ATGM and RPG's

[buglerbilly]

Army opts for Nag missile as it enters final trials

Ajai Shukla / Hyderabad March 08, 2010, 1:09 IST

In Rajasthan, this May, the indigenously developed Nag (Cobra) missile will undergo a final round of trials before entering service in the Indian Army’s arsenal. Developed by the Defence R&D Laboratory (DRDL) in Hyderabad, the army is delighted with how the Nag has performed in a series of earlier trials. A senior army officer calls it “the world’s deadliest anti-tank guided missile (ATGM)”.

Indian infantry formations urgently want a potent ATGM to handle Pakistani tank forces that now bristle with capable Ukrainian T-80 and Chinese T-85 tanks.

So confident is the army about the Nag that, even before trails are completed, it has budgeted Rs 335 crores for buying 443 Nag missiles, which will be manufactured at the public sector Bharat Dynamics Limited. The missiles will equip Reconnaissance and Support Battalions, mechanised units that locate and destroy enemy tanks.

In trials last summer six Nag missiles were fired at tanks 3-4 km away; each of them hit their target precisely. Next month the Nag must demonstrate its capability at its minimum range of 500 metres.

“Since the Nag travels at 230 metres per second, it has just 2 seconds to align itself to a target that is 500 metres away. But we are confident that the Nag will meet this requirement during the forthcoming trials”, the DRDL’s Officiating Director, Amal Chakrabarti, told Business Standard during a visit to the Hyderabad missile complex.

The Nag is a third-generation (Gen-3), “fire-and-forget” missile; once it is fired, its seeker automatically guides the missile to even a fast-moving tank. In earlier-generation missiles an operator had to guide it all the way, often exposing himself to enemy fire. The world has just a handful of “fire-and-forget” missiles, such as the American Javelin, and the Israeli Spike. The Javelin and the Spike are lighter missiles that can be carried by a soldier; the Nag is a heavier and more powerful missile designed to operate from vehicles and helicopters.

While the infrared seekers of the Javelin and the Spike can be jammed, the Nag’s optical guidance system makes it virtually jam-proof. The indigenous development of an imaging seeker, a highly complex and closely guarded technology, is the Nag’s greatest triumph.

Here’s how it works. Nag missile operators search for enemy tanks through thermal imaging telescopes, which see as well by night as they do by day. Picking up a tank, the operator locks the Nag’s seeker onto the target. A digital snapshot of the target is automatically taken, which serves as a reference image. As the Nag streaks towards the target, at 230 metres per second, the seeker takes repeated snapshots of the target; each one is compared with the reference image, and deviations are translated through on-board algorithms into corrections to the Nag’s control fins, which steer the missile precisely at the target.

This method of firing is termed “lock-on before launch” or LOBL. In the pipeline is an even more sophisticated method —- “lock-on after launch” or LOAL —- for the helicopter-mounted Nag, or HELINA, which can target a tank 7 kilometres away. Since the target will seldom be visible at such a distance, the missile operator launches the HELINA in the general direction of the target. As it flies towards the target, the Nag’s seeker downlinks to the missile operator images of the area ahead; after travelling 3-4 kilometres, i.e. after about 12-16 seconds, the operator will be able to identify enemy tanks. He will lock the seeker onto the tank he wishes to destroy, and the command will be uplinked to the missile in mid-flight. After that, the missile homes in onto the target and destroys it.

The Nag provides its operator with another important tactical advantage. The plume of burning propellant from the tail of most missiles gives away its flight path and allows the target to get behind cover. The Nag, in contrast, is visible only during the first one second of flight, when the missile’s booster imparts 90% of the momentum; after that, a sustainer maintains the missile’s speed, burning a smokeless propellant that is practically invisible.

Acceptance of the Nag missile into service will be a triumphant conclusion to the Defence R&D Organisation’s (DRDO’s) long-delayed, but eventually successful, Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). Initiated in 1983 by then DRDO boss, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the IGMDP set out to develop five missiles: the Agni and Prithvi ballistic missiles; the Akash and Trishul anti-aircraft missiles; and the Nag ATGM. Only the Trishul will have failed to be accepted into service.

[buglerbilly]

Battling for a Battlefield Missile

MBDA Pushes Medium-Range Concept for France

By pierre tran and andrew chuter

Published: 29 March 2010

MBDA has proposed developing a French medium-range missile to meet France's requirement for an infantry anti-tank weapon by 2015, with the potential for a long-range version emerging from European cooperation, notably with Britain, Chief Executive Antoine Bouvier said.

"The heart of the requirement is medium range," Bouvier said, referring to the French Army's program to acquire a full range of battlefield weapons, spanning rockets and missiles.

The possible collaboration comes as Europe's top missile house looks to pursue a strategy of global growth, with possible acquisitions in the United States and a joint venture in South Africa on the agenda this year.

MBDA is a consortium whose owners include EADS (37.5 percent), Britain's BAE Systems (37.5 percent) and Italy's Finmeccanica group (25 percent).

MBDA's proposed French medium-range missile would reuse technology from its Eryx and Milan infantry weapons, hit targets at ranges of up to four kilometers and be capable of "fire-and-forget" operation and launches from a confined space, Bouvier said.

The weapon would have the potential for a long-range derivative with a range of up to eight kilometers, drawing on current Anglo-French cooperation on an anti-ship missile.

"For example, to prepare the future anti-ship guided weapon program, we have identified infrared seeker technology in joint systems architecture studies, whose objective was to define technologies common to the two missiles," both naval and land, he said. MBDA hopes that Britain will join the program to develop a long-range weapon if France picks it.

Cooperation between Bri-tain and France is back in vogue as London and Paris look to maximize development of military capabilities for the least possible cost. Bouvier said that complex weapons are "very high on the collaborative agenda."

The last time the two nations collaborated on an anti-tank weapon, the program fell apart in the face of technical problems. Only Germany ended up ordering the Trigat weapon, renaming it the PARS 3.

The French medium-range weapon is one of two options proposed by MBDA to the French authorities, who are looking to replace the Milan anti-armor missile in service.

The other solution is for MBDA to develop and adapt a "non-European" missile to give it "French content," Bouvier said. As requested by the government, MBDA has discussed this approach with Israel's Rafael for the Spike missile and with the Javelin joint venture company, owned by U.S. companies Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, he said.

Nick Witney, a senior research fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the potential for cooperation holds "a lot of attraction at the political level" in Britain, including in the Conservative Party. "There is a mood that working with France is the only plausible way out of the defense fiscal car wreck."

Britain and France have in MBDA a "world-class missile house," he said. "But the problem with a world-class missile house is that you have to feed it with a steady stream of new programs."

"MBDA has a hole in its offer, and it makes industrial and technological sense to plug the gap," Witney said. The French military has the dilemma of deciding quickly whether to opt for a "home-grown" solution, which will probably be delivered later and cost more, and forgo a more economical "offshore" option, he said.

A Defense Ministry investment committee in July decided to extend the Milan's operational life to 2014-2015 to allow for the development of the new medium-range weapon.

MBDA has offered spare parts and logistical support to extend the Milan's life beyond 2015, to give the Army more flexibility in procurement, Bouvier said. That would give the Javelin joint venture a chance to take part in a cooperative effort, as production of the Javelin 2 version of the missile for the U.S. Army will start in 2017.

To meet the French military's short-term operational needs in Afghanistan, the investment committee in July decided to buy the Javelin missile, he said. The committee also decided to buy the new medium-range missile.

Defense Minister Hervé Morin said Feb. 22 that France would purchase 260 Javelins and 76 launchers for about $70 million.

The fact that the Milan ER missile failed to be selected last year was a disappointment, Bouvier said. The French Army is an anchor client for MBDA, and the company developed the Milan ER with its own funds. But the Javelin buy accounted for about 10 percent of the Army's total anti-tank missile requirement; MBDA hopes to meet the remainder, he said.

The anti-tank sector accounted for just under 10 percent of MBDA's sales in 2009, and about 10 percent to 15 percent of the world missile market. The company is aiming to boost anti-tank missile sales to at least 15 percent of its annual sales.

