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FirstSpear Friday Focus – OEM Spotlight: Hill People Gear

Friday, September 20th, 2024

This Friday Focus we have another installment of our FirstSpear OEM Partner series Today we are taking a look at one of FirstSpear’s very first and longest OEM Partners, Hill People Gear.

Q: What specific qualities or capabilities of FirstSpear made them the ideal manufacturing partner for Hill People Gear?

HPG: We’ve attempted to work with several different OEM manufacturers over the years, and FS is the only organization we’ve run across that understands OEM production is a service business. FirstSpear provides a turnkey manufacturing solution which lets us focus on the things we’re good at and keeps us out of the business of running a factory.

Q: How does FirstSpear’s manufacturing process align with the design and quality standards of Hill People Gear?

HPG: Tolerances are held to 1/8” and the defect rate is well below 1%. It’s been that way for over a decade now which is a great track record.

Q: Can you share any examples of how FirstSpear’s technology or expertise has directly enhanced your product offerings?

HPG: We’ve made generous use of FS’ patented MOLLE cut velcro loop laminate material where it makes sense on the insides of our bags.

Q: Why is American-made manufacturing important to Hill People Gear?

HPG: We don’t have any corporate overlords to answer to, so we can make decisions that are about more than the bottom line. Keeping manufacturing in America makes our world a better place in so many different ways. Thankfully, our customer base feels the same way and is willing to pay to support that.

Q: Do you have any new product releases on the horizon?

HPG: We’re always working on things big and small — stay tuned to SSD for all our major releases!

For more information about FirstSpear OEM Program, send us an email at sales@first-spear.com or check out First-Spear.com .

For more information about Hill People Gear check out HillPeopleGear.com.

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Rheinmetall Defence UK Signs the Armed Forces Covenant, Demonstrating Ongoing Commitment to the Armed Forces Community

Wednesday, September 18th, 2024

Rheinmetall Defence UK is proud to announce its formal commitment to supporting the UK Armed Forces by signing the Armed Forces Covenant. This important step highlights Rheinmetall Defence UK’s dedication to recognising and honouring those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, as well as their families, in the workplace and beyond.

The signing took place on 12 September at Rheinmetall House in Bristol, where Director Land Equipment (DLE) Major General Lizzie Faithful-Davies joined Rebecca Richards, Managing Director of Rheinmetall Defence UK, to officially sign the Covenant. This partnership underscores Rheinmetall Defence UK’s ongoing dedication to supporting the Armed Forces community through meaningful actions and initiatives.
By signing the covenant, Rheinmetall Defence UK pledges to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, ensuring that no member of the Armed Forces community faces disadvantage in society, and that all are treated with respect and fairness. This commitment includes providing paid leave for employees who are Reservists or Cadet Force Adult Volunteers, allowing them to attend essential training exercises, and continuing to support Armed Forces charities through donations and fundraising efforts.
Rheinmetall Defence UK is also committed to fostering an inclusive recruitment process that actively supports the employment of veterans, service spouses, and partners, recognising the unique skills and experiences that they bring to the company. By offering flexible working arrangements for Reservists and providing opportunities for Cadets through insight days and other engagement activities, Rheinmetall Defence UK is reinforcing its long-term support for the Armed Forces community.
Rebecca Richards, Deputy CEO at Rheinmetall Vehicle Systems International, expressed her enthusiasm for the company’s commitment, stating: “We are delighted to have signed the Armed Forces Covenant, recognising our commitment to supporting those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, as well as their families. Our commitment includes allowing paid leave for employees who are Reservists or Cadet Force Adult Volunteers to attend training exercises, continuing to support Armed Forces charities, and ensuring our recruitment process supports the employment of veterans, service spouses, and partners. Signing this covenant reinforces our gratitude for the service and sacrifices of the Armed Forces community and demonstrates Rheinmetall Defence UK’s unwavering support for their welfare, both within our organisation and in society.”

By signing the Armed Forces Covenant, Rheinmetall Defence UK is joining thousands of organisations across the UK in publicly committing to support those who protect our nation. The company looks forward to continuing its partnership with the Armed Forces, supporting veterans, Reservists, and their families, and upholding the principles of the Covenant in all its operations.

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D&M Holding Announces Expansion of WRE Primer Facility and New Smokeless Propellant Factory

Wednesday, September 18th, 2024

D&M Holding Company Announces Expansion of Current White River Energetics Primer Facility and New Smokeless Propellant Factory

DES ARC, Ark. (September 17, 2024) – D&M Holding Company, Inc. (D&M), an ammunition and energetics engineering company, is investing $70 million to expand its current White River Energetics (WRE) ammunition primer and energetics facility in Des Arc, Arkansas, and build a single-base, smokeless propellant factory.

