DMM Linkits are compact, lightweight and versatile connecting elements. They are compatible with a wide range of DMM components such as Compact Shackles, Focus, Nexus and Directors using their double locking axles. They allow for very short connections which is ideal for height constrained situations and confined spaces.
Here we see the Linkit Y3 connected to the Titan Tapered Split Basket Stretcher.
These are the first, full spectrum Team Wendy Covers on the market to provide full NVG and other accessory management. There are two cover types, Ballistic and Bump, the Ballistic covering all Exfil ballistic versions including those with the new Rail 3.0.
The Bump version covers all Team Wendy BUMP helmets including the Exfil Carbon and the Exfil LTP Polymer helmet.
The covers have a unique aesthetic that retains the Exfil’s unique lines and protects their paint and ballistic surface from bumps, scrapes and scratches.
Another thing that’s new with these covers is a detachable universal rear pouch that will accept any commonly-issued counterweight or NVG Battery pouch as well as other rear accessories. The pouch integrates securely and quickly with the cover but can also be fully removed leaving a totally flat back for a different mission set.
The full Team Wendy cover series is shipping from Agilite’s website from today. To order now or request a government quote, click here: agilitegear.com/collections/team-wendy-exfil-helmet-covers
WHILE STOCKS LAST
Automotive CEO Horst Binnig closes his career at Rheinmetall
After 20 successful years in the Automotive sector and on the Rheinmetall Group’s Executive Board, Horst Binnig (60) has asked the company’s Supervisory Board to be released for personal reasons from his duties as Chairman of the Executive Board of Rheinmetall Automotive AG and as a member of the Executive Board of the Group holding company Rheinmetall AG. Following the implementation of a succession plan with a smooth transition of leadership duties, he will relinquish his responsibilities within the Group by the end of 2019 and retire.
After working for the KACO Group and Hengstler GmbH, Binnig joined the Automotive sector of the Rheinmetall Group in 1999 where he was initially in charge of Corporate Development and then headed the Automotive subsidiary KS Aluminium-Technologie. During this time, he was also instrumental in setting up the Group’s second major joint venture with SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation) in China. In addition, he shaped and drove forward the vigorous expansion of Rheinmetall Automotive’s activities there as part of its internationalization strategy. Horst Binnig has been a member of the Executive Board of Rheinmetall Automotive AG since 2012 and took over as Chairman at the beginning of 2014. He was also appointed to the Executive Board of Rheinmetall AG in 2014.
Ulrich Grillo, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Rheinmetall AG and Armin Papperger, Chairman of Rheinmetall Automotive AG’s Supervisory Board, pay tribute to Horst Binnig’s entrepreneurial achievements: “Even though there is still some time left before his departure, we would like to thank Horst Binnig today. Not only has he played a decisive role in the extremely positive development of Rheinmetall Automotive’s business over recent years, he also delivered important impetus for the development of the Rheinmetall Group as such as a member of the Group’s Executive Board. All the more do we therefore regret his decision as much as we respect it.“
Vienna, 23 July 2019 – The Maritime Safety Directorate of the Ministry of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Croatia issued the first mobilization request to the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) for CAMCOPTER® S-100 maritime surveillance services.
Starting in the summer of 2019, the service provision for Croatia will assist in maritime Coast Guard functions such as search and rescue, monitoring and surveillance, ship and port security, vessel traffic, environmental protection and response, ship casualty assistance, as well as accident and disaster response. For these purposes, the CAMCOPTER® S-100 Unmanned Air System (UAS) will be based on the island of Brac? and will carry out regular patrolling flights, on-demand incident monitoring missions and specific inspection operations. The S-100 will execute these tasks equipped with an L3 Wescam Electro-Optical / Infra-Red (EO/IR) camera gimbal, an Overwatch Imaging PT-8 Oceanwatch payload and an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver.
EMSA awarded the multi-year maritime surveillance contract for a Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) to Schiebel in November 2018. In execution of this contract, Schiebel will provide simultaneous maritime surveillance services to several European Union (EU) member states and EU bodies.
“The CAMCOPTER® S-100 is the perfect Vertical Takeoff and Landing UAS to perform these Coast Guard functions,” notes Hans Georg Schiebel, Chairman of the Schiebel Group. “Backed by an impressive service record in the maritime domain, the S-100 has established itself as the best choice whenever sophisticated maritime surveillance is required.”
IDZ-ES and the PUMA infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) for the VJTF 2023 are making a start on the end-to-end digital command radio link over the first mile using software defined radios from Rohde & Schwarz.
