by David Crane david@defensereview.com   KBP Instrument Design Bureau (Tula, Russia) displayed an updated/upgraded version of the of the RPO Shmel Infantry Rocket Flamethrower thermobaric weapon system (a rocket launcher that fires a thermobaric warhead) called the RPO Shmel-M (full designation: RPO Shmel-M PDM-A) at Eurosatory 2006. Adopted by the Russian Army in December 2003, the RPO Shmel-M is billed …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com A company called More Industries, LLC is manufacturing and marketing a remotely-operated weapons system (i.e. remote-controlled weapons system) called HAMMER for use on UGVs (Unmanned Ground Vehicles, a.k.a. ground robots), manned ground vehicles (i.e. HMMWVs/Humvees, APCs/IFVs, and civilan vehicles like flatbed trucks and SUVs/4x4s), and UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), turning the latter into UCAVs (Unmanned Combat …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com It’s common knowledge that enemy IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) are currently the number one threat to our infantry warfighters, and have been for quite some time. HMMWV (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, a.k.a. Humvee) machine gunners have been some of the most vulnerable targets (if not the most vulnerable targets), due to the fact that they …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com July 13, 2006 A private company called CombatBodyArmor (CBA) is currently developing a small, forearm-wearable ballistic shield, or "Battle Shield" (a.k.a. "Combat Shield"), for infantry warfighters. The CBA Mini Battle Shield (a.k.a. Mini Combat Shield) is being developed specifically to protect the warfighter against current enemy rifle-caliber threats (7.62x39mm, 5.45x39mm, and 7.62x54R) and IED (Improvised Explosive …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com DefenseReview has obtained two of the latest promotional/informational documents on the AAE Stealth Technology System (STS) cloaking technology (a.k.a. adaptive camouflage, electro-optical camouflage, active camouflage, and chameleonic camouflage), so we thought we’d share them with our readers. These documents discuss what Advanced American Enterprise (AAE) calls "Stealth III". The relevant links to the Stealth III documents …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com Some folks at Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD), a.k.a. NAVAIR Weapons Division (China Lake, CA), are currently developing a "man-packable, shoulder-launched guided missile" system for U.S. infantry warfighters called SPIKE. The developmental system is essentially a low-cost, compact, and lightweight man-portable shoulder-fired fire-and-forget missile system that incorporates three separate guidance modes–inertial, laser, and imaging …

Warning: This article contains graphic images of animial necropsies being conducted after live animal tests (ballistic tests) were performed with Le Mas BMT ammunition.  "BMT" stands for "Blended Metal Technology", which is a trademark, not a description of bullet composition.  Click on photos (below) to view them full-size.  The following is a DefenseReview exclusive: The study of wound ballistics is based on …

by David Crane david at defensereview.com Last year, DefenseReview received some interesting (and disturbing) video footage of an Edinburgh Risk and Security Management (ERSM) PSD/Security Operator team getting ambushed by Iraqi insurgents/terrorists in Baghdad, Iraq, while conducting Operation APOLLO.  The contact occurred on the morning of April 20, 2005 (4/20/2005) on the infamous BIAP Road. This was a small arms contact.  The enemy was …

by David Crane defrev at gmail.com It’s possible that very soon, U.S. armored vehicles, including infantry fighting vehicles/armored personnel carriers (IFV/APC) and main battle tanks (MBT), will be receiving a new type of anti-RPG/ATGM (Rocket Propelled Grenade/Anti-Tank Guided Missile) active protection system. On March 30, 2006, a Stryker combat vehicle outfitted with the Trophy Active Protection System (APS) a.k.a. Trophy …

by Bob Taubert Like the SHOT Show, the annual Modern Day Marine Military Expo gets bigger and better each year. However, unlike SHOT some of the toys for Uncle Sam’s boys that are on display cost millions of dollars a pop. Aircraft, particularly the unmanned variety, unmanned and manned waterborne patrol and attack platforms, wheeled and tracked robots, people and weapons …