“Currently, there is a worldwide shortage of smokeless propellant that is affecting munitions availability globally,” said Dan Powers, President and CEO of D&M Holding Company, Inc. “This will be the first single-base propellant factory to be built in the United States in over 50 years.”

White River Energetics currently has 125 employees at the Des Arc facility, with 73 new employees added in the past year. The expansion will create 100 new jobs and increase the Des Arc campus from 14,000 square feet to over 100,000 square feet of manufacturing space. Construction on the expansion is underway and expected to be completed in Q1 2026.

“We are proud of all the people and employees who have worked tirelessly to support WRE and make this happen,” said BJ Rogers, Vice President of Operations, D&M Holding Company, Inc. “Having grown up in Des Arc, I’m personally proud to see the successes that have been made with primers and look forward to continued success in the future production of propellant.”

This expansion will enable WRE to scale its energetics and primer manufacturing to meet customer demand as well as develop new products. “This expanded campus also provides a facility for R&D and for training for our customers for whom we are building factories around the world,” said James Jones, Vice President of Business Development, D&M Holding Company.

D&M and WRE supports domestic and international clients in the defense and sporting markets through its development of turnkey factories, and its manufacturing and distribution of energetics for various types of ammunition, including primers for small and large caliber pistols and rifles. For more information visit D&M Holding Company and White River Energetics.

Posted in Ammo, Industry, Materials, Press Release | 1 Comment »

Kongsberg to Establish Missile Factory in the U.S.

Tuesday, September 17th, 2024

KONGSBERG, NORWAY – Sept. 17, 2024 – Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace is building a state-of-the-art missile production facility in the United States to meet global demand, following expansion in Norway and the recently announced missile factory in Australia. Located near key U.S. Navy facilities, the site in James City County, Virginia will provide additional production capacity, sustainment and in-country tech refresh capabilities for Kongsberg Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) and Joint Strike Missiles (JSM).

An image from Kongsberg’s recently opened missile facility in Norway.

“The new missile production facilities in the U.S., Australia and Norway address the strong and long-term demand for our unique technology and the critical need to strengthen collective defense capabilities. Kongsberg has a proud history in the U.S. and we are delighted to continue to invest in the country to support American interests while creating jobs locally,” said Geir Håøy, CEO of Kongsberg.

This is the second new missile production facility Kongsberg has announced in as many months, and the decision to locate this facility in the U.S. was heavily influenced by the possibility that the Department of Defense could award a multiyear procurement contract to Kongsberg.

“The U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force are important customers for Kongsberg’s Naval Strike Missile and Joint Strike Missile. Their demand signals gave us the predictability we needed to make this investment in the United States,” said Eirik Lie, president of Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace. “This will allow us to better serve our allies in the U.S. and continue to expand that supply chain locally, building capacity and redundancy for these critical capabilities.”

The Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile.

Kongsberg’s investments will increase overall U.S. manufacturing capability and further increase capacity to build these advanced systems, but more importantly, it will bring this capability to the U.S.

“Kongsberg is investing in a big way in the U.S. market by making Virginia the U.S. home of our new missile factory, which will entail hiring more than 180 people. We will also be investing more than $100 million into the Commonwealth of Virginia over the next few years, in terms of property, plant and equipment,” said Heather Armentrout, president and general manager, Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Kongsberg. “This is in addition to expansion at our core U.S. production facility in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.”

The new facility in James City County will be equipped to assemble, upgrade and repair both NSM and JSM. The NSM is an anti-ship missile with superior operational performance and high survivability against all enemy defense systems. The JSM is an air-launched strike missile designed to fulfill complex missions, such as Anti-surface Warfare (ASuW) and land attack. The JSM is designed to be deployed internal to the weapons bay of the U.S. Air Force’s F-35A, a characteristic that preserves the low observability features of the aircraft throughout any strike mission. KONGSBERG’s JSM is the only long-range precision strike munition that offers that capability.

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Hanwha Defence Australia Chooses Safran to Integrate the PASEO Joint Fires on Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicle

Tuesday, September 17th, 2024

Hanwha Defence Australia (HDA) has chosen Safran Electronics and Defense Australasia to supply the PASEO Joint Fires advanced day and night panoramic sight for integration on the Hanwha Defence Australia’s Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) under LAND 400 Phase 3.

