by David Crane david@defensereview.com May 27, 2004 This article was modified/updated on 12/16/04. Pinnacle Armor Inc., out of Fresno, California, is currently producing some of the most advanced hard and soft ballistic armor solutions in the world. This includes Pinnacle’s flexible hard armor systems, which employ a combination of highly advanced ballistic ceramic composite and titanium composite technology and ballistic …

by Noah Shachtman Ever since they tangled with the Red Coats, American generals have been giving their grunts more and more and more gear to lug — from rations to radios, body armor to batteries. Now, for the first time, the Army has decided to junk the old uniforms and start from scratch. "We’re stripping the soldier down to his …

Future Force Warrior (FFW) is currently being developed at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Center (NSC). According to the NSC website, "Future Force Warrior (FFW) is the Army’s flagship Science and Technology initiative to develop and demonstrate revolutionary capabilities for Future Force soldier systems. An integrated system of systems approach is being employed to support the Army transformation to a …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com O.k., this one looks legit. It comes to us straight from the U.S. Army’s PEO Soldier website. "PEO" stands for "Program Executive Office". DefRev was tipped to it by one of our readers. The article discusses the XM8 "Lightweight Assault Carbine" and the Army’s desire to field "the entire family of XM-8 rifles and not just …

by Frank Madison Imagine if a Soldier or Law Enforcement personnel had complete body armor protectection from the neck down to their boots… Also, the armor would be lighter and thinner than all body armor out there and as flexible to wear as regular clothing… Well here is…. an article at military.com. Click here to read more. What I like …

The following is an Associated Press (AP) article: "The Bush administration’s argument for shunning a global treaty on land mines rests largely on the U.S. military’s use of "smart," self-destructing mines that don’t linger after wars end to kill and maim civilians. But it has a quiet subtext: the expectation that future generations of mines will be so smart that …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com You may remember our previous story on the Robinson Armament RAV02 MC assault carbine/subcarbine (the "RAV" acronym is pronounced "Rave") that we published awhile back. Well, now you can download and view MPEG and AVI format video of the RAV02 MC assault carbine/subcarbine being fired/demonstrated (You can do this by clicking on "Read More" hypertext below …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com This article contains a high-resolution photo (JPEG format) of three custom Shiva Ki Merc anti-personnel knives.  Click on photo to view it full-size. Shiva Ki may just be the single best-kept secret in the custom knife world today. He makes what are arguably some of the sharpest tactical/fighting fixed blades in the world, and you can quote …

by Charles Gaines This is the first time I’ve written anything here. The following is just a collection of my observations on the effectiveness of the M-4 with it’s current standard-issue systems based on my experiences here in Khandahar province. For starters, I’d like to take on the myth of how the M-4 doesn’t have enough range for this country …

by Tim Chandler “You’re not a S.E.A.L. ‘till you have eaten Italian steel…” Anonymous Thus begins the sordid tale of the M9 that is oft repeated in gun shops and firearms related web-boards the nation over. Anyone who asks questions about the Beretta M9/92 pistol long enough will inevitably hear about how a bunch of S.E.A.L. team members were killed/maimed/deformed …