By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com April 28, 2011 Last updated on 5/08/11. The Sikorsky X2 Compound Coaxial Helicopter Technology Demonstrator Aircraft has been receiving a significant amount of positive media attention, lately, and for good reason. The X2 is a very interesting and seemingly highly-capable/high-speed dual-rigid-rotor compound helicopter prototype that achieved 250 knots (287.69 mph) in level …

By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com January 3, 2011 O.k., so the article title may be a bit hyperbolic considering the Gorgon Stare-retrofitted General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper UAS/UAV (Unmanned Aircraft Systems/Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) is non-weaponized, but if this thing can see you and locate you, how hard is it for a weaponized MQ-9 Reaper armed with a full …

By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com November 28, 2010 Speaking of HELLFIRE missiles, Lockheed Martin is reportedly looking to land a big U.S. military contract with the Joint-Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM). JAGM, essentially the next logical step from the AGM-114R multi–purpose HELLFIRE II missile, features three (3) guidance/seeker modes: precision-strike semi-active laser (SAL), as on HELLFIRE II, passive fire-and-forget …

By David Crane defrev (at) gmail.com October 25, 2010 Updated/Modified 10/25/10 A company called Valkyrie Armament has just come out with a Shrike-type (ARES Defense Systems Shrike 5.56 LMG/SAW-type) 5.56x45mm NATO (5.56mm NATO)/.223 Rem. belt-fed AR rifle/carbine/SBR (Short Barrel Rifle) that looks pretty good. The Valkyrie Armament Belt-Fed AR is reportedly basically a modernized, “improved” Stoner 63 Weapons System. The …

By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com April 7, 2010 Updated 4/09/10 Looks like nuclear weapons aren’t the only thing the Iranian government is after. Apparently, they’ve also got a penchant for speedboats, specifically high-tech, very expensive speedboats. Multiple news sources are reporting that the Iranians have surreptitiously acquired a “James Bond-style” fast mover called the Bladerunner 51 / Bradstone …

By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com September 14, 2009 Updated on 9/15/09 Russian arms manufacturer KBM (KB Mashynostroyeniya) (Moscow region, Russia) is currently offering an improved/uprated next-generation version of the IGLA 9K38 MANPADS (Man-Portable Air Defense System) manpackable fire-and-forget surface-to-air missile launcher system called the IGLA-S (“Needle-S”), or IGLA-Super, portable antiaircraft missile complex (PAAMC) for export to foreign …

By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com September 7, 2009

By David Crane 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 …

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 David Crane defrev at gmail.com 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). September 17, 2007 When DefenseReview attended AUSA Winter Symposium 2007 earlier this year, one …