Sponsored by TEK Military Seating Limited
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08 Oct 24. Mack Defense to Spotlight the Mack® MD Electric at AUSA 2024. Mack Defense announced today that it will feature the Mack® MD6 Electric model at its booth at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) 2024 Annual Meeting and Exposition, Oct. 14-16, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
“Mack has long been associated with the U.S. Armed Forces, providing support on the battlefield since World War I,” said David Hartzell, president of Mack Defense. “However, Mack, a 124-year-old company, isn’t resting on its laurels. Mack continues to design and develop innovative trucks, like battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) such as the Mack MD Electric, shown here today. We are proud of Mack’s history, and we look forward to our continued innovations in products and services.”
The Mack MD6 Electric model is being shown at booth No. 8333 at AUSA. Developed specifically for medium-duty applications, the Mack MD Electric is built with the same focus on reliability, durability and productivity customers have come to expect from a Mack truck. The MD Electric is available in 4×2 configurations featuring a sharp wheel cut for enhanced maneuverability in tight urban settings.
The U.S. Armed Forces are actively evaluating how electric vehicle technologies can be applied to the variety of vehicles used for logistics and for combat operations. The Mack MD Electric is being used in a myriad of commercial applications providing valuable feedback from users, as well as real-world testing of the various subsystems, such as the energy storage systems, the electric motors, power management systems and the electrification of items such as power steering, A/C and air compressors.
“This experience will allow Mack Defense to utilize these proven subsystems to develop solutions that meet the needs of the U.S. Armed forces,” Hartzell said.
Produced at the Mack Roanoke Valley Operations (RVO) facility in Salem, Virginia, the Mack MD Electric can be configured as a Class 6 or Class 7 vehicle. The Class 6 model has a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 25,995 pounds, and the Class 7 model has a GVWR of 33,000 pounds. Both models are exempt from the 12 percent Federal Excise Tax (FET).
The MD Electric features a three-phase Permanent Magnet Synchronous 260 horsepower motor powered by Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) Oxide lithium-ion batteries, rated at 240kWh.
The MD Series cab design features a short bumper-to-back-of-cab (BBC) measurement of 103 inches, an industry best. Similar to the diesel-powered Mack MD Series, Mack matched the bold look and styling of the Mack Anthem®, Mack’s highway model, as a basis for the MD Electric grille and hood design. The Mack MD Electric will be supported by Mack dealers, many of which are already Mack Certified Electric Vehicle (EV) dealers.
The MD Electric will meet the needs of trucking applications requiring dry van/refrigerated, stake/flatbed and dump vocations. The MD6 model does not require a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) to operate for non-hazardous payloads.
Mack Defense is a member of AUSA, which has a vision to be the premier voice for American soldiers. AUSA is committed to building the best professional and representative association for the U.S. Army. More than 33,000 attendees visited AUSA in 2023, with more than 650 exhibitors representing 80 countries from around the world.
07 Oct 24. Indonesia receives over 500 new combat and support vehicles. The Indonesian Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 2 October that the armed forces have received 569 domestically produced military vehicles, including tracked and wheeled armoured combat vehicles, during a ceremony in Jakarta.
The latest batch of new military vehicles were supplied by the state-owned PT Pindad – a key subsidiary of the Defend ID consortium – and private enterprises including Sentra Surya Ekajaya (PT SSE) and PT Ralika.
Among these vehicles were a second tranche of eight Harimau medium tanks, fulfilling the MoD’s initial order of 18 tanks after the first 10 tanks were handed over earlier in February.
The Harimau medium tank is the result of a collaboration between PT Pindad and Türkiye’s FNSS Defence Systems. The tank is derived from the Kaplan MT, which subsequently evolved into the joint effort called the Modern Medium Weight Tank (MMWT).
FNSS earlier delivered Kaplan MT hulls to PT Pindad, which then performed integration opt pin the CMI Defense Cockerill C3105 turret as well as associated equipment at the latter’s facility.
Unlike the Leopard 2RI main battle tanks (MBTs) used by the army, the Harimau’s combat weight of approximately 35 tonnes enables it to access less-developed road and bridge networks, potentially expanding its operating areas.
Other PT Pindad vehicles handed over on 2 October included four Komodo 4×4 light armoured vehicles, nine Anoa 6×6 armoured personnel carriers (APCs), 23 Pandur 8×8 armoured fighting vehicles, and 250 Maung 4×4 tactical vehicles.
