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Metal Storm wins US funding for munitions development Metal Storm Limited today announced that its subsidiary Metal Storm, Inc had been awarded a two year contract worth approximately A$975,000 from the US Army??™s Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) for the design, prototyping and demonstration of Metal Storm less-than-lethal munitions. The company had advised the market on 21 November 2005 that this contract was expected. Under the Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract, Metal Storm will design and build prototype less-than-lethal munitions for demonstration to ARDEC of a range of crowd-control options. These munitions will be compatible with the Metal Storm 40mm launcher technology. Incorporated into the munitions will be ???smart-round??? capabilities, providing an improved level of safety and flexibility in the less-than-lethal spectrum of operations. The project effort, entitled ???Metal Storm Crowd Control System???, will extend over a 2 year period. ???The confirmation of this Phase II SBIR contract is very timely as much of our current engineering efforts are directly focused on the final development of our High Explosive (HE) munitions. Being able to expand our current efforts into specific less-lethal capabilities will fit nicely with our 2006 strategic plans.??? said Metal Storm??™s Chief Executive Officer, David Smith. ???We are extremely pleased to receive this award from the US Army in support of their efforts to provide broad war fighting versatility. Metal Storm systems have potential to add significant capability to operations requiring crowd control for the urban warfare environment while also having numerous applications and market opportunities in civil law enforcement scenarios.??? ???As advised to the market in September 2005, Metal Storm is also currently working under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with ARDEC in relation to the development of HE munitions. This critical business relationship will become even more advantageous as we add the less-lethal line of munitions to the already established framework for the rapid development, testing, and eventual certification of a range of 40mm munitions for use in Metal Storm weapons systems. We will continue to keep the market informed of our progress in this area???, said Mr. Smith. As announced on 2 December 2005, Metal Storm was also recently awarded a Phase II SBIR contract with the US Department of Defense worth approximately Au$1.32 million for the development and testing of a remotely operated weapon system. See the footnotes below for further information regarding ARDEC, the SBIR program, and less-than-lethal systems. Source: Metal Storm LOCKHEED MARTIN Develops Multi-Sensor System For Target Detection And Identification Lockheed Martin has developed and operationally demonstrated a new multi-sensor system that provides unique high-resolution, three-dimensional target imaging for military and civil applications. This sensor system is a product of Lockheed Martin??™s proven Laser Detection and Ranging (LADAR) capability. The multi-sensor system includes forward-looking infrared (FLIR), TV and a long-range variant of existing LADAR sensors, neatly integrated into a single 15-inch turret. The system is designed to conduct wide-area searches and identify actual or potential threats, including targets partially obscured by camouflage or foliage. Additionally, the system can be operated in a high resolution terrain mapping mode. ???We have built upon our mature LADAR sensor capability that has already proven itself, over multiple missile free flights and in hundreds of captive flight hours, to create an advanced sensor that provides high-resolution reconnaissance in a variety of situations,??? said Gil Metzger, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control??™s director of Research and Technology. ???This advanced sensor, combined with Lockheed Martin??™s sensor fusion algorithms, will provide the warfighter with more accurate situational understanding because of its long-range, high-resolution, three-dimensional capabilities. In addition to combat reconnaissance, we are exploring additional applications, such as disaster recovery and homeland security.??? This LADAR sensor and planned variants have short- and long-range capabilities from less than one kilometer to as far as 20 kilometers. The sensor system can be packaged to make it suitable for integration aboard manned or unmanned aerial vehicles. It will provide reliable performance under a wide variety of conditions. ???It is our passion for invention that drives us to provide a system that does not merely collect data or provide some situational awareness, but actually comprehends the data it collects,??? Metzger added. ???Its real-time Automatic Target Recognition algorithms have been proven through independent testing to provide outstanding target identifications with virtually no false alarms. This system can provide customers such as the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security with a powerful, lower-cost, multi-sensor LADAR system that will improve situational understanding in a number of scenarios.??? Lockheed Martin has a family of proven LADAR sensors that range from very short-range navigation systems to missile seekers to long-range reconnaissance assets. Lockheed Martin is a world leader in systems integration and the development of innovative technologies that protect the warfighter. Source: Lockheed Martin ATK Awarded $166 Million in New Orders for Small-caliber Ammunition Minneapolis -- Alliant Techsystems, the largest supplier of small-caliber ammunition to the United States military, has received additional small-caliber orders from the U.S. Army Field Service Command, Rock Island, Ill., worth more than $166 million. ATK operates the U.S. Army??™s Lake City small-caliber ammunition plant in Independence, Mo., where it produces a mix of 5.56mm, 7.62mm, 50-caliber and various other small-caliber rounds. Since winning the contract to produce small-caliber ammunition in April 2000, ATK has steadily increased production. In partnership with the U.S. Army, ATK is modernizing the facility to reach a production capacity of 1.5 billion rounds annually by March 2006. The modernization effort is on schedule and ATK stands ready to provide U.S. forces with the small-caliber ammunition they need to train for, fight and win the global war on terror. Source: ATK New Leading Edge Combat Equipment for Australian Army Close combat units within the Australian Defence Force (ADF) will be better equipped to defeat enemy forces on the battlefield following the introduction of new leading edge communications. Defence Minister Robert Hill said Defence has awarded a $13 million contract to Marconi Australia to supply about 6000 handheld personal radios for soldiers in the five regular infantry battalions, the School of Infantry, cavalry reconnaissance scouts and the Combat Training Centre. The contract is part of a $35 million package of equipment for the Army under Project LAND 125 to provide soldiers with a range of combat equipment including thermal weapon sights, helmets and personal protective padding. Senator Hill said the package will improve the fighting capability and safety of the Army's regular infantry battalions in future combat operations. "The new equipment will improve the lethality, survivability and command and control capabilities of infantry soldiers and cavalry reconnaissance scouts," Senator Hill said. "The new radios will ensure more effective communications between individual soldiers. This capability has been proven on recent operations to improve situational awareness and security within small teams. "The radios will be delivered early this year and will contribute to the Hardened and Networked Army objectives announced last year." Following an extensive evaluation process, the Marconi Personal Role Radio was selected to provide the Soldier Personal Radios. The evaluation process included field testing by soldiers of the 3 Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment. The current phase of Project Land 125 was approved in February 2005, to enable the first of a planned series of enhancements to Army's close combat capability. Senator Hill said the Howard Government has given a long-term commitment to provide the ADF with the necessary equipment and support to safely carry out the operations that are asked of them. This project is another example of the Government delivering on this commitment. Source: Australian DoD PANDUR II 8x8 WITH RAFAEL RCWS 30 A special version equipped with a remote controlled weapon station (RCWS) cal. 30mm of Rafael. The RCWS-30 is the most modern 30 mm turret increasing the capability and survivability of a modern high-mobility fighting vehicle. The armament of the RCWA-30 includes a 30mm ATK Mk44 automatic cannon, a launcher pod for two RAFAEL SPIKE-LR anti-tank/ multipurpose guided missiles, and a coaxial 7,62mm general-purpose machine gun. The system provides observation capabilities during day and night and accurate firing capabilities, aided by a stabilization system and an automatic tracker for fire-on-the-move capability. Source: Steyr Daimler Puch |
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January25, 2006 - News from Army-Guide.com >> |
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