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06 Jul 12. RE2 recently declared that its ForeRunner Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) has won the Endurance Challenge, Dismounted Support Category at the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) 2012 Counter-IED Robotics Challenge codncuted on June 28 at Fort Benning, Georgia. JIEDDO’s first challenge-based acquisitions event was conducted during the U.S. Army Robotics Rodeo held from June 20 to 29. The event’s main objective was to use robotics to discover new methods that will enable creating better speed and flexibly to maneuver in the counter-IED environment. RE2 took part in the Endurance Challenge that determined the speed and capability of robots over a road similar to the terrain of Iraq and Afghanistan. RE2?s ForeRunner UGV recorded the rapid phase to achieve the dismount support, Counter-IED Endurance Robotics Challenge that extends to 8.6 km. The ForeRunner is the most rapid and stable of all the currently-available UGV class. The ForeRunner was basically designed as a high-speed scouting and inspection UGV under a U.S. Army Phase II SBIR. It integrates the speed of a small scout UGV with the physical inspection potential of man-portable tracked robot. The unique agility of the ForeRunner enables achieving incredible precision maneuvers. As an interoperable platform, the ForeRunner accommodates a variety of payloads including explosive detection sensors and manipulator arms, through its Joint Architecture for Unmanned Systems (JAUS) interface. This improves the potential of the vehicle to quickly adapt to the mission at hand. (Source: UNMANNED)

11 Jul 12. Armoured SISU 8×8 Fire Truck brings extinguishing operations to new level. Finnish Defence Forces have recently introduced a new flagship for fire extinguishing and rescue operations, an armoured SISU 8×8 fire fighting vehicle. The design for the new extinguishing concept started five years ago. The result, an impressive thirty-ton vehicle is now undergoing field tests, during which the performance of the vehicle is demonstrated in connection with e.g. live firing exercises. The field tests of the new extinguishing concept are scheduled to be succeeded by serial production from 2013 onwards. The vehicle carries a 10-ton extinguisher container, which can be quickly decoupled from its eight-wheel carrier. Further to the comprehensive decoupling feature, the essential properties of the new fire-fighting vehicle include remote control system for the extinguisher, and high protection level for the crew. A video camera, and a thermal camera located on cabin roof of the vehicle transmit an image to the control panel screen inside the cabin. Water cannon can thus be remote controlled from the cabin. The crew does not need to leave the vehicle cabin, but all the operations can be carried out with protection against smoke, fire and explosions comment rescue chiefs Jukka Hämäläinen and Raimo Toppi from the Finnish Defence Forces in article published earlier on Forces’ web page. Cabin of the SISU 8×8 fire-fighting truck is NBC protected, providing protection against the potentially dangerous aerosols on the field during the operations. The SISU 8×8 military truck has also advanced mine- and ballistic protection features. The mine- and ballistic protection of the vehicle meets with the criteria of STANAG 4569 standard, and the related properties have been tested and proven in live tests in co-operation with the Finnish Defence Forces. In addition to the newly introduced fire extinguisher variant, the versatile SISU 8×8 military truck currently is in service also, for example, as missile launcher vehicles, radar carrier vehicles and recovery vehicles. The generous available payload and the advanced armouring solutions in connection with the outstanding off-road mobility together make the SISU 8×8 as a preferred