Meanwhile, the privately owned PT SSE delivered eight Rigid Buoyancy Bridge (RBB) systems, nine Rantis 4×4 vehicles in various configurations, as well as eight Ransus 4×4 missile launcher vehicles. The latter is a variant of the open-top P6 ATAV produced by the company for Indonesian Air Force special forces operations.
Finally, the privately owned PT Ralika handed over 250 troop transport trucks. (Source: AMR)
11 Oct 24. AM General, leader in military automotive systems and technology, will display an array of mobility capabilities that are addressing the complexities of the evolving battlefield at the Annual Meeting and Exposition of the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) Oct. 14 – 16, 2024, Booth #1939, Hall B, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The Company will feature the next general Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV A2) and trailer, the HUMVEE 2-CT Hawkeye 105mm Mobile Howitzer, and the all-new MIMIC-V purpose-built truck.
“AUSA is an important event for the industrial base and gives us an opportunity to update our key customer, the US Military, on the latest developments to maintain readiness. And for AM General it comes at a time when we are preparing for production of the JLTV A2,” said Jim Cannon, AM General President and CEO. “We are extremely proud and excited to feature products that are actively supporting the Warfighter and that will continue to transform capabilities to support their mission.”
On display will be the new JLTV A2 general purpose 4-passenger vehicle, which features additional enhancements over the first-generation model. Key changes include an upgraded powertrain, improvements in noise reduction, and improved corrosion protection. The company will also display the JLTV-T Trailer which has a payload of up to 5,100 lbs. and has an 18.5-inch travel to make it a rugged compliment to the JLTV A2.
The HUMVEE 2-CT Hawkeye 105mm Mobile Howitzer will also be featured on the show floor. In Partnership with Mandus Group and utilizing the patented Soft Recoil Technology, the HUMVEE 2-CT Hawkeye can rapidly engage targets with both indirect and direct fires and move out to avoid counterfire strikes with the agility that the battle-tested HUMVEE platform is known for. The HUMVEE 2-CT Hawkeye is currently undergoing testing in the Eastern European theater as the company sees increasing demand for this mobile artillery system to counter near peer threats.
AM General is also debuting the first from-the-ground-up build of the MIMIC-V (Mission Integrated Maneuverable Interoperable Conformable Vehicle) prototype. The MIMIC-V is a platform that has been designed and engineered to serve the ultra-unique needs of our special operations Warfighters. Formerly the AM General Chieftain, the MIMIC-V is the Company’s solution to tactical security. This high-performance and low-signature truck can operate in any environment for any tactical mission. As the name implies, MIMIC-V’s key differentiator is that it can reduce its signature by looking like a commercial vehicle.
08 Oct 24. American Rheinmetall Vehicles Wins Award for US Army’s S-MET Inc II Program.
• American Rheinmetall Vehicles won a contract for the Army’s S-MET Inc II program.
• American Rheinmetall Vehicles and Textron Systems leveraged decades of unmanned ground vehicle expertise to develop their S-MET solution.
• The team’s S-MET vehicle is autonomy ready and utilizes components already in the Army’s inventory.
American Rheinmetall Vehicles, Sterling Heights, MI, has won one of two contracts awarded in the U.S. Army’s Small Multi-Purpose Equipment Transport vehicle (S-MET) program. American Rheinmetall Vehicles’ unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) will provide the Army with a versatile and resilient platform capable of efficiently transporting supplies and equipment over rugged terrain to support combat operations. American Rheinmetall Vehicles collaborated with lead partner Textron Systems on the proposal.
American Rheinmetall Vehicles will manufacture and deliver eight prototypes to the Army in 2025 for testing, evaluation, and to compete against the platform delivered by the second awardee before the Army downselects to a single platform and the program transitions to full scale production.
Rheinmetall has substantial expertise in developing unmanned ground vehicles, exemplified in its Mission Master family of vehicles, which encompass a range of modular, autonomous platforms designed for diverse missions such as reconnaissance, surveillance, cUAS, and logistical support. American Rheinmetall Vehicles’ S-MET solution leverages the ground-breaking advancements in unmanned technology found in the Mission Master vehicles to deliver a UGV tailored to meet the unique requirements of the Army’s S-MET program. The platform also uses many mature commercial components already found in the Army’s inventory or the commercial ATV space which drives affordability and reliability, and addresses electromagnetic concerns through its unique composite structure and use of materials.
