While we're on the subject of perimeter security hardware/technology, we should perhaps mention a very interesting rapidly-deployable "long-range sensor for detection and identification of mobile targets" developed in France called Caladiom. A joint project between Bertin Technologies, CEA/LETI, the National Institute of Advanced Technologies (ENSTA) and the DGA (Délégation générale pour l’armement, or “General Delegation for Ordnance”, which is the French defense procurement agency), Caladiom is essentially a wireless/remotely-operated autonomous (40,000-pixel, each with its own processor) digital electro-optical sensor a.k.a. smart sensor/camera system that can detect, identify and track mobile targets while utilizing only 1.8 watts of power in the process. Caladiom can detect human targets out to 350 meters (approx. 1,148 ft.) and vehicles out to 1,000 meters (approx. 3,281 ft.) without having to make or transmit an image.

Utilizing a programmable digital retina of 200x200 pixels, Caladiom can actually...

While we were reading through the June 2008 issue of Defense Technology International (Dti) magazine, we came across an ad for the Guardium UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle), which is made by G-NIUS Unmanned Ground Systems (GUGS) Ltd. out of Israel.

The Guardium UGV, being billed as "the world's 1st operational autonomous UGV system", is a high-speed perimeter-security ground robot designed for protecting high-value targets like...

On Saturday, August 16, 2008, the Stars and Stripes Foundation (SASF) is holding a “Shoot for the Troops” shooting event at the Moore-N-Moore Sporting Clays range in San Fernando, CA (Los Angeles area). The SASF shoot will include clay target shotgun shooting, handgun and rifle shooting, military vehicle displays and a great American BBQ lunch.

The event is the brainchild of champion shotgun shooter Dan Reeves (of Hip Shot Productions) and U.S. Army Special Forces (Ret.) soldier Mark Christianson, who are holding it to raise funds for the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), while promoting the safe sport of pistol, rifle and shotgun shooting. The Wounded Warrior Project helps wounded American servicemen and their families, and is designed to honor and empower America’s wounded warriors.

There will be a number of celebrities (actors, specifically) participating in the event, including, but not limited to,...

MIT materials science and engineering researchers are studying the flexible biological scalar armor system a.k.a. flexible dermal armor system utilized by Polypterus senegalus a.k.a. Senegal bichir a.k.a. Gray bichir a.k.a. "dinosaur eel", a "living fossil" fish, for its potential applicability for developing more advanced military body armor, vehicle armor (vehicular armor), etc. The eel's overlapping armored scales reportedly "first dissipate the energy of a strike, then protect against any penetration to the soft tissues below and finally limit any damage to the shield to the immediate area surrounding the assault", according to an AFP article.

This unique fish scale body armor simultaneously dissipates the energy of the bite and prevents actual tooth penetration, thus attenuating/mitigating (i.e. reducing) trauma to the animal from a bite. This is accomplished via...

All photographic images contained in this article were taken by DefenseReview.com at SHOT Show 2008, and they are the exclusive property of DefenseReview.com. DefenseReview.com owns the copyright on these photos.

July 27, 2008

DefenseReview has been been writing about 6.8mm cartridges, lately, so it's only appropriate that we mention Charlie Cutshaw's article on the Stag Arms 6.8 SPC (6.8x43mm SPC a.k.a. 6.8mm SPC) 16-inch (16")-barreled carbine in the July 2008 issue of Guns & Weapons for Law Enforcement (GWLE). The Stag 6.8 SPC 16" carbine Cutshaw writes about is actually the cover gun of the issue. If you've already got a 5.56x45mm NATO (5.56mm NATO)/.223 Rem. carbine (a Stag Model 1, Model 2, Model 2T, or Model 3, for instance) you can convert to 6.8 SPC by simply swapping out the upper receiver. And, if you're a lefty, Stag Arms has you covered. They can either supply you with a complete Stag Arms 6.8mm SPC lefty (left-handed) carbine, or just a lefty 6.8 replacement upper. When you go from 5.56mm to 6.8mm, you're going to take a magazine capacity hit of 2-5 rounds, since 6.8mm SPC mags hold anywhere from 25-28 rounds, instead of 30 rounds. Defense Review has used Precision Reflex, Inc. 6.8x43mm SPC mags, which hold 25 rounds.

