09 Sep 10. A Dyess Air Force Base B-1B Lancer carried a full load of 24 AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-off Missiles on a flight over the Gulf of Mexico, Sept. 7 — a first for the B-1 and AGM-158.
“The mission was a success,” said Maj. Brian Owen, the chief of wing weapons and tactics. “Everything went as planned, and we can verify that the B-1B can in fact operate its full capacity of JASSMs.”
The purpose of the flight was to ensure maintainers, ammo and munitions Airmen and B-1 aircrew are proficient in uploading, flying, employing and downloading the AGM-158 JASSM and to test all missile-related processes to see if there’s room for improvement. None of the missiles were released during this test; they were system-checked while in the air.
“Maintainers loading 24 JASSMs on one B-1 is a record-setting event,” said Senior Master Sgt. Jeff Rud, of 7th Maintenance Group. “It’s never been done before. The main reason we’re doing this is for training. It’s the cornerstone of all we do. It provides us the opportunity to hone our war fighting skills and gives us the opportunity to project our combat capability right here out of Dyess (AFB).”
The B-1 is the most capable JASSM employment platform in the world, Major Owen said. (Source: ASD Network)

07 Sep 10. Third-generation game: the evolution of RBS 15. A little over 30 years after Sweden first commenced development of the indigenous RBS 15 heavyweight anti-ship guided weapon to meet its requirements to counter surface threats in the Baltic, the same ‘bloodline’ has now spawned a third-generation missile that exhibits many familial traits while also embracing new technology. The DNA that links the original weapon system and the latest RBS 15 Mk 3 is immediately evident in the general arrangement and aerodynamics of the missile itself. (Source: Jane’s, IDR)

15 Sep 10. Eurocopter, the world’s leading helicopter manufacturer, and Advanced Technologies & Engineering (ATE), South Africa’s aerospace systems integrator, have begun flight test firing a new Stand Alone Weapons System (SAWS) for light and medium helicopters. Initial test flights with the SAWS-equipped Eurocopter EC635 have taken place at the Murray Hill Test Range, a South African weapons test facility near Pretoria. The trials follow Eurocopter and ATE’s decision to jointly design, develop, manufacture and support a modern SAWS that can be installed on any of Eurocopter’s light and medium helicopter products. Eurocopter and ATE described the firing trials as the successful completion of the initial phase of the system’s flight test and development programme.

07 Sep 10. Lifting the veil on SOCOM’s Griffin mini-missile. US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and Raytheon have provided the first official details of the Griffin precision-guided miniature missile exclusively to Jane’s . Produced and fielded through a rapid development programme over the last four years, Griffin is a lightweight INS/GPS-guided weapon, with semi-active laser (SAL) terminal homing, that can be launched by vehicles and airborne platforms. (Source: Jane’s, JMR)

07 Sep 10. Testing times: UK’s Sea Viper missile system bares its fangs. At just past midday on 17 June 2010, the guided weapons test barge Longbow was in position on the Direction Générale de l’Armement Essais de Missiles (DGA EM) range area a few miles off the Île du Levant (a small island lying off the French Riviera). Inside, range personnel and test engineers from European missile house MBDA prepared for a critical test-firing of the UK Royal Navy’s (RN’s) new Sea Viper anti-air guided weapon system. (Source: Jane’s, IDR)

13 Sep 10. Military vehicles and the personnel they carry face numerous threats every day in conflict areas overseas. Battelle, working with Plasan, a supplier of survivability solutions that have been implemented on key U.S. Department of Defense armored vehicle programs, has created and tested a solution to what may be the most common thr