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24 Dec 24. Munitions planning informed by operational analysis. Dstl’s expert analysis helps the MOD make the right strategic choices when planning UK munition stockpiles and investment. The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) generates evidence essential to shaping the UK armed forces’ munitions requirements. This evidence has also helped identify priorities for investment. Dstl’s analysis calculated both the types and quantities of munitions that needed to be procured. This allows Ministry of Defence (MOD) decision-makers to make the right strategic choices, for both immediate and long-term challenges. The MOD’s 10-year plan focused on vital high-tech capabilities which include air defence missiles and anti-armour munitions.
Informing investment and growth
MOD’s plan continued investment in UK-built 155mm artillery ammunition. Heavy artillery systems (such as Archer and AS90) fire 155mm shells, and provide an effective mix of range and destructive power. Investment in 155mm artillery ammunition with BAE Systems, which will deliver an eight-fold increase in production capability, enabled BAE Systems to invest in new and expanded facilities at Glascoed in South Wales, and Washington in Tyne and Wear. This will create more than 100 new jobs. The UK and NATO nations have provided ms of rounds of ammunition and game-changing equipment to Ukrainian armed forces in their fight against Russia’s illegal invasion. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
28 Dec 24. American startup Venus Aerospace achieves breakthrough in hypersonic engine technology. Venus Aerospace, a leading American deep-tech startup specialising in hypersonic flight, has announced a significant milestone with the successful ignition of its VDR2 engine. This marks the first successful test of a Rocket-Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) engine, capable of transitioning from Mach 0 to Mach 6. Unveiled at the UP.Summit in October, the VDR2 engine combines the power and efficiency of a Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) with the high-speed cruising capability of a Ramjet. Developed in collaboration with Velontra, the engine demonstrates a revolutionary ability to start a Ramjet at takeoff speeds, bypassing the conventional limitation of requiring speeds of Mach 3.5 for ignition. The company now plans to conduct ground tests of the VDR2 Block 0 flight engine, designed to operate from takeoff to Mach 4+ without moving parts. This groundbreaking engine will power Venus Aerospace’s hypersonic flight test drone, set for its inaugural flight in 2025. Founded in 2020, Venus Aerospace has already advanced RDRE technology from concept to a 2,000 lbf demonstration flight engine. RDREs enhance engine efficiency by using supersonic combustion, which adds pressure during the combustion process rather than relying solely on heat. Venus Aerospace achieved another milestone in February 2024 by flying a supersonic-capable drone, with the first flight of an RDRE-powered drone scheduled for early 2025. With $70 m in venture funding, Venus is at the forefront of developing reusable high-speed technologies for aviation, defence, and beyond. (Source: Google/https://defence-industry.eu/american-startup-venus-aerospace-achieves-breakthrough-in-hypersonic-engine-technology/)
20 Dec 24. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) announced a series of successful static fire tests of a new 21-inch second-stage solid rocket motor (SRM) in support of the U.S. Navy’s future extended-range capability needs. Performed at the advanced propulsion production facility in Elkton, Maryland, the tests underscore the company’s commitment to delivering innovative advanced propulsion solutions for our customers’ most critical missions.
- The SRM fulfills the U.S. Navy’s request for a low-risk, rapidly developed solid rocket motor solution to enable fielding of an extended-range, hypersonic capability to the Navy.
- The rapidly developed, high-performance 21” motor also has the capability to significantly extend range and speed in multiple missions across multiple platforms, including air warfare, surface warfare, land strike and ballistic missile defense.
Gordon LoPresti, senior director, propulsion systems and control, Northrop Grumman: “Northrop Grumman’s newest solid rocket motor demonstrates our continued leadership in rapid, next-generation capability development. The SRM test fires were successfully accomplished in less than a year, from design to demonstration, and give us a unique, affordable, versatile extended-range capability to help the U.S. Navy deter and defeat air, surface and land threats.”
