Soldier Systems Daily Soldier Systems Daily

Army Moving Forward with Next Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW) Program

March 15th, 2023

The Army is continuing its rigorous testing and evaluation of small arms systems to meet their requirements and deliver increased lethality to the Soldier. Last April, the Army awarded a contract to Sig Sauer to produce the NGSW Rifle, Automatic Rifle and a 6.8mm family of ammunition to replace the M4A1 Carbine, M249 Squad Automatic Weapon and 5.56mm family of ammunition within the Close Combat Force. Since that time, PEO Soldier, JPEO Armaments & Ammunition, Product Manager (PdM) Next Generation Weapons, PdM Small Caliber Ammunition, Soldier Lethality – Cross Functional Team, Sig Sauer, and the collective Army enterprise have worked feverishly to get this new capability ready to field to the Army.

During the competition to award the contract, the team conducted over 100 technical tests, fired over 1.5 million rounds of 6.8mm ammunition and executed over 20,000 hours of Soldier testing across three different vendor weapon systems. The team continued this pace by conducting a Soldier Touch Point last fall with a squad of National Guard Soldiers and a squad from the 75th Ranger Regiment.

“The Soldier Touch Point allowed the program and Sig Sauer the opportunity to solicit direct Soldier feedback on the systems post-contract award and inform simple design changes to improve the weapons before going into Production Qualification Test and Operational Tests in the coming year,” said Capt. Tyler Morgan Assistant Product Manager, NGSW

A Soldier with the 75th Ranger Regiment said on the XM7, “Absolutely would take this weapon to combat in a heartbeat. It is light, functions very well, has an awesome load system, and is easy to handle and engage targets with.”

The next step in the NGSW program will be Production Qualification Testing (PQT), May-July 2023. PM Soldier Lethality is preparing to accept delivery of two dozen XM7 Rifles and XM250 Automatic Rifles in preparation for testing. Once these deliveries are received, the Aberdeen Test Center (ATC) will conduct 31 tests including weapons reliability, immersion, cook-off, flash and blank fire performance. The ATC will also test environmental conditions like extreme hot and cold, sand, dust, salt fog and mud.

Following PQT, the Army will conduct an operational test focused on setting the conditions for the First Unit Equipped scheduled in the second quarter of FY24. Future operational testing is planned for FY24 to assess natural environments and airborne qualifications.

-PEO Soldier, Public Affairs

Posted in Advertiser, Army, Guest Post, weapons | 22 Comments »

Spectra Group Announces Supply of Troposcatter COMET Systems to ARRC for C2 Experimentation

March 14th, 2023

Spectra Group (UK) Ltd, a specialist provider of secure voice, data and satellite communications systems, announces the supply of a number of Troposcatter Compact Over-the horizon Mobile Expeditionary Terminal (COMET) systems to the British Army’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) 3-star Headquarters (HQ) as part of their Agile Command and Control (C2) experimentation programme. The initial award has a value of £1.2 million, with aspirations to upscale following results analysis and suitable funding being secured. The capability will help support HQ ARRC’s rapid deployment role, enabling the communication of large data in a tactical environment without relying on host nation infrastructure or satellites.

HQ ARRC stands at high readiness to deploy and lead NATO’s Response Force (NRF). The Army’s position as the pre-eminent European Land partner to the US, is achieved through leadership in NATO and reflected in the tenure of the Alliance’s deputy commander post. HQ ARRC provides UK Defence a 3-star HQ, capable of deploying around the world in a variety of configurations to command national or NATO missions. It provides a framework within which international partners can deploy forces and is capable of operating across the spectrum of conflict. As such, HQ ARRC has significant data communication demands that must be met in challenging and austere environments, with minimal infrastructure and when facing both an asymmetric and conventional enemy threat.

