XC3 Weaponlight

AUSA 25 – Tropo Performance All-Weather Active Insulation Jacket by GORE-TEX Brand

October 15th, 2025

W.L. Gore & Associates (Gore), creators of the GORE-TEX Brand and global leader in high-performance waterproof, windproof, and breathable fabric technologies exhibited several new products including the Tropo Performance All-Weather Active Insulation Jacket.

Developed in-house, the proposed All-Weather Active Insulation Jacket is intended to replace both Gen III ECWCS levels three and four in the Soldier’s rucksack (seen below).

It’s a straight forward design sized to both under armor and as a stand-alone jacket and delivers active breathability during high-output use and static warmth when stationary, keeping the insulation dry from the inside and out. There’s plenty of ventilation for high activity with Targeted Ventilation Underarm panels and mesh pocket bags promoting airflow during aerobic activity. Speaking of pockets, there are five with three external and two internal pockets. Ready for use, it offers Velcro options for name/rank placement on sleeve or chest.

The shell material is WINDSTOPPER fabric which delivers:

• High resistance to air penetration to block the wind and maintain consistent warmth

• Fends off light rain and snow while maintaining insulation performance/protection

• High moisture vapor permeability allows Soldier’s perspiration to escape during periods of high activity

• Outer shell fabric sheds moisture even without DWR

Inside, Polartec Alpha Direct insulation delivers:

• High-efficiency warmth with superior compressibility to reduce bulk

• Extremely open structure to increase airflow and prevent overheating during high activity

• High moisture wicking capability to quickly pull moisture off the Soldier’s body

Between going from two garments to one and with these materials, the jacket educes weight by 51% and pack volume by 38.8%.

The materials also keep insulation and base layers dry in adverse weather while maintaining breathability and comfort (low water pick-up). A 14% improvement in moisture vapor transmission vs ECWCS L3/L4.

Aside from its volume advantage, All-Weather Active Insulation Jacket meets the visual and nIR requirements of the OCP camo pattern (option to include SWIR), unlike the ECWCS L3 Fleece.

Submitted for formal evaluation under the Soldier Enhancement Program, it has been deferred to the next board for consideration. Previously, examples have been wear tested by several Army units in relevant field conditions.

Posted in Advertiser, AUSA, Clothing, Materials | 2 Comments »

AUSA 25 – Northrop Grumman Precision Grenadier System

October 15th, 2025

During AUSA I got to spend some time with a model of the Northrop Grumman Precision Grenadier System which is one of several counter defilade and counter UAS weapon systems currently being evaluated by the US Army.

They’ve been at this project longer than most with early experience during the XM25 Punisher program. A study undertaken years ago for OICW (which the XM25 was derived from) led them to the 25mm ammunition size. Others are using 30mm or even 40mm.

So far, they’ve developed rounds for air-bursting, proximity, close quarter battle as well as target practice and they produce them themselves.

I find the airburst round to be the most impressive. It is a programmable, dual-warhead high-explosive fragmenting round that can be fired in both airburst and point detonate. By dual-warhead they mean that there are explosive charges at both the front and rear of the warhead.

To arm the round, the target is lased (in this case with the XM157) using the middle button. The Grenadier can use the plus and minus buttons above and below the lase button to add or subtract a meter per detent to where the warhead will detonate. This, combined with the dual-warhead would allow for a round to detonate above an open trench or fighting position, or within a room of fired through a window, door, or breach.

The High Explosive Proximity incorporates a proximity sensor to identify and explosively fragment the projectile in-flight to defeat stationary or moving UAS. This round does not require programming.

The CQB round uses buckshot for trench clearing a close-in CUAS.

The training practice round is a marker similar to the 40mm ammunition used in the M320 and is ballistically matched to the 25mm HEAB and 25mm PROX rounds.

Is my understanding that the army is considering replacing the M3 20 grenade launchers in the squad with PGS and that PGS will be the Grenadier’s primary weapon.

Because they selected 25mm, Northrup Grumman offers three round as well as five round removable, box magazines.

