22 Jan 10. Remington and Accuracy International were among sniper rifle manufacturers exhibiting at this year’s SHOT Show whom will be bidding for the forthcoming U.S. Army Requirement for up to 2500 sniper rifles to replace existing models. The calibre chosen is the 300 Win Mag rather than the 338 preferred by other nations. The 300 gives a flatter and more accurate trajectory with a new bullet developed by the U.S. navy, sources told BATTLESPACE.
22 Jan 10. Sources told BATTLESPACE at the SHOT Show that the MoD has a Requirement for a 30/25mm bunker busting canon. The system believed to be the Bushmaster made by ATK with the Nobles mount feed system will have the ISTEC gearing system, an Aim Point MPS3 sight (also suited for the .50 calibre machine gun) and a cupola manufactured by AML UK. The system will be fitted onto a Universal Engineering Panther and other vehicles. The Requirement is for up to 50 systems and 9 Panthers. Trials are due to commence this year. BATTLESPACE also understands that ATK is soon to announce further news on the qualification of its 30/40 round which puts it way ahead of the CTA Qualification programme, that has yet to start. This news puts Bushmaster into British Army Service and more orders are likely, making the debut of CTA less and less likely.
22 Jan 10. The U.K. MoD is soon to issue a requirement for GPMG replacements with American Ordnance likely to be one of the bidders.
18 Jan 10. A new rifle is being bought for troops in Afghanistan that will improve the long-range firepower available on the frontline, the Ministry of Defence announced today. The Sharpshooter rifle will fire a 7.62mm round and will enhance accuracy of engagement during longer-range firefights with the Taliban and this weapon will be used by some of the best shots in the Infantry. The Sharpshooter will complement the already potent range of weapons used by our forces in Afghanistan, which includes:
* SA80A2 assault rifles, which fires 5.56mm rounds;
* Light Machine Guns, which fires 5.56mm rounds;
* General Purpose Machine Guns, which fires 7.62mm bullets;
* the Combat Shotgun, which fires 12-gauge shells;
* the Sniper System, which fires 8.59mm bullets;
* Javelin Weapons System, the integrated fire-and-forget missile system.
More than 400 of the semi-automatic Sharpshooter rifles have been bought as a £1.5m Urgent Operational Requirement. It is the first new Infantry combat rifle to be issued to troops for more than 20 years. Training on the rifles will begin in mid January 2010 and the first batch will be sent to Afghanistan later in the year.
19 Jan 10. Meprolight, a provider of innovative weapon sights, announces the availability of a wide range of new self-illuminated tritium night sights for various weapons, including Mossberg 500 SPX and 930 SPX shotguns, Ruger SR9 pistol, Springfield 1911 A-1 5″ Operator pistol, Jericho 941 pistol and AK-47 AKM assault rifle, among others. The new tritium sights are being launched at Shot Show 2010. Meprolight, which has been operating in the United States for 25 years, is regarded as the largest self-illuminated tritium night sights manufacturer, providing more than 135 customized sights for revolvers, pistols, shotguns and rifles, including fixed and adjustable sights in various color combinations, as well as tailor-made solutions, in response to clients’ unique needs.“Our new products are manufactured and tested to meet the highest quality standards, and we expect that our growing number of users will find these sights very attractive,” said Benny Kokia, Director of Sales and Marketing, Meprolight. “As a dominant company in the weapon sights market, Meprolight develops and introduces new sights every year, meeting company client needs and requests. Meprolight maintains direct contact with most of the world’s weapon manufacturers, and develops new sights alongside the introduction of new firearms. The new sights clearly demonstrate our strong commitment to