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Archive for the ‘weapons’ Category

The QUICK from SOLGW

Tuesday, May 19th, 2020

May 2020 – San Antonio, Texas – Sons of Liberty Gun Works (SOLGW) in collaboration with Forward Controls Design (FCD) set out to create a safety that’s an embodiment of our considerable experience in AR15/M16 selector design and knowledge over the years. This collaboration resulted in the “Quick”.

The Quick was designed from the ground up to be a defense/duty/combat safety selector. Its’ mission is quite aptly reflected by the way its’ levers are attached the center, via a stainless-steel roll pin. The lever to center interface is incredibly strong, the high shear strength (800 lbs) 420 stainless steel spring steel roll pin simply holds the two in place and doesn’t handle any load. One of the design goals dictates there be no wobble between the lever and center, we’ve called for very tight tolerances (+0.001/-0.00) on the Quick’s lever and center interface to achieve that.

The Quick is shipped with a selector spring, a nitrided selector detent, two levers, 4 roll pins (two are needed for installation, with 2 spares).

We do not ship the Quick with one lever installed as we recommend installing the center (dimple forward) and installing the grip, allowing the detent to hold the center in place. Using a vice block to then hold the lower receiver as both levers are installed.

Quick centers are billet machined in 4140, heat treated and black nitrided. Levers are billet machined in 4140 and black nitrided.

Manufactured 100% in the USA.

Available now at sonsoflibertygw.com.

Introducing the AMTAC Complete Carbine Rifle and Pistol

Friday, May 15th, 2020

[ Morgantown, Indiana — ]

Centurion Arms LLC is happy to announce the AMTAC Complete Carbine Rifle and Complete Carbine Pistol!

We have known Bill for over 20 years now and can say with confidence he is one of the best people we know. Bill is no doubt one of the very best instructors there is on the open market for training. He recently retired after twenty years in the Navy, where his duty assignments included several years at SEAL Team 3 and over 14 years at Naval Special Warfare Development Group. Positions held included assaulter, breacher, sniper, team leader, troop chief, and military working dog department senior enlisted adviser. He has always been an avid shooter and is heavily involved in combatives. With his background and knowledge, he is easily the most combat-experienced instructor available anywhere today. Bill is now running “AMTAC”, American Tactical Shooting Instruction, LLC along with classes across the country! www.amtacshooting.com

The Centurion Arms AMTAC Complete Carbine Rifle and Complete Carbine Pistol are built to Bill’s specs, producing his ultimate carbine setup. We are proud to bring Bill’s knowledge and vision to life with this awesome collaboration!

AMTAC Complete Carbine Rifle

Weight: 6.1lbs

Length: 32.5in (stock collapsed)

Upper: Centurion Arms 16” 5.56mm chrome hammer forged barrel, government profile under the handguard, 1/7 twist, Independently Certified MIL-SPEC 11595E barrel steel, specifically engineered for machine guns for longer life (most all hammer forged barrels on the market are not made of this steel), USGI 5.56mm NATO, chrome lined bore and chamber. HPT/MPI (High Pressure Test/Magnetic Particle inspected), per MIL-SPEC. Manganese Phosphate Finish on entire barrel,
• Centurion Arms CM4 Forged Upper receiver is standard forged Mil-Spec with M4 Extended feed ramps
• Centurion Arms low profile pinned gas block
• 13” MLOK Centurion Arms CMR Rail
• Mid-length gas tube
• Surefire WARCOMP three prong
• BCG: Full Auto machined from MIL-SPEC Carpenter 158 Steel. MPI (Magnetic Particle Inspected), Shot Peened, Tool Steel Extractor w/enhanced extractor spring, Chrome Lined Carrier, Hardened, Chrome Lined Gas Key w/staked Grade 8 Fasteners as per MIL-SPEC.

Lower
• Centurion Arms CM4 Forged Lower Receiver (w/AMTAC logo Engraving)
• Receiver Plate-Standard
• Fire Control Group: Geissele SSA
• Trigger Guard: Aluminum Winter Trigger Guard
• Buffer: H2
• Grip: A2

Stock: Magpul CTR Carbine Stock

Includes: Rifle, (1) 30rd Magazine, Digital USGI Manual

AMTAC Complete Carbine Pistol

Weight: 5.4lbs

Length: 27in (stock collapsed)