Munich, July 22, 2019 – The seamless command radio link for the PUMA armored infantry system with the infantryman of the future (IdZ-ES) for the Very High Readiness Joint Taskforce (VJTF) 2023 is provided by Rohde & Schwarz. With the Budget Committee of the German Lower House of German Parliament (Bundestag) having given its approval for the armored infantry system service package at the end of June, the necessary contracts for procurement have now also been completed.
“This order is a milestone that we have reached after winning against international competitors in challenging trials and comparative tests set by the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) in 2018 in Munster, Germany,” explained Hartmut Jäschke, Senior Vice President Market Segments Secure Communications Sales and Projects at Rohde & Schwarz.
Its basis is the intention of the Bundeswehr to be ready with the PUMA IFV/armored infantry system and the latest version of IdZ-ES for NATO VJTF (Land) in 2023. Rohde & Schwarz is a subcontractor of Rheinmetall Electronics, which is responsible for the IdZ-ES system, and will supply the latest tactical software defined radios (SDR) together with suitable waveforms, integration, training and services. The SOVERON family works with the high data rate and interference-immune SOVERON WAVE waveforms for tactical rugged use on the first mile, and is thus an exact match for the spectrum of requirements of a battle group for territorial and collective defense as well as for international crisis management operations. All members of the SOVERON WAVE family of waveforms offer mobile ad hoc network (MANET) functionality. Radios equipped with this capability function as routers within the IP network group, forwarding the information via other communication nodes and thus ensuring that a robust, interference-immune link can be maintained under all circumstances.
Rohde & Schwarz will supply the latest tactical software defined radios of the SOVERON family together with suitable waveforms, integration, training and services to the German Armed Forces for NATO VJTF (Land) in 2023. (Photo: Rohde & Schwarz)
The Rohde & Schwarz VHF/UHF radio systems selected for this project will establish and maintain the command radio link with simultaneous voice and IP data from dismounted troops up to the platoon and company level. The systems concerned are handheld (SDHR/SOVERON HR) and vehicular radios (SDTR/SOVERON VR) that are interoperable with the German Armed Forces joint radio system (SVFuA, series name: SOVERON D) that has already been commissioned by the Bundeswehr and the SDR waveforms procured with it. The first batch of SOVERON D commissioned for command vehicles will be delivered to the troops in the first half of 2020. This interplay is also of great importance for future viability in the context of the Digitalization of Land Based Operations/Tactical Edge Networking (D-LBO/TEN) major project for highly secure and trusted interoperable connections that will only come into effect after VJTF 2023. SOVERON D also provides backward compatibility with the analog SEM radio infrastructure that will be in service for some time yet even though it is obsolete. This capability was also recently demonstrated in further tests.
“With our innovative overall approach – SOVERON – we provide national trusted solutions that can be tailored to the customer’s needs but which, due to their open architecture, are compatible with established radio systems and architectures and, at the same time, will be viable in the future,” Mr. Jäschke continued. “It is an honor for us to bring into operation by the troops the latest state of the art for the VJTF. By doing so, we are not only paving the way for the next steps of D-LBO/TEN and for further strategic projects of the Bundeswehr. There are also significant synergies with the Telecommunications of the Army (TK A) project in Switzerland, comparable to the networking part of D-LBO/TEN. We are in the final round of a multi-year competition here.”
DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO) (“DroneShield” or the “Company”) is pleased to have been selected for a grant-based collaboration program by Defence Innovation Network (DIN), in conjunction with Innovation Connections.
NSW Defence Innovation Network (DIN) is a university-led initiative of the NSW Government and the Defence Science and Technology Group to enhance NSW Defence industry capability through collaboration with government and academic research institutions. Supported by seven leading NSW universities, DIN focuses on bringing world-class research capabilities and innovation to the defence sector, supporting the Australian defence export industry.
Under the program, DroneShield will draw on the NSW universities’ resourcing, in combination with own engineering team, to design and develop a real-time optical drone-detection capability using recent
advancements in machine Deep Learning and Convolutional Neural Networks. The collaboration is expected to result in a product that will be taken to market by DroneShield by 1Q 2020, further enhancing its existing suite of market-leading technologies.
DroneShields’s CEO Oleg Vornik commented “DroneShield is pleased to continue our collaboration with the Australian and NSW Governments to further strengthen our position as a leading Australian defence exporter in this highly innovative sector. This grant secures access to some of the best minds in the world, based here in Australia, to complement our best in class engineering team in continuing to stay at the forefront of the counterdrone space, as it rapidly grows.”