On MBDA's hopes to expand in the U.S. market, Bouvier played down possible damage from the tension between Europe and the United States over the U.S. Air Force's controversial contest for an aerial refueling plane. He pointed to the success of Eurocopter (an EADS unit) in winning sales of helicopters in the U.S. market, and he said MBDA has taken a "very different approach" that is less politically sensitive.

MBDA's objective is for the U.S. market to contribute about 10 percent, or 300 million euros ($405.4 million), of sales by the period of 2015 to 2020, compared with a few dozen million euros at present, Bouvier said.

The MBDA boss confirmed his company is in discussions with Denel on creating a joint venture that would include the South African company's missile business. Bouvier declined to comment on the status of the talks.

Other potential growth markets are India and Brazil, along with the United Arab Emirates and Poland, two countries where MBDA has signed partnering agreements with local industry.

In 2009, for the first time, MBDA's export orders, totaling 1.3 billion euros, outstripped sales to its domestic customers - France, Britain, Germany and Italy. Bouvier said the orders predominantly came from Gulf Cooperation Council states in the Middle East. ■

E-mail: ptran@defensenews.com, achuter@defensenews.com.

[Weasel]

Army opts for Nag missile as it enters final trials



Here’s how it works. Nag missile operators search for enemy tanks through thermal imaging telescopes, which see as well by night as they do by day. Picking up a tank, the operator locks the Nag’s seeker onto the target. A digital snapshot of the target is automatically taken, which serves as a reference image. As the Nag streaks towards the target, at 230 metres per second, the seeker takes repeated snapshots of the target; each one is compared with the reference image, and deviations are translated through on-board algorithms into corrections to the Nag’s control fins, which steer the missile precisely at the target.

This method of firing is termed “lock-on before launch” or LOBL. In the pipeline is an even more sophisticated method —- “lock-on after launch” or LOAL —- for the helicopter-mounted Nag, or HELINA, which can target a tank 7 kilometres away. Since the target will seldom be visible at such a distance, the missile operator launches the HELINA in the general direction of the target. As it flies towards the target, the Nag’s seeker downlinks to the missile operator images of the area ahead; after travelling 3-4 kilometres, i.e. after about 12-16 seconds, the operator will be able to identify enemy tanks. He will lock the seeker onto the tank he wishes to destroy, and the command will be uplinked to the missile in mid-flight. After that, the missile homes in onto the target and destroys it.

The Nag provides its operator with another important tactical advantage. The plume of burning propellant from the tail of most missiles gives away its flight path and allows the target to get behind cover. The Nag, in contrast, is visible only during the first one second of flight, when the missile’s booster imparts 90% of the momentum; after that, a sustainer maintains the missile’s speed, burning a smokeless propellant that is practically invisible.

Acceptance of the Nag missile into service will be a triumphant conclusion to the Defence R&D Organisation’s (DRDO’s) long-delayed, but eventually successful, Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). Initiated in 1983 by then DRDO boss, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the IGMDP set out to develop five missiles: the Agni and Prithvi ballistic missiles; the Akash and Trishul anti-aircraft missiles; and the Nag ATGM. Only the Trishul will have failed to be accepted into service.

So, let me get this straight. All I have to do is incorporate an IR camera of my own to detect launch, um like a modified sniper detection system invented in Australia and then have that automatically cue a TiO2 aerosol which will screw up any LOBL image that you took. And the whole LOBL passive imaging in near IR? That is commercial Kuka Industrial Robot technology from Deutschland.

There: 23 second thought process and 1 week to market.

Look on Indian gunner's face: Priceless.

cheers

w

[buglerbilly]

France – JAVELIN Anti-Tank Guided Missiles

(Source: Defense Security Cooperation Agency; issued April 5, 2010)

WASHINGTON --- The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress on April 2 of a possible Foreign Military Sale to France of 260 JAVELIN Anti-Tank Guided Missiles, 76 Command Launch Units with Integrated Day/Thermal Sights, and associated equipment, parts, and logistical support for an estimated cost of $69 million.

The Government of France has requested a possible sale of 260 JAVELIN Anti-Tank Guided Missiles, 76 Command Launch Units with Integrated Day/Thermal Sight, containers, missile simulation rounds, Enhanced Basic Skills Trainer, JAVELIN Weapon Effects Simulator Trainers, two-level maintenance, batteries, battery dischargers and chargers, battery coolant units, spare and repair parts, test and tool sets, personnel training and equipment, publications, U.S. Government and contractor engineering and logistics personnel services, and other related elements of logistics support.

The estimated cost is $69 million.

France is one of the major political and economic powers in Europe and NATO and an ally of the United States in ensuring peace and stability. It is vital to the U.S. national interest to assist France to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability.

The proposed sale will improve France’s capability to meet current and future threats of enemy tanks and ground forces. France will use the enhanced capability to deter regional threats, to strengthen its homeland defense, and to contribute to overseas contingencies and NATO operations. France will have no difficulty absorbing these missiles into its armed forces.

The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The prime contractor will be Javelin Joint Venture of Raytheon in Tucson, Arizona, and Lockheed Martin in Orlando, Florida. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.

Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to France.

There will be no adverse impact on the U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.

This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded.

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

RGW 90 AS - Meeting Urban Warfare Requirements

The RGW 90 AS can engage both hardened and urban targets.


Dynamit Nobel Defence’s viable handheld, shoulder-launched weapon solution

06:19 GMT, June 15, 2010 Modern military forces require anti-structure weapons. Such weapons, best-suited for use by the infantry, are believed to be necessary for urban warfare scenarios to counter threats of an increasingly asymmetric nature. Targets in particular include hardened structures (bunkers) and enemy firing positions within buildings. Such targets are often hard to detect and engage with generally available infantry weapons.

To defeat such targets in future close-combat scenarios, the individual infantryman requires lightweight and multi-function, multi-mission anti-structure munitions. Their warheads should be based upon two principal functions – anti-structure and anti-armour – whereby the user will be able to easily switch from one mode to the other. This functionality will enable the soldier to engage hardened or armoured targets as well as the entire spectrum of urban targets. In the past, the effects of shaped-charge warheads typically found in anti-armour weapons were often used against urban structures. However, the effectiveness of such weapons has been often found to be inadequate for use on urban structures. With the shift of military operations towards urban areas, the only alternative is to utilise an anti-structure munition which could be used in two specific functions.

RGW 90 AS

In doing so, the German manufacturer Dynamit Nobel Defence developed a highly viable 90 millimetre anti-structure weapon that is based on the RGW 90 handheld, shoulder-launched weapon. This new weapon has since been named RGW 90 AS (Anti Structure). It was developed as a one-shot weapon to enable the soldier to engage both hardened and urban targets with one weapon system.

The new weapon’s effectiveness against urban structures is being facilitated through the use of a tandem warhead. The user will have the choice of selecting two different warhead modes: blast effect and mousehole effect.

With this functionality, the user will be able to produce a hole in a building’s wall which may be used to enter the building or to use the maximum effect of the warhead within the building. This option can be manually adjusted.

The warhead of the RGW 90 AS has been constructed to encompass two separate warheads, the Break-in Charge (BIC) and the Follow Through Bomb (FTB). The latter can be initiated with different time lags. The infantryman has the choice of a shorter and a longer time lag to detonate the FTB following the detonation of the BIC.

In the first mode, the FTB initiates with a short time lag following the BIC’s penetration of the wall. The detonation is very strong so that the blast effect produces a large hole (mousehole) within the wall. Thanks to this principle, it is possible to produce large holes in hardened structures by also defeating hardening elements within the structure. The likely effects are holes measuring up to 80 centimetres in diameter. However, this functionality has a limited effectiveness behind structures.

Using the second mode, the soldier can switch to a long time lag, so that the FTB will detonate within the building which was penetrated by the BIC moments before. This specific effect will be best-suited to defeat urban structures and hardened enemy positions, such as bunkers.

With its length of 1 metre and a weight of less than 10 kilograms, the RGW 90 AS represents a very compact weapon that will not affect a soldier’s mobility. The new weapon has since been deployed by several international customers and will remain a most efficient weapon in the hands of the individual soldier.