Upper: Centurion Arms 11.5″ Carbine Gas 5.56mm chrome hammer forged barrel, government profile under the handguard, 1/7 twist, Independently Certified MIL-SPEC 11595E barrel steel, specifically engineered for machine guns for longer life (most all hammer forged barrels on the market are not made of this steel), USGI 5.56mm NATO, chrome lined bore and chamber. HPT/MPI (High Pressure Test/Magnetic Particle inspected), per MIL-SPEC. Manganese Phosphate Finish on entire barrel,

• Centurion Arms CM4 Forged Upper receiver is standard forged Mil-Spec with M4 Extended feed ramps
• Centurion Arms low profile pinned gas block
• 10.5″ MLOK Centurion Arms CMR Rail
• Carbine-length gas tube
• Surefire WARCOMP three prong
• BCG: Full Auto machined from MIL-SPEC Carpenter 158 Steel. MPI (Magnetic Particle Inspected), Shot Peened, Tool Steel Extractor w/enhanced extractor spring, Chrome Lined Carrier, Hardened, Chrome Lined Gas Key w/staked Grade 8 Fasteners as per MIL-SPEC.

Lower:
• Centurion Arms CM4 Forged Lower Receiver (w/AMTAC logo Engraving)
• Receiver Plate-Standard
• Fire Control Group: Geissele SSA
• Trigger Guard: Aluminum Winter Trigger Guard
• Buffer: H2
• Grip: A2
• Arm Brace: SBA4

Includes: Pistol, (1) 30rd Magazine, Digital USGI Manual

USArmy Awards AeroVironment $146 Million Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile Systems Contract Funded at $76 Million for First Year of Switchblade Systems Procurement

Friday, May 15th, 2020

·       AeroVironment’s combat proven Switchblade with patented wave-off feature provides operators with increased lethality, reach and precision strike capabilities with low collateral effects

·       First year of funding approved through Joint Urgent Operational Need Statement, reflecting high-priority requirement and strong user demand from the frontline

·       AeroVironment provides full system solution, including Switchblade systems, operator training, support and logistics

AeroVironment’s Switchblade is a back-packable, rapidly deployable, loitering precision strike missile designed for use against beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) targets, from either mobile positions in the field or from fixed defensive positions for base security.

SIMI VALLEY, Calif., at vSOFIC, May 14, 2020 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), announced the receipt of a one-year, $75,930,901 funded contract award on April 30, 2020 from the United States Army for procurement of the company’s Switchblade® loitering missile system. The contract award was funded for the first year of procurement through a Joint Urgent Operational Need Statement from the United States Army Tactical Aviation and Ground Munitions (TAGM) project office. Start of deliveries is anticipated by September 2020. Two additional one-year options, currently unfunded, would extend the period of performance through April 2023 on a sole-source basis.

“For nearly a decade, AeroVironment’s Switchblade has delivered unmatched force protection and precision strike capabilities at the battlefield edge to the U.S. Army,” said Brett Hush, AeroVironment senior product line general manager of Tactical Missile Systems. “We will continue to enhance the capabilities of this battle-proven product, and stand ready with a proven supply chain and customer support system in order to respond effectively to U.S. and allied customers’ needs.”

AeroVironment’s combat proven Switchblade is back-packable and rapidly deployable from ground platforms including a 6-pack launcher, providing warfighters with rapid-response force protection and precision strike capabilities up to 10 kilometers (6 miles) from its launch location. Its high precision, combined with specialized effects and patented wave-off feature, results in Switchblade’s ability to minimize or even eliminate collateral damage.

Northrop Grumman is a key partner on the Switchblade system, providing single purpose and multimode warheads for the program.

Learn more about Switchblade at the AeroVironment, Industry Showcase at vSOFIC www.sofic.org/vsofic or at www.avinc.com/switchblade.

BAE Systems Selects Kongsberg’s MCT-30 Turret for U.S. Marine Corps ACV Program

Friday, May 15th, 2020

May 13, 2020 – Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS (Kongsberg) has been selected by BAE Systems, Inc. to design and manufacture the remote Medium Caliber Turret (MCT) for the United States Marine Corps’ Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) -30 program. Kongsberg will deliver up to 150 MCTs in a phased program as part of this contract. Test article delivery will commence early 2021 followed by production phases.

The Kongsberg MCT-30 is the first remotely operated 30mm turret to be qualified and fielded in the United States. The system provides highly accurate firepower for wheeled or tracked combat vehicles. It is remotely controlled and operated from a protected position inside the vehicle compartment for optimized crew safety.