The PASEO Joint Fires solution provides the long-range Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, & Reconnaissance sensor for the Redback IFV supplied by Hanwha to the Australian Defence Forces (ADF) under the LAND 400 Phase 3 project. The contract calls for the production and delivery of PASEO Joint Fires sensors and associated ancillaries.

This contract leverages the world leading position of the PASEO family which has sold more than 2,500 units for IFVs, Main Battle Tank and Joint Fires worldwide. It integrates high performances day and night all weather optronics sensors and offers 360° coverage with a high-rate sectorial scanning capability. The PASEO Joint Fires includes Safran’s Geonyx inertial navigation system, which provides precise and reliable positions, even if satellite navigation signals are unavailable or inaccessible (GNSS-Denied environment).

The project will continue Safran’s legacy of providing premium optronics sensor solutions for the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Safran Electronics and Defense Australasia already successfully delivered its portable optronic solutions under LAND 17 project aimed at enhancing Australian’s artillery capabilities and LAND 300 project to equip the Australian soldiers with next-generation surveillance and target acquisitions ancillaries.

As well as its onboard day and night sight MINEO integrated on the Hanwha Defence Australia’s Huntsman family of vehicles under the LAND 8116 Phase 1 project. Safran Electronics & Defense Australasia benefits from Safran’s international know-how and network to support its local customers. It will leverage its extensive sovereign optronic engineering and sustainment capability to allow Hanwha Defence Australia and the ADF to achieve their capability outcomes. Anthony Bianco, Safran Electronics and Defense Australasia, Head of Sales and Marketing

“We are delighted to continue to support Australian Defence and HDA with yet another trusted and battle proven optronic solution where we will be supporting the design, integration and sustainment in country. It will be critically important that this superior capability is delivered to Australian Defence as we have done for Army over the last five years.”

”We are proud to continue our relationship with Safran Electronics & Defense Australasia across both our Huntsman and Redback vehicles for our Australian customer,” Acting Managing Director Mr Dean Michie. “In today’s congested and contested battlespace, their technology is a key offering on our vehicles.”

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MetAlert Signs Memorandum of Understanding with American Rounds, LLC

Monday, September 16th, 2024

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – September 13, 2024 — MetAlert, Inc. (OTC: MLRT), renowned for its safety and security solutions through GPS wearable technology, announced today the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement with American Rounds, LLC, a Texas based smart automated ammo retail dispenser with built in AI technology, card scanning and facial recognition that ensures safe and responsible ammunition purchase.

As part of the MOU, MetAlert and American Rounds will further advance responsible gun ownership and gun safety. American Rounds will include for sale in all of their machines the GunAlert lock and recovery device and will dispense at no charge a gun safety and information kit provided by Walk the Talk America (WTTA).

American Rounds currently operates in Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama with plans to expand to other states by mid-2025 with further expansion through 2026. “At our core American Rounds is committed to the creation of a safer environment for all communities while standing firm behind the 2nd amendment. We believe that MetAlert’s products and their values are in sync with American Rounds and are a wise strategic growth partner to bring value and safety to all responsible law-abiding firearm owners.” said American Rounds CEO, Grant Magers.

“The partnership with American Rounds is an exciting breakthrough in gun safety through our proven technology combined with national distribution direct to the consumer, while delivering security, innovation and convenience.” Said MetAlert CEO Patrick Bertagna.

GunAlert created by gun owners with gun safety as a top priority incorporates technology that supports responsible gun ownership and helps prevent unnecessary firearm tragedies. GunAlert is a motion sensitive combination cable lock with GPS and cellular, theft notification and recovery technology. The patented technology is sensitive enough to alert you as soon as your gun is moved, and through the GunAlert app (Android and iOS) you can securely view your gun’s exact location and monitor all unauthorized movements. GunAlert has strong support from the 2A community, Law Enforcement, and non-profits like The American Legion / Be the One and WTTA.

“This partnership is a game-changer! By combining MetAlert’s life-saving technology with the WTTA Safety Information Kit, distributed directly to consumers through American Rounds’ innovative secure Kiosk approach, we are setting a new standard for responsible gun ownership and safety.” Commented Michael Sodini, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Walk the Talk America.

Every two minutes a gun is stolen in the U.S. and approximately 132 people die every day from a firearm-related injury, so when seconds count, having information and technology easily accessible can mean the difference between life and tragedy.

