by David Crane There is growing interest by the military in the 20mm cannon round for anti-material use, since it’s capability in this area significantly exceeds that of the .50 BMG. Special Operations units are particularly interested in the development of sniper/anti-material rifles chambered for a cannon round, since they offer significantly increased performance to even the Nammo/Raufoss Mk211 Multipurpose …

This is just a heads-up to let our members and readers know that DefRev is going to be doing a review and providing pics of Pro Ears’ new "Predator" active electronic shooting muffs shortly, so stay tuned. We can tell you now that the new muffs are very light, inexpensive compared to Pro-Ears’ Dimension series muffs, and they work.  

by David Crane david@defensereview.com The U.S. Army is developing new thermobaric munitions for their BDM(Bunker Defeat Munition) and M203 grenade launchers, and ultimately for the XM29/OICW(Objective Individual Combat Weapon) as well. This is a long time coming. The Russian army has been using thermobaric light support weapons since its Soviet/Iron Curtain days. The Russian RPO-A Shmel is a perfect example. …

You may remember reading about the Magpul Industries MSS (Modular Stock System) in several previous DefRev stories. The MSS was first brought to our attention at SHOT Show 2002 in Las Vegas. Well, Jeff Carpenter, a.k.a. "USMC03", has just written a great review of the Magpul MSS M93, and submitted it to DefRev. Jeff is active LE SWAT. The MSS …

Duane Dieter is a well known tactical and combat instructor in both military and LE SWAT circles. Apparently, he’s now making parts and accessories for tactical weapons that will hold up to the pounding and stress of CQB (Close Quarters Battle). One of these products is his new CQD Vertical Foregrip designed to slide onto a standard mil-spec 1913 picatinny …

DefRev has obtained the original "white paper" proposal that was submitted to the U.S. Army for the Stavatti TIS-1 (Tactical Infantry System-1) Gasdynamic Laser Weapon. The TIS-1 is a laser rifle that utilizes a hypersonic jet of gas to create photonic energy in the form a very powerful laser. Thus the term "gasdynamic". The Stavatti TIS-1 was submitted as a …

Avon Rubber, based in England, has won a contract for the U.S. Army’s next generation chemical/biological protection respirator, i.e. gas mask. The XM50 Joint Service General Purpose Mask (JSGPM) incorporates some very advanced technologies including reduced breathing resistance(estimated at 50%), improved vision, and greater comfort. Not only does the XM50 JSGPM incorporate the most advanced filters currently available on any …

It’s called "MEPS". MEPS stands for "Military Eye Protection System", and the program is designed to develop ballistic eyewear that will also protect infantry against eye-damaging battlefield lasers which are going to become increasingly prevalent on the future battlefield. Several companies are developing laser protection eyewear for the military, but Gentex is the only company that DefRev could locate that …

by David Crane Dark Parts has just released their first product–a set of "rubberized" non-slip rail covers/panels that will fit on any mil-spec 1913 picatinny rail system designed for the M4/M4A1 Carbine, including the KAC(Knight’s Armament) RAS, FF RAS, and RAS II, and A.R.M.S. S.I.R. systems. Even better, unlike KAC(Knight’s Armament) rail covers, Dark Parts is in the process of …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com This company has just come across DefRev’s radar. Troy Industries, Inc. appears to be a specialized small arms manufacturer with a specific focus on Special Operations applications and the CQB (Close Quarters Battle) role. According to the company, the Rock SOPMOD (Special Operations Peculiar Modification) M14 Commando Carbine has been designed under contract for the Naval …