The MCT-30 leverages a link-less medium caliber cannon providing lethality, extremely high reliability and multi-user functions to the Marine Corps ACV and other platforms. 

“The ACV-30 with Kongsberg’s MCT-30 turret signifies a powerful lethality capability for the Marine Corps, representative of a new era in U.S. amphibious operations,” said Pål E Bratlie, Executive Vice President Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.”

The U.S. Army, in 2015, chose Kongsberg’s MCT-30 to increase the lethality of the Stryker Brigade in Europe. The system has been fielded and operated with the Army as part of the European Deterrence Initiative since 2018. 

It is the primary armament and fire control system for the Infantry Carrier Vehicle – Dragoon (ICV-D) Strykers. All MCT-30s, and any remote weapon stations, bound for U.S. customers are manufactured in the Kongsberg Johnstown, Penn. facility leveraging a U.S. supply base located in over 30 states.

 

Remington R2Mi Bolt Action Rifle

Thursday, May 14th, 2020

Huntsville, AL – From its match-grade chamber out, the R2Mi rifle is built to shatter all previous expectations for long-range accuracy. A free- floated barrel, with 1:15” twist and 8-groove rifling is perfectly suited for harnessing sub-MOA accuracy from the 50 BMG. And its left-hand operated, right-hand eject bolt-action and 10-round box magazine, ensure comfortable cycling with no need for the shooter to adjust position. The R2Mi rifle is also one of the simplest 50-caliber rifles to assemble and maintain. Its upper receiver locks to the lower receiver with two integral pins, and its full-length Picatinny rail accommodates a wide range of optics.    

NEVER DETERRED BY DISTANCE

Key Features

• Bolt action: left bolt / right port, for faster cycling of action
• Lothar Walther barrel free-floated within vented hand guard
• Lower receiver machined from T6-6061 aluminum billet
• MIL-STD 1913 rail on receiver and vented hand guard
• Hard anodized type 3 green finish on aluminum parts (Mil-Spec)
• Manganese phosphate finish on steel parts
• Equipped with AAC muzzle brake to accept Cyclops silencer
• Steel bipod with folding legs
• Disassembles like an AR-type rifle for cleaning and maintenance
• Ships in custom Pelican Storm Case with two 10-round magazines, bipod, hearing and eye protection and cable lock

More information about the Company can be found at www.remington.com.

CZ Group Acquires Minority Stake in Swedish Spuhr

Thursday, May 14th, 2020

Prague, May 11, 2020 – CZG – ?eská zbrojovka Group SE, one of the leading European producers of firearms, announces the acquisition of a minority stake in Spuhr i Dalby AB, a Swedish manufacturer of optical mounting solutions for weapons.

CZG’s acquisition of Spuhr creates mutual synergies in terms of products, customers and geographical presence. Spuhr’s product portfolio consists of optical mounts, accessories and upgrade kits for weapons, making it highly complementary to CZ’s core business.

“We are very pleased to join forces with Spuhr through this strategic investment. Håkan Spuhr and Ulf Nilsson have built a company which is the world leading manufacturer of optical mounting solutions. We believe that the connection of the CZ and Spuhr brands will further strengthen our position on the market and lead to continuous innovation for the benefit of our customers,” stated Lubomír Kova?ík, President of CZG.

“The cooperation with CZ is a strategic milestone for Spuhr. It will give us access to new markets, high-end testing technology and research. We will continue to be flexible and lead the development of new products for our important high-end customers. The partnership with CZ will take us to the next level,” stated Ulf Nilsson, CEO of Spuhr.

The Spuhr mounts and accessories are used by many military and law enforcement units around the world, including the Swedish, Dutch and Danish Army, German Police and Portuguese Navy. Spuhr also offers a popular hunting series of products.

USSOCOM Small Arms Update

Thursday, May 14th, 2020

US Army COL Joel Babbitt, Program Executive Officer SOF Warrior for the United States Special Operations Command, provided an update on small arms programs during this week’s vSOFIC event presented by National Defense Industrial Association.

The most significant lethality efforts revolve around the adoption of the 6.5 Creedmoor and .338 Norma Mag cartridges which offer overmatch against threat small arms, allowing SOF operators to provide accurate fire at longer ranges than before.

COL Babbitt stated, “The 7.62 round we were previously using allowed engagement out to 7-800 meters, while the 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge goes out to 1200 meters.” Likewise, he is excited about .338 NM which offers .50 ranges from a package the size and weight of a 7.52 machine gun.