Lastly, I’d like to mention that the weapon weighs in at 12.9 lbs loaded with 5 rounds and 11.4 lbs empty and is ambidextrous in controls and ejection. There are ejection ports on either side and the weapon can configured to use either one. For charging, the black lever at the top is spring loaded and nonreciprocating. The shooter pulls it to either side and it snaps back onto the carry position once it is released.

Posted in Ammo, AUSA, weapons | 11 Comments »

Redwire And Red Cat Announce Strategic Drone Integration Concept To Meet Multiple US Army Echelon Needs

October 15th, 2025

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Redwire Corporation (NYSE: RDW), a global leader in space and defense technology solutions, today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Edge Autonomy, has partnered with Red Cat (Nasdaq: RCAT), a U.S.-based provider of advanced all-domain drone and robotic solutions for defense and national security. Together, the companies will integrate Red Cat’s Teal Drones Black Widow — a compact, small uncrewed aerial system (sUAS) quadcopter — with Edge Autonomy’s Stalker, a Group 2 fixed-wing VTOL UAS, to support U.S. Army echelon missions requiring advanced surveillance, reconnaissance, and situational awareness.

The Edge Autonomy Stalker is purpose built with a modular open systems approach (MOSA) to meet multiple mission needs. With flexible payload capacity, the Stalker can easily integrate compact drones to support the U.S. Army across multiple echelons including platoon, company, battalion, and brigade. The Black Widow can be mounted under the center wing of the Stalker as a deployable payload, extending mission range with the Stalker acting as a carrier, launch platform, and communications relay.

“Our Stalker is combat proven with exceptional long-range reconnaissance capabilities,” said Steve Adlich, President of Edge Autonomy. “When paired with the well-recognized short-range reconnaissance of Teal’s Black Widow, we provide frontline warfighters with greater mission reach and reliable data for efficient and effective decision making.”

The Black Widow, part of Red Cat’s Family of Systems, is a secure, NDAA-compliant ISR drone designed to deliver real-time intelligence at the tactical edge and is built to meet the mission-critical needs of U.S. and allied forces.

In November 2024, the Army selected the Black Widow for its SRR Tranche 2 program, which provides reliable and efficient intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance tools for soldiers in the field.

“This collaboration represents a major step forward in how tactical drones are deployed across multiple echelons,” said Jeff Thompson, CEO of Red Cat. “The integration of short and long range reconnaissance systems answers the Army’s requirements for a rapidly deployable, easily portable tactical situational awareness in even the harshest contested areas.”

Edge Autonomy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Redwire, specializes in delivering innovative uncrewed aerial systems, advanced optics, and resilient energy solutions that are being used by the DoD, U.S. Federal Civilian Agencies, and allied governments. With products deployed in nearly 80 countries, and with nearly three decades of technology heritage and manufacturing expertise, Edge Autonomy’s experienced team delivers proven solutions based on real-world mission needs.

Posted in Drone, Industry, Press Release | Comments Off on Redwire And Red Cat Announce Strategic Drone Integration Concept To Meet Multiple US Army Echelon Needs

Trust Automation to Showcase Counter-UAS Solutions at AUSA Annual Meeting

October 15th, 2025

Trust Automation to Showcase Counter-UAS Solutions at AUSA Annual Meeting

Trust Automation Inc., a leader in motion control, power management and electronic systems for defense and commercial applications, will showcase its advanced counter unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) capabilities at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting & Exposition, October 13-15, 2025, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

At the core of Trust’s C-UAS offering is the Government collaborated Small-Unmanned Air Defense System (SUADS), which provides both fixed-site protection — such as Air Force base defense operations — and rapidly deployable defense for key assets and units in combat zones. SUADS delivers layered, adaptable protection designed to detect, track and defeat Group 1, 2 and 2+ UAS threats through scalable, modular, upgradable architecture.

Complementing SUADS is Trust’s weapons-mountable GAT™ UAS Jammer, which empowers individual warfighters to directly counter local hostile UAS activity across C2 and GNSS bands. Combined with Trust’s broader suite of radio frequency countermeasures, these solutions provide military forces with flexible, mission-tailored options to neutralize evolving aerial threats.