----
By Thomas Meuter

[buglerbilly]

Future of Alcotan-100 Hangs on Spanish Army Procurement

(Source: Forecast International; issued July 9, 2010)

NEWTOWN, Conn. --- The initial serial production run of the Alcotan-100 for Spanish Army procurement reportedly ended in 2007. To date, the Spanish Army is apparently the only customer for this weapon system.

The Alcotan-100 remains within the high end of the market, given its unit price and level of incorporated technology. Despite its technical merits and the steadily improving reputation of Instalaza, the Aloctan-100 faces an already inundated international market and a domestic market limited in size.

Ongoing combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq highlight the infantryman's increasing need for lightweight, shoulder-fired weapons that are effective against a variety of targets. The Alcotan-100 and its associated line of munitions should be particularly well suited to fill this need. Yet, we have not been able to confirm whether Spanish troops have even employed the Alcotan-100 in combat.

Without a proven combat record to promote in today's glutted international market, the Alcotan-100 remains at a distinct marketing disadvantage. Indeed, we have no evidence that the Alcotan-100 has scored any export sales to date.

Regardless of the potential for export orders, production at a moderate level for possible Spanish Army follow-on orders may resume this year. However, without a proven combat record, the Alcotan-100 may be unable to realize its sales potential on the international market.

(ends)

Armbrust Fails to Capitalize on International Demand

(Source: Forecast International; issued July 9, 2010)

NEWTOWN, Conn. --- Production of the Armbrust light anti-tank weapon continues on an as-needed basis. The Armbrust has never really caught on in the glutted international market.

The Armbrust suffers in comparison to its many competitors due to its relatively poor anti-armor performance. Consequently, it is no longer suitable for frontline use against modern heavy armor.

The Armbrust is much better suited for specialized and second echelon military units, internal security units, and national police. Its ability to safely fire from an enclosed space makes it an ideal weapon for military operations in urban terrain (MOUT) scenarios - e.g., counterterrorist operations. Yet, even the recent surge in demand for shoulder-fired rocket systems has not significantly helped the Armbrust. Singapore Technologies Kinetics Ltd maintains a low-key marketing effort, primarily supplying the Armbrust to special military units, police, and other internal security units.

In September 2004, the Singapore Ministry of Defense unveiled the 90mm Matador short-range anti-armor weapon (SRAAW) as the eventual replacement for the Armbrust. When the Matador enters serial production, the Armbrust will lose its most reliable customer, the Singapore armed forces.

The Armbrust is still an effective weapon against light-skinned vehicles and minor structures; it may still be able to score a moderate level of sales. Nevertheless, with the introduction of the Matador, the days of Armbrust production are clearly numbered.

(ends)

Sweden, France and U.S Remain Primary AT4 Customers

(Source: Forecast International; issued July 9, 2010)

NEWTOWN, Conn. --- Serial production of the AT4 is ongoing for domestic Swedish Army procurement and export.

While the anti-armor capabilities of the AT4 are nothing spectacular for a weapon of this class, the AT4CS (Confined Space) variant - integrating the ability to safely fire from an enclosed space with the proven AT4 design - is proving to be a major factor in AT4 sales. With the growing threat of urban combat in an asymmetric warfare environment, the advantages of the AT4CS become particularly attractive.

In April 2004, the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) awarded Saab Bofors Dynamics a $14 million contract for the AT4CS.

In May 2007, the U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command awarded Saab Bofors Dynamics a $7.1 million contract for 3,500 M136/AT4 anti-armor rockets.

As indicated by the U.S. Department of Defense FY11 budget documentation (February 2010), the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps intend to continue procurement of AT4CS weapons through 2011.

Sweden, France, and the United States will remain the three primary customers for the AT4 through 2019.

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

DATE:20/07/10

SOURCE:Flight Daily News

FARNBOROUGH: MBDA targets concept weapons

Weapons manufacturer MBDA has unveiled the results of its company-wide "oncept visions" initiative that asked the firm's 10,000 employees to come up with product ideas for the future.

Targeting urban infantry warfare, the firm received some 250 ideas in the three weeks following the project's launch. These were distilled into two product streams under the CVS101 banner: the Sniper and the Enforcer, which are both shoulder-fired missile systems linked to a sophisticated target acquisition and guidance system.

Steve Wadey, executive group director technology and managing director UK, says: "Concept visions is a completely new process that we have launched in the business at the start of 2010 to shape the marketplace in missile systems for 2030 and beyond. It is the equivalent of the concept car in the automotive industry.

"This is a real example of MBDA driving initiative and inspiring our customers, partners, suppliers and employees to look at the future in a very different way and shape the marketplace."

Wade says the company has been delighted with the results of the "novel and unique process" and will look to repeat the exercise at the beginning of 2011, potentially focusing on longer-range ordinance.

The idea for the Enforcer concept came from UK employee Giles Holtby, who work in sales and business development. Mickael Mew, concept visions manager, says: "We stitched together themes that we thought worked well together so there are elements of most, if not all, of the initial 250 ideas in the final products."

As part of the development process MBDA had what Mew terms "low-level, informal" contact with the fire support section of the Welsh Guards, following their deployment to Afghanistan. This helped MBDA to refine the concept, which Mew says "improves mobility and reduces burden" due to its light weight, as well as enabling accurate fire support which will reduce collateral damage.

The Sniper system fires a 0.9kg (2lb) missile using a 40mm (1.5in) cartridge to soft-launch the missile before its rocket propulsion system kicks in. Recoil will be similar to the existing Javelin missile. The larger Enforcer anti-tank system weighs in at just 4.5kg, firing a 1kg warhead.

Both work with a hand-held controller and a remote sensor, which can be mounted on an unmanned ground vehicle or unmanned air vehicle.

[buglerbilly]

A bit more on this from Defense News Farnborough 2010 Daily Show Report............

MBDA Turns Employees’ Far-Out Ideas Into Concept Gear

Posted by Bradley Peniston | July 20th, 2010

By ANDREW CHUTER, FARNBOROUGH, Britain – European missile maker MBDA has taken the company suggestion box and given it a new twist with a scheme encouraging workers to put forward ideas that might shape future soldier weaponry.


British Army Warrant Officer Chris Daines shows off the Sniper launcher. (Defense News photo by Bradley Peniston)

The result, a process the company has labeled Concept Vision, has produced ideas of what an infantry weapon system might look like in 2030 or beyond.

Steve Wadey, executive group technical director and managing director of MBDA UK, said the idea was the missile maker’s equivalent of the concept car.

Around 250 MBDA employees responded with ideas in January when the company launched the drive to tap innovative skills across its European operations.

This year the search was on for future weapons for dismounted infantry operating in complex environments.

Two weapons have emerged from a selection process that has pulled together a range of ideas into an integrated solution called CVS101.

The first is Sniper, small-guided fire-and-forget 40mm ammunition that looks like a 380mm-long pencil. Weighing in at just 900 grams, Sniper can be fired from a grenade launcher-like weapon. Sniper would have a 200-gram warhead and range of up to 1.5 kilometers with pinpoint accuracy to clear rooms and stop vehicles.

The larger of the weapons, Enforcer, has a range of 2.5 kilometers in direct attack mode and weighs in at 4.5 kilogram with a 3.5-kilogram warhead.

Patents on some of the ideas are already being sought and the company has so far spent half a million pounds ($0.76 million) to get the scheme to the conceptual stage.

The CVS101 package is rounded off by a 2.5-kilo awareness and targeting sensor, a mission controller no bigger than a games console, and a viewer that doubles as a sight, data relay and targeting aid.

The weapons can be networked through the console to fire in salvos, multi-weapon co-ordination, distributed engagement and other battlespace requirements likely in the 2030s.

Wadey said that next year, he is thinking of turning Concept Visions’ gaze on very long-range strike.

[buglerbilly]

Another pic of both weapon proposals...........look good but a long way from working systems, however the principle of what MBDA are doing is EXCELLENT, exactly the way of getting your people involved and focussed in what you are, as a company, doing. The very essence of team-building and buy-in by the people working for you more, MANY more companies should do this. No matter how wild the ideas, nor how many of them you get, a few are going to first class, world-beating items.......bravo MBDA!

