Sponsored by Hobson Industries
www.hobsonindustries.co.uk
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03 June 20. WFEL receives US Department of Defense Contract. WFEL, leading supplier of rapidly deployable military bridging systems, has been awarded another contract by the US Department of Defense to upgrade a further tranche of DSB Dry Support Bridges already in-service with the US Army.
This contract allows 20 more DSBs to be enhanced, increasing gap-crossing capabilities from 40 metres to 46 metres. The deal follows on from a previous US Army contract for the upgrading of 60 Dry Support Bridges.
The U.S Army holds around 120 Dry Support Bridges in inventory and this upgrade package – developed with US Army Tank Automotive Command Centre (TACOM) – allows its original 40-metre DSBs to achieve the new standard capability.
Since 2013, all WFEL Dry Support Bridges supplied have been 46 metre variants. Already adopted by Australia, Switzerland and Turkey, this military bridging solution has recently been evaluated under an Assessment Phase contract as a replacement for the UK MoD’s ageing BR90 bridging systems.
WFEL’s Managing Director, Ian Anderton, said “We’re continually working with our US Army customer to ensure all their DSB bridging equipment is fulfilling its maximum potential and the simplicity of these upgrade kits allows the DSB enhancement work to be carried out at the US Army’s facilities, with minimal disruption.”
WFEL recently supplied a further four Dry Support Bridges to the US Army, as part of the USA’s $4.8bn European Deterrence Initiative to improve the USA’s readiness and responsiveness of NATO forces in Europe. DSBs have been used in combat and emergency scenarios worldwide, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Europe and South Korea.
03 June 20. NP Aerospace and Supacat Sign Vehicle Partnership. Leading global armour provider, NP Aerospace, has signed a partner agreement framework in February with vehicle OEM, Supacat, to deliver platform capability improvements for the UK Ministry of Defence protected mobility fleet.
NP Aerospace is the engineering authority for the MoD’s fleet of 2,200 Protected Mobility Vehicles until 2024* following the award of a £63m contract in January 2019. Supacat is the OEM and design authority for the Jackal and Coyote base vehicle platforms. Under the MoD’s PMETS (Protected Mobility Engineering & Technical Support) contract, NP Aerospace and Supacat are delivering capability improvements across numerous domains including environmental, safety and technical innovation.
James Kempston, CEO, NP Aerospace, comments: “As design authority for the Jackal and Coyote platforms, both of which rely on superior mobility and tactical awareness – Supacat brings a wealth of expertise to the team. Tasking collaboration through the MoD PMETS contract ensures we are able to deliver platform capability improvements that will have a major impact on the UK armed forces on operation, in the shortest timeframe possible and via the most cost-effective means. Having a lead engineering authority across multiple vehicle OEMs** delivers value for money through component and system commonality.”
Nicholas Ames, Chief Executive of SC Group, parent of Supacat, comments: “Supacat has a long-established relationship with NP Aerospace as a major armour manufacturer and vehicle integrator with a long-standing heritage in lightweight ballistic composites and vehicle programmes. This is an exciting opportunity to work together once again, for our customer to benefit Jackal and Coyote and potentially other vehicles in the fleet. We are both agile SMEs and our partnership enables us to introduce new technologies and tailored modification packages that ensure vehicles remain safe and supportable and can meet changing operational requirements.”
*The vehicles covered under the PMETS contract include the Mastiff, Wolfhound, Ridgback, Buffalo, Choker, RODET, Foxhound, Jackal, Coyote and Husky.
**NP Aerospace works with all of the vehicle OEMs for the MoD protected mobility fleet including General Dynamics, Navistar and Supacat.
03 June 20. HORIBA MIRA Gears Up for New Defence Power Standard. Following £350k Testing Capability Investment. As a business committed to keeping a seat firmly at the helm of industry changes, HORIBA MIRA has invested £350k in a new power accreditation test service and Electrical Power Laboratory – providing defence industry customers with a first-of-its-kind validation solution in readiness for the new Def Stan 61-005.
The recently released new Def Stan 61-005 Part 06 (issue 7) – which applies to electrical power supply systems in vehicles for Ministry of Defence use – has been comprehensively updated to reflect the latest industry requirements and governance of power distribution systems for both current and future military vehicles.
Ahead of the changes, recent months have seen HORIBA MIRA, an established provider of vehicle verification and validation solutions, make significant investment in the development of a bespoke Def Stan 61-005 Electrical Power Laboratory at its Nuneaton headquarters – creating the UK market’s most sophisticated testing ground for customers seeking to ensure compliance with the new standard.
The cutting edge facility includes the addition of two new 100 amp transient generators – the first in the UK – enabling the HORIBA MIRA team to far surpass standard 30 amp test conditions and assess vehicles against extraordinarily high currents of up to 100 amp.
With the continued evolution towards complex electric and hybrid military vehicles requiring high power supplies, HORIBA MIRA is not only providing a market-first solution to Def Stan 61-005 compliance, but playing an integral role in supporting the industry to meet the evolving validation challenges associated with the increasing power demands of modern defence and commercial vehicles.
Mark Emery, Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Technical Manager at HORIBA MIRA, said: “As a business, we pride ourselves on staying one step ahead when it comes to our ever-changing industry, working to meet our customers’ future requirements today.
“As such, we have placed significant investment in the development of our new power accreditation service and laboratory, with the aim of ensuring our customers have access to the most sophisticated solution first, when it comes to ensuring compliance with the new Def Stan 61-005.
