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Rheinmetall Submits Lynx Infantry Fighting Vehicle Best and Final Offer for Land 400 Phase 3 in Australia Showcasing Leading Capability and Sovereign Military Industrial Growth

Thursday, October 21st, 2021

Rheinmetall, the largest supplier of military vehicles to the Australian Defence Force has submitted the company’s Lynx Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) best and final offer for the Australian Department of Defence Land 400 Phase 3 Mounted Close Combat Capability tender. Rheinmetall is one of two competing companies involved in the tender for this procurement project.

Rheinmetall Defence Australia Managing Director, Gary Stewart said the Lynx is a next generation tracked, digitised and highly protected Infantry Fighting Vehicle and offers a step-change in Army’s capabilities.

“Lynx sets the new standard and offers unmatched levels of survivability, mobility, lethality, knowledge and growth. Importantly, Lynx is ready to protect Australians in the field and defeat any adversary. Lynx is fitted with the Rheinmetall Lance turret for precise and lethal effects and offers an integrated battle management system.

“Designed for close combat operations, the extensive family of Lynx vehicles is modular. Lynx can be easily configured and reconfigured, to all 10 roles required by the Army.

Rheinmetall has developed the Lynx with a growth path to meet continually evolving military needs throughout its anticipated 40 year life.

Submitting the best and final offer represents the final deliverable of the two year Risk Management Activity (RMA) undertaken by the Department of Defence. Involving 12 months of rigorous testing by Army, Rheinmetall has been impressed with the professional and flexible approach taken by Defence in response to COVID.

“The fact that Army and Defence’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group has completed perhaps the most comprehensive testing in the world of these IFVs is outstanding” said Mr Stewart.

“The testing and associated working group discussions have mitigated a number of risks, confirmed vehicle and company performance, and improved the access for more Australian companies to be involved in this program.

Mr. Stewart said that the company’s offer also included a “special project” that was sure to pique the interest of not only the Australian Defence Force, but international export markets as well.

“Incorporating a great deal of engineering design and innovation, I am very much looking forward to unveiling the Rheinmetall special project”, he added.

Mr. Stewart said that Rheinmetall’s demonstrated commitment to Australian Industry Capability (AIC) through the Land 121 and Land 400 Phase 2 programs will continue to expand for the Lynx program.

“The Australian Army will benefit from the Lynx IFV that will be designed, built and supported from Rheinmetall’s Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence, with an expanded Australia-wide military vehicle industry network.

“In addition to the engineering of the system design Rheinmetall undertook in Australia with our key Australian partners, we are continuing to identify more Australian companies to supply technologies into Lynx, as part of our ongoing ‘design to manufacture in Australia’ activities.

“Today, we have well in excess of 100 small to medium enterprises that are manufacturing parts for Lynx, thereby providing employment and economic growth opportunities across regional and capital cities in Australia,” Mr. Stewart added. “Rheinmetall’s bid will see the Lynx sustained and enhanced locally throughout its service life, building on Rheinmetall’s existing employment base which supports hundreds of high-technology design and manufacturing jobs in fields as diverse as electro-optics, weapon systems, vehicle and turret manufacturing, armour systems and simulation.

“The Lynx’s Lance turret; already in manufacture for the Australian Boxer CRV program and an export customer, provides high degrees of commonality and interoperability for the soldier. Allowing rapid transition across platforms, a common L turret would simplify Army’s training system and reduce in-service support costs, providing the customer with tangible benefits from day one. “Manufactured at Rheinmetall’s Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence (MILVEHCOE) in Redbank, Queensland, the company will provide whole of fleet management, training and through-life support of Lynx.

Posted in Advertiser, Contracts, International, Press Release | No Comments »

Milipol 2021: Meprolight Presents the Mepro TIGON – a Hybrid Thermal & Red Dot sight for Both Day & Night target Acquisition

Tuesday, October 19th, 2021

Combining the advantages of uncooled thermal technology with clear, see-through day optics in a single sight, the Mepro TIGON system enables significantly improved operational flexibility

Milipol Paris, 19-22 October, Parc d’Exposition, Stand 5A D067

19th of October 2021 Israel. Meprolight (1990) Ltd. – a member of the SK Group (founded by Mr. Samy Katsav) is a leading manufacturer of electro-optical systems, thermal and night vision equipment, as well as self-illuminated sights for military, law enforcement and civilian applications. The company has completed development of the advanced MIL-STD Mepro TIGON sight. The system integrates the advantages of uncooled thermal imaging technology with those of see-through day optics (“red -dot” sights) in a single product, enabling complete operational flexibility, day and night.