[Deks]

Agree. The Sniper system looks particularly nice, has to be one of the handiest guided weapons out there, and it has 1.5km range! Amazing.

[buglerbilly]

India Chooses U.S.-Built Javelin Anti-Tank Missile

By Vivek Raghuvanshi

Published: 28 Jul 2010 11:40

NEW DELHI - The Indian Army has decided to buy the Javelin anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), Defence Ministry sources here said.

The decision comes within a month of media reports that Pakistan had included the Javelin on its wish list of U.S. weapons it wants to purchase. Senior Indian Defence Ministry officials had favored buying Israeli-made Spike ATGMs until those reports.

India's Javelin-purchase decision is final, ministry sources said. The missile's sale to India was approved in the U.S. last week, but the amount and cost are not yet known.

The fire-and-forget Javelin weapon system is produced by a joint venture of U.S. companies Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. The anti-armor weapon also has a direct-attack mode for use against buildings or fortifications.

The Indian Army began considering acquiring the Javelin after it rejected the Spike during trials in 2008.

The Army's tests of the Javelin in land exercises last year were satisfactory, a service official said.

The Javelin purchase would be in addition to the Indian Nag ATGM, which already has been ordered. The Army's current ATGM arsenal includes old Milan and Konkours missiles.

[buglerbilly]

French Await Javelin for Afghanistan Training

By PIERRE TRAN

Published: 2 Sep 2010 13:40

PARIS - French defense officials hope a shipment of 260 U.S.-built Javelin antitank missiles and 76 launchers will land this month, allowing training to start in October and be deployed in Afghanistan at the beginning of next year, an industry executive said Sept. 2.

A signing of the long-awaited contract, worth about $70 million, took place July 9 at the French Embassy in Washington as part of a Foreign Military Sale deal between the governments.

The U.S. side has delivered the equipment, which French officials hope will be put on board and shipped to France this month. That would allow training to begin at the Canjuers Army camp in southern France. Training is in the hands of the Javelin joint venture, which comprises Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

French Army planners are keen to equip their soldiers in the Afghan theater with a powerful weapon against the thick walls of houses and compounds that provide highly effective cover for insurgents.

France has lost 49 soldiers in Afghanistan. President Nicolas Sarkozy said Aug. 25 at the annual conference of French ambassadors here that France would stay in Afghanistan "as long as necessary."

The purchase of the relatively small number of Javelin missiles was made against a backdrop of fierce competition from MBDA, which offered the Milan ER, and Rafael of Israel, which offered the Spike.

[buglerbilly]

Nammo Talley Successfully Demos the SMAW II Fire from Enclosure

(Source: Nammo; issued Oct. 18, 2010)



MESA, Ariz. --- Nammo Talley has successfully achieved a major milestone in the US Marine Corps' SMAW II weapon development program. Live fire tests conducted the week of 12 July demonstrated the new round of ammunition complies with the SMAW II Fire From Enclosure (FFE) Key Performance Parameter (KPP).

This technology will allow the Marine gunner team to safely engage targets from inside buildings and other enclosed spaces that cannot be used when firing conventional shoulder launched systems.

SMAW II Program Manager Nicholas Duke at Nammo Talley indicated that "this demonstration was a significant entrance criterion for the Critical Design Review (CDR), and our success indicates the high level of system maturity that we have achieved."

Tests were conducted at NSWC-Dahlgren, firing all-up SMAW II Round propulsion assemblies and non-explosive projectiles to measure firing noise, backblast, and other effects the gunner experiences during firing. Pre-Qualification Testing on the SMAW II Launcher and FFE Rounds will continue throughout the summer.

Nammo Talley, prime contractor for SMAW II, is partnered with the Raytheon Company for development, qualification, and fielding of the integrated weapon system design chosen during the USMC competitive assessment. The SMAW II program will provide Marines with an improved performance next generation reusable launcher and new Fire From Enclosure (FFE) assault rounds.

SMAW II features a proven Fire From Enclosure propulsion system, which allows target engagement from inside buildings, and combines the anti-structure capability of the current SMAW warheads with a new high-reliability electronic fuze. The new launcher increases system range and accuracy, improves reliability, and decreases weight by 40 percent compared to the current SMAW launcher.

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

From Soldier Systems...........

Mk 777 – An American RPG Launcher

October 28th, 2010

Although it’s as common as the cold in parts overseas, the RPG-7 has seen little use by American forces. That is, until recently. Nine years of engagement with an enemy (and quite a few allies) that use the RPG as a standard weapon have driven us to use it for training, threat assessment, and in some cases, employment. The standard launcher is adequate, and generally well constructed but they made millions of the things, and some are noticeably better than others. So naturally, good old American ingenuity stuck its nose into the issue in the form of Airtronic USA, Inc. In fact, Airtronic recently was awarded a contract as the sole supplier of RPG launchers to the US military. Their launcher, dubbed the Mk 777 takes the classic RPG launcher and improves upon it. The name coming from its weight, 7.77 lbs.



What’s not to like about it? It comes in a variety of colors including Black, Tan, and MultiCam, it incorporates 1913 rails and is manufactured from lightweight, modern materials. The rails allow you to employ newer sighting systems and other accessories such as vertical grips and shoulder stocks. Additionally, you will notice that the grip is an M4 pistol grip which US troops will be accustomed to.

www.airtronic.net

[Milne Bay]

From Soldier Systems...........

Mk 777 – An American RPG Launcher

October 28th, 2010

Although it’s as common as the cold in parts overseas, the RPG-7 has seen little use by American forces. That is, until recently. Nine years of engagement with an enemy (and quite a few allies) that use the RPG as a standard weapon have driven us to use it for training, threat assessment, and in some cases, employment. The standard launcher is adequate, and generally well constructed but they made millions of the things, and some are noticeably better than others. So naturally, good old American ingenuity stuck its nose into the issue in the form of Airtronic USA, Inc. In fact, Airtronic recently was awarded a contract as the sole supplier of RPG launchers to the US military. Their launcher, dubbed the Mk 777 takes the classic RPG launcher and improves upon it. The name coming from its weight, 7.77 lbs.



What’s not to like about it? It comes in a variety of colors including Black, Tan, and MultiCam, it incorporates 1913 rails and is manufactured from lightweight, modern materials. The rails allow you to employ newer sighting systems and other accessories such as vertical grips and shoulder stocks. Additionally, you will notice that the grip is an M4 pistol grip which US troops will be accustomed to.

www.airtronic.net

I wonder if they managed to produce it cheaper than the original.
- Only kiddding - heh heh.

[buglerbilly]

I wonder if they managed to produce it cheaper than the original.
- Only kiddding - heh heh.

Funnily enough, anecdotal evidence says this is a ridiculously cheap item which is why they have Contracts to suit. They are only cheap on the open market cos people, criminals and other vermin, tend to buy any old POS that is around so long as they can stick a grenade on the end and look "tough".

[buglerbilly]

Ukraine adopts new anti-tank missile system


source vietnamdefence.com

KIEV, April 20 (RIA Novosti)

The Ukrainian military has adopted a new indigenous anti-tank missile system also capable of destroying low-altitude, slow-moving aerial targets, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. Stugna-P has been developed by Kiev-based Luch design bureau to compete with foreign models of the same class. The laser-guided system has a range of 4,000 meters and can penetrate armor up to 800 millimeters thickness. The system is capable of destroying armored vehicles, small fortifications and even helicopters hovering at low altitudes, the ministry said. The Ukrainian military has ordered at least ten Stugna-P systems so far, according to other sources.

[buglerbilly]

South African Army stocks up on Milan 3


Milan 3 anti-tank guided missile system.

14:02 GMT, May 25, 2011 The South African Army has ordered an undisclosed further number of Milan antitank guided missile (ATGM) for use by the Special Forces as well as airborne and motorised infantry. The R57 990 630.80 [$8.22 million - Ed.] purchase order was awarded to Euromissile [sic] last week. It takes the known value of Project Kingfisher – according to the Armscor Bulletin System (ABS) – to R271 076 483.37.

