16 Aug 11. Following the recent announcement that Clarion Events will not be purchasing Owning The Night, we would like to clarify the position regarding the event. BATTLESPACE Publications and Owning The Night Ltd. feel that given the short timescale to fulfil an event, which would encompass not only live firing but a full night vision demonstration with night driving, that it would be impossible to complete all the ITAR, technical, licensing and safety requirements to enable the event to proceed. Given the delays in finalising the venue and structure of the event, BATTLESPACE Publications Owning The Night Ltd. announce that the event will be postponed until late 2012. A date will be announced in due course. We apologise to everyone, exhibitors, speakers and attendees alike whom we have contacted regarding the dates announced by Clarion and BATTLESPACE in early February 2012 for Owning The Night and look forward to working with you for OTN 2012.
16 Aug 11. The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) program has successfully completed a Battle Management Command, Control, Communications and Computers and Intelligence (BMC4I) software design review in Huntsville, Ala. The review validated software design and functionalities needed for upcoming MEADS flight tests and demonstrations. This is another important milestone as the program matures to deliver needed air and missile defense capabilities. Using standardized interfaces and a revolutionary network-centric open architecture, the MEADS Battle Manager can command and control both MEADS and non-MEADS sensors and launchers. Its plug-and-fight capability lets sensors, launchers and other battle managers simply act as nodes on the MEADS network. A commander can dynamically add or subtract these elements as the situation dictates without shutting the system down. This unprecedented flexibility is a first for ground-based air and missile defense systems.
11 Aug 11. Serbia refines its LORANA missile design. The two-way communications link between the GCS and the missile is via a trailing optical fibre. This provides seeker imagery to the operator in real time and carries commands back to the missile, allowing targets to be located and attacked. (Source: Jane’s, JMR)
11 Aug 11. AGAT – Control Systems offers add-on improvements to air defences. AGAT – Control Systems has also developed a portable command post for air-defence missile units armed with long-, medium-, short- and very-short-range systems ranging from the S-200 and S-300 down to man-portable air-defence systems (MANPADS). Known as MiniKP (Miniaturniy Kommandniy Post), the system consists of a ruggedised portable PC, a power supply and a four-way data-transmission module, all packaged in a container. (Source: Jane’s, JMR)
10 Aug 11. Serbia shows updated M-09 and ZU-23-2 systems. Yugoimport SDPR displayed its updated M-09 hybrid gun-missile self-propelled surface-to-air missile system, with a redesigned mount for man-portable air-defence missile systems (MANPADS), at the recent Partner 2011 exhibition in Belgrade. Based on the existing BOV-3 self-propelled air-defence gun system, the M-09 was first shown in 2009, but its reappearance at this year’s show confirms the company is refining the design. (Source: Jane’s, JMR)
17 Aug 11. Raytheon Company completed laboratory integration and testing of its Small Tactical Munition Phase II configuration, setting the stage for flight tests later this year. STM Phase II is a new 12-pound, 21.5-inch long, precision-guided, gravity-dropped bomb specifically designed for employment from manned and unmanned aircraft systems, and is the smallest air-launched weapon in the Raytheon portfolio. STM Phase II is more than two inches shorter than the Phase I design and has foldable fins and wings, enabling employment from the U.S. military’s common launch tube. STM Phase II incorporates a new, purpose-built warhead designed by Nammo-Talley, and features a Kaman Aerospace enha