Users in the defense, law enforcement and HLS sectors can benefit from the highly-advanced features of the TIGON, in one, extremely cost-effective solution.

The integrated technology enables operational flexibility for mission success in open terrain, CQB scenarios, densely-vegetated areas – such as jungles – and more. Being compact and lightweight, it reduces weapon-load, improves weapon balance, and simplifies operations compared with similar non-integrated solutions.

For day use, the Mepro TIGON’s large transparent display window and clearly-visible reticle enable rapid target acquisition, with both eyes open. At night, the thermal image projected onto the same display effectively supports spotting and engaging targets in complete darkness and harsh environment conditions, including smoke and dust.

To increase the effective day range of the sight, a tactical magnifier can be fitted behind it, while the digital x2 zoom of its thermal channel may be employed at night.

Additional features and advantages include:

– High accuracy zeroing system

– Wide FOV in both day and thermal modes

– Light sensor for seamless auto-adjustment of day reticle brightness

– Long operating time – thousands of hours in day mode, and more than five continuous hours in thermal mode

– Power-saving mechanism for maximum energy efficiency, without compromising reticle availability

– Low operating costs – powered by two commercial “AA” batteries

– Connectivity enabled through a video-out interface for external monitors and communications systems

– Quick-release high-durability Picatinny rail (MIL-STD-1913) mount

“The Mepro TIGON was developed in direct response to the needs of military, security, and law enforcement users for a sight that both, has high performance capabilities, and, is cost-effective enough to enable large-scale fielding for significantly increasing numbers of night-combat enabled users within forces,” says David Shenhav, S.V.P. Sales & Marketing – Defense, at Meprolight. “It efficiently supports seamless transition between day and night operations combined with changing tactical scenarios, all while subject to harsh environmental and weather conditions.

The system is already in the process of being evaluated by the IDF and introduced to select forces around the world.”

Posted in International, Milipol, Optics, Press Release | 5 Comments »

IWI Expands Its Riot Control Solutions Portfolio with the GAL Versatile Protective Suit

Tuesday, October 19th, 2021

IWI expands its riot control solutions portfolio, with the launch of its patented, unique and revolutionary riot-control protective suit – the GAL Versatile Protective Suit (VPS)

Adaptable to all scenarios, the VPS is designed for use by law enforcement agencies. Extremely lightweight, it provides complete protection from trauma injuries

Milipol Paris, 19-22 October, Parc d’Exposition, Stand 5A D067

19 October 2021, Ramat Hasharon, Israel. IWI – Israel Weapon Industries – a member of the SK Group (founded by Mr. Samy Katsav), and leader in the production of combat-proven small arms for military forces, police units, law enforcement agencies, and governmental entities around the world – announces the expansion of its comprehensive range of riot-control solutions as it launches the patented GAL Versatile Protective Suit (VPS). Designed for the protection of forces while maintaining public order, the lightweight, wearable protection system is adaptable to all scenarios.

The GAL VPS absorbs massive kinetic trauma and reduces and diverts the transfer of a blow to the body. A comprehensive, 3-level operational solution, the GAL VPS is flexible and easy to wear. It includes a vest and arm and leg protectors, all anti-trauma, and weighs just 4.4 kg at W2 and 5.9kg at W4, making it the most lightweight protective suit, while the unique design enables users from small to large size to wear it. The system is also covered with an anti-abrasion material as standard, or with flame retardant material according to the customer’s needs.

Together with the bullet proof and anti-stab ultralight vest and ultralight ballistic helmet, the GAL VPS is the most up-to-date, versatile protective suit available today. Moreover, following a stringent testing process and crash tests, the system has achieved German standard VPAM KDIW 2004 Cubic/ Wurfel.

“In the past year, we have witnessed the growing need for a professional personal protection system that provides a solution for security forces in the face of diverse missions and minute-by-minute situational changes,” says Ronen Hamudot, Executive VP of Marketing and Sales at SK Group. “We have developed a single kit that provides different levels of protection and addresses any scenario, including covert missions, search and arrest missions, dispersal of demonstrators, and more. This GAL VPS is an addition to the overall solution offered by IWI in the field of public protection. IWI continues to pursue its goal of providing complete solutions to its customers, by constantly developing the most advanced systems in the world.”