The Kingfisher contract was placed on December 20, 2006, and initially escaped media notice. South Africa was the global launch customer of the new generation Milan ADT (Advanced Digital Technology) launcher and Milan ER (extended range) missile. The deal included Fulcrum Defence Systems (FDS), an EADS and MBDA local partner, upgrading about 30 existing Milan firing posts to ADT standard. They will also provide training, four simulators and logistic support. MBDA, the European missile-maker that now incorporates Euromissile, will provide the munitions. “We estimate our contribution will be worth about R30 million, which is a good investment in the local industry,” CE André Wolmarans told defenceWeb in 2007.

MBDA said at the time the digital technologies incorporated in the ADT firing post had notably enhanced the system’s ability to detect, reconnoitre and identify targets. The upgrade entailed replacing the control box as well as the electronics of the guidance unit and integrating new software and optics. The cards bearing the software were manufactured in South Africa and an initial batch of 33 sets was in manufacture at FDS by 2007.

In March 2009 the military ordered a further 13 Milan ADT firing posts and four simulators under a contract worth €10.7 million (about R129.3 million at then exchange rates, but R81.5 million on the ABS.

The 3000m range Milan ER comes with jam-proof wire guidance, night sight and a tandem charge. Optimised for pulverising tanks, the warhead is rated as “multi-target.” A MBDA official explained to the author in 2004 than an analysis of missiles expended in the Falklands in 1982 – and confirmed by the 2003 Iraq war – found more than 70 percent expended on targets other than tanks, mostly bunkers and buildings. “You may say a Milan is too expensive to use against a machine gun, and on a cost analysis it is. But what is he cost of a human life? How many must die in assaulting that machine gun position?”

The competition for Kingfisher pitted MBDA and Saab Bofors Dynamics, the latter offering SA the BILL 2 (Bofors Infantry Light & Lethal). Other competitors included Denel who at one stage appeared hopeful that a four-round pedestal-launched version of their Mokopa would do the job. Also interested in the project was Russia and India. Russia was offering the 4000-metre range Konkurs, the latest version of what NATO officially used to call the AT4 Spigot system. (Unoffi cially, they call it the “Milanski” believing it to be a reverse-engineered copy of the European original.) Combining the two was India, who customised the Konkurs’ launcher to fire both the Russian and the European missile. MBDA was selected as the preferred supplier in September 2006.

Wolmarans added in 2007 that his company has also been contracted by MBDA to form a service hub for Africa. “They are doing a total knowledge transfer to Fulcrum regarding the firing posts. There are currently 1600 posts in use on the continent we can look at maintaining and upgrading. The possibility of upgrading firing posts for customers in the rest of the world is not excluded,” he adds. “A number of countries using the Milan lack a service centre and we are looking at filling that gap.”

MBDA is jointly owned by BAE Systems (37.5%), EADS (37.5%) and Italy's Finmeccanica (25%).

From the ABS:

• Missile 115 mm high energy anti tank tandem - MILAN 3
ETMG/2010/399 19 May 2011 R57 990 630,80 Euromissile

• Man portable missile products systems - extension of ETMG/2005/531
TMG/S2008/1016 11 Mar 2009 R81 568 388,57 Euromissile

• Man portable missile products system
ETMG/2005/531 19 Jan 2007 R131 511 464.00. Euromissile

----
By Leon Engelbrecht, defenceWEB Editor

(Courtesy by defenceWeb; First published at http://goo.gl/v6tWz)

[buglerbilly]

Saab Receives New Orders for Carl-Gustaf

(Source: Saab AB; issued Aug. 11, 2011)



Defence and security company Saab has received an order for components to the Carl-Gustaf man-portable weapon system. The total value of the order is MSEK 362.

“This is very positive and it further proves the capability of the Carl-Gustaf system which until now has been exported to more than 40 customers around the world,” says Tomas Samuelsson, Senior Vice President and Head of Saab’s business area Dynamics .

Delivery will take place during 2011-2012.

The industry’s nature is such that depending on circumstances concerning the product and customer, information regarding the customer will not be announced.

The Carl-Gustaf system has a long and successful history, but still proves itself to be a highly modern and capable Ground Support weapon. The system has successively been modernized and adapted to meet new requirements. With the Carl-Gustaf M3 version Saab offer state-of-the-art capability for demanding customers investing in the future.

Saab serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions ranging from military defence to civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents and constantly develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers’ changing needs.

The information is that which Saab AB is required to declare by the Securities Business Act and/or the Financial instruments Trading Act. The information was submitted for publication on August 11 at 11:00

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

Published 12:11 06.09.11

Latest update 12:11 06.09.11

Official: South Korea buying advanced Israeli rockets to deter North Korea

South Korea's efforts to boost weapons systems on the front-line islands follow intense criticism that defense officials failed to respond strongly and quickly enough after the North's attack last year.

By The Associated Press





South Korea has struck a $43 million deal with an Israeli company to buy advanced rockets to protect a front-line area attacked by North Korea last year, officials said Tuesday.

South Korea will deploy 67 Spike NLOS rockets on Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong islands in the Yellow Sea as early as late this year, a South Korean government arms procurement official said. Four South Koreans were killed on Yeonpyeong when the North shelled it last November.

An official, who declined to be identified citing policy, said the deal was made in July. Another South Korean official confirmed the information.

Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems says the rockets can fly up to 15 miles (25 kilometers) and hit hidden targets. South Korea has been struggling to find ways to take out North Korea's hidden coastal artillery should it attack again.

South Korea's efforts to boost weapons systems on the front-line islands follow intense criticism that defense officials failed to respond strongly and quickly enough after the North's attack last year.

South Korea currently has self-propelled guns, vulcan cannons, multi-rocket launchers, radars and other advanced weapons deployed on the islands, as well as thousands of marines. In June, Seoul set up a separate defense command in charge of troops on the islands.

Violence often flares in the Yellow Sea, and three deadly naval clashes since 1999 have taken a few dozen lives. The maritime line separating North and South Korea was drawn by the U.S.-led UN Command without North Korea's consent at the close of the 1950-53 Korean War. That fighting ended with a truce, not a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula still technically in a state of war. North Korea routinely argues that the line should run farther south.

South Korea's moves to bolster its defenses come as it seeks to revive dialogue with North Korea. Since July, diplomats from the two Koreas and the United States have met to explore ways to revive long-stalled nuclear disarmament talks. Progress, however, has been elusive.

In another sign of easing tensions, a religious delegation from South Korea is in North Korea this week to attend a Buddhist service honoring a historic relic considered sacred by both countries.

On Saturday, a U.S.¬ shipment of humanitarian aid arrived in North Korea to help the country recover from floods and heavy rain. The State Department has dismissed any link between the aid and diplomatic efforts to restart the six-nation nuclear talks.

The talks involve the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, China and Russia. During his trip to Russia and China last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il reportedly suggested the North might consider a moratorium on nuclear testing and production if the talks resume.

North Korea is pushing for the talks to restart. The United States and South Korea have so far reacted coolly, saying the North must first show sincerity by abiding by past nuclear commitments before the aid-for-disarmament talks can resume.

[buglerbilly]

Saab Reaches New Milestone with the Delivery of Its 10,000th NLAW Weapon

(Source: Saab AB; issued September 14, 2011)



The Saab Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon, NLAW, is a light, ‘fire & forget’, top-attack missile system that provides a single soldier with the capability of knocking out any heavily-protected armoured vehicle, including main battle tanks, in a single shot.

NLAW can be deployed in any environment including complex terrain such as built up areas. NLAW has a major advantage over rival systems with its Predicted Line of Sight capability, allowing the soldier to engage targets without having to judge and compensate for external factors such as target speed, wind and range.

As design authority, Saab Dynamics has been leading a team of more than 20 British, Swedish and other international companies through the project definition and design phase and then into qualification and production. NLAW meets the requirements for a next generation light anti-tank weapon, from demanding customers like the UK, Sweden and Finland.

Thales UK was selected by Saab early in the project as production partner and given responsibility for final assembly. It now leads a successful UK production team. Recently the 10,000th NLAW weapon was delivered from the Thales manufacturing site in Belfast and production is continuing according to plan.

Weapon components are produced by sub-contractors in UK and Sweden, although more than 80% of weapon value is produced by British industry, creating valuable employment in the UK as promised by Saab when the contract was awarded.

