By C. Todd Lopez U.S. Army News Service October 31, 2008 WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Oct. 29, 2008) — The Army announced today the awarding of three contracts for technology development on the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. Together, the three contracts are worth a combined total of approximately $166 million. They have been awarded to: BAE Systems Land & Armament …

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 dot com All of the photos contained in this article 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. Additional photos may be added to this article, later. October 21, 2008 Speaking of IARs, General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot 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 20, 2008 While I was visiting …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com October 13, 2008 The Colt SCW (Sub-Compact Weapon) isn’t the only potential "HK416 Killer" (a.k.a. "416 Killer, for short) in Colt’s new product arsenal, or the only new Colt Defense weapon offering shown at the 2008 AUSA Meeting & Exposition. Colt Defense is also now offering the Colt Advanced Piston Carbine (APC) …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com October 9, 2008 A company called Numa Sport Optics is manufacturing and marketing a line of tactical eyewear called Numa Tactical, the purpose of which is to provide military and law enforcement (LE) tactical operators with eyewear that’s resilient and rugged enough to withstand combat operations. The key to this is Numa …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com October 5, 2008 Researchers from Sony and the Max Planck Institute (Max Planck Institut für informatik) have developed a Flexible Organic Light Emitting Diode (FOLED) display screen technology a.k.a. Flexible OLED display screen that may represent the most significant step yet toward commercially-available flexible, bendable and portable display screen technology in the …

By David Crane defrev at gmail.com DefenseReview has been following the development and fielding of remote weapon stations (RWS) a.k.a. remote-controlled weapon stations a.k.a. umanned weapon stations for awhile now, including the Recon Optical, Inc. (ROI) Raven R-400 Alpha CROWS RWS, and we’re big fans of the Dillon Aero M134D and M134D-T Gatling Guns/Miniguns (7.62x51mm NATO (7.62mm NATO)/.308 Win.). So, …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com September 28, 2008 Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, Inc., maker of the famous Model M82A1 (a.k.a. Barrett M82A1 a.k.a. Barrett Light-Fifty) semi-auto .50 BMG anti-materiel rifle, recently introduced a new .338 Lapua Magnum bolt-action anti-materiel/sniper rifle called the Barrett M98B or Barrett Model 98B. The M98B weighs 11.45 lbs (empty), has an ammo capacity …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com September 26, 2008 Speaking of M14/M1A tactical rifles, just in case you’re not quite ready to go bullpup, J. Allen Enterprises, Inc (JAE) has a good-looking M14/M1A rifle stock comprised of a composite polymer skin chemically-bonded over an aircraft-grade aluminum skeleton. So, what’s the point. Well, first, it looks pretty slick. But, …