NEW TECHNOLOGIES
Web Page sponsor Oxley Developments
www.oxleygroup.com
Oxley Group Ltd
Oxley specialises in the design and manufacture of advanced electronic and electro-optic components and systems for air, land and sea applications within the military sector. Established in 1942, Oxley has manufacturing facilities in the UK and USA and enjoys representation worldwide. The company’s products include night vision and LED lighting, data capture systems and electronic components. Oxley has pioneered the development of night vision compatible lighting. It offers a total package incorporating optical filters, equipment modification, cockpit and external lighting along with fleet wide upgrade services including engineering, installation, support, maintenance and training. The company’s long experience of manufacturing night vision lighting and LED indicators, coupled with advances in LED technology, has enabled it to develop LED solutions to replace incandescent and fluorescent lighting in existing applications as well as becoming the lighting option of choice in new applications such as portable military hospitals, UAV control stations and communication shelters.
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15 Jul 09. Deployed for the first time in a ground-to-air, area defence configuration, VL MICA has intercepted a low signature target flying just a few metres above the surface of the sea. The test firing was carried out on Wednesday, 8th July at the DGA (Délégation Générale pour l’Armement) Centre d’Essais de Lancement de Missiles (CELM) test range in Biscarosse (S.W. France). Following its firing from a vertical launcher, the MICA missile registered a direct hit against the intended target flying at a range of approximately 15km. The intercepted target was representative of a missile flying at about 10 metres above the surface of the sea. The purpose of this test, jointly organised by the DGA, the French Air Force and MBDA under the aegis of the SALVE programme (Sol-Air à Lancement Vertical – or Ground–Air Vertical Launch), was to show the VL MICA system’s capabilities in protecting littoral zones against an enemy attack launched from the sea. The missile used for the test was equipped with an imaging infrared seeker and was fired from a vertical launcher in which MICA was housed in its CLA (Conteneur Lanceur Autonome – or Autonomous Launch Container) which will equip both the ground and naval versions of the system. The CLA was installed in a vertical launch vehicle which was operated under the control of a system command module (Tactical Operation Centre). A distance of 6km separated the two elements, replicating the operational deployment of VL MICA in a ground-to-air, area defence configuration.
16 Jul 09. A new sniper suit poncho has been developed by Aero Sekur as part of the company’s work for the Italian Future Soldier programme. Providing effective camouflage in the multi-spectral range, a new fabric used for the suit alters detection capabilities of opto-electronic devices to protect the wearer. Aero Sekur, an Anglo-Italian company which specialises in the innovative use of flexible materials, reports that the new addition to its portfolio complements its range of safety and camouflage solutions for defence applications. Designed to prevent detection from night vision glasses during general use, the sniper suit’s application extends to providing shelter during extended night missions. A water-repellent feature integral to the fabric ensures that the suit can be worn in any climatic condition.
14 Jul 09. The US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division has tested the new M-320 shorter-but-heavier advanced grenade launcher for the first time. The grenade launcher, which features a laser rangefinder and infrared laser pointer, is more accurate in the night and can mounted on an assault rifle as well as operated independently. The weapon was also identified as safe because of its