Patrick Bertagna, concluded with, “We are committed to providing practical and affordable solutions that saves lives, and by working with like-minded companies and organizations such as American Rounds and WTTA we are encouraged that by combining our collective strengths we will make a difference in reducing unnecessary gun related tragedies without infringing on anyone’s rights to carry but rather by promoting a message of responsibility and accessibility.”

Posted in Industry, Press Release | 1 Comment »

Rheinmetall Expands Cooperation with ICEYE and Obtains Exclusive Rights to Distribute SAR Satellites to Germany and Hungary

Sunday, September 15th, 2024

Rheinmetall and ICEYE, the global leader in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite operations for Earth Observation, are expanding their cooperation. The two companies signed a teaming agreement to this effect.

As part of this agreement, Rheinmetall will integrate ICEYE capabilities into their next generation battlefield systems. In addition, Rheinmetall and ICEYE are pursuing joint opportunities in several markets globally, including Germany and Hungary, where Rheinmetall now has exclusive rights to distribute ICEYE SAR satellites to military and government end-users under this agreement.

Armin Papperger, CEO Rheinmetall AG: “The space domain is an integral part of a defence strategy and of great relevance to our military clients. We are convinced that our combined capabilities will enable us to develop innovative approaches to offer customized solutions for our military customers in the future.”

In June 2024, the Düsseldorf-based technology group had already announced its participation in the world’s largest fleet of radar reconnaissance satellites. In this way, Rheinmetall aims to make space-based reconnaissance data usable on the tactical battlefield.

SAR satellites offer the advantage over conventional satellites that they can generate high-resolution images regardless of weather conditions or time of day. These are very detailed and make even the smallest objects on the earth’s surface identifiable. This can bring decisive advantages for the armed forces in terms of surveillance, target acquisition, reconnaissance or their own positioning on the battlefield.

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The PROOF is in Greg Hamilton and Sean Murphy’s Third Consecutive Win?

Sunday, September 15th, 2024

PROOF Research®’s Greg Hamilton and KGM Suppressors’ Sean Murphy take home the coveted Real World Sniper Finale award from the grueling two-day competition held at the YO Ranch in Kerr County, Texas.

(L to R) PROOF Research’s Greg Hamilton and KGM Suppressors’ Sean Murphy with the 2024 RWSC Final 1st Place Award.

Columbia Falls, Mont. (September 2024) – For the third consecutive year, PROOF Research®’s Greg Hamilton, and Sean Murphy of KGM Suppressors, take home the highly coveted 1st place skull trophy from the Real World Sniper Finale held Aug. 31 – Sept. 1, 2024, at the YO Ranch in Kerr County, Texas.

The finale is an invite-only for competitors from prior Real World Sniper Challenges (RWSC) and top teams from the 2024 USASOC and International Sniper Competitions, as well as several teams fielded by the USMC Scout Sniper Association. These elite competitors included teams from the Army Special Forces, Army Rangers, Army National Guard Snipers, and the USMC Scout Snipers. The course requires teams in top physical and mental shape as it demands various challenges and tasks that snipers in real-world scenarios might face. Competitors dealt with unknown positions, targets, and target distances. Each stage required a different strategy for the team, testing speed, precision, teamwork, and working with limited information. In addition, marathon targets provided support with their robotic targets adding to the general chaos.

Sean Murphy took the primary shooter position with his AI AT-X with a PROOF Research carbon-wrapped pre-fit barrel in 6.5 Creedmoor. Greg Hamilton shot as secondary with a 6.5 Creedmoor 20” stainless PROOF Research barreled gas gun. Murphy also carried an extra 5.56 carbine with an 11.5” PROOF Research carbon-wrapped barrel.

“Like in real-world conditions, you have to carry in everything you will need for the two-day event,” Murphy explained. “Your guns, supplies, water, ammo, anything you will need you have to carry throughout the challenge on the ranch, including during some of the timed movements. When it was all said and done, we had covered ten miles on foot with our guns and all of our gear. It really is a serious competition that will test the metal of any hard-core sniper competitor. We are extremely honored to have again won this RWC Finale for a third year in a row.”

PROOF Research is a well-known brand within the precision rifle community and is one of the leading barrel brands used by champion competitors in the Precision Rifle Series (PRS) and National Rifle League (NRL). Developed to enhance mission success for our warfighters, PROOF Research’s carbon fiber barrels are designed for long-range accuracy, performance, and reliability under any environmental condition.

Find out more about PROOF Research barrels and rifles at proofresearch.com.

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