The weapon has now been deployed to the regiments and training is ongoing. Customer feedback has shown that the training system has proven to be very effective and easy to use, while the NLAW system has been brought into service smoothly and made operational within budget.

Discussions are on-going with potential new customers where NLAW is expected to be introduced in a near future.

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

Bahrain – M1152A1B2 HMMWVs and TOW-2A and TOW-2B Missiles

(Source: Defense Security Cooperation Agency; issued September 14, 2011)

WASHINGTON --- The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress today of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Bahrain for Armored High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicles, TOW Missiles and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support worth an estimated $53 million.

The Government of Bahrain has requested a possible sale of 44 M1152A1B2 Armored High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs), 200 BGM-71E-4B-RF Radio Frequency (RF) Tube-Launched Optically-Tracked Wire-Guided Missiles (TOW-2A), 7 Fly-to-Buy RF TOW-2A Missiles, 40 BGM-71F-3-RF TOW-2B Aero Missiles, 7 Fly-to-Buy RF TOW-2B Aero Missiles, 50 BGM-71H-1RF Bunker Buster Missiles (TOW-2A), 7 Fly-to-Buy RF Bunker Buster Missiles (TOW-2A), 48 TOW-2 Launchers, AN/UAS-12A Night Sight Sets, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistical and program support. The estimated cost is $53 million.

This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a major non-NATO ally that has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.

The proposed sale will improve Bahrain’s capability to meet current and future armored threats. Bahrain will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense.

The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The prime contractors will be AM General in South Bend, Indiana, and Raytheon Missile Systems Corporation in Tucson, Arizona. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.

Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Bahrain.

There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.
This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded.

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

Via the Firearm blog..........

Aimpoint’s FCS12 sight for Rocket & Grenade Launchers

Aimpoint had their FCS12 sight/Fire Control System on display at DSEi '11. The system works with the venerable Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle and the Panzerfaust 3 RPG. The system incorporates a 1x red dot sight with a laser range finder. The device can be programmed with up to 50 different ballistic profiles so that the operator can selected a profile to match the round loaded. A grip can be installed on the launcher that communicates with the FCS12 wirelessly so that the operator never has to take his hand off the weapon (buttons can still be used in an emergency).



A nifty piece of gear!

[ Many thanks to Lionel for the photo. ]

[buglerbilly]

The Corps’ New SMAW

by Christian on September 30, 2011

At this year’s Modern Day Marine expo we got the low down from Namm0 Talley on the new replacement for the Corps’ ’80s-era SMAW.

Video here: http://www.military.com/video/guns/antitank-guns/serpent-modular-assault-weapon/1190846733001/

Read more: http://kitup.military.com/#ixzz1ZUjyTl2H
Kit Up!

[buglerbilly]

MELLS Guided Missile System: Pilot Lot Firing Successfully Completed

(Source: German defence technology office, BWB; issued October 4, 2011)


The heart of the MELLS system is the Spike LR guided missile from Eurospike GmbH, another company in which Rheinmetall holds a 50% share.

With a successful firing campaign at the Bundeswehr Technical Centre for Weapons and Ammunition (WTD 91) in Meppen, the MELLS project achieves a crucial milestone towards series production.

Within the scope of a pilot lot firing on 7 and 8 September 2011, four guided missiles of the “light multirole guided missile system” (MELLS) were fired in total. The firing took place in Meppen under the direction of the Bundeswehr Technical Centre for Weapons and Ammunition (WTD 91).

First of all, the four fired missiles were pre-stressed by simulated environmental impacts. The individual firings varied in terms of target range, selection of trajectory and homing mode. In combination with four other firings already conducted at the end of May, we now have available the results of eight individual firings. Thus, different aspects regarding the capabilities and the quality of the overall system could be reviewed.

All firings delivered the required performance meaning that the targets were hit and the warhead initiated on the target. Thus, the MELLS pilot lot firing is completed successfully and a decisive step towards series production has been taken.

The firings in May and September 2011 constituted the repetition of a failed pilot lot firing in January 2011. The campaign had to be stopped after several unsuccessful attempts. This setback was followed by a phase of intensive troubleshooting by industry. The solution prepared in the process has now proved to be successful.

MELLS is a light multirole guided missile system for the engagement of ground targets at medium ranges. Among other things, the target array comprises protected targets, battle tanks, armoured weapon systems and hardened positions but also slow moving and hovering helicopters in low-level airspace.

The guided missile system is characterized by a direct image transmission from the seeker to the firer via an optical fibre. This allows for manual target adjustments, target changes or the engagement of targets behind cover even after the launch. Besides extending the operational spectrum, this capability contributes effectively to the reduction of collateral damages.

The Special Forces Command (KSK), the infantry and the naval protection forces as well as the armoured infantry are supposed to be equipped with MELLS. In addition, the guided missile system will be integrated into the PUMA armoured infantry fighting vehicle.

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

Saab Signs Additional Carl-Gustaf Contract with Australia

(Source: Saab AB; issued Nov. 10, 2011)

The defence and security company Saab has received an order from Australia for ammunition to the Carl-Gustaf M3 weapon system. The order sum is MSEK 160.

[The Swedish Kroner 160 Million equates to AUD$23, 543,000 at today's Interbank Exchange Rate]

It is the Australian Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) that has selected Saab to be the provider of various versions of 84 mm Carl-Gustaf ammunition.

“This shows the high level of trust Australia have for the Carl-Gustaf system. It is a strategic and important contract securing production as well as contributing to further development of the system” says Tomas Samuelsson, Head of business area Dynamics.

In late 2009 the Australian Defence Force selected the Carl-Gustaf M3 weapon system after thorough evaluation as their future multi-purpose weapon system. The Carl-Gustaf weapon until now has been exported to more than 40 nations worldwide.

Manufacturing will be done by Saab in Karlskoga, Sweden, and deliveries take place within the next half year.

Saab serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions ranging from military defence to civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents and constantly develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers’ changing needs.

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

US Army soldiers are starting to use the Carl Gustav M3 Multi-role Anti-armor Anti-tank Weapon System (MAAWS) in Afghanistan. So far this Swede 84mm recoilless weapon introduced in 1948 was mostly used by Special Forces, as far as the US military goes. Video below:



Uploaded by DODvClips on Nov 10, 2011

Soldiers are looking for the best advantage in the field they can find. One weapon system that's making it's way into infantry units that can change the fight is the Carl Gustov. Air Force Staff Sgt. Chad Usher was with the gunners taking it out for a demonstration. Sound bites from Spc. Nicholas Feaster, U.S. Army, Carl Gustov Assistant Gunner and Sgt. Grant Smith, U.S. Army, Carl Gustov Gunner.

[buglerbilly]

New Weapon for Australian Soldiers

(Source: Australian Department of Defence; issued November 21, 2011)

Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare today announced that the Australian Defence Force has now taken delivery of 437 new Carl Gustav 84 mm guns and thermal sights.

The 437 new guns are the improved M3 model and will supplement the existing M2 Carl Gustav gun.

The weapons and sights have been delivered over the past 12 months. The final instalment was delivered to 7th Battalion inSouth Australia last month.

They are being used by Special Forces and Mentoring Taskforce 3 (MTF-3) inAfghanistanand have also been delivered to other Army units and the Air Force.

MTF-3 was the first Mentoring Taskforce to be deployed with the new weapon.

“The feedback from soldiers is that it is very effective,” Mr Clare said.

“It is used to knock down walls and blow up bunkers. It can also fire smoke filled ammunition and lights to improve soldiers’ visibility at night.

“Both the gun and sight are proven capabilities butAustraliais the first country to use both as an integrated weapon system.

“The new gun combined with the thermal sight provides increased firepower and a night fighting capability.

“The gun barrel is made from composite materials instead of steel which also makes the weapon lighter for soldiers to carry.”

Mr Clare also announced that the supply of ammunition for the 84 mm Carl Gustav weapon has been secured with the signing of a long term agreement between Defence and Saab Dynamics AB.

The agreement is a Standing Offer to supply the ammunition over the next five years and has a potential value of up to $110 million.

Defence has now taken delivery of the first order of the ammunition under the Standing Offer.

