24 Oct 13. BAE test fires APKWS rocket from US Army’s Apache
helicopter. Print Email BAE Systems has successfully test fired its advanced precision kill weapon system (APKWS) rocket from the US Army’s AH-64D Apache helicopter as part of its efforts to obtain an airworthiness qualification for the helicopter for future international sales programmes. Carried out at an undisclosed location, the flight testing involved firing of eight APKWS rockets from the Apache at extreme flight configurations with airspeeds up to 150k and at distances of up to 5km from the target. The launch altitudes ranged from 300ft to 1500ft above the ground level, according to the company. BAE Systems precision guidance solutions director David Harrold said the APKWS rocket has now successfully been tested on almost a dozen fixed and rotary wing platforms, with the completion of the Apache demonstration. (Source: armytechnology.com)
24 Oct 13. Rafael has unveiled a new collaborative targeting system dubbed Samson Knight, which it plans to demonstrate in Israel early next year. Displayed at AUSA Samson Knight is designed to protect convoys of vehicles by taking information from Rafael’s Spotlite hostile fire. (Source: Shephard)
21 Oct 13. Textron Defense Systems has completed arena level trials of its BattleHawk squad-level loitering munition as part of a demonstration to the US Army and is planning to develop a vehicle-mounted launch system. Plans are also underway to trial a focus fragged munition payload. (Source: Shephard)
22 Oct 13. General Atomics unveiled a land-based artillery version of its Blitzer electromagnetic railgun (EMRG) at AUSA, with a company official telling IHS Jane’s that with adequate funding the concept could be ready for production in “two to three years”. General Atomics unveiled a new land-based version of its Blitzer railgun at AUSA 2013. (Richard D Fisher Jr)Blitzer began as a 2007 US Office of Naval Research programme to develop prototype technologies to support the US Navy’s (USN’s) futuristic railgun programme, which is now led by BAE Systems and Boeing. Despite 2010 testing that included firing a projectile up to Mach 5 speeds the USN opted to develop a larger railgun. (Source: Jane’s)
18 Oct 13. U.S. Special Operations Command wants its operators to be protected with what it informally calls an “Iron Man suit,” named after the fictional superhero. In September, Socom announced it is seeking proposals for prototypes of the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, or TALOS. The goal of TALOS is to provide ballistic protection to Special Operations Forces, along with fire-retardant capability, said Michel Fieldson, TALOS lead for Socom. Other technologies include sensors, communications, energy and material that can store and release energy to prevent injuries and increase performance. Materials that can store and release energy might be similar to the Intrepid Dynamic Exoskeletal Orthosis, now used by some wounded warriors for lower-leg injuries. So TALOS could benefit wounded warriors too, Fieldson said. The Homeland Security Department and firefighters have expressed an interest in this technology as well, he said, and it eventually might become available for other service members.
19 Oct 13. Israeli and international firms are gearing to compete for a new self-propelled gun for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Artillery Corps, a prospective multiyear modernization program estimated to exceed US $1bn. Characterized here as a top ground force investment priority, the gun aims to replace nearly 50-year-old M109 self-propelled howitzers In an interview, Brig. Gen. Roy Riftin, IDF chief artillery officer, listed the new gun as key to the ground force’s Fire2025, a strategic investment plan for firepower that is lethal, longer in range and more precise, yet flexible enough for effective use across the operational spectrum. (Source: Defense News/gls trade.com)
23 Oct 13. The U.S. Army and Raytheon Company com