Trust invites defense professionals, military leaders and industry partners to visit Booth 1939 at AUSA 2025 to explore its C-UAS technologies and discuss mission-specific requirements. With more than 40,000 attendees and representation from over 90 countries, the event is an ideal venue to discover how Trust is advancing the defense against unmanned threats.

Learn more at: trustautomation.com.

Posted in AUSA, C-UAS, Press Release | Comments Off on Trust Automation to Showcase Counter-UAS Solutions at AUSA Annual Meeting

PRISM to Open Pre-Orders for Hybrid Top This Friday

October 15th, 2025

PRISM is launching their PR-SDHT1 Hybrid Top in Meteorite. Utilizing MMI SAM2 stretch nylon featuring Hydrophobic capabilities as the base material, while a contrast mesh is purposefully paneled and gusseted for better body mobility and breathability.

The Hybrid Top is PRISM’s introduction into a wider range of technical training products. The Hybrid Top is 100% Made in the USA with more development and products to follow soon. The goal for 2026 is to deliver end users with products that are not only unique, but built with form and function in mind.

Pre-Orders will be available starting 10/17 while additional versions of the Hybrid Top will be released shortly after. For more information, feel free to contact info@prism.us / www.prism.us/shop

Posted in Clothing, Guest Post | Comments Off on PRISM to Open Pre-Orders for Hybrid Top This Friday

Oakley Teams with Anduril for Eagle Eye Solution for US Army Soldier Borne Mission Command Program

October 15th, 2025

Foothill Ranch, CA: Oakley Standard Issue is proud to partner with @anduril_industries on the new Eagle Eye. A family of warfighter augments that place mission command and AI directly into the operators helmet.

EagleEye is a family of Warfighter Augments, powered by Lattice, that equip warfighters with enhanced perception, lethal connectivity, heightened survivability, and mission planning to see the fight earlier, decide faster, and act with better information.

EagleEye consists of heads-up displays, integrated helmets, and compute armor — all architected from the ground up to meet fit and function required for the battlefield.

VP of Oakley Global Defense, Erick Poston said, “Performance and protection are core pillars for Oakley. Keeping our men and women in uniform safe, and performing at a high level, is at our foundation. We are thrilled to bring decades of optics development and frame design to collaborate with other industry leaders on this groundbreaking technology.”

Stay tuned for more demonstrations of this new groundbreaking technology.

Posted in Eyepro, Press Release | 3 Comments »

Avon Protection’s MITR-M1 Half Mask achieves NIOSH Certification

October 15th, 2025

14th October 2025, Cadillac, MI, US: Avon Protection’s MITR-M1 Half Mask and MITR-PF Compact Particulate Filter have received certification from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) only nine months after its launch into the tactical military, special forces and law enforcement markets.

Avon Protection’s MITR-M1 Half Mask

The certification provides formal and independent recognition that MITR-M1 and MITR-PF have passed NIOSH’s rigorous testing processes and meet government-backed safety, performance and reliability standards.

The NIOSH certification is directly tied to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), making it critical for user groups where approval for respirator purchasing is tied to NIOSH certification. OSHA stipulates where and when NIOSH-certified respiratory protection is legally and/or contractually required in the United States for workers in sectors such as industrial, emergency response, healthcare, or law enforcement.

NIOSH’s stringent testing assesses respirator filtration efficiency, breathing resistance and the product’s ability to function under a variety of different environmental conditions. It affirms that MITR-PF’s particulate filters exceed stipulated thresholds to filter out airborne particles in the environment; that inhalation and exhalation resistance remains within acceptable limits to prevent fatigue or breathing difficulty; and that it is resistant to operations in heat, cold and humidity, and can withstand rough handling.

“We designed the MITR half mask to give our users safe, convenient and low-burden respiratory protection that delivers when it matters most, and since its launch it has already redefined protection options for this fast-evolving market,” Steve Elwell, President, Avon Protection said. “We are confident in the quality of all our products and elected to undertake the NIOSH certification process to support our customers in sectors such as US Law Enforcement, where NIOSH is a major requirement.

“We are delighted that MITR has achieved this certification level, independently demonstrating to our user community that we are able to deliver the compliance, protection and operational readiness our users need, to know they will get home safely every time.”