As far as adoption of ammunition in 6.5 CM, SOCOM is pursuing three courses of action. First, it has developed a government Technical Data Package for a ball round which is being assembled using commercial components. Second, they are purchasing and evaluating “best of breed” cartridges in this caliber. This COA is being used to inform development of other types of rounds such as Armor Piercing. Finally, the command is working with Lake City Army Ammunition Plant to manufacture the ammunition to the TDP.

In other ammunition news, SOCOM is looking at alternative types of ammunition construction to reduce weight 20-30% from current brass case weight. They’ve already looked at .50 and are expanding the search which includes such constructions as polymer, steel and hybrid.

Two weapons development programs currently leverage the capabilities of 6.5 CM, Medium Range Gas Gun – Assault and and Lightweight Machine Gun – Assault. These are slight name changes from previous years.

The MRGG-A requirement is a sniper support rifle unique to Naval Special Warfare. Utilizing Mid-Tier Acquisition strategy, the program is underway.

Interestingly, during a media Q&A session, COL Babbitt revealed that the Lightweight Machine Gun – Assault is currently on hold, pending the US Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon program which promises to field a carbine and automatic rifle (think Squad Automatic Weapon) in a new 6.8mm cartridge offering similar ballistic parameters to the commercial 270 Win Mag.

With 70% of SOCOM’s forces being from the Army component, NGSW will be a service common solution and if it meets SOF needs, could save the command a great deal of money that can be placed against other needs. Considering this, it makes sense that MRGG-A would continue since it is NSW unique rather than intended to be fielded command-wide. Additionally, COL Babbitt pointed out that NSGW does not have a sniper component and that MRGG-A is a sniper support rifle rather than just a carbine.

Marine Corps Special Operations Command is currently conducting a Combat Evaluation of SIG SAUER’s Lightweight Machine Gun in 338 NM. This will be used to inform a procurement in the coming years. The Marine Corps is also interested in this capability.

Delivering an On-Demand Sensor to Shooter Warfighting Capability

Tuesday, May 5th, 2020

The Army Modernization Strategy describes the future battlefield as high-tempo and contested, with greater weapons lethality, persistent observation, increased speed of human interaction, and proliferation of weapons of mass effects. As the operating environment changes, U.S. military forces and coalition partners will be required to sense and engage enemy targets with greater speed, better accuracy and at longer ranges to ensure overmatch. Keeping up with this new operating environment is the responsibility of the Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing (APNT) Cross-Functional Team (CFT), who is enhancing the Army’s ability to detect, identify, process, and engage targets at a more rapid pace.

To do this, the APNT CFT has initiated a Sensor to Shooter (S2S) Campaign of Learning (CoL), a process by which the Army will learn the best way to employ the S2S capabilities in an operationally relevant way. The S2S CoL will support the automation of the S2S process, to support the development of capabilities that are scalable, trainable, repeatable, and sustainable. This also gives the Army the opportunity to enhance and discover new capabilities so that processes and connections are fielded and implemented immediately as new sensors and shooters become available to the force.

“Working with our partners, we are finding ways to utilize innovative resources, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, to automate sensor to shooter operations,” said Mr. Ben Pinx, S2S Lead for the APNT CFT.

“Doing this will shorten the time it takes to turn intelligence data into actionable targets, giving us the most accurate data and targeting information so that we can effectively disintegrate enemy forces.”

Reducing the S2S timeline will ensure the Army’s ability to prosecute more targets in a shorter time despite the complexity of future operating environments. To be successful, the Army must operationalize the S2S process to enable an “all sensor to all shooter” approach. Today, the APNT CFT is working closely with partners across the Army, to include the Army Futures Command, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, the Fires Center of Excellence, the Intel Center of Excellence, the Network, Long Range Precision Fires (LRPF), Future Vertical Lift, and Next Generation Combat Vehicle CFTs, the HQDA G2 Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Task Force, the Army Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities Program, and the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Task Force to increase the S2S process in order to target more effectively and efficiently.

To assess the S2S CoL, the APNT CFT and its partners are performing a sequence of exercises in U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) and U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) this year.

“Operationalizing S2S will not only shorten the time it takes a sensor to identify targets, select the appropriate effects platform, and generate a coordinated fire order,” said Mr. Nelson, APNT CFT Director. “It will also create a scalable, trainable, repeatable, and sustainable process that can be used at any echelon, on any network and any fires platform [lethal and non-lethal], within any operational environment.”