Troposcatter is a small, lightweight and high-bandwidth data link that uses the Troposphere to provide its communication network. It is independent of satellites and works in a GPS/GNSS denied environment, so is suitable for use in a Peer-on-Peer conflict and to support multi-domain integration, including pan-government and with allies. It has very low latency and can provide wide bandwidth, enabling analysis and manipulation of large data, which combined with its high mobility makes it suitable for large, deployed HQs (such as ARRC) and for more mobile battlegroups or even down to company headquarters. Unlike geostationary satellites, it is effective in polar regions and because it is directional, uses low power and has complex waveforms it is difficult to detect and is highly suitable for many of the challenges faced by UK Defence and NATO today.

Spectra Group delivered two COMET systems to HQ ARRC in January 2023 which will allow ARRC to train and deploy at speed with the latest Troposcatter technology and facilitate big data manipulation at the very edge of the tactical environment, while enhancing the HQs flexibility and agility to respond quickly in a crisis. The procurement route was equally as agile as the system itself, as reported in March 2022, Troposcatter COMET was added to the NATO Catalogue so any NATO country can purchase directly without going to tender.

Michael Davies, Business Development Executive at Spectra Group said: “The Troposcatter COMET is a lightweight and easily deployable system that is operationally proven and is also in-service with British high-readiness forces such as the Royal Marines. We are delighted that HQ ARRC has also adopted this system to support its communication and data needs.”

www.spectra-group.co.uk

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

Sponsor the ADS WARRIOR 5K, Tuesday, April 4th in San Diego

March 14th, 2023

Sponsor the ADS WARRIOR 5K, Tuesday April 4th in San Diego! You can register for the Champion, Ally, or Supporter package! Go here to learn more about our available sponsorships and what they include.

Can’t sponsor? Please join us in the run alongside ADS staff, vendors, customers, veterans, community partners, and their families. All race proceeds support our non-profit beneficiary, the Navy SEAL Foundation.

Posted in Guest Post, Industry | Comments Off on Sponsor the ADS WARRIOR 5K, Tuesday, April 4th in San Diego

See Ocean State Innovations at LAAD Defence & Security Show

March 14th, 2023

OSI / Ocean State Innovations will be attending the LAAD Defence & Security Show in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil – April 11th – 14th, 2023, as an International Defense and Security Fair – it is the largest and most important defense and security trade show in Latin America. For additional information, please contact: peter@osinnovate.com

Posted in Advertiser, Guest Post, International, Tradeshow | Comments Off on See Ocean State Innovations at LAAD Defence & Security Show

Spartan Armor Systems Spreading Luck and a Chance to Win During St Patrick’s Giveaway

March 14th, 2023

“May your troubles be less. And your blessings be more. And nothing but happiness come through your door.” And, in case you want more than luck, how about a chance to win over $12K in the Spartan Armor Systems® St. Patrick’s Giveaway?

Tucson, Ariz. (March 2023) – Spartan Armor Systems®, manufacturers of American-designed and made body armor, tactical gear, and targets, have partnered with some of the top tactical companies to offer over $12,000 worth of gear in five prize packages for its St. Patrick’s Giveaway. Spartan Armor Systems has partnered with Cloud Defensive, Emerson Knives, Riflespeed, VIKTOS, Real Avid, and IWI for the giveaway. Entrants have a chance to win top-of-the-line body armor, knives, and an array of must-have gear in one of five prize packages, including a TAVOR X95 rifle from IWI.

Must be 18 or older to win, and prizes cannot be redeemed for cash value. Winners will be notified via email and have seven days to claim their prize. This giveaway is not sponsored by Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or any other social media platform. You will need to enter your name and email to start the entry process and use any of the 25 entry methods for your chance to win. The Spartan Amor Systems St. Patrick’s Giveaway ends March 17, 2023.

Check out Spartan Armor Systems 2023 Catalog and the extensive line-up of instructional, informative, and testimonial videos.

Posted in Contest, Press Release | Comments Off on Spartan Armor Systems Spreading Luck and a Chance to Win During St Patrick’s Giveaway

SOF Week Registration Opens Today

March 14th, 2023

Presented by the Global Special Operations Forces Foundation and Clarion Events, SOF Week is being held 8-11 May at the Tampa Bay Convention Center.