As the nation’s preeminent propulsion provider, Northrop Grumman is investing in facilities, capacity and technologies to produce effective advanced weapons and solid rocket motors affordably at scale. To meet growing demand from customers, Northrop Grumman has invested to build capacity and capability for weapons and missile components, including solid rocket motors. With over six decades of proven performance – and more than one m solid rocket motors delivered – Northrop Grumman is a trusted provider of large, medium and small SRMs and advanced propulsion systems that deter and defend against threats, deliver payloads and enable discovery in space.
19 Dec 24. Raytheon, Ursa Major test long-range rocket motor for US Army. The technical strategy employed by both companies integrates cost-effective components to produce a new class of munitions. RTX’s Raytheon, in partnership with US company Ursa Major, has completed a missile flight test using their advanced long-range solid rocket motor for the US Army. The collaboration’s expertise in digital engineering contributed to the expedited design and development process for this new capability. The strategic approach taken by Raytheon and Ursa Major integrates novel, cost-effective component technologies to produce advanced smart munitions for the US Army that are poised to be more economical than existing systems. Raytheon has integrated Ursa Major’s propulsion innovations as a central component to furnish the US Army with cost-efficient solutions for extended-range operations.
Ursa Major CEO Dan Jablonsky said: “The Ursa Major team has utilised additive manufacturing to complete motor development, manufacturing, and testing in unprecedented timelines, resulting in nearly 300 static test fires this year. The innovative manufacturing techniques we employ are yielding agile solid rocket motor solutions with the design flexibility needed to expand the capabilities of the US military. Ursa Major is poised to scale the production of higher-performing solid rocket motors at the pace and volume the country requires and at a price the country can afford.”
The forthcoming stage involves Raytheon and Ursa Major enhancing manufacturing processes, aiming for further flight tests in 2025 and aiming for qualification by 2026.
Raytheon Land and Air Defense Systems president Tom Laliberty said: “These long-range solid rocket motors will allow the US Army and allies to strike farther and faster than anything our adversaries have in their arsenals.
“This long-range rocket motor technology fills the essential role of providing affordable precision fires, while increasing range, safety, and magazine depth.”
In 2023, RTX Ventures made strategic investments in Ursa Major to further research into rocket motor technologies, addressing a critical national defence need. Raytheon’s partnership with Ursa Major is geared towards meeting the immediate demand from the US Army for economically viable precision-guided munitions. This is being pursued through dedicated funding in rocket motor advancement and rigorous testing to confirm the stability and sophistication of the design. Earlier in the month, RTX’s BBN Technologies was selected by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop a prototype photonic chip for the Intensity Squeezed Photonic Integration with Revolutionary Detection (INSPIRED) programme. Launched in 2023, the INSPIRED programme seeks to create optoelectronic detectors that use squeezed-light techniques to achieve sensitivity surpassing the quantum shot-noise limit. (Source: army-technology.com)
20 Dec 24. Warheads in Phoenix Ghost Kamikaze Drones Revealed. With its previously highly secretive Phoenix Ghost family of kamikaze drones now having emerged fully into the light, AEVEX Aerospace has been more openly discussing their capabilities. One especially interesting detail has now emerged: the different Phoenix Ghost types can be configured to launch attacks straight down while passing overhead, akin to an air-bursting artillery shell, rather than having to careen into their targets and detonate. The top-down attack capability was a particular highlight of a Phoenix Ghost promotional video AEVEX released earlier this month, seen below. The footage was captured during Northern Strike 24-2, a joint-service exercise the Michigan National Guard led this past summer that included a variety of air, ground, and maritime components, including JSX-2 microjets masquerading as cruise missiles and drones. AEVEX had offered its first official details about the Phoenix Ghost family, originally developed as part of an effort under the Air Force’s Big Safari special projects office and then rushed to Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s invasion in 2022, last month. Information about the drones, or even what they looked like, had been extremely closely guarded before then. AEVEX brought three types of Phoenix Ghost drones – the Dagger, Dominator, and Disruptor – to Northern Strike 24-2. There is evidence of all three of these types being in service in Ukraine. At least one other member of the family, the Atlas, is known to exist, but it is unclear if Ukrainian forces have received them in addition to the other types.
