulator for Europe’s A400M Transport Aircraft to the Bundeswehr

Sunday, December 17th, 2023

The tech enterprise Rheinmetall and the European aeronautics and space company Airbus have transferred an A400M cargo hold simulator to the Bundeswehr’s 62nd Air Transport Squadron (LTG 62) at Wunstorf in Lower Saxony.

The Cargo Hold Part Task Trainer (CPTT) complements existing simulators and training systems at the German Air Force’s A400M Training Centre. In Wunstorf, cargo hold crews already train (among other things) on the advanced Cargo Hold Trainer Enhanced (CHT-E).

Airbus, manufacturer of the European A400M military transport aircraft, contracted with Rheinmetall in February 2021 to supply two CPTT training simulators to the Bundeswehr’s Wunstorf and Altenstadt bases. The order was worth a figure in the lower-two-digit million-euro range. The Air Movement Training Center in Altenstadt already took delivery of the training simulator at the end of 2022. Cargo personnel and paratroopers have been successfully training on the system ever since. The transfer of the second Rheinmetall simulator brings this elaborate project to a successful close.

The A400M CPTT is an exact replica of an A400M cargo hold, enabling cargo crewmembers, paratroopers and ground personnel to train in a highly realistic environment. The CPTT makes it possible to practise mission-specific alteration of the cargo hold, load preparation, loading and unloading, in-flight and ground procedures as well as cooperation between crewmembers. The system is equally suitable for initial and advanced training as well as refresher courses and mission rehearsal purposes.

Complex scenarios and emergency situations can be practised in complete safety. This way, training never ties up the original equipment, which remains available for actual operations. In addition to training operations, the CPTT enables users to evaluate, test and qualify procedures and configurations for new load types.

Besides the CPTT Rheinmetall has supplied various A400M user nations around the globe with other cargo training devices such as the Load Master Work Station Trainer/LMWST and the aforementioned CHT-E. With the transfer of the CPTT to LTG 62, a total of ten highly realistic A400M simulator systems from Rheinmetall are now assuring a high standard of training and instruction in the A400M cargo domain.

In 2019 Rheinmetall transferred a CPTT to the Royal Malaysian Air Force. Moreover, CHT-E simulators have already been supplied to the Airbus International Training Centre (ITC) in Seville, the Royal Air Force in Brize Norton, the German Air Force in Wunstorf, and the French Army in Toulouse. There is an LMWST at the Airbus ITC in Sevilla, one at France’s national A400M training centre in Orléans, and another at the Royal Air Force National Training Centre in Brize Norton.

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