07 Jul 10. Kongsberg will supply its Protector remote weapon stations (RWS) to equip the French Army’s Renault VAB armoured personnel carriers under a NKr140m ($21.7m) contract awarded by French Renault Truck Defence. The Protector RWS is a remotely controlled weapon station for light and medium-calibre weapons and can be mounted on any type of platform allowing the operator to remain in the vehicle during fire operations in the battlefield. The weapon station enables the operator to keep his sights on target, independent of ballistic solution for the ammunition in use. The Renault VAB carrier is a 4×4 highly adaptable amphibious vehicle with an accommodation capacity of 12 and a maximum road speed of 92km/h. The contract is part of a NKr500m ($77.5m) agreement originally signed with French Renault Truck Defence in May 2008. (Source: armytechnology.com)

02 Jul 10. Desman ‘finger of death’ aids French Tigre helicopter crews in Afghanistan. In response to an urgent operational requirement, French Army Tigre HAP attack helicopter crews deployed in Afghanistan are being equipped with glove-mounted infrared (IR) laser pointers developed by French company Desman SARL. The ultra-lightweight multi-function LD 120 H LA pointing system, which is strapped to the back of the pilot’s gloved hand using Velcro, combines a diode laser pointer with ultraviolet (UV) and white-light sources. (Source: Jane’s, IDR)

09 Jul 10. A newly developed liquid armour has been shown to stop bullets in tests carried out by scientists at BAE systems – the defence and aerospace company claims. This “shear-thickening” liquid is combined with Kevlar to create bullet-proof materials. The chemical formula of the liquid is still a secret, but it works by absorbing the force of the bullet strike and responding to it by becoming much thicker and more sticky. The BAE scientists describe it as “bullet-proof custard” and they say it could ultimately be used to make much lighter, more flexible and more effective bullet-proof vests for soldiers. In this video a ball bearing-shaped bullet is fired into two bullet-proof materials. The first is 31 layers of untreated Kevlar and the second is 10 layers of Kevlar treated with the liquid. (Source: BBC)

08 Jul 10. Lockheed Martin UK and Jankel Armouring Ltd. have worked together to improve the safety of soldiers in the Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle. Lockheed Martin UK Ampthill engineers worked with Jankel to install battle proven mine resistant seats as part of the Lockheed Martin Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme (WCSP) solution to improve the safety of the soldiers in the turret. Both companies made private venture investments in this activity. At a recent MoD organised mine blast trial it was demonstrated that these seats and their fitment to the Warrior turret will make troops safer.
“Lockheed Martin recognises the value in working with small and medium sized companies to bring their technology to the front line”, said Stephen Ball, Chief Executive of Lockheed Martin UK. “Our strong relationship with the customer and the supply chain enables customer problems to be realised and solved in innovative ways. Because Lockheed Martin’s WCSP turret is based on re-using the current Warrior turret structure this improvement to soldier safety can occur ahead of the WCSP
“Lockheed Martin recognizes the power of our supply chain”, continued Stephen Ball, Chief Executive of Lockheed Martin UK. “We regularly engage with our suppliers to find innovative solutions for our customers and to bring battle winning and life saving technologies from the supply chain to the front line.”
“Lockheed Martin UK is fully committed to the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme and provides the best possible solution to the customer. We continue to actively engage with our supply chain partners to bring technology from Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) to ensure that our troops have the best possible equipment for comp