“The Dagger is actually one of our earliest designs,” a member of AEVEX says in the video. “So, 55 pounds with a little bit of a smaller warhead and really going about 100-150 kilometers [range-wise]. … a small unit can operate it and make a difference on the battle space in specific tactical scenarios. The Disruptor is really a simple design with a lot of capability,” he adds. “So, it’s a simple design in terms of manufacturing. It’s also a simple design in terms of operations. So, very easy to put together out in the field, but still with – now you’re talking about 50 pounds payload to be able to carry that again, five to six hours [in terms of endurance]. So, still packs quite a punch.”
In terms of “punch,” the AEVEX video shows all three designs conducting top-down attacks using blast fragmentation warheads that shower their targets in deadly shrapnel. Pictures, seen in the social media post below, that recently emerged of the remains of Disruptor launched by Ukrainian forces show the warhead section in that drone featured a pre-scored ‘sleeve’ designed to break into fragments after detonation. Top-down air-bursting attacks offer significant benefits over a point-detonating design, especially when it comes to engaging personnel or unarmored targets in trenches or otherwise behind cover. They can be very effective against various targets out in the open, including aircraft and air defense systems, and soft-skinned vehicles, and offer more of an area effect, in general. It was not obvious initially, but the earlier AEVEX promotional video seen below contains additional views of the Phoenix Ghost family’s top-down attack profile. Whether other warhead types, such as ones with greater anti-armor capability, are available for the Phoenix Ghost family or might be in development is unknown, but would also fit well with the top-down mode of attack. The tops of tanks and other armored vehicles are typically where they are most vulnerable. The growing specter of top-down attacks, including by drones and specially designed anti-tank guided missiles, is already having impacts on the design of new defensive capabilities for armored vehicles. Earlier this year, Israeli defense contractor Rafael unveiled a new version of its combat-proven Trophy active protection system (APS) with features to help defeat threats from above.
“We haven’t really gotten into anti-tank or anti-armor, just because it’s not been a requirement for us,” Elizabeth Trammell, senior director of business development at AEVEX, did tell TWZ at AUSA back in October. “A lot of our aircraft, we had the base capability and then our customers came in and said, ‘This is what we want.’”
It is still not clear exactly how Phoenix Ghost drones know where and when to detonate their warheads, if they can engage moving targets, or if they can execute attacks in other modes. “AEVEX loitering munitions automatically detect, identify, locate, report (DILR) and deliver lethal and non-lethal effects against threats across multiple scenarios and domains with unprecedented accuracy and speed” and are able to “navigate, make decisions, and complete missions without direct intervention,” according to the company’s website. As already noted, Daggers and Disruptors have clearly been employed in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and Dominators look to be in use, too. With the details that have emerged so far, experts and observers now know what to look for and have also gone back and identified imagery of many previously unknown drones as members of the Phoenix Ghost family. (Source: UAS VISION/The War Zone)
19 Dec 24. Czech arms group CSG plans to boost Kinetic’s military ammo sales.
- Summary
- Aims to use experience with military customers
- CSG looks to expand Kinetic sales in Europe
- CSG revenues jumped 129% in first nine months
Czechoslovak Group (CSG) will seek higher military sales at U.S. small-calibre ammunition maker Kinetic after completing a $2.2 bn takeover last month, a board member told Reuters.
CSG, owned by Czech bnaire Michal Strnad, has grown fast as militaries in NATO countries, Ukraine and elsewhere buy more artillery ammunition, artillery and rocket-launcher systems, trucks, refurbished tanks, as well as hi-tech equipment.
$2.52bn on the back of soaring demand, bought Kinetic from Vista Outdoor in an all-cash deal in November.