“American Rheinmetall Vehicles is honored with the Army’s selection and excited to deliver our S-MET platform which is particularly attractive due to its technological excellence, affordability, and reliability,” said Jim Schirmer, Senior Vice President and Deputy Managing Director of American Rheinmetall Vehicles.
Textron Systems brings to the team more than three decades of experience designing, manufacturing, fielding, and supporting unmanned platforms across air, land and sea domains.
Textron Systems and its subsidiary, Howe & Howe, contribute extensive knowledge of robotics and systems integration to the S-MET Inc II program, having developed the mature, multi-mission capable RIPSAW® M5 and M3 ground robotics platforms for the Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) programs. Leveraging the control architecture developed for Textron Systems’ RCV solutions, the team’s S-MET vehicle provides a commonality that enables operators to utilize a common interface for both the RCV and S-MET programs. (Source: ASD Network)
07 Oct 24. Romania picks Turkish armored vehicles in $940m deal. Romania has selected the Turkish Cobra II four-wheel-drive armored vehicle for the country’s land forces, ordering a total of 1,059 units.
Under the plan, the first 278 vehicles will be made in Turkey by manufacturer Otokar, and the remainder at a plant operated in Romania by local companies.
The planned sale is estimated to be worth around RON 4.263bn ($940m), Otokar said in a statement.
Romania’s Ministry of National Defence has tasked state-run defense company Romtehnica with carrying out the procurement.
The latest development comes as Bucharest is advancing a number of major procurements for the nation’s land forces. These include the planned acquisitions of new tracked infantry fighting vehicles, tanks and wheeled self-propelled howitzers. Last June, Romania chose the K9 Thunder 155 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer for the country’s military, purchasing 54 howitzers from South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace.
Alexandru Georgescu, a Bucharest-based security and defense analyst, told Defense News that, following long-standing public criticism, the Romanian ministry attaches great importance to foreign suppliers’ offers of cooperation with local defense plants.
Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine is encouraging Bucharest to strengthen “the undersized and overall neglected Romanian defense industry,” Georgescu said.
The Cobra II has a gross weight of up to 14.5 tons (31,967 lbs) and is powered by a turbo-charged diesel engine fitted with a 360 hp capacity. The vehicle can carry a total of 11 persons, including a driver and a commander, according to data from the Turkish manufacturer.
(Source: Defense News)
07 Oct 24. Hanwha Aerospace’s Europe land arms sales to double by 2027, CEO says.
• Summary
• Hanwha’s willingness to make products overseas to boost sales
• Company can meet conventional weapons demand in Indo-Pacific
• Hanwha can provide systems 1-2 years faster than competitors -CEO
Hanwha Aerospace (012450.KS) South Korea’s biggest defence firm, expects European land arms revenue to double by 2027, driven by its willingness to ink deals to make its products in overseas customers’ home countries.
“There’s a phenomenon of blocs being formed, especially in Europe. They want to procure arms within the region,” company CEO Son Jae-il said in an interview on Monday.
“In the past they just wanted to buy weapons, but now more than ever countries want to secure defence capabilities in their own countries.”
South Korean officials and business executives have made joint production a key part of their pitch to prospective overseas customers to help ease their domestic political pressures to build weapons at home in order to create jobs and protect supply chains.
Hanwha, the world’s largest exporter of howitzers, with more than 60% of the global export market, is at the forefront of South Korea’s ramp-up of defence exports as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine opened the door for contracts from Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
South Korea has so far refused calls to directly arm Ukraine, but has provided non-lethal aid and made massive deals to arm the war-torn country’s nervous neighbours.
Hanwha has signed a total of $9.2bn deals with Poland to supply 364 howitzers and 290 missile defence systems since 2022, and won a $1 bn order from Romania to supply howitzers in July.
Hanwha’s agreements with both countries include clauses to eventually produce arms within their borders, the company said
The local production is made possible by robust support from the South Korean government, including the defense ministry that helps train the importing country’s forces, the country’s arms procurement agency, foreign ministry and even the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) which clears technology transfers, Son said.
Hanwha Aerospace’s land arms order backlog jumped nearly tenfold in less than five years, from 3.1trn won at the end of 2020 to 30.3trn won ($22.49 bn) at the end of June, according to company data.
