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Web Page sponsored by MILLBROOK
Millbrook, based in Bedfordshire, UK, makes a significant contribution to the quality and performance of military vehicles worldwide. Its specialist expertise is focussed in two distinct areas: test programmes to help armed services and their suppliers ensure that their vehicles and systems work as the specification requires; and design and build work to upgrade new or existing vehicles, evaluate vehicle capability and investigate in-service failures. Complementing these is driver and service training and a hospitality business that allows customers to use selected areas of Millbrook’s remarkable facilities for demonstrations and exhibitions.
Tel: +44 (0) 1525 408408
www.millbrook.co.uk/military
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01 Feb 10. The US Army has awarded a contract to Oshkosh Corporation to deliver more than 60 recapitalised next-generation Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTT) A4. Under the $21m contract, Oshkosh will provide the recapitalisation services for
the M984 HEMTT A4 wrecker variants along with the delivery of their associated components and engines. The recapitalised vehicles, which will be upgraded to the new A4 configuration, will undergo the same road tests, performance tests and inspection procedures as new vehicles before the delivery. Work is expected to begin in January 2011 and will run until April 2011. The contract, awarded by the Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command Life Cycle Management Command, is part of the US Army’s Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles III contract. (Source: Defense News)
03 Feb 10. A new combat-proven mine-clearance system, specifically designed for US army operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been demonstrated by MineWolf Systems at the Military Engineering Conference in Germany. The Medium MineWolf machine (MW 330) is the latest variant of the MineWolf family of mine clearance systems to be operated by the US Army in Afghanistan and Iraq for mine clearing operations. The MW 330 enables US forces to safely and quickly clear open ground of land mines and unexploded ordnance while minimising the risk to soldiers. MineWolf Systems sales director Phillip von Michaelis said the machine was robust enough to survive blasts from heavy anti-tank mines, yet mobile enough to be transportable in a 20ft ISO container or on a C-130 plane. “The Medium MineWolf also offers a variety of other interchangeable attachments such as a blade, bucket, sifter or forklift,” he said.The company also demonstrated a sophisticated robotic arm attachment that can be mounted on any of the mine clearance vehicles to remotely tackle the mine threat. Nato Military Engineering Centre of Excellence director Colonel Radlmeier said the machine offered excellent efficiency and mobility for humanitarian and military demining missions. “The multipurpose attachments which can be mounted to the base vehicle make it even more useful to field operations,” he said. (Source: army-technology.com)
03 Feb 10. The Indian Army will conduct a comparative trial between the indigenous Arjun tank and the new Russian T-90 main battle tank in the desert expanses around Bikaner, Suratgarh and Pokhran in March 2010. During the month-long trials, a squadron of 14 Arjun tanks will be evaluated against a T-90 squadron, testing their abilities to move through rugged, sand-dune terrain while firing accurately in motion according to India’s Business Standard. In addition, their abilities to operate for long periods over long distances and the fatigue they impose on their crews will also be compared. The result of the comparative trial could decide if the Indian Army will use indigenous tanks in future battles or continue to use the fleet of Russian T-72 tanks. According to the army, the trial is not aimed at identifying the better tank, but at evaluating the s