The acquisition boosts CSG’s small-calibre ammunition business with brands including Federal, Remington, Speer and HEVI-Shot. It also delivers about $1.5 bn in annual sales and more than $416 m in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation in the fiscal 2024, CSG said. (Source: Reuters)
16 Dec 24. Upgrading Riot Armor with NovaSteel Plates. Adept Armor explores the challenges associated with conventional riot armor, and explains the benefits of the NovaSteel Breastplate and shoulder armor plates for enhanced protection. Adept Armor designed and developed the NovaSteel Breastplate and shoulder armor plates to provide an advanced solution to non-bulletproof riot armor. Currently, there is reportedly no NIJ standard for riot armor. The NIJ standard for riot helmets, 0104.02, only requires helmets to undergo low-velocity impact testing, similar to how cycling helmets and bump helmets are evaluated. ASTM provides a comparable specification for riot helmets, ASTM E3342, which is more comprehensive and more recently updated than the NIJ standard. However, like the NIJ specification, it does not mandate protection against ballistic or bladed threats. In practice, riot gear is generally designed to protect against blunt force impacts rather than projectiles or sharp objects, and no universal standards exist for riot armor. This limitation is not unique to the United States; it applies globally. A few international standards for riot helmets exist, but these are broadly similar to the NIJ and ASTM specifications in that they lack ballistic protection requirements. Riot armor, in particular, has no standardized specifications worldwide. As a result, most riot armor is lightweight and provides limited protection, often sufficient only for thrown objects or simple blunt weapons like sticks. Despite its bulky appearance, which can contribute to an intimidating presence, riot armor’s actual protective capabilities are limited.
What Materials Are Used in Riot Armor?
The material composition of riot armor is key to its performance. An average riot armor breastplate typically includes a 1.5mm to 2.5mm layer of soft plastic, such as HDPE, ABS, or polycarbonate. Beneath this plastic layer is usually a foam layer, ranging from 6mm to 40mm in thickness. While these materials are bulky, they offer minimal resistance to bladed weapons. For comparison, the thinnest polycarbonate stab vests rated to ‘Knife 1,’ the lowest level of bladed weapon resistance, use a polycarbonate thickness of 5mm—significantly thicker than the plastic in most riot armor breastplates. The ballistic resistance of these materials is even lower. Even if the materials were five times thicker, they would still fail to stop a .38 Special round fired from a snub-nose revolver. As a result, many police officers in the U.S. wear soft ballistic panels beneath their riot gear, while European officers often rely on stab armor or, in rare cases, chainmail. These additions increase the weight and heat retention of riot gear, making it uncomfortable for long durations.
Adept Armor’s NovaSteel Plates
Adept Armor developed the NovaSteel Breastplate and shoulder armor plates to address these challenges. These plates are versatile, providing top-level protection against handgun threats, bladed weapons, spikes, and blunt impact weapons. They meet and exceed NIJ IIIA and ‘Knife 3’ standards and are compatible with riot armor arm and leg protections. Built-in air channels enhance breathability, and the breastplate can be further upgraded to Level III/RF1 protection using a 1.8-pound rigid armor plate. This approach eliminates the need for layering or compromise, delivering riot armor that goes beyond intimidation and offers genuine protection and confidence. (Source: https://www.defenseadvancement.com/)
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About Galvion:
Galvion designs, develops, and delivers mission critical head, face, and torso protective solutions as well as intelligent power and data management systems for the world’s most demanding military and tactical teams. Founded in 2002 as Revision Military, a foundational belief in calculated investment and capability expansion led to a strategic refocus, resulting in the divestiture of the protective eyewear business, along with the Revision name, in 2019. Rebranded as Galvion, the company’s products and technology continue to evolve beyond purely passive protection, focusing instead on active systems that enhance performance and survivability, with an eye to the ever-changing demands of the modern battlefield. Through advanced design, keen end-user insight and intelligent integration, Galvion engineers uniquely customized solutions that go beyond what was once thought possible.
Privately owned with ISO 9001:2015 certified facilities in Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire in the US, Montreal in Canada and Bristol in the UK, Galvion’s team of 400+ employees work proactively to solve the problems left unsolved by others.
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