DefenseReview spent some time at the Stag Arms booth at SHOT Show 2008, and talked to them about the Samson STAR-C Tactical Accessory Rail System free-float Mil-Standard-1913 "Picatinny" rail system/forend rail tube for tactical AR rifles that Stag offers for some of their "T" models (Stag Model 2T and Stag Model 2TL). The Stag personnel we spoke with stated that…

July 26, 2008

For the last few years, DefenseReview has received some pretty glowing feedback on the Springfield Armory XD45 (eXtreme Duty 45) .45 ACP pistol. One of the primary aspects of the XD45 pistol that the professionals we've interviewed appreciate is its fully-supported chamber which allows them to fire high-pressure +P and/or +P+ ammunition through it, which they can't do through a Glock 21 (G21) / Glock 21SF (G21SF) or Glock 30 (G30) / Glock 30SF (G30SF) .45 ACP pistols, since they do not have fully-supported chambers. One of these rounds is the LeMas Ltd. BMT APLP 85-grain (85gr) .45 CQB round, which has a muzzle velocity of well over 2,000 FPS out of a 5-inch (5") Government Model 1911 pistol, and will penetrate NIJ Level IIIA body armor (bullet-resistant vest) with no problem and devastate the tissue immediately behind it. "BMT APLP" stands for "Blended Metal Technology Armor-Piercing Limited-Penetration".

The reason we bring all this up is that we recently read about the new Springfield Armory XD(M) .40 S&W pistol a.k.a. Springfield Armory eXtreme Duty Mega-Capacity/M-factor .40S&W pistol (a.k.a. Springfield Armory XDM or Springfield XDM pistol, for short), which holds an impressive 16+1 rounds thanks to its "Mega-Capacity Magazine" and sports a "Minimal Reset Trigger" (quick-reset trigger) that, according to the marketing literature,...

Elbit Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq: ESLT) and Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) announced on July 09, 2008 that they'll be teaming up on the development of a laser-guided 2.75"/70mm Hydra rocket called the Guided Advanced Tactical Rocket-Laser (GATR-L).

GATR-L is being designed and developed to provide an affordable and cost-effective precision-strike/precision-kill capability for fixed-wing aircraft, rotary-wing aircraft (i.e. helicopters), and unmanned aircraft system (UAS) a.k.a. unmanned aerial system a.k.a. unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms.

The GATR-L 70mm rocket (2.75" rocket) utilizes...

NASHVILLE, TN (July 15, 2008)- Sabre Defence Industries, LLC (SDI), a government contractor for the manufacture of machine gun parts and accessories and commercial XR15 rifles, is proud to announce that Sabre Defence has been awarded an IDIQ contract for a minimum of 4,952 M16A3 and 702 M16A4 rifles to support the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and foreign military customers. Nine bids were received with Sabre being only the third company in the 45-year M16 history, besides Colt and FN, to be awarded a contract to supply a Mil-Spec M16 to the U.S. government.

The M16 project will take place at Sabre Defence’s Nashville, Tennessee facility and is expected to be completed by end of December, 2010. Sabre’s growing reputation as a top quality manufacturer of XR model rifles in the commercial market will not be affected by the military contract. Production continues to meet demand of the highly accurate XR15A3 series rifles and new models are...

July 15, 2008

Usually, a police agency does not spend a lot of time utilizing unusual calibers or cartridges in its rifles for animal control. My town, which is a first ring suburb of a major mid-west city, is in an area known for record class whitetail deer. To protect my administration, I will not identify myself or the location. My department has allowed me to cull three problem whitetail deer with my 6.8 Remington SPC (6.8x43mm Remington SPC a.k.a. 6.8 SPC) chambered custom bolt gun. From that brief experience, I have been able to formulate a few opinions on its suitability as a patrol cartridge. In addition to being an avid prairie dog shooter, I have also hunted big game in several states from New York to Montana to Texas and have taken over thirty-five head of big game in South Africa and Namibia.

The 6.8 Rem. SPC bullets used to date on all three deer have been Hornady’s factory loaded 110gr V-max load that measured right at 2600fps from my 20” barreled custom rifle. The unique thing about this bullet is that it is designed for varmints and a starting velocity of over 3000fps. By starting out much slower than its original design, it performs much like a standard Sierra GameKing or Hornady Interlock bullet and gave through and through penetration on all three animals.

The first deer, a 140 pound yearling buck, was shot at...

U.S. troops are having to contend with new improvised weapons known as Improvised Rocket-Assisted Munitions a.k.a. Improvised Rocket Assisted Mortars, or IRAMs for short. IRAMs a.k.a. "aerial IEDs" are configured in linear arrays in the backs of tractor-trailer trucks and are comprised of metal cannisters that contain the 107mm rocket-assisted munitions, and from which they're launched. IRAMs are launched via remote control.