Hanwha’s orderbook will continue to grow on rising exports to the Middle East after South Korean firms begin producing engines for K9 howitzers and Redback armoured vehicles by 2025, according to Korea Investment & Securities.
This year, Hanwha’s overseas land arms sales exceeded domestic sales for the first time, Son said, adding that while they gave no region priority besides South Korea, the company is looking to become a trusted supplier to NATO countries.
The continuous demand for conventional weapons by South Korea’s armed forces, which are locked in a standoff against North Korea across a heavily militarised border, has meant the country has maintained its supply chain and kept abreast of the technical developments of such weapons, Son said.
Facing off with North Korea has motivated South Korea to keep up with conventional weapon development while its ally the U.S. has had to focus on higher-end arms to compete with Russia and China, he said.
Although it differs from weapon to weapon and by situation, Son said Hanwha can usually supply arms at least one to two years faster than its competitors and at lower cost.
“In regions like the Indo-Pacific, we can fill the demand for a suite of arms that the United States doesn’t do much, your howitzers, armoured vehicles, tanks.”
Because of the relationship with the U.S., South Korean weapons are compatible with common NATO standards except for some elements like ammunition.
But even for ammunition, last year Hanwha Aerospace exported NATO-standard propellants for 155mm artillery shells, widely used by howitzers and field guns, for the first time to BAE Systems.
South Korea aims to become the world’s fourth-largest arms exporter by 2027.
It ranked 10th between 2019-2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. ($1 = 1,347.1200 won)
(Source: Google/Reuters)
04 Oct 24. British Army to wait at least five years for new protected mobility vehicle. A minimum operational capability for a new medium protected mobility platform is not likely to be reached until the 2029-2030 timeframe.
The British Army is still to formally define the scope of the service’s Land Mobility Programme (LMP), with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) not due to complete the formal change request until February 2025 ahead of an outline business case at some point between March-October the same year.
Pre-market engagement for the British Army’s LMP is now expected to begin in November 2024, with an engagement day for industry still ‘to be confirmed’ and the subsequent tender and trial not until the 2026 timeframe.
The details emerged during a series of briefings at the DVD 2024 event at UTAC Millbrook in late-September, where British Army officials provided updates into the service’s key land programmes.
A full business case, where the tender selection for demonstration and manufacture is awarded, is not likely until Q4 2026 at the earliest.
These timelines exist only for the Pilot case, likely to be the Medium Protected Mobility effort, which will have a minimum deployable capability within the next five years, around the 2029-2030 timeframe.
Officials stated that priority will be given to platforms that focus mission system modularity, as the British Army is seeking to consolidate its 16 designs currently utilised in the mobility fleet down to around five designs, emphasising commonality.
This could include a military- or commercial-off-the-shelf (MOTS/COTS) solution, with a common support package sought to provide sustainment for the future mobility vehicle fleet.
Industry frustration and challenges persist
Voices from within industry have privately expressed frustration to Army Technology at the delays being experienced with the LMP effort, which was supposed to make a decision on an outline business base in Q1 2024.
The new UK government’s upcoming autumn budget, where it is anticipated that defence programmes could be hit in a bid to partially fill a claimed £22bn ($28.9bn) fiscal shortfall, could have a detrimental impact on the scope and scale of large-scale procurement.
Business confidence has also been impacted by the UK governments persistent public utterings of the dire state of the country’s finances, to the point at which financial institutions have been moved to warn against such gloomy forecasts.
The opposition Conservative Party repudiated the Labour government’s claim of the public funding shortfall, pointing to the UK being the fastest growing economy in the G7 in 2024.
In addition, a new Strategic Defence Review being undertaken by the Labour government, which is only due to deliver its findings in H1 2025 at the earliest, is adding additional uncertainty about the potential direction for the LMP programme.
In data: Land Protected Mobility
The latest understanding of the LMP indicates that the focus is on three Category A sub-programmes, each with its own procurement and approvals process that, in theory, is able to adapt to changing circumstances to optimise acquisitions. The three sub-programmes include: Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV), Light Protected Mobility (Lt PM), and Medium Protected Mobility (Med PM).
According to newly released information, the LMV programme will deliver a platform offering unprotected or lightly protected mobility with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of around 3,500kg, and be operable by the joint force of the British Army, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy/Royal Marines, Strategic Command.
