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Milipol 25 – Heathcoat Graphene+

November 20th, 2025

Heathcoat is a fabric producer in the UK. Their Graphene+ is manufactured by an additive process which impregnates a Graphene grid to the back of the fabric. This facilitates the dissipation of heat over 50% faster than fabric which is not treated.

As you can imagine, there is interest in adding this process for clothing worn by air and ground crews as Graphese is inherently FR and the process adds no additional vulnerability to flame. Seen here is MTP printed fabric with a weight of 180g. The process only adds another 40 g per square meter.

Posted in Materials, Milipol | No Comments »

Milipol 25 – MP-SEC & Ghost Robotics

November 20th, 2025

Ghost Robotics has a tight relationship with MP-SEC in France. Not only does MP-SEC represent the Vision 60 Quadraped Unmanned Ground System and accessories, they also work with clients to outfit the Vision 60 to fill their requirements.

Often referred to colloquially as a “Robot Dog” the Vision 60 is well known to SSD readers for its ability to integrate a wide variety of lethal and sensor packages.

For example, seen above is Ghost Robotics’ new Manipulator Arm. Extendable up to 1 meter, the arm offers seamless integration with 6 Degrees of Freedom. The Vision 60 to the rear is outfitted with a sensor appliqué manufactured in-house at MP-SEC. Customizable for each user need, this version incorporates stereo thermal cameras and illuminator along with a LIDAR package. Manufactured from 6961 T6 aluminum, the sensor package is IP67 rated like the Vision 60 it is mounted to.

They’ve also integrated a system which allows the Vision 60 to carry and deploy two ReconRobotics Throwbots to get a look into tighter spaces.

Posted in Milipol, Robotics, Sensors | No Comments »

Sons of Liberty Gun Works Awarded USSOCOM Contract for MK1 Rifle

November 20th, 2025

San Antonio, TX – Sons of Liberty Gun Works (SOLGW) is proud to announce it has been awarded a contract by U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) for the Combat Assault Rifle (CAR) program. Following a rigorous competitive evaluation, a select-fire variant of the SOLGW MK1 rifle with an 11.5-inch barrel was chosen to equip America’s most elite warfighters.

SOCOM’s evaluation demanded the highest standards of small arms performance, including extensive trials for durability, precision, reliability, and environmental resilience. The SOLGW rifle endured extreme conditions—heat, cold, dust, mud, and salt exposure—while maintaining consistent function and accuracy.

The MK1 selected by SOCOM is the result of a multi-year development effort, building upon SOLGW’s extensive experience producing ultra-reliable rifles trusted by law enforcement and civilian shooters. Every component was analyzed and refined to maximize reliability, shootability, and durability, ensuring the platform can perform anywhere in the world.

“This is an incredible honor for Sons of Liberty Gun Works and something I dreamed about when I was building my first rifles in my garage,” said Mike Mihalski, Founder of SOLGW. “Our mission has always been to build the world’s finest fighting rifles for those who go into harm’s way. To have SOCOM select our rifle after such demanding trials is the ultimate validation of that mission.”

CEO Nate Horvath added: “I am incredibly proud of our team for their effort on this project, and excited to officially share the news. The MK1 has already seen strong adoption in the commercial and law enforcement markets, where its performance advantages are immediately clear. While this milestone is significant, our team remains focused on delivering reliable, high-quality, performance-driven fighting rifles to all ofour customers. The future of the MK1 family is bright, and there is more to come.”

See why agencies like San Antonio PD, Utah Highway Patrol, Alabama Department of Law Enforcement, St. John’s Parish Sheriff’s Office and USMS Fugitive Task Forces are picking SOLGW by visiting www.sonsoflibertygw.com

Posted in Advertiser, Black Rifle, Contracts, Press Release, SOF | 17 Comments »

xTechOverwatch Competition Showcases Autonomous Capabilities

November 20th, 2025

BRYAN, Texas — U.S. Army Transformation and Training Command hosted xTechOverwatch for Unmanned Systems Oct. 27-29, 2025, at the Bush Combat Development Center – Innovation Proving Ground in Bryan, Texas, which provided industry partners and academia the ability to compete for opportunities to continue development integrated within the Army.

This invitation-only competition showcased cutting-edge autonomous unmanned system technologies from 40 selected industry teams, evaluated alongside private capital partners, as they integrate their solutions with the Army’s most lethal squads. Twenty teams were chosen to continue development with the Army.

These teams will work directly with Transformation in Contact formations from January 2026 to July 2027, providing the chance to influence the Army’s modernization strategy by accelerating autonomous capabilities.

This competitive assessment, facilitated by T2COM and key stakeholders, aimed to accelerate the adoption of autonomous systems in line with the Chief of Staff of the Army’s directive. Competitors demonstrated their air, ground, payload, and collaborative autonomy technologies on situational training lanes, providing a real-world assessment of their capabilities.

“xTechOverwatch was incredibly successful for the Army,” Lt. Col. Nick Rinaldi, competition lead, Army Applications Laboratory, said. “Having the entire ‘materiel kill chain’ as evaluators invested in the outcome was critical to the speed of decisions on which technologies were most suited to move into a TiC formation.”

Rinaldi continued, “this was a microcosm of how we have to do business. We have to engage industry on real problems we’re trying to solve, get their capabilities in a place where Soldier formations can actually use the equipment in context and in concert with other capabilities, and then make decision quickly.”

A critical component of this approach is the rapid fielding of experimental technologies to active-duty units. The competitors selected will be under contract within 60 days to work directly with the formations training cycle. This allows Soldiers to experiment with prototypes and provide crucial feedback, driving iterative improvements.