Since an IRAM is ground-launched in an arced trajectory, it can be launched over barrier walls that surround security zones and U.S. military bases. This aspect, combined with the relatively large explosion and barrage capability, make IRAMs...

DefenseReview would like to get some operational/combat data, including anecdotal information, about the terminal ballistic performance of the 6.8 SPC (6.8x43mm SPC a.k.a. 6.8mm SPC) in combat. So we'd like to request the assitance of any/all U.S. military Special Operations and law enforcement SWAT/SRT personnel in this endeavor.

If you or anyone you know can provide information on this, please email us at defrev at gmail dot com. Defense Review will keep your identity confidential, unless you instruct us otherwise.

DefenseReview is requesting this information, because we...

July 05, 2008

DefenseReview got the chance to test-fire two Israeli combat weapons during the firing demonstration portion of NDIA International Infantry & Joint Services Small Arms Systems Symposium 2008, which was held at the Tac-Pro Shooting Center. The two weapons we fired were the IMI-developed select-fire Negev Commando Version LMG/SAW 5.56mm NATO (5.56x45mm NATO) and Micro-Tavor M.T.A.R. 21 5.56mm NATO (5.56x45mm NATO) bullpup assault subcarbine/SBR, both of which are being manufactured and marketed in Israel by Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) Ltd., formerly a division of IMI (Israel Military Industries Ltd.). The IWI Negev Commando LMG/SAW is the compact Special Operations (SPECOPS) version of the IWI Negev LMG/SAW Standard Version, and the IWI Micro-Tavor is the compact subcarbine version of the standard IWI Tavor T.A.R. 21 5.56mm NATO assault rifle.

We should inform our readers right off the bat that we didn't get to put nearly as many rounds through either weapon as we would have liked. We did, however, enjoy firing them, and were generally impressed with their performance. We believe these weapons will...

DefenseReview would like to wish all of our readers a very Happy and Safe 4th of July. This is a particularly special one, due to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in D.C. vs. Heller that the Second Amendment (2nd Amendment) enumerates and protects an individual right to bear arms for the purpose of self defense. While there was no discussion of the Second Amendment's true core purpose of ensuring the ability of citizens (i.e. individuals) to protect their liberty from oppressive and/or tyrannical government forces, we'll take it.

We here at Defense Review are...

We here at DefenseReview are big fans of Aimpoint products, particularly the CompM2 - M68/CCO (Close Combat Optic), CompM4 and Micro T-1 red dot combat sights, and the 3XMag magnifying optic. Aimpoint combat optics (optical sights) are combat proven and highly trusted by professional trigger pullers the world over, and for good reason. As the aforementioned products have demonstrated, the company isn't content to rest on its laurels, but rather is constantly innovating and developing new products that can assist the warfighter, LE professional, and civilian shooter.

That's why when Aimpoint's president, Lennart Ljungfelt, presented the Aimpoint BR8 Fire Control System (FCS) for infantry small arms and light weapons on May 22, 2008 during the Fire Control session at NDIA International Infantry & Joint Services Small Arms Systems Symposium 2008, it wasn't much of a surprise to Defense Review. Actually, DefRev missed Mr. Ljungfelt's lecture, but that doesn't mean we can't report on it. So, what's the BR8 FCS' purpose and how does it work?

The Aimpoint BR8 FCS is a...

defrev at gmail dot com

Speaking of sub-Hellfire-yield laser-guided missiles, Thales UK Air Systems Division (ASD) has introduced a new low-cost, lightweight multi-role missile called, appropirately enough, the Lightweight Multirole Missile (a.k.a. Lightweight Multi-role Missile)--or LMM for short--as a follow-on to the Starstreak Self-Propelled High-Velocity Missile (SP HVM) a.k.a. Starstreak Multi-role Missile (surface-to-air/surface-to-surface missile) and Starburst surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems, leveraging technology from both platforms. The LMM can be deployed from/employed by both manned and unmanned fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter/rotorcraft systems.

According to Thales UK ASD officials, the LMM laser-guided multirole missile will be able to...

Back in May, DefenseReview learned that Raytheon is teaming with an Abu-Dhabi, UAE-based company called Emirates Advanced Investments (EAI) to create an advanced semi-active-laser-guided 2.75"/70mm Hydra rocket under the moniker "Laser Guided Rocket" (LGR).

The concept, of course, is nothing new. Back in September of last year, DefenseReview reported on the sudden demise of the BAE Systems Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) guided 2.75"/70mm Hydra rocket a.k.a. HELLFIRE Jr." a.k.a. "Mini-HELLFIRE" program, which followed the APKWS (no "II") program.