Both the Lt PM and Med PM are intended to provide high mobility platforms that ‘build on existing capability’, with a GVM of 10,000kg and 20,000kg respectively. However, while the Lt PM would be operable by the Joint Force, the Med PM would only service the British Army.
Earlier information presented by the British Army in 2023 saw four main categories of platforms being sought – Heavy (~500 vehicles), Medium (~2000 vehicles), Light (~2500 vehicles), and Utility (~3000 vehicles) – for a potential total of around 8,000 vehicles.
The latest data did not include a Heavy requirement, which had a GVM in the 40,000kg weight category.
Speaking at an LMP briefing at DSEI 2023, British Army officials said that in-service platforms that will be part of this LMP consolidation effort include the Wolfhound, Mastiff, and Ridgeback protected mobility platforms, the Panther and Foxhound 4x4s, the tracked Bulldog FV430, as well as utility platforms such as the Coyote, Jackal, Land Rover, and Pinzgauer.
At the time, Brigadier Matthew Wilkinson, vehicle support team leader, at the MoD’s Defence Equipment & Support, said the British Army had “inherited a mixed fleet of vehicles”, which would have to be consolidated.
Acquisition strategy would also see a shift away from the purchase of “monolithic blocks” of vehicles to “packages”, filling a requirement where needed. In addition, platforms competing for LMP requirements should have a “60% or greater” UK footprint, further emphasising a leading narrative emerging across the UK defence sector.
The programme does not include acquisitions being sought under the Light Tactical Mobility Platform (LTMP) Medium and LTMP Light programme, through which the MoD is currently seeking industry responses to the potential purchase of more than 1,000 4×4 and all-terrain vehicles, valued at a combined total of £91.3m. (Source: army-technology.com)
04 Oct 24. Hanwha displays Redback-K offering for RoK Army. Hanwha Aerospace unveiled the latest designs of its growing family of tracked and wheeled armoured fighting vehicles at the inaugural Korea Army International Defense Industry Exhibition (KADEX) 2024, which concludes 6 October.
The South Korean defence firm displayed for the first time a scale model of its new tracked Redback-K infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), which is being designed to meet the Republic of Korea Army’s (RoKA’s) requirement for a next-generation IFV to replace the in-service K21.
According to a Hanwha official, the Redback-K will resemble an upgraded variant of the original Redback IFV selected by the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
In July 2023 the ADF announced it would be receiving 129 Redback IFVs as part of the Land 400 Phase 3 project to replace M113 armoured personnel carriers (APCs). The ADF’s selection includes integration of Elbit’s UT30MK2 uncrewed turret as well as the Israeli company’s Iron Fist active protection system (APS).
Speaking to Janes, the Hanwha official said the Redback-K variant would feature a variety of upgrades to the same uncrewed turret. These include a newly designed 40 mm CTA (cased telescoped ammunition) cannon by SNT with ammunition manufactured by Poongsan, as well as a new APS that is being designed by Hanwha.
Additional upgrades include a locally manufactured engine by STX featuring the same 1,000 hp as the Redback’s MTU eight-cylinder diesel engine. (Source: Janes)
04 Oct 24. Hyundai Rotem discloses ammunition, protection systems for NG MBT. Hyundai Rotem has revealed details about the ammunition and protection systems it intends to integrate into the Next-Generation Main Battle Tank (NG MBT).
Speaking to Janes at the Korea Army International Defense Industry Exhibition (KADEX) 2024 held at Gyeryongdae from 2 to 6 October, a Hyundai Rotem official said the company is considering equipping the NG MBT with a 130 mm smoothbore gun.
“NG MBT will also be equipped with anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS), and multi-purpose projectiles such as Rheinmetall’s DM 11,” the official said.
According to Rheinmetall, DM 11 is a 120 mm high-explosive tank round. DM 11’s time-delay fuse makes it particularly suitable for supporting infantry units tasked with taking lightly fortified positions and for engaging light and medium-weight armoured vehicles. After loading, an electronic module programmes the time-delay fuse to detonate at a specific point in the projectile’s flight path. The round can be timed to explode for maximum effect either above, in front of, or inside a target. This feature of DM 11 can enable it to enhance the combat effectiveness of MBTs.
The official added that NG MBT will also be integrated with an active protection system (APS), jammers to counter unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and a directed infrared countermeasure (DIRCM) system.