“This is an incredibly exciting development for HORIBA MIRA. Not only will it help to ensure a seamless transition towards this complex new standard for customers, but it marks a major step forward for increased power generation test method capability here in the UK.”
Mark added: “Inherently, military vehicles are energy-intensive, with a myriad of power-intensive electronics required to perform different mission applications. But as the rate of innovation and applications continues to grow, including the movement towards electric and hybrid options, the energy demand of such vehicles continues to escalate – placing greater onus on the power accreditation validation methods behind it.
“In this way, our new facility will play a fundamental role in helping both existing and new military customers to perform the vital testing needed to meet current and future vehicle standards in the years to come.”
The new offer will form part of HORIBA MIRA’s vast EMC division which will continue to support Def Stan 59-411 and MIL-STD 461.
With military test programmes often taking place over several months or years, customers utilising HORIBA MIRA’s unique expertise are also able to take advantage of secure workshops and facilities, associated office spaces and IT networks that are fully accredited by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) as part of MIRA Technology Park.
01 Jun 20. Hutchinson Provides Survivability Solutions to Newly Launched Mack Defense M917A3 Heavy Dump Trucks. Mack Defense has selected Hutchinson Industries Inc. as the provider of complete wheel assemblies, beadlocks and thermal hub covers for the Mack Defense M917A3 heavy dump truck (HDT).
“Wheeled military vehicles like the M917A3 require specialized protection to help maintain mobility in harsh operating environments,” said David Hartzell, president, Mack Defense. “Mack Defense chose Hutchinson to help make sure the M917A3 is equipped with the right components to get the job done.”
Founded in 1853, Hutchinson Industries Inc. is one of the world’s oldest rubber product manufacturers and is the premier manufacturer of engineered mobility solutions for wheeled and tracked military, security, off-road, commercial and industrial vehicles.
“We are thrilled to provide products that meet the demanding payload and mobility requirements set by the U.S. Army HDT program,” said Andy Barker, Hutchinson CEO. “It is our mission, and an honor, to develop products and provide the support that allows our soldiers to complete the mission and return safely to base.”
Hutchinson representatives were on hand to celebrate the official handover of the first five Mack Defense M917A3 HDTs to the U.S. Army during a ceremony at the Mack Customer Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 2019. The five vehicles will undergo 40 weeks of production verification testing at the U.S. Army’s Aberdeen test center in Maryland.
The Mack Defense M917A3 HDT is based on the civilian Mack® Granite® model, one of the top-selling construction trucks in North America. To meet the demanding needs of the U.S. Army, Mack Defense added heavier-duty rear axles, all-wheel drive, increased suspension ride height and other features. The new HDTs will help increase the U.S. Army’s operational effectiveness and readiness, while supporting mobility, counter-mobility, survivability and sustainment operations for the Joint Force. The U.S. Army awarded Mack Defense a $296m contract in May 2018 to produce up to 683 M917A3 HDTs.
02 Jun 20. The Airbus A400M new generation airlifter has successfully achieved certification of the simultaneous paratrooper dispatch capability and completed the full industrial development of the type’s paratrooping deployment capacity, with a maximum dispatch of 116 paratroopers using both side doors (58 + 58).
The certification fight test, completed in May 2020 in coordination with the French Armament General Directorate (DGA) and supported by the French and Belgian Armed Forces, combined an extensive paratrooping campaign of more than 1,000 jumps along with the implementation of new capability development methodologies based on recording and 3D modelling of paratrooper jump trajectories.
“This certification completes a challenging journey to achieve this next generation capability. The achievement reinforces the strategic value the A400M already offers to air force operators and society, as demonstrated during Covid-19 times,” said Dirk Hoke, Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Defence and Space.
With the completion of this key milestone, the A400M excels in its paratrooping role, being able to carry 116 paratroopers who can jump two at a time from the ramp in freefall, or through the paratroop side doors with automatic parachute opening, a state-of-the-art capability that greatly increments its operational possibilities.
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About Hobson Industries
Hobson Industries is a private company established in 1987 by Peter Hobson, after serving as a Charge Chief Weapons Engineering Artificer in the Royal Navy. Hobson Industries is an innovative and highly technical engineering business operating to the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System which is complimented with our ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System.
Across the markets we serve in, the UK and globally, we establish close relationships with the people that trust and depend on us. We specialise in the through life support management and development of Land Rover heritage military and civilian platforms – in effect, the Land Rover need never die!
Hobson Industries offer four core services that we specialise in:
Vehicles:
We offer Land Rover vehicle builds to original specification or complete with modifications and upgrades at the customers request. All work is done in house using our bountiful facilities. In addition to vehicle refurbishment, reconditioning and homologation across all Land Rover models.
Powertrain and Transmission Units:
We offer new and reconditioned units, perfect for your Land Rover. All built using Land Rover tolerances and specifications. All for sale on our website. Additionally, we offer reconditioning services to your own units.
Parts Supply:
With over 16,000 part lines in stock, and the Asset Management programme pioneered by the company, we are able to provide a cost effective range of parts which may no longer be available. Additionally, we are offering Hobson Original branded parts to drawings for obsolete parts to help provide Land Rover owners the parts to keep them on the road. Our parts strategy ensures that all re-cycled, asset managed and reconditioned parts and units meet original equipment standards and specifications to ensure your safety while driving on or off road.
Amour – Design and Fabrication and Blast Protection
We offer armouring in steel, composite and ceramic of new and refurbished vehicles and fleets.
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