The weapon can be fired from the standing, kneeling, sitting or prone positions and a bipod may be attached in front of the shoulder piece.

It is normally operated by a two-man crew, one carrying and firing the weapon, the other carrying ammunition and reloading.

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

Urgent Delivery of Javelin Kits for VAB Armoured Vehicle

(Source: Renault Trucks Defense; issued Nov. 30, 2011)

VERSAILLES, France --- Under an urgent operational requirement, on June 15, 2011, the French defense procurement agency (DGA) ordered kits from Renault Trucks Defense for integrating the Javelin anti-tank missile system into the VAB armoured personnel carrier.

Integrating Javelin into this vehicle will make the weapon system easier to use for French Army units deployed in Afghanistan.

The VAB is actually the first armoured vehicle to have this missile integrated for transport in a tactical vehicle.

The Javelin was ordered in 2010 to enhance the firepower of infantry units in Afghanistan.

In less than six months, Renault Trucks Defense designed, developed and tested an integration kit allowing six missiles, two firing posts and two tripods to be carried inside the VAB. This integration is currently being carried out on-site by users in Eryx VABs already deployed in theatre. The ten kits were delivered from the Renault Trucks Defense Fourchambault site on October 14.

The VAB is the most widely-used armoured vehicle in all the theatres in which the French Army operates, with over 500 vehicles of this type deployed in the Afghanistan theatre.

Weighing over 13 tonnes, they are capable of performing a wide range of roles, including transporting infantry, providing direct support for troops in contact, or acting as mobile command posts.

Each year improvements are made to the VAB program in a partnership between the manufacturer, the DGA and the French Army Technical Department (STAT).

Renault Trucks Defense, a reference manufacturer for the terrestrial armed forces, designs and develops a full range of armoured vehicles, with the SHERPA. Legacy supplier to the French Army, with more than 4,000 VAB armoured personnel carriers in service, Renault Trucks Defense can claim more than 65 customer countries across the world. Employing 600 people in France, RTD's 2010 revenues exceeded EUR 300 M.

Armoured vehicles represent more than 60% of its activity, but it also has a truck offering geared to a very full range of military uses. Renault Trucks Defense participates in programmes with Nexter, such as the CAESAR artillery system and the VBCI infantry fighting armoured vehicle. It holds several brand names across the world, including ACMAT.

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

U.S. Army Places First Order for Saab’s Carl-Gustaf

(Source: Saab AB; issued Nov. 30, 2011)

Defence and security company Saab has signed a contract with the U.S. Army for the company’s Carl-Gustaf man-portable weapon system. This marks the first time the Army has bought the 84mm recoilless rifle system. The Army and U.S. Special Operations Command placed a combined order with a total value of MUSD 31.5 (MSEK 209).

“This is very positive and it further proves the capability of the Carl-Gustaf system. It also shows the high level of trust our customers have for the system.” says Tomas Samuelsson, Senior Vice President and Head of Saab’s business area Dynamics.”

“Saab is thrilled that the U.S. Army has joined with our existing US Special Operations Command customer in using the Carl-Gustaf system”, said Saab North America President, Dan-Åke Enstedt.

The Carl-Gustaf system has a long and successful history, and has successively been modernized and adapted to meet new requirements. A true multi-role, man-portable shoulder-fired weapon, the system is in use in more than 40 countries worldwide. With the Carl-Gustaf M3 version, Saab offers state-of-the-art capability for demanding customers investing in the future.

With several locations across the U.S., Saab North America provides a broad range of products, services, and solutions, ranging from defence to homeland security, to customers in the U.S. and Canada.

Saab serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions ranging from military defence to civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents and constantly develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers’ changing needs.

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

More on this order.............via GearScout/Military Times.com


The request for 126 launchers came as part of an Urgent Needs Statement from the Afghan theater to support the efforts of the currently deployed 3/10 Brigade Combat Team and the 82nd Airborne Division, which is an on-deck unit in the OEF deployment cycle. The UNS addresses the need to effectively engage enemy rocket propelled grenade and machine gun teams that are beyond 900 meters or fighting from hard cover. Existing systems in the Y,S, armory, such as the M141 Bunker Defeat Munition, M72 LAW, M136 AT-4 and the SMAW, are only effective inside of 500 meters. The Army says the Carl-Gustaf is more effective than waiting on mortars and less expensive than artillery or Javelin missiles.

[buglerbilly]

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

New (Old) Weapon For U.S. Grunts in Afghanistan

Posted by Paul McLeary at 12/2/2011 8:42 AM CST



The U.S. Army isn’t getting outgunned by Taliban and Haqqani fighters in Afghanistan, but the limited range of U.S. infantrymen’s weapons has led the enemy to employ some smart tactical shifts.

According to a September budget reprogramming document signed by Pentagon comptroller Robert Hale, Afghan (and Pakistani?) insurgents have figured out that most American infantry weapons “have effective ranges of 500m or less,” making them “ineffective against enemy soldiers equipped with RPGs and medium machine guns at ranges from 920m to 1,000m.”

Guess how far away enemy fighters try to get before engaging U.S. troops?

To try and get things moving in the opposite direction, the Army recently sent over one hundred Carl Gustav 84mm recoilless rifles to Afghanistan in response to an urgent operational needs statement sent earlier this year calling for weapons with greater range. The Carl Gustav’s operating range is about 1,300 meters, with a 1,250 meter airburst capability, which should really help American infantrymen reach out and touch someone.

In addition to the 126 guns, funding will provide for 3,024 rounds of ammunition (1,512 each of High Explosive (HE) and High Explosive Dual Purpose rounds). The Army hopes that the Carl Gustav will be a solution to the almost unfathomable reality that American forces are losing the standoff battle with the enemy. The weapon is already a known commodity—to put it mildly—since it has been in use by about forty different militaries around the globe for the past half century, including U.S. Army Rangers, Navy Seals and other American Special Forces groups since the 1980s.

Wes Walters, executive VP of Saab North America—maker of the weapon—says that the Gustav weighs in at 21 lbs, and each round weighs in at about 6 lbs, but adds that the company is developing a new gun that will weigh closer to 15 or 16 lbs. which it hopes to field in two to three years. Of the two different rounds sent to Afghanistan, the one expected to be used most often is the HE round, whose maximum range is 1,300 meters “puts them well within the range of engaging gunners with RPGs,” Walters says. “It’s an area weapon,” he adds, “so you don’t have to be so accurate, but you need to have the proper distance … so they have range finders for that."

Part of the reason for the order is that when U.S. forces are unable to engage the enemy, they often have to rely on calling in airstrikes or artillery fire, all of which sucks up time in what is often a fluid, quick fight. There’s also the money issue. The Pentagon’s reprogramming document is pretty frank about all this: The Carl Gustav is “more effective than relying on mortars and less expensive then artillery or Javelin Anti-tank missile.”

The gun itself costs less than $30,000 apiece, Walters says, while the rounds of HE are about $1,000 apiece. The Army’s Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) is currently in theater evaluating the Gustav in combat and is preparing an operational evaluation report that is due in the January time frame, so we’ll soon know if American infantry units can match the standoff ranges of their opponents. (I can hardly believe I just wrote that.) The gun is currently being used by the 3/10 Brigade Combat Team, which will soon hand them off to elements of the 82nd Airborne Division then they take over.

We’re looking forward to seeing what ATEC has to say, though you figure they could have probably just asked members of the U.S. Special Forces, or our allies, what they think.

[buglerbilly]

Tank Snipers!

by Jack Murphy on December 12, 2011


Kit Up Tank Snipers

With the US Army fielding an Urgent Needs Statement, a contract has already been signed for 126 additional Carl Gustaf weapons systems manufactured by Saab of Sweden. The 84mm Recoiless Rifle replaced the obsolete, but functional, 90mm recoiless rifle in Ranger Battalion years ago where I started my Special Operations career. My first duty position: Tank Sniper.

