By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com December 8, 2008 Back in September, DefenseReview published an article on the Barrett M98B .338 Lapua Magnum bolt-action anti-materiel/sniper rifle. Well, it looks like Barrett may have some competition in the form of the Sniper Weapon System (SWS) .338 Lapua Magnum bolt-action rifle made by H-S Precision, Inc. The SWS became the …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com November 12, 2008 A company out of Sheldon, Iowa called JARD, Inc. has introducted a new semi-auto .50 BMG (12.7x99mm NATO) anti-materiel/sniper rifle called the JARD J50. The J50 is a gas-operated direct-gas-impingement (DGI) rifle that utilizes a 9-lug rotating-bolt locking locking mechanism. The combination of the weapon’s DGI operation, 30" free-float …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com November 4, 2008 So far, DefenseReview has covered the Colt SCW (Sub-Compact Weapon), Colt APC (Advanced Piston Carbine) and Colt AHC (Advanced Hybrid Carbine), but those aren’t the only newly-developed weapons in Colt Defense’s bag of tricks. If you’re interested in an upgraded/modernized version of the standard, direct-gas-impingement (DGI) Colt M4A1 Carbine, …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com October 28, 2008 According to a recent Air Force Times article, the F-22 Raptor has the lowest pilot-retention rate of any U.S. fighter or attack aircraft measured, at a rather abysmal 33%. Compare this to 81% for F-15E Strike Eagle pilots and 68% for F-15 Eagle pilots respectively, and, gentlemen, we’ve got …

By David Crane defrev at gmail.com All of the photos contained in this article, with the exception of the first/top photo, were taken by Chen Lee a.k.a. "SMGLee" at the 2008 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exhibition, and he owns the copyright on these photos. Colt Defense, LLC provided the first/top photo. October 10, 2008 While I was visiting with Colt …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com October 9, 2008 On August 22, 2008, the U.S. Army issued a sources sought notice for an "Improved Carbine and Subcompact Individual Weapon System" (Solicitation #: W52H0908CARBINESV) to replace the Colt M4 Carbine, since Colt Defense’s M4 Carbine sole source contract will end in 2009. On September 11, 2008, I got a …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com September 19, 2008 Adams Arms, Inc. is offering an "AR15 Fix" a.k.a. "Retrofit Gas Piston System (RGPS)" (Patent Pending) that will all you to easily convert your direct-gas-impingement (DGI) tactical AR carbine (tactical AR-15 carbine) into a short-stroke gas piston/op-rod system in about ten (10) minutes. The RGPS, described by the company …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com September 19, 2008 Para USA (formerly Para Ordnance) is marketing what appears to be an updated (or just rebranded) version of Al Zitta’s Z-M Weapons LR300 AXLT carbine called the Para Tactical Target Rifle (PTTR). The PTTR operates via a modified direct-gas-impingement (DGI) system, which the company calls "Delayed Impinged Gas System …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com September 1, 2008 If you’ve been watching FutureWeapons on the Military Channel, you may have seen a segment on the XREP fin-stabilized Taser shotgun round (12-gauge shotgun), which is a miniaturized, self-contained, ballistically-launched Taser round developed, marketed, and soon-to-be-produced by Taser International, Inc.. The XREP, which stands for eXtended Range Electronic Projectile, …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com August 29, 2008 Textron Defense Systems (TDS), is actively marketing their Urban-Unattended Ground Sensors (U-UGS) as a core Future Combat Systems (FCS) wireless technology/hardware platform that will watch infantry warfighters’ backs as they maneuver inside the urban battlespace. According to the Textron literature, the U-UGS system of networked, wireless unmanned ground sensors …