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Web Page sponsored by MILLBROOK
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04 Feb 13. U.K. MoD confirms DVD 2013 will take place on 19-20 June. DVD, the most important stakeholder event in the defence diary for those involved in land equipment and support, will return to Millbrook Proving Ground for the 10th year in 2013. Organised by Millbrook on behalf of the MOD’s Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) department and Land Forces HQ, the two day event plays a crucial role as a catalyst for co-operation between UK industry and the military. This year’s theme is ‘Transforming support for land equipment to deliver Army 2020’. Stakeholders, heads of capability, senior defence staff from front line commands and key military personnel are invited to share ideas about issues affecting current and future equipment, support and sustainment. There will be a full programme of networking, exhibitions, conferences and vehicle and equipment demonstrations, including showcasing vehicles on Millbrook’s off-road facilities.
“As efficiency savings and cuts in military budgets continue, sustainment becomes an important part of maintaining the quality and capability of land equipment and support,” explains Julian Bryan, head of military strategies at Millbrook. “Industry has an important role to play in bringing about greater efficiencies to the army, and DVD is the perfect platform to encourage conversations between the military and industry on such topics.”
DVD facilitates and validates understanding of the military market and the challenges it faces and anyone involved in equipment and support for the UK’s Land Forces will want to save the date for DVD 2013.
Further information and registration for DVD 2013 will be available soon at www.theevent.co.uk.
04 Feb 13. Rheinmetall to supply the Bundeswehr with seven Fuchs/Fox armoured vehicles for clearing IEDs. €37m order includes state-of-the-art manipulator technology. The German Bundeswehr has contracted with Rheinmetall to supply it with seven Fuchs/Fox armoured vehicles specially configured for detecting and identifying roadside bombs, mines, etc. This new Fuchs/Fox variant is called the KAI, short for its official Germany designation, “Kampfmittelaufklärung und –identifizierung”. The order is worth around €37m. The vehicles reinforce the Bundeswehr’s “Route Clearance System” for reconnoitring and neutralizing improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, from the safety of an armoured fighting compartment. A total of seven vehicles are to be delivered between November 2013 and November 2014. In current and future peace enforcement and peacekeeping missions, IEDs will continue to pose a major threat to troops deployed in harm’s way. Today, the Bundeswehr still relies on troops equipped with manual devices for keeping routes of march and lines of advance free from roadside bombs, etc. As a result, current EOD detection and clearing procedures are not only labour- and time-intensive but potentially dangerous. Besides excellent crew protection, the Fuchs/Fox KAI features a multiple-joint, high-precision manipulator arm with a 10-metre reach and heavy lifting capacity. The manipulator arm makes it possible for EOD personnel to examine and identify unexploded ordnance and IEDs with extreme precision from a safe standoff without leaving the safety of the fighting compartment. Moreover, a special rescue platform can be used for evacuating personnel and equipment from the danger zone. The Fuchs/Fox vehicle used for the KAI platform is the latest version of this tried and tested 6×6 wheeled vehicle, which occupies a prominent place in the Bundeswehr inventory. First fielded some thirty years ago, Rheinmetall has steadily upgraded the protection level and operational capabilities of this robust, reliable three-axle vehicle, adding m