EXPLOITING THE TARGET

Multi-domain fires requires predictive, accurate, timely collection, sharing, and assessment of large amounts of data. Advanced technologies, such as machine learning and AI, have the power to drastically change the way Soldiers operate in the battlefield, reducing response time, simplifying or expanding cognitive processes, and enabling faster decision making, all of which are essential to create convergence and allow the joint force to achieve overmatch. The collective S2S process must detect and prioritize targets, conduct fires planning, and establish appropriate and permissive fire support coordination measures to enable a timely fire order to the shooter. Reaction time is critical, as this all takes place before the target moves or becomes stale. The more important the target, the more it will be protected. Deep or well protected targets in an anti-access and area-denial region will pose significant challenges to the ability to identify, track, and engage targets. All this in consideration, the CFT is finding new ways to employ deep sensing beyond the current reach of operational and tactical sensors.

The APNT CFT is integrating new space-based sensors as part of the S2S capability, which can enhance Soldier access to targets, providing responsive and resilient capabilities to the commander in the field. Additionally, the CFT is working closely with its partners to deliver a global, operationally relevant, space-based capability to provide deep sensing, which can be tasked at the operational and tactical level to produce prompt, accurate, and persistent data enabling precision fires at range.

“Space enables the processing, exploitation and dissemination of data at a rapid pace,” said Mr. Nelson. “It gives Army forces the ability to deliver accurate, effective, and predictive multi-domain fires in all areas of operational warfare.”

ASSESSING SENSOR TO SHOOTER

In February and March, the APNT CFT partnered with USAREUR personnel along with its CFT, military and Department of Defense partners, successfully conducted a series of S2S Live Fire Exercise (LFX) demonstrations in Grafenwoehr Germany.

The LFX consisted of three demonstration events. During these events the team successfully sensed and hit targets at ranges beyond line of sight using satellite capabilities that have not been responsive to ground forces until now. This shows the Army’s ability to leverage space-based sensors to pursue deep targets. As the LRPF CFT fields capabilities with far greater ranges than were previously capable, these types of sensors will be able to accurately and reliably find the targets for engagement.

“The success of the sensor to shooter live fire exercises with USAREUR shows the tactical benefit of an integrated sensor to shooter capability that can see beyond line of sight,” said Mr. Nelson. “This new capability will enable multi-domain operational forces to engage and defeat time sensitive targets and provide a robust and resilient reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition capability that will shorten S2S timelines for long-range precision fires.”

Mr. Pinx explained the benefits of the exercises. “The APNT CFT is looking for technologies in the ground, air, cyber, or space domains that will provide sensor to shooter as well as APNT, situational awareness and navigation warfare capabilities. During the live fire exercise we were able to use realistic conditions to show the readiness of a unit to conduct an operation using the weapons and ammunition associated with their mission.” These demonstrations gave insight to the current capabilities of the available sensors and shooters and their ability to link in novel ways to provide a capability down to the division operational level of combat.

During the demonstrations, the CFT used high explosive rounds equipped with the precision guidance kit fuze. Soldiers used the M777 155 millimeter lightweight howitzer system as the fires platform and the Advanced Miniaturized Data Acquisition and Dissemination Vehicle to gain access to the various sensors.

Target data was transmitted through the Joint Automated Deep Operations Coordination System and the Advanced Field Artillery Database System for the technical and tactical fire direction processes.

“These demonstrations provide critical data and analysis as part of our sensor to shooter campaign of learning,” said Mr. Nelson.

“What we learn through these demos will influence how we introduce these new capabilities into larger exercises like Project Convergence and Defender Pacific 20. And eventually, we’ll understand how we can utilize machine learning and artificial intelligence to pair sensors and shooters in real time.”

The LFX demonstrations were a training exercise for Soldiers as they prepare for the upcoming Pacific 20 demonstration this summer and Project Convergence in the fall.

CONCLUSION

The LFX demonstrations exhibited the Army’s ability to engage and defeat time sensitive targets with timely and accurate fires anywhere on the battlefield. Through continued experimentation and prototyping of individual capabilities within the S2S construct and the connection of assets from across joint, interagency, and multi-national sensors to any shooter (kinetic and non-kinetic), the APNT CFT will enhance the Army’s ability to approach targets and effects at a more rapid pace, improving the S2S process to ensure effective and efficient targeting and overall overmatch. This unification is the goal of the APNT CFT S2S effort and is required for a targeting process multi-domain operational strategy.

Story by Caitlin O’Neill

Photos by Spc Denice Lopez