By exposing warfighters to cutting-edge advancements, the Army empowers them to adapt, anticipate challenges, and maintain relevance in the modern battlespace. Delaying this process risks forcing Soldiers to learn how to use these capabilities under the pressure of combat.

– US Army T2COM Public Affairs

Posted in AI / ML, Army, Guest Post, Robotics | No Comments »

Scientific Systems’ Autonomy Software Achieves A Major Milestone in Test with Group of Unmanned Boats

November 19th, 2025

Advanced Software Enables Coordinated, Autonomous Execution of Complex Maritime Operations During Real-World Ocean Trial

BURLINGTON, Mass., Nov. 18, 2025 — Scientific Systems, a defense software prime with expertise in maritime and multi-domain operations, announced today that its distributed AI-powered OPTIMUS autonomy software successfully executed a recent on-water test of multiple unmanned surface vessels (USVs) performing end-to-end cooperative mission activities. The weeklong maritime test demonstrates that Scientific Systems’ scalable autonomy software is ready now to support “intelligent affordable mass” — the deployment of swarms of autonomous low-cost platforms that use edge-based AI to dynamically coordinate, rapidly adapt, and dramatically increase survivability & lethality, to achieve mission intent in relevant scenarios.

The August demonstration featured a fleet of nine boats equipped with Scientific Systems’ AI-powered collaborative autonomy software. The software enabled the vessels to operate as an intelligent swarm, searching, monitoring, and engaging targets while avoiding obstacles with dynamic rerouting. This activity was a result of seamless integration of real-time sensing, sense-making, and AI decision-making in the decentralized system. Scientific Systems’ unique, decentralized autonomy software enables the formation of “smart swarms” — collaborative, adaptive teams of platforms that can execute complex missions in degraded communications environments. A single remote operator defines only the mission rules, intent, and key authorities, while the intelligent coordination and execution occur autonomously among the platforms within the contested network. This decentralizedapproach delivers major advantages over communications-dependent, centrally controlled systems, enabling mission plans to continue even with intermittent or lost communications and eliminating vulnerability to the loss of any single “leader” vessel—all while providing superior resilience, scalability, and security.

“This test underscores the critical role software plays in enabling affordable mass and autonomy at sea,” said Scientific Systems Chief Executive Officer Kunal Mehra. “We’re proud to support the mission of maritime operators and to advance the readiness of scalable, autonomous USV squadrons.”

Today’s announcement follows July’s unveiling of the VENOM small Unmanned Surface Vehicle (sUSV), developed to meet the Navy’s operational need for high-performance sUSV interceptors.

Scientific Systems’ software, integrated with the VENOM sUSV family—offered in 6-, 9-, and 13-meter models and extendable to other USVs—provides a flexible, mission-ready solution built around a modular, scalable autonomy stack tailored to customer-defined objectives.

Posted in AI / ML, Maritime, Press Release, UxS | No Comments »

Origin Robotics Selected by Belgian Ministry of Defense to Supply BLAZE Drone Interceptors

November 19th, 2025

RIGA, Latvia (18 November 2025) – Origin Robotics announced today that the Belgian Ministry of Defense has selected its AI-powered BLAZE interceptor as part of a newly approved 50 million euro national counter-drone package aimed at strengthening Belgium’s ability to detect, track and neutralize hostile unmanned aerial systems. The procurement follows several weeks of escalating drone incursions over airports, military facilities and critical infrastructure.

Belgium’s decision comes amid significant pressure to reinforce its airspace security. The country has struggled to respond to repeated air traffic interruptions due to insufficient counter-drone capacity. In recent weeks Belgium had to call in support from Germany and the United Kingdom to compensate for the shortfall. The new short-term package is intended to restore immediate operational resilience while the Ministry of Defense prepares a longer-term investment plan. In addition, Defence Minister Theo Francken has announced a 500 million euro comprehensive anti-drone program for sustained capability development.

Agris Kipurs, CEO and co-founder of Origin Robotics, said, “This decision reaffirms Origin Robotics as a leading company in the field of advanced autonomous defense systems. In essence, this is a major statement of confidence. Belgium is facing an immediate security problem and has chosen BLAZE as the solution. We are proud to support a NATO ally with a system built for exactly this type of threat environment and we remain committed to delivering reliable, cost-effective and rapidly deployable capabilities.”

Launched in May 2025, BLAZE is an autonomous interceptor designed to neutralize fast-moving aerial threats, including loitering munitions and hostile drones. It combines radar-based detection, AI-powered computer vision and operator-approved autonomy to deliver precise, rapid and scalable defensive capability. The system is man-portable, deployable in minutes and capable of high-intensity operational cycles. BLAZE delivers intercepts through airburst fragmentation and includes robust safety features such as operator-controlled wave-off commands for return or self-neutralization.

The Belgian procurement reinforces the growing adoption of Origin Robotics technologies across Europe. Following the battlefield-proven deployment of Origin’s BEAK system with the Latvian and Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as recognition through national and EU defense programs, Origin continues to expand its role as a trusted supplier of autonomous aerial defense solutions.

Posted in C-UAS, Contracts, Drone, International, Press Release | No Comments »

Milipol 25 – B&T GL-06 Compact Grenade Launcher

November 19th, 2025

B&T has just introduced a Compact version of their GL-06 less lethal grenade launcher with a 200mm length barrel compared to the standard length barrel of 280mm. The shorter length only has a velocity loss of 1m/sec making it negligible.

It also includes a new mount for the Aimpoint red dot optic which makes elevation selection easy.

It also features an integrated backup iron sight.

In the photo above you can see just how short the Command actually is, and seen below, how easily the telescoping stock is deployed with a simple pull, offering a stable firing platform.