by David Crane defrev at gmail.com November 21, 2007 FERFRANS Specialties, manufacturer of the select-fire FERFRANS SOAR series AR-platform 5.56mm NATO/.223 Rem. weapons and new Fast Acquisition Sight (FAS) combat optic, is developing a semi-drop-in gas-piston/op-rod system for AR-15/M16-variant carbines and subcarbines/SBRs (Short-Barreled Rifles). In fact, the company has sent us photos of a prototype 6" test weapon (displayed below) …

By Charlie Cutshaw Revolutionary is a word that is occasionally inappropriate, but sometimes it is about the only word that fits. Suppose we told you that we had fired a new AR based rifle that didn’t need lubrication? And suppose we told you that it really didn’t need regular cleaning, either? Finally, suppose we told you that this new AR …

by David Crane defrev at gmail.com In our latest article on the TDI Kriss Super-V XSMG .45 ACP submachine gun, it stated incorrectly at the top that I, David Crane, am the pictured one in the photos. This mistake has now been corrected in the text. While I did test-fire the KRISS during that same range session, the photos in …

by David Crane defrev@gmail.com November 14, 2007 DefenseReview recently received an interesting document on a proposed recoil-attenuation system a.k.a. recoil-mitigation system for firearms, everything from infantry small arms up to cannon systems. It comes from inventor Dr. R.A. Zeineh a.k.a. Dr. Z., the man behind the first laser scanner and the AAE Cloaking / Adaptive Camouflage system for infantry personnel …

by David Crane defrev at gmail.com November 11, 2007 All photographic images contained in this article were taken by DefenseReview.com, and they are the exclusive property of DefenseReview.com. DefenseReview.com owns the copyright on these photos. All photos were shot with a 7.2-megapixel Sony Cyber-shot digital camera (Model #: DSC-P150). The individual pictured in photos is a TDI company representative. It …

by David Crane defrev at gmail.com November 8, 2007 If DefenseReview is to believe what it’s been reading over the last few weeks in the "mainstream press", body armor and other types of ballistic armor (vehicle armor and bomb-resistant panels, for instance) utilizing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) may be upon us, soon. We’ll see. What we do know is that two …

by David Crane defrev@gmail.com Speaking of NDIA Small Arms Symposium 2007, DefenseReview also got to test-fire two of the latest "tactical plastic" (i.e. polymer) .45 ACP pistols, the Glock 21SF (G21SF) and the Smith & Wesson M&P45. Both weapons were very comfortable to handle and shoot, but we had some trouple hitting steel pepper poppers initially with the Glock 21 …

by David Crane defrev@gmail.com DefenseReview is interested to know how the Heckler & Koch HK416 / HK417 system stacks up against the FN SCAR-L (SCAR-Light) / FN SCAR-H (SCAR-Heavy) system with regard to reliability under adverse conditions and high round count, durability/ruggedness under same, and accuracy under same. While the HK416/17 system is closer to the Colt M4/M4A1 Carbine with …

by David Crane defrev@gmail.com October 22, 2007 Piasecki Aircraft Corp. (PAC) has designed and developed a compound helicopter called the X-49A Speedhawk, which utilizes a Sikorsky YSH-60F Seahawk helicopter as the base airframe. The Seahawk is a marine version of the UH-60 Black Hawk heliocopter series. The Speedhawk’s “compound” aspect is comprised of wings for additional lift and a vectored-thrust …

By Roger Charles DefenseWatch 10-17-2007 UPDATE to following article: Two congressional sources report that the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (on the staff of the Secretary of Defense) caught the Army’s attempted exemption of current Interceptor vendors from independent testing, as allowed in the original solicitation. Under pressure from DOT&E, in August the Army issued a modification not listing …