Order volume close to half a billion euros
Rheinmetall is taking on a key role in equipping the NATO spearhead Very High Joint Readiness Task Force 2023 (VJTF 2023), which will be furnished by the German Bundeswehr. Contracts have now been awarded to a consortium for the “System Panzergrenadier VJTF 2023” project, in which Rheinmetall’s share comes to over €470 million, including value added tax. Work has already begun and is set to continue through to the end of the VJTF readiness phase in 2024.
On 11 July 2019, the Federal Office for Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-service Support awarded a corresponding contract to ARGE Puma, a consortium consisting of Puma manufacturer PSM Projekt System Management GmbH – a joint venture in which Rheinmetall holds a 50% stake – and Rheinmetall Electronics GmbH. Subcontracting within ARGE will take place shortly.
“System Panzergrenadier” links the Puma infantry fighting vehicle – the mainstay of the German Army’s mechanized infantry – with the modular Future Soldier – Expanded System (IdZ-ES) soldier system, in an advanced, network-enabled warfare environment.
Included in the “System Panzergrenadier VJTF 2023” package is a comprehensive combat performance upgrade of forty-one Puma infantry fighting vehicles, coupled with additional measures for improving communication between the infantry fighting vehicles and dismounted infantrymen. For Rheinmetall, the total value of this order comes to €258.3 million, including value added tax. The systems will be delivered at the end of 2020/beginning of 2021.
Among other things, the package also encompasses complete logistic support of the VJTF Pumas for a period of five years, i.e. spare parts, special tools and spare parts logistics. Also included is a new generation of digital radios for the infantry fighting vehicles as well as integration of the MELLS multirole light guided missile system, significantly expanding the capabilities spectrum of Puma. New daylight and thermal imaging cameras and a colour display feature in the upgrade too. Optimized day and night vision will increase the range of reconnaissance, while simultaneously widening the crew’s field of view. Furthermore, new training resources will enable the unit to train in a highly realistic manner.
Closely linked to the hardware of the new optronic systems and monitors for the infantry fighting vehicles is the contract for development of the “Vision Enhancement, Chassis”, which is already underway. Including value added tax, it represents sales of €67.2 million, including value added tax.
Furthermore, Rheinmetall is equipping the mechanized infantry companies of the VJTF 2023 with “TacNet”, its battle management system (BMS). In addition, an initial lot of ten platoon versions of the “Future Soldier – Expanded System” soldier system will be brought up to modern VJTF 2023 standard. Improved communication between the Puma crew and the dismounted infantry section will result in a continuously updated, uniform common operational picture. This way, Rheinmetall gives mechanized infantry a command-and-control capability that extends from the company commander to the individual rifleman on the ground. These modernization moves will mean incoming orders for Rheinmetall worth €146.5 million, including value added tax.
“System Panzergrenadier VJTF 2023” substantially enhances the fighting strength of the VJTF 2023. At the same time, Rheinmetall views these measures as a template for further modernization and digitization of the Bundeswehr.
Modernizing the command and control capabilities of complete mechanized infantry companies and bringing the IdZ-ES up to VJTF 2023 standard involves modifying the hardware and software. Dispensing with the “electronic backbone” is one key innovation. Others include advanced new radio systems for dismounted troops and infantry fighting vehicles, which result in improved command capabilities as well as enabling secure transmission of large amounts of data.
During development of the new vision systems and their integration into the Puma, an initial lot of five sets of prototype assemblies will be fabricated and integrated into five standard vehicles. These tasks are to be complete by 2021. Verification will then take place at the Bundeswehr’s technical centres by 2023.
Furthermore, digitization of the vision technology will proceed in tandem with implementation of NATO Generic Vehicle Architecture (NGVA) in the Puma. It forms the foundation for the future sensor-to-shooter nexus. Already underway, the networking of sensors and effectors in individual vehicles will soon enable the networking of sensors and effectors in entire units and formations. As a result, the Puma will be one of the world’s first digitized combat vehicles.
The Battle of Long Tan is iconic in the Australian and New Zealand experience in the Vietnam War. A labor of love, this project has been a development for over 10 years.
In August 1966, in a Vietnamese rubber plantation called Long Tan, 108 young and mostly inexperienced Australian and New Zealand soldiers are fighting for their lives against 2500 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong soldiers.
In cinemas beginning August 8th in Australia. Hopefully, we’ll see it here in the US.