Pre-registration opens today. Registration information is here.

See the full agenda here.

Posted in GSOF, SOF Week | Comments Off on SOF Week Registration Opens Today

Swiss Army Awards Contracts to Six Companies for New Cold Weather Clothing

March 14th, 2023

According to a release late last month, the Swiss Procurement Agency (Bundesamt für Rüstung armasuisse) has awarded contracts to six companies to provide new cold and wet weather combat clothing for around 44 million Suisse francs.

The new producers of kit for the Army combat clothing and equipment (Kampfbekleidung und Ausrüstung der Armee or MBAS) program include two Swiss, one Austrian, one German, one Polish and one Indian company. They are: Workfashion.com AG and Cross Fashion Ltd. from Switzerland, Goldeck Textil GmbH from Austria, Ziegler Textil AG from Germany, Unifeq Sp. Z.o.o. from Poland and Qualiance Pvt. Ltd. from India.

All six companies were also checked in advance for the social sustainability of production, such as working conditions and safety standards.

The program began in 2018 with plans to begin fielding later this year. The MBAS project includes the procurement of new combat clothing and carrying systems in a new camouflage pattern as well as a hydration system and ballistic body protection in two versions.

Contracts for headgear have already been awarded to French and a Polish company. The combat uniform portion of the program is still in source selection. A total of 348 million Suisse francs have been budgeted for MBAS.

Posted in Clothing, Contracts, International | 1 Comment »

IVAS’ Production and Fielding Remain on Track

March 14th, 2023

Over the past year, the Army tested, evaluated and refined the Integrated Visual Augmentation System’s (IVAS) capabilities in a manner that will result in improved systems being incrementally fielded to Soldiers over the next several years – IVAS 1.0, IVAS 1.1 and IVAS 1.2 variants.

Last June, IVAS completed its Operational Test, during which Soldiers trained on IVAS 1.0 systems in company-level missions and live-fire exercises. The Army determined that IVAS demonstrated several transformational capabilities, but three areas prevented the systems from achieving Soldier acceptance: reliability, low-light sensor performance and form factor.

The Army and its industry partner, Microsoft, used the lessons learned from testing to address concerns and adjust its fielding plan. To specifically address reliability, in November 2022 Microsoft and the Army incorporated a new software release into IVAS 1.0 resulting in a more stable and reliable user experience. Software improvement is a continuous effort that will transcend all current and future versions of IVAS.

IVAS 1.0 systems will be fielded to training and doctrine units next year to support the Army’s Campaign of Learning, an ongoing process that gathers and incorporates user feedback from user studies, user assessments, Soldier Touch Points and operational demonstrations to improve IVAS’ performance.

IVAS 1.1 upgrades reliability and features an improved low-light sensor that performs comparable to the PVS-14 night vision goggles. These systems will be delivered and fielded in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024.

The Army awarded an IVAS 1.2 technology insertion effort to Microsoft in December 2022, with the anticipation of moving to production in late FY2024 and fielding to operational units beginning as early as 4Q FY2025. The majority of the close combat force will receive IVAS 1.2; this version features an improved form factor in addition to reliability and low-light sensor upgrades, as well as a lower profile heads-up display (HUD) with distributed counterweight for improved user interface and comfort.

In recent exercises the Army has shown a number of different ways IVAS can be used on the battlefield, ranging from ingesting video and data from small Unmanned Aerial Systems to integrating with ground and air platform sensors to provide Soldiers the ability to see what the platform drivers, commanders and pilots see before dismounting into a hazardous situation.

The Army remains fully committed to IVAS. Despite some revisions to the fielding timeline, the developmental process for IVAS will result in fielding several years ahead of standard acquisition programs.

By PEO Soldier PAO

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Optics, PEO-Soldier, Sensors | Comments Off on IVAS’ Production and Fielding Remain on Track