Hyundai Rotem expects to build NG MBT from 2032 to 2036 and deploy the tanks to the Republic of Korea Army (RoKA) by 2038, the official said.
(Source: Janes)
02 Oct 24. QinetiQ collaborate with Metasonixx to provide cooling and noise reduction for vehicles by using Sonoblind Air panels with acoustic metamaterials. As part of their strategic relationship, Metasonixx and QinetiQ have applied their expertise in novel technologies to successfully manage noise and ventilation in cars. As an industry leader in the research of metamaterials, QinetiQ has helped to demonstrate how Metasonixx’s Sonoblind Air panels can be developed to replace the grille in front of a vehicle engine, in turn offering temperature cooling and noise reduction simultaneously.
Traditional methods of noise reduction are based on inserting mass in front of source, a method which naturally reduces ventilation. As a potential solution to a shortage in products which effectively manages noise and ventilation across the UK, QinetiQ is using its pioneering research in innovative materials, such as acoustic metamaterials, to change this.
Acoustic metamaterials are an emerging technology which sees standard materials – like plastic, wood or metal – transformed and shaped through engineering to enable sound to go through them. Working like interference filters for light, the panels do not absorb or deflect sound but instead, cancel any noise. With the metamaterial shape obtained by carving out material, they are able to let though air and light.
QinetiQ and Metasonixx delivered design, manufacture and testing across a few weeks in an agile and rapid manner, working closely to investigate how novel technologies can be applied to real problems in a representative environment. Delivering experiments at QinetiQ’s metamaterials hub in Farnborough, both organisations tested different models of panels, with varying amounts of surface area allowing for airflow. Noise reductions of up to 90% were observed in this initial test. Further maturation and exploitation of technology in both civil and military applications is planned and being pursued collaboratively. (Source: joint-forces.com)
04 Oct 24. Textron Systems, Howe & Howe and Teledyne Flir Defense Deliver Ripsaw M3 Prototypes For US Army RCV Program.
Textron Systems Corporation, a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, announced today that Team RIPSAW — Textron Systems, its subsidiary, Howe & Howe and Teledyne FLIR Defense — has delivered two RIPSAW® M3 prototype vehicles to the U.S. Army for the competitive Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) Phase I: Platform Prototype program. The vehicles were delivered to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.
The RIPSAW M3 leverages a modular open systems architecture (MOSA) design and common chassis to support a variety of interchangeable payloads from a basic flat-top deck configuration. A rugged and reliable RCV platform, the vehicle is designed to meet Army requirements while preserving transportability and mission versatility.
“The RIPSAW M3 exemplifies the innovative technology Howe & Howe develops to support our customers,” said Senior Vice President, Mike Howe. “Designed for ease of integration with a common robotic core, the prototypes delivered represent the decades of experience in the ground robotics space our team possesses.”
“Team RIPSAW leverages the expertise of Textron Systems, Howe & Howe and Teledyne FLIR Defense, creating a mission-ready system to support the Army’s needs,” said Senior Vice President Air, Land and Sea Systems, David Phillips. “Our dedication to testing the prototype vehicles before delivery ensures we’re providing a rugged, reliable system.”
“We’re proud to be partnered with Textron Systems and Howe & Howe to deliver this unprecedented robotic platform to the U.S. Army,” said Dr. JihFen Lei, President of Teledyne FLIR Defense. “We’re excited to bring our expertise in uncrewed aerial systems, 360-degree situational awareness, and intelligent sensing technology onto the RIPSAW M3 that will give soldiers a decisive tactical edge and allow commanders to make better, faster decisions.”
Team RIPSAW has invested in this family of robotic vehicles since 2019 when the RIPSAW M5 system first debuted. Later variants, including the M5-E (electric) and M3 Tech Demonstrator, leveraged the team’s collaboration with industry partners, academia and the U.S. Army to perform multiple mission sets in various environmental and test conditions. Since 2019, the RIPSAW family of vehicles have amassed over 4,700 miles of durability testing. (Source: ASD Network)
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TEK Military Seating Limited
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From its inception ProTEK seats have been designed around a family of innovative seat frames onto which tested and certified modules can be fitted to create a bespoke solution for the user. These include Blast protection to Stanag 4569 standards, vibration reduction, head and body protection, seat risers and turntables, fore & aft adjustment, and seat back rake along with viable seat dimensions without the need for additional tooling costs.
Contact: Paul Fleming
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