14 Dec 11. The Japanese Air Self Defense Forces (JASDF), operating Raytheon Company’s Patriot Configuration-3 systems, successfully concluded its annual training exercise at Fort Bliss, Texas. The exercise included target engagement and successful test firings of the Patriot Air and Missile Defense System in tactical mission configurations. JASDF’s Annual Service Practice (ASP) took place from Oct. 8 through Nov. 19. Approximately 380 JASDF personnel participated in this year’s missions. Raytheon provided operational support while Patriot fire unit crews conducted numerous missions against various targets during the course of the ASP. Japan is one of the 12 nations that have selected the combat-proven Patriot as a key component of their air and missile defense program.
16 Dec 11. Esterline CMC Electronics (CMC) received Type Certification from Transport Canada for its third-generation SureSight(r) Enhanced Vision System (EVS) sensor, known as the CMA-2700, on November 18, 2011. The CMA-2700 offers the highest resolution available for an EVS sensor and four times the resolution of currently certified EVS sensor systems. It features next-generation digital image processing, including dynamic non-uniformity corrections. This end-to-end digital system is also the first EVS that is fully compliant to ARINC 818 Avionics Digital Video Bus standards. Type Certification included compliance to DO-178B (software) and DO-254 (firmware) to Design Assurance Level B, and to DO-160F for environmental hardware qualification. CMC’s SureSight family of integrated sensor systems is designed to meet demanding video performance, reliability and quality standards, and is the leading choice for airframe manufacturers and prime contractors. Its integrated sensor systems offer enhanced situational awareness in adverse operating conditions and enable operators to take advantage of regulations expanding the operational capabilities of aircraft equipped with an EVS. (Source: ASD Network)
15 Dec 11. Army night vision gurus are working on a new type of weapon sight designed to help infantrymen shoot the enemy faster and more accurately in darkness than ever before. There’s no shortage of high-tech aiming devices on today’s battlefield. Glowing reticles have replaced iron sights as the primary tool riflemen and machine gunners use to deliver deadly-accurate fire on target. Ground troops can also shoot effectively in darkness, but not as fast as they can during daylight conditions. That’s something officials with Program Manager Sensors and Lasers are hoping to change with the Family of Weapon Sights program, said Lt. Col. Chris Schneider, product manager of Soldier Maneuver Sensors. These new sights would enable shooters to sight in on the enemy at night, while looking through the Army’s AN/PSQ-20 Enhanced Night Vision Goggle. (Source: Military.com)
14 Dec 11. Carl Zeiss Optronics in Wetzlar has developed an entirely new sight. The ZF 3.5-26×56 offers very low starting up to very high final magnification. The 3.5x starting magnification enables shooters to use the sight in the mid and near ranges, while the high magnification permits reliable identification of the target. The telescopic sight features an ultra-short design of just 37 cm. The compactness of this sight is required for the module approach of Carl Zeiss Optronics which enables the ideal combination with night sight and infrared attachments. The lens diameter of 56 mm is based on the requirements of snipers. 360 clicks in the adjustment range of the elevation turret allows snipers to hit their targets at extreme distances. Furthermore, the ZF 3.5-26×56 is equipped with diopter and parallax compensation for image focusing.
29 Nov 11. India to test Agni 5. India plans to conduct the first test flight of its Agni 5 5,000 km-range ballistic missile sometime between December 2011 and February 2012, V K Saraswat, head of India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), told a