Posted in Armor, International, Milipol, Press Release | 1 Comment »

AeroVironment Successfully Demonstrates Maritime Sensor-To-Shooter Capability with Puma 3 AE and Switchblade 300 at NATO REP(MUS) 21 Experimentation Exercise

Monday, October 18th, 2021

• Experimentation was part of NATO REP(MUS) 21 U.S./U.K. Interoperability to Interchangeability (I2I) initiatives using uncrewed systems

• First successful cross-domain, multi-national and I2I-enabled maritime sensor-to-shooter (S2S) demonstration of Puma 3 AE small unmanned aircraft system and Switchblade 300 tactical missile system

• Demonstrated the interoperability potential of multiple Command and Control Systems/Common Control Systems (CCS) to pass missions, C2 authority, and ISR/targeting data, enabling U.S. and U.K. common mission planning and execution systems in coordinated mission profiles

• International debut of the Precision Recovery System (PRS), which supported Puma 3 AE’s continuous mission taskings with a quick turnaround recover/launch capability using an automated net landing capability on an underway U.S. Navy ship

ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 18, 2021 –AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain robotic systems, today announced the successful maritime demonstration of a Puma™ 3 AE small unmanned aircraft system and Switchblade® 300 tactical missile system sensor-to-shooter (S2S) capability as part of NATO REP(MUS) 21, Europe’s largest maritime unmanned systems operational experimentation exercise, hosted at the Portuguese Navy Centre for Operational Experimentation held in Troia, Portugal in September. The experimentation was part of a United States/United Kingdom Interoperability to Interchangeability (I2I) initiative using unmanned/uncrewed systems.

A key component of the exercise was demonstrating the interoperability of multiple U.S./U.K. control system capabilities to facilitate the transfer through the Puma 3 AE comm relay connection of tactical control and planning tasks of interchangeable, cross-domain assets. This successful demonstration was the result of combined and coordinated efforts of coalition and industry partnerships including the Naval Information Warfare Center’s C-SCAPE Common Control System (CCS), the Naval Undersea Warfare Center’s CaSHMI system, U.K. Ministry of Defense’s MAPLE command and control system, AeroVironment’s Crysalis™ ground control system (GCS) connected to the varied control systems utilizing a new STANAG 4586 Level 4 interface, unmanned/uncrewed surface vehicles, unmanned underwater vehicles and manned surface ships from additional NATO allies. The U.S. delegation was led by NAVSEA’s Program Executive Office for Unmanned and Small Combatants.

Launched from the USNS Carson City, Puma 3 AE UAS served as an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and targeting asset during the S2S exercise. Post launch, control of the Puma 3 AE was transferred to C-SCAPE, which was acting as the CCS on the USNS Carson City for this mission segment. Using its high-resolution Mantis i45 payload, the Puma 3 AE was used by military operators from the Maritime Operations Center (MOC), located in Troia, to positively identify the moving exercise target of interest. The target location was then digitally transferred from Puma 3 AE to a Switchblade 300 via S2S prior to its launch. The S2S functionality was witnessed by U.S. Navy personnel only.

As a demonstration of interchangeability, Switchblade 300 was then launched from a U.K. unmanned/uncrewed surface vessel (USV), the Maritime Autonomy Demonstrator for Operational eXperimentation (MADFOX), and automatically flew to the fast-moving target using the coordinates provided. Once the target was in the field of view of Switchblade 300’s optical sensors, the Switchblade 300 mission operator confirmed the target and engaged. During final target approach, Switchblade 300 was waved off just prior to actual engagement of the exercise target to effectively display its patented wave-off capability. Once the exercise was completed, the Puma 3 AE was autonomously recovered back onboard the USNS Carson City via the Precision Recovery System (PRS) demonstrator while the ship remained underway and on course.

“The system launch from MADFOX was a U.K. first, demonstrating the potential of USVs for lethal and other payloads; crucially, the whole serial was commanded, enabled and facilitated using information provided by uncrewed systems. It is a significant step for I2I, the sensor-to-shooter capability and interoperability,” said Commander Antony Crabb, Royal Navy, NavyX Experimentation Team Leader.

