by David Crane david@defensereview.com Back in June 2004, DefenseReview reported on the U.S. Army’s development of photovoltaic tech to power U.S. Army tents and even soldiers themselves by integrating lightweight, flexible solar panels with tent and combat uniforms/BDU fabric.  The article was titled, "U.S. Army Develops Lightweight, Flexible Solar Panels to Power Troops", and it contains a host of relevant links to the …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com All digital photos contained in this article were taken by, and are the exclusive property of, DefenseReview.com. Every good shooter that I know (whether they’re a professional tactical operator, a tactical shooting instructor, a competitive shooter, or a civilian CCW) engages in dry-fire practice to keep their shooting skills sharp–and even enhance their skills. Well, an Israeli …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com On April 21st (2005), Sporting News published a story by Stan McNeal about a new line of performance-enhancing contact lenses designed and developed specifically for athletes, soon to be marketed and sold under the name "MaxSight". MaxSight contact lenses are the product of a seven-year development partnership between Nike and Bausch & Lomb. Currently, the lenses …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com The digital photos featured in this article (below) were taken by DefenseReview.com, and are the exclusive property of DefenseReview.com. Click on photos to view them full-size. While we’re on the subject of camouflage coatings/paint we thought we would share the following digital photos with our readers. They’re pics of the (5.56x45mm/.223 Rem) Lewis Machine & Tool …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com DefenseReview readers might remember the article we wrote on Patriot Arms, Inc. high-end custom sniper rifles back in May, 2004, titled "High-End Silenced Sniper/Long-Range-Interdiction Rifles from Patriot Arms Inc.". That article was basically a recap of Al Paulson’s excellent article on Patriot Arms that he wrote for "Special Weapons for Military & Police". Patriot Arms Inc. …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com Click on the digital photos below to view them full-size. All photos accompanying this article are the property of DefenseReview.com. Springfield Armory showed off its new M1A SOCOM II carbine (or SOCOM II M1A carbine) with Cluster Rail System at SHOT Show 2005. The SOCOM II M1A carbine is basically just the SOCOM 16 carbine with …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com DefenseReview is eager to see a three-way match-up between a full-auto/select-fire version of the DSA Z4-GTC (Gas Trap Carbine) the Arms Tech Compak-16 subcarbine (and longer-barreled Arms Tech Recon Rifle) and the HK416 carbine/subcarbine (formerly known as "HKM4" or "HK M4" carbine/subcarbine) in an adverse conditions/high-round-count test. To date, of the three, the Compak-16 subcarbine is …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com Back in January (2005), DefRev published a short article on the recently-introduced DSA Z4-GTC (Gas Trap Carbine). At SHOT Show 2005, we got a chance to view and handle the weapon. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to test fire it. We hope to remedy that soon. The Z4-GTC is a piston-driven semi-auto carbine in an …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com Magpul Industries Corp. has come out with a new AR-15/M16 floorplate replacement part that aids in pulling magazines quickly from mag pouches. It’s called the Magpul Ranger, and it essentially accomplishes the same thing as the Magpul 5.56 NATO in a lower-profile configuration. Magpul Industries also has a pistol mag version of the Magpul Ranger, which …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com The following is a Revision Military Eyewear press release on their Sawfly and Bullet Ant Ballistic Eyewear (BEW): "British Army Equips Troops in Afghanistan with Protective Eyewear Systems from Revision Wednesday, February 02, 2005 14:07 Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters first UK regiments issued with new military eyewear systems MONTREAL, CANADA, Feb. 2, 2005 – Revision Eyewear …