Israel Weapon Industries Ltd. (IWI) has added a new version of its legendary submachine gun, unveiling the 9-mm Uzi Pro recently at shows in Chile, Brazil and India. The Uzi Pro was developed with input from the Israel Defense Forces, to produce a lightweight, compact weapon. The design incorporates a closed-bolt operation with blowback to maximize accuracy and safety. The weapon is ergonomically designed for use by right- or left-handed shooters. The firing rate can be set at automatic or semi-automatic.
As roadside bombs proliferate, the danger to vehicles isn't just on the battlefield, but city streets. Companies are turning to commercial products to respond to the threat. Cassidian, a division of EADS, offers a Convoy Protection Jammer to counter roadside bombs. The device uses Cassidian's Smart Responsive Jamming Technology to detect and disrupt signals commonly used to detonate bombs— those in the 20-mhz-6-ghz frequency range. Once detected, the device transmits jamming signals in real time that match the hostile frequency.
The rapid growth of operational deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan saw a parallel growth in the training systems procured by U.K. armed forces. The nature of both theaters, including tight rules of engagement and novel challenges, required training avenues to be created and exploited. But as involvement in Iraq is over, and the end of deployment in Afghanistan is in sight, the U.K. is considering which systems and capabilities are to be retained.
On a local trip, Editor-in-Chief Bill Sweetman stumbled across this relic: one of 25 surviving 15-in. Rodman guns from the Civil War, still on its mounting at Fort Foote, Md., waiting for the goldern rebs to try something. The milk-bottle shape and a new casting method overcame a minor flaw with previous super-heavy guns, to wit, a tendency to explode when fired.
An innovation in a welding process could open the door for the U.S. Navy and shipbuilders to construct hulls of marine-grade titanium—a development that would substantially increase strength, decrease vessel weight and eliminate corrosion. The innovation is in friction stir welding, which joins metal with heat created by the high-speed rotation of a spinning pin tool. The pin tool plasticizes—but does not melt—metal, forming a weld as it moves along a joint. Efforts to use it with titanium had failed because the pin tool would erode and mix with the metal, degrading it.
Northrop Grumman's electro-optical distributed aperture system (EO-DAS) is a feature of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. But the company is looking for new applications of the system, which comprises six wide-angle thermal cameras that produce a constant, spherical video of the infrared (IR) picture around the aircraft.
The business of being a sniper could soon become a little easier—at least for U.S. Army shooters. The Army is continuing development of its next-generation technology for sniper scopes and marksman sights for extended range known as the Integrated Ballistic Reticle System (IBRS) program. Bids were first solicited in 2010. Since then, the Army has completed two phases of the program, and in April selected L-3 Integrated Optical Systems of Pittsburgh to continue development of the technology in a third phase, which is to last 12 months.
If you make the right decision based on inadequate information, you are lucky rather than intelligent. Although many planning decisions (including big ones, where the horizon is years off) must be made on partial information and rely on estimates, “due diligence” involves learning as much as you can. Two running fights over Joint Strike Fighter procurement, in the U.K. and Canada, show how the lack of due diligence can get you in trouble.
Is an offensive cyberweapon equivalent to a nuclear bomb, in that its use requires the approval of a U.S. president? For years, U.S. officials wouldn't acknowledge the existence of cyberweapons, but current and former officials are now debating who has the authority to order an attack, and when. Attacking a foreign computer network would likely require “the president and [defense] secretary to . . . start making decisions,” Gen. Keith Alexander, head of U.S. Cyber Command, said at a recent congressional hearing. It may not always be a direct presidential order.
PARIS — French aerospace engine supplier Safran has finalized the merger of two subsidiaries, energy materials specialist SME and solid-propulsion-motor manufacturer Snecma Propulsion Solid (SPS), Paris-based Safran announced April 30.
MBDA is upgrading its Viper Strike munition as a result of operational lessons learned during last year’s NATO-led air war in Libya. The enhancement allows the munition to more effectively engage fast-moving ground targets through updates to the guidance and control software, enabling the weapon to fly a different attack profile, says Jerry Agee, head of MBDA’s U.S. operations. The capability was demonstrated during a series of test shots at the Naval Air Warfare Center at China Lake, Calif.
Rockwell Collins is expanding its unmanned-aircraft flight-control technology to provide an optionally piloted capability for manned platforms. Applications include the U.S. Air Force’s Blue Devil 2 airship and AgustaWestland’s SW-4 unmanned helicopter. The company is a leading supplier of integrated navigation and flight-control systems for unmanned aircraft; its Athena systems fly on the U.S. Army’s AAI RQ-7B Shadow and the Navy’s Boeing Insitu RQ-21A small tactical unmanned aircraft systems.
Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) is continuing her search for ways to get back the second Virginia submarine buy in 2014 delayed in the U.S. Navy’s 2013 budget request. At an April 26 hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committe’s (SASC) seapower subcommittee, Ayotte asked Navy Assistant Secretary Sean Stackley about a funding possibility he’d described in testimony to SASC the previous week that could restore the delayed buy without much additional cost.
NEW DELHI — The Indian defense ministry (MOD) has ordered an investigation into Italian news reports that illegal commissions may have been paid to swing a $700 million deal signed two years ago for 12 VVIP helicopters. Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony made the announcement shortly after reports in the Italian press pointed to allegations of €51 million ($67.4 million) that were paid by AgustaWestland to a Switzerland-based agent to push through the Indian deal.
F-22 COSTS: Concerned about mounting modernization costs for the F-22A, and noting that they far outstripped similar expenses for F-15s, F-16s and F/A-18s, Senate appropriators sought an explanation from the Government Accountability Office. GAO’s answer: The F-22A began in 1991 as a single-step program, not expecting significant future modernization. The other programs started with the expectation of incremental upgrades over time.
NEW DELHI — India’s Tata Motors has signed a cooperation agreement with a Malaysian company to develop, promote and market its military trucks for the Malaysian armed forces. “Tata Motors and DRB-Hicom Defense Technologies Sdn Bhd (Deftech), a wholly owned subsidiary of DRB-Hicom Berhad, Malaysia, have signed a cooperation agreement to enable both Deftech and Tata Motors to develop, promote and market Tata’s high-mobility 4x4 trucks with payloads ranging from 2.5-5 metric tons for the armed forces of Malaysia,” Tata says.
An April 25 story incorrectly reported the funding status of FAA test sites for incorporating unmanned aircraft systems in the national airspace. The Defense Authorization Act and FAA reauthorization mandated, but did not fund, establishing the test sites.
Northrop Grumman is getting Bell Helicopter under contract to provide a modified commercial Model 407 as the first step after receiving a $262 million U.S. Navy award for development and initial production of the improved MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned aircraft.
After receiving assurances from the White House that it is continuing to work on a “near-term course of action” regarding the imbalance in fighter jets between Taiwan and China, the Senate formally approved the nomination of the assistant secretary of defense for Asia-Pacific affairs.
The 20-min. naval prototype (NP-1) test sortie took place over Bengaluru and was flown by Air Commodore T.A. Maolankar and co-pilot Wing Commander Maltesh Prabhu.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — State-owned defense company Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) is about to pass some major milestones for its attack helicopter and primary trainer aircraft programs, which should make TAI a bigger industry player.
The U.S. Air Force is reviewing its plans for combat search and rescue to determine whether current fleet-sizing assumptions for the HH-60G and replacement Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) still reflect operational needs.