The goal of APKWS/APKWS II was to...

DefenseReview has been contacted by a number of journalists (reporters and writers) to get our take on the Northrop Grumman/EADS (Airbus) aerial refueling tanker aircraft contract award and subsequent Boeing protest situation. This is a big-deal situation, since our current fleet of KC-135 tanker aircraft are getting quite long in the tooth, and even the initial contract award is quite large: $35B (Billion) to $40 (depending on whose numbers you use) for 175 replacement aircraft. Ultimately, we could be talking about up to 500 aircraft for a total price tag of approx. $100 billion ($100B). In reality, of course, if history tells us anything, the actual pricetag will most likely be more than expected, so $100B is most likely a conservative estimate.

Well, here it is (our opinion): the U.S. Airforce absolutely made the right decision in choosing the EADS/Northrop-developed KC-45A tanker aircraft (a.k.a. KC-45, a modified Airbus A330 commercial aircraft) over the Boeing KC-767 Global Tanker Aircraft for the KC-X program. The concesus among aerospace and defense industry insiders with whom Defense Review has spoken is that...

Perhaps the single most exciting thing that happened at NDIA International Infantry & Joint Services Small Arms Systems Symposium 2008--away from the firing range, of course--was a confrontation between Jim Battaglini (Retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. James R. Battaglini) of Colt Defense and U.S. Air Force Col. Robert Mattes, the director of the Comparative Test Office for the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Advanced Systems and Concepts, while Col. Mattes was giving a speech and promoting the idea of an open competition to determine the best infantry/assault carbine that can be supplied to U.S. military infantry warfighters. Specifically, the purpose of the competition would be to determine whether or not the Colt M4 Carbine is still the best carbine solution for our warfighters, and if there might be a better (i.e. more reliable and combat-effective) carbine out there M4.

Col. Mattes wasn't the first to promote the open-competition idea. In a short May 21 speech at the symposium, Bryan O'Leary, National Security Legislative Assistant for U.S. Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), also...

DefenseReview has covered the 6.8 SPC (a.k.a. 6.8 Remington SPC a.k.a. 6.8x43mm SPC a.k.a. 6.8mm Remington SPC a.k.a. 6.8mm SPC) round for quite some time now. We're a proponent of the cartridge, due to its superior efficacy over 5.56x45mm NATO (5.56mm NATO)/.223 Rem. within its (6.8 SPC) operational envelope of 400-500 yards, its grassroots-level development history, and the support it's garnered inside the U.S. Army Special Forces (SF) community and general SOCOM/Special Operations (SPECOPS) community.

Developed by elements within U.S. Army 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) a.k.a. 5th SF Group a.k.a. "5th Group" (with help from private industry like Precision Reflex, Inc., Remington Ammunition, Hornady Manufacturing, etc.) in order to achieve significantly-enhanced terminal ballistics over 5.56mm NATO for close quarters battle (CQB) a.k.a. close quarters combat (CQC) and short-to-medium-distance engagements, the 6.8 SPC's total development cost was approx. $5,000 (total development cost). This is according to one of the SF developers, who also happens to be a contact of ours. Understand that the 6.8mm SPC cartridge was developed totally outside the normal U.S. military small arms and ammunition development and procurement process that's currently ruled over by the U.S. Army Infantry Board Fort Benning, GA, Picatinny Arsenal/JSSAP (Joint Service Small Arms Program), and Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Crane Division. Because of this, the 6.8 SPC has been met with considerable resistance from the U.S. Army hierarchy, putting the cartridge's future in jeopardy.

In Defense Review's experience so far, any/all SF/SpecOps assaulters/operators that have tested or utilized 6.8 SPC have been...

15% less backface deformation signature (BDS), and thus reduced impact trauma a.k.a. blunt force trauma, with 10% reduction in overall (OA) weight, all in a 100% Kevlar, i.e. woven, high-strength ballistic aramid fiber, solution--this is the promise of DuPont Kevlar® XP™ woven ballistic aramid fiber for military and law enforcement (LE)/police body armor and other ballistic armor products (i.e. vehicle armor, aircraft armor, etc.) in the near future. Mark McGonagle, Global Marketing Manager for DuPont Personal Protection, describes Kevlar XP as a "patented, next-generation woven fiber technology that enables more comfortable, more flexible, lighter-weight ballistic vests made with Kevlar fiber."

From what DefenseReview understands at present, the key to the improved performance of Kevlar XP is