MITR-M1 Half Mask, together with the newly-launched MITR-PG1 Powered Goggle, is designed to provide users with scalable, flexible full-face protection for tactical low- to mid-level threat environments.

Media enquiries:

Claire Apthorp
Claire.apthorp@marontech.co.uk
+44 (0) 7920403068

Natasha Goddard-Wellon
natasha.goddard-wellon@avon-protection.com
+44 (0) 7500 100087

About Avon Protection
For military and first responders, Avon Protection, part of the Avon Technologies plc group of brands, is the go-to for mission-critical protection that instils mission-critical confidence. As the most field-tested equipment in the industry, we have the real-world insight to innovate and stay steps ahead of ever-evolving threats.

Avon Protection’s life-critical CBRN personal protection solutions, including protective garments, Air Purifying Respirators (APRs), escape devices, Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPR), and Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), protect over 4-million users worldwide.

By controlling the design, integration and performance of all components needed to keep personnel safe, Avon Protection takes full responsibility for the entire CBRN ecosystem. Users can acquire their CBRN equipment from a single supplier, while benefiting from the assurance of the Avon Protection brand they know and trust. Through ease of use and enduring performance, we assure our protectors so they can complete the mission and come home safely, every time. For further information, please visit www.avon-protection.com.

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

AUSA 25 – SIG SAUER Displays Lighter NGSW Product Improvement Effort Weapons

October 14th, 2025

At this year’s annual AUSA show, SIG SAUER displayed versions of the Product Improvement Effort or PIE guns developed in partnership with the US Army.

The goal of the effort is to address Soldier recommendations for the M7 and M250 along with program requirements. SIG refers to the resulting weapons as the M7 Enhanced Rifle and M250 Enhanced LMG.

The Army conducted several Soldier Touch Points with SIG and conducted a firing schedule to evaluate the PIE versions of the M7 and M250.

The main concern is weight of the M7 rifle and that is where most of the changes are focused. They ended up developing two versions of the PIE M7, a rifle and carbine. The point of the carbine was to accelerate the evolution of the M16 platform which eventually became the M4 carbine and see where they would end up.

The M7 with 13.5″ barrel currently weight 8.3 lbs dry, without ammo, suppressor, or XM157 FCS. The weights for the two PIE variants are:

M7 7.6 lbs

M7 Carbine 7.3 lbs

Although most of the weight difference between the M7 and the Carbine variant is due to a shorter 10″ barrel and handguard, there were several other changes overall.

– The side-folding buttstock has been eliminated, but length remains adjustable.

– The upper receiver and operating system have been refined to eliminate weight.

– Tapered barrel.

The handguard facilitated access to the barrel change bolts which have been slightly strengthened.

The Army is considering whether the Carbine length barrel meets their lethality requirements.

Additionally, there is a lot of talk on the internet regarding barrel life. The program requirement was for 5,000 rounds which is the same specification as the M4. However, SIG has noted barrel life for the M7 in excess of 10,000 rounds.

As for the M250, the changes have been to accommodate Soldier requirements rather than weight as the Automatic Rifle is already lighter than the M249 SAW it replaces.

The changes are:

– Streamlined and improved gas system

– Improved bipod

– Hinged retainable Handguard to accommodate barrel change

– Quick Change Barrel (although they weren’t shown I’ve seen different barrel lengths)

– Extended pic rail on feed tray (optimized for XM157 Fire Control System)

– Cross pins for pintle T&E and mag bloc

– Improved lock and interface for buttstock durability

– Improved magazine which holds the top round in place when it has not yet been fed into the weapon.

– Opened up trigger guard for gloves

The NGSW weapons are chambered in 6.8x51mm and use a common suppressor. SIG also developed a PIE version which is slightly shorter and has a removable heat shield.

The Army is currently evaluating the PIE variants of NGSW to determine if any of the changes will be incorporated into the program. Regardless, the XM157 Fire Control System remains a part of the program and it doesn’t seem to be shedding any weight.

Posted in Advertiser, AUSA, weapons | 49 Comments »

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