“This demonstration proved AeroVironment’s sensor-to-shooter solution dramatically elevates operator situational awareness, reduces engagement timelines and reduces the chances of mis-targeting,” said Charles Dean, AeroVironment vice president for global business development and sales of UAS. “It also deemed relaying missions and surveillance data between U.K. and U.S. planning systems as effective and successful and demonstrated the maturity of Puma 3 AE’s capabilities for broad naval adoption.”

Dean added, “Particularly, the new STANAG 4586 Level 4 compliant interface for Crysalis GCS to connect AeroVironment SUAS with large naval vessel Tactical Control Systems and the Puma 3 AE Precision Recovery System, allowing autonomous aircraft recovery for larger vessels while continuously underway.”

Subsequent REP(MUS) 21 demonstrations connected the U.K.’s MAPLE command and control system to an airborne Puma 3 AE, allowing full control of both the aircraft and its i45 payload as MAPLE commanded. Both Puma 3 AE and Switchblade 300 flight operations regularly involved aircraft handoffs between control stations on the USNS Carson City, MADFOX, the Troia beach FOB, and the MOC at Troia base operations.

AeroVironment’s participation and contributing fielded Puma 3 AE and Switchblade 300 systems impacted the exercise greatly by enabling both U.S. and U.K. control systems to interact through comm relay STANAG 4856 compatibility, cross-domain unmanned capability C2 networking over-the-horizon and combined coalition S2S unmanned/uncrewed response to fast attack threats.

Posted in International, Press Release, UAS | 1 Comment »

Brazilian Company InbraTerrestre Adopts Honeywell Technology for Military Helmets

Friday, October 15th, 2021

First strategic defense company in country to receive T&A level III-A ballistics certification

MORRIS PLAINS, N.J., Oct. 13, 2021 — Honeywell today announced Brazil-based InbraTerrestre has adopted its Spectra Shield technology for lighter weight helmets for military and law enforcement. InbraTerrestre, one of the companies of the Inbra Group, will be the country’s first strategic defense company to receive T&A certification for level III-A ballistic helmets.

Designed with Honeywell Spectra Shield, the helmet represents an unprecedented development for Brazil’s armor industry and is a milestone for Latin America.

“By using Honeywell’s Spectra Shield, we can reduce weight by more than 30 percent in our new helmets and defeat small arm threats at lighter weight than current materials,” said Jose Antonio Silva Pinto, CEO and CFO, of Inbra Group. “We offer solutions for helmets, vests and bulletproof shields that offer various levels of protection and meet the U.S. National Institute of Justice (NIJ) standard.”

InbraTerrestre develops and manufactures helmets to meet ballistic tests as required by NIJ standard 0106.01, ballistic levels II and III-A, VPO ballistic resistance of NIJ standard 0108.01 and high-speed fragments, in addition to threats at lower levels of protection. All products are tested and certified by the Brazilian Army at Marambaia proving ground under Portaria Nº 189-EME to ensure that products controlled by the Army are manufactured in compliance with technical standards targeting quality, safety, durability and performance.

“Honeywell’s advanced technologies are a result of the investment in research & development to continuously develop ballistic materials and bring these cutting-edge solutions to the law enforcement institutions across the region,” said Tim Swinger, business director for armor at Honeywell Life Sciences and Protection Industries. “Our innovations have consistently provided customers like Inbra with high-performing, high-quality reliable materials resulting in low-weight solutions for helmet, vest, and plate manufacturers to design next-generation protective gear for soldiers and service members.”

Honeywell’s Advanced Dynamic Deflection Technology is used in hard armor products to reduce deformation and structural damage by up to 40% without any decrease in ballistic stopping power. Even with reduced weight, the product series provides full coverage and protection from small fragments and bullets.

Pound for pound, Spectra fiber is 15 times stronger than steel, yet light enough to float. It has up to 60% greater strength than alternate aramid fiber. Spectra fiber is made from UHMWPE using a patented gel-spinning process.

Honeywell maintains an active Spectra fiber and ballistic materials research program focused on continuous improvement and development of high-performance materials. For more information about Spectra fiber, visit www.honeywell-spectra.com

Posted in Helmets, International, Materials, Press Release | No Comments »

Helikon-Tex Adds Desert Night Camouflage

Tuesday, October 12th, 2021

Helikon-Tex has added Woodland camouflage and Tigerstripe to their lineup in the past and now it’s Desert Night Camouflage’s turn.

Posted in Advertiser, Camo, International | 2 Comments »

AUSA 2021: IAI Selected by Israel’s MoD as Prime Contractor to Develop the Technologies for the Future Armored Fighting Vehicle – the Carmel

Monday, October 11th, 2021

October 10, 2021 – Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has been selected by Israel’s Ministry of Defense (IMoD) as the prime contractor and integrator for developing the concept and technologies for the future Armored Fighting Vehicle for the IDF – the Carmel – following IAI winning a demonstration of the technologies between Israel’s defense companies. At the conclusion of a successful live demonstration of a two-man, closed hatches armored fighting vehicle (AFV), IAI was selected by the IMoD to develop the next phase of the Carmel: development and demonstration of technologies for a multidimensional combat team, which will enable significant improvement in the system maneuverability.

With the Carmel demonstration, IAI has developed and proven a combat concept in which an AFV, with closed hatches, is operated by a two-man man crew and can successfully cope with existing and future challenges on the battlefield. This solution is based on automatic and autonomous systems that complement the two-man team, and operate the central subsystems – the vehicles’ mission planning and management, situational awareness, driving and lethality. These capabilities allow the team to define, supervise and interfere only when there is a necessity or need, and enables to cover a wider area of concern while effectively meeting the challenges faced by the maneuvering forces. The system has the ability to locate and destroy time-sensitive targets with small footprints, through quick acquisition and effective engagement of targets.

The Carmel concept is groundbreaking on a global scale, and has grabbed the attention of many industries and militaries around the world. The program combines an innovative operational concept with the latest and most advanced state-of-the-art technologies, which provide solutions in the future battlefield based on a small team, and extensive reliance on autonomous capabilities based on artificial intelligence (AI), all while minimizing the risk to human lives in a ground campaign, minimizing collateral damage, and streamlining battle management.

IAI President and CEO, Boaz Levy:“We are very proud that the IMoD and the Land Forces Division selected the Carmel solution presented and developed by IAI. The central principles behind the company’s concept of land combat include intelligence gathering and acquisition of targets in the battlefield, conducted autonomously. The Carmel solution, as demonstrated by IAI, brings to the world of land combat the concept of system of systems championed by IAI, and includes a combination of capabilities, systems, groundbreaking innovation and connection to the world of artificial intelligence as an additional strategic capability the IDF can use in the future battlefield. Carmel will enable complex ground operations with less risk to human lives, which will transform ground combat strategy as we know it today.”

The central technologies IAI is developing for land maneuvering forces include:

• Command System – the brain, in charge of planning and managing the combat team’s missions autonomously.

• Situational Awareness System – combining advanced capabilities in the areas of radars, SIGINT, and electro-optics, simultaneously locating threats on land, in the air and more that fall within the combat team’s field of interest, classifying targets in real time and quickly and accurately differentiating and prioritizing between friend or foe.

• Lethality System – in charge of classifying and prioritizing targets in real time, by allocating the most appropriate lethal tool for each target from a range of munitions at the combat team’s disposal.

• Mobility System – in charge of planning optimal routes of advancement for each of the vehicles in the combat team during missions.

• Operations System – team members can observe the battlefield in several dimensions, and thus gain a better understanding, and an innovative user interface will enable combat soldiers to receive optimal decisions when they are required to make them.

IAI’s ELTA Division is home to Israel’s intelligence and radar systems that develops groundbreaking strategic systems like special-mission aircraft, national cyber arrays, land robotics systems, drone defenses, border patrol defense systems, and more. IAI is a focal point of national and global technological knowhow in the fields of air defense, radars, satellites, unmanned vehicles, civil aviation and cyber.

Posted in AUSA, International, Press Release | No Comments »

Virtual-Shot

Sunday, October 10th, 2021

Simulation Training Group Pty Ltd this week officially released Virtual-Shot, a new and innovative hooting simulation system that is the first of its kind. Virtual-Shot enables a Rifle, Airsoft, or Gelblaster owner to attach their phone to their weapon and turn it into a virtual shooting range. Virtual-Shot offers a new way for gun owners and Military Simulation enthusiast to enjoy using their weapons at home, without ammunition, al whilst learning real shooting and marksmanship skills.

“Virtual-Shot is the shooting simulation system we wish we had when training soldiers for combat in places like Afghanistan, South East Asia, and Iraq.”

Daryl Batchelor, Co-Founder