Admittedly, the M3 Carl Gustaf isn’t the sexiest of weapons among the 75th Ranger Regiment’s rather extensive arsenal. This is especially true when you have to pack this giant metal tube into an AT4 jump pack with cardboard honeycomb and exit a C-17 during a Mass-Tactical airborne jump at night. Getting hung up in a MH-60 with the Goose slung over your back while fast roping and dangling 50ft in the air ain’t sexy either. Don’t ask me how I know that…

Otherwise, I think the Goose is way under-rated. With the Australian military also making a large purchase of ammunition for these weapons, it seems that the Goose is finally coming into its own.


Kit Up-Carl Gustav

More and more reports are coming out telling us that the Taliban in Afghanistan has finally figured out the limited range of American rifles and other small arms. Acting accordingly, we are told that they are maintaining as much stand off as possible when engaging US forces, remaining just outside the maximum effective range of our soldier’s ammunition while firing at them with heavy machine guns and RPGs. The Carl Gustaf has the potential to change that when employed properly. “Existing systems…such as the M141 Bunker Defeat Munition, M72 LAW, M136 AT-4 and the SMAW, are only effective inside of 500 meters. The Army says the Carl-Gustaf [max effective range 1,000m] is more effective than waiting on mortars and less expensive than artillery or Javelin missiles.”

Here is a bit from one of my Army buddies who used the Goose to do God’s work during the height of the Iraqi insurgency:



“It was mostly on my last deployment, which was in the Samara providence and we were doing a call out.” They would “have a terp tell everyone in the house to come out, and if they didn’t, then they were assumed to be hostile. So it would start with a long talk then a nine banger, then a frag to the side of the house, followed by more talking, then a few 203s on the side of the house, then some more talking, then finally we said, okay we are going to kill everyone in the house in a few minutes.” This is called escalation of force, if the terrorists don’t surrender themselves then we escalate the level of violence until they comply. “So here comes the goose. First we started with an HEDP round into windows or through doors (the goose is an amazingly accurate weapon, I had no problem putting a round through a window at 600 meters) but later we decided we wanted to use TP rounds (which are basically just 84 mm rounds with cement inside) to knock the doors off, then hit up the house with thermobarics. On these occasions, which were several, the damage was large enough to not follow up on the house for any Bomb Damage Assessment or anything of the sort. We would just leave and assume whatever little punks were in the house were all dead. I would say I’ve shot somewhere around 500 rounds out of the goose from TP, HE, HEDP, HEAT, smoke, flechette, thermobaric and all are extremely accurate and serve their purpose. Flechette is by far the most interesting, as it shoots out little nails and is strictly anti-personnel but will jack your world up.”

Hey Uncle Sugar, while you’re at it, the M2 scope is great and all, but how about taking a look at the Aimpoint FCS12 Fire Control System to help take some of the guess work out of calculating for ballistics during a fire fight! Check it out and get smart on the Goose and it’s ammunition!

Kit Up! contributor Jack Murphy is a former Ranger, Special Forces Soldier and is the author of the military thriller Reflexive Fire.

Read more: http://kitup.military.com/2011/12/tank-snipers.html#ixzz1gN2KaVwE
Kit Up!

[buglerbilly]

One final bit on the Carl's, relevant to US Forces use & methodology..............

Carl Gustaf, Tactical Employment and Training

by Jack Murphy on December 27, 2011



My buddy saw the response to my previous post about the M3 Carl Gustaf and wanted to elaborate and clarify a few things for our readers. Below you will see the details that he shared with me on the tactical employment of the Goose, and some of the training considerations. I hope this proves useful for those of you who are fixing to take this recoiless rifle to Afghanistan in the coming months.

Configuration of an Anti-Tank Team:

The gunner carries the gun (CG) and at the MOST an m4 is what we found to be good, but we eventually went with the gunner carrying a nine (M9). The goose can be a chore enough to lug around, and make sure its not dinging on anything (being that the sight mount is pretty sensitive). I must say a two man goose team was essential during rough firefights and made all the difference sometimes where a Javeline would have made none.

As far as being too heavy to hump on a patrol, it’s along the lines of a M240, but easier considering you can have it slung over your shoulder. The debate over having a MG team or a CG team is one to be had though when in tight spots for troops on ground. I would say though, having the advantage of putting an HE round into a house around 1000 meters away and putting this fight to an end quickly is one to be thought about.

Combat Load:

As for the normal combat load, we carried one TP (for the doors), 1 Thermo-Baric, two HEDP and a Smoke. The goose had its own case for rounds which made it easy, and the rounds weren’t exactly heavy.

The only down side of the goose would be the high range of arming distance on some of the rounds. If I was inside of 100 meters on some targets, I wouldn’t (and most didn’t) expect to go off besides the fachette. Also, the back blast area is rather large, and you must take all of that into acount. Looking at pictures that you have up [on the previous article] and others that I have seen of people firing the goose is completely wrong, because you need someone to stablize the gunner, watch his back blast, and also watch his impact, much like any AG on a crew served weapon, which I believe the goose falls under.

Back to the rounds being carried. My gunner carried no rounds and especially none in chamber. This was because the safety on the goose is rather touchy, and will switch at the slightest movement. An AD of a goose round would be horrible, because there may be no lives lost, but it is extremely loud. A two man team is more than enough, since your AG (the team leader) carries the goose ruck and rounds and an m4, while the gunner carries the goose and at MOST an m4. (But I would recommend a pistol.) After the intial round, if you need to fire another, your AG needs to ready the next round (dial it in if the round calls for it), and your gunner needs to make sure the tube is clear and he’s dialed in for whichever round you are loading up. Sometimes the shells will stick and the gunner needs to be working on clearing that out and getting ready for the next round, so carrying anything besides a pistol is extra work.

Training:

The problems I started seeing in [my unit] were that I was seriously the only one in [my unit] that knew this weapon inside and out and knew what we could and could not do with it. We would get into an Op-order and I would have people saying the the back blast was only 25 meters and 10 degrees off of each side, which simply isn’t true, and that is a good way to get people hurt. I also had missions come up in which we were told we were going to fire the goose at a target building within 50 to 75 meters, which wasn’t going to work out because the round wouldn’t arm. So, being a TEAM LEADER, I constantly found myself jumping up in these Op-Orders, correcting the wrongs and then sometimes being looked at like I was crazy. But in reality, I was the only person (pretty much) in the whole company who knew what the f**k they were talking about when it came to the goose.



As I look at the pictures you posted, the casual approach to this weapon amazes me. Don’t know if its the lack of training or experience or just the laziness in the big Army, but it’s something that needs to change. When used incorrectly and taken for granted it will not be pretty. The gunner must be held steady, his back blast must be watched and his impact must be watched as well. The communication between gunner and AG is more key than that between the M240 gunner and AG, because the goose has 4 different settings for different rounds and these must be dialed in perfectly, otherwise you could end up shooting a round into the dirt 50 meters in front of you. At the range that isn’t a huge deal, but in combat, a mis-dialed goose round going into your buddy’s house isn’t ideal. I’ve watched several youtube videos on the goose and its seems to me that a lot of these people are not trained to where they need to be on this weapon or just don’t care which is tragic. You must know this also Murph coming from a Weapons Squad.
There aren’t two or three ways to run a machine gun team, or fire a .50 cal, there is ONE way and ONE way only, and that is the correct way.

I really believe that the military should have a hard school for heavy weapons and weapon squad tactics and the role that they play in combat, ESPECIALLY in Afghanistan. An ever evolving battlefield it may be, but some of the basics stay the same, and a solid, knowledgeable Weapons Squad behind any platoon is the key factor for victory.

Blast Over Pressure (BOP):

When it came to the BOP effect, I have fired over 25 rounds in one day at a range without serious injury, but I will tell you something; I slept like a baby that night, LOL. I got a little woozy and felt it, but my lungs didn’t collapse, LOL. I’ve had these ranges on several occasions, and I also did a two month train up with the Swedes who manufacture the goose, which was probably one of the best training events I’ve been through. Knowing exactly what every round does from start to finish and just learning different tactics of this weapon was invaluable. Not to toot my own horn, but I would say hands down I am an expert on this weapon and way ahead of most in the military.

The BOP chart its really mixed up, and I’m sure I have the actual chart somewhere, but it all depends on what round you shoot and from what position, and your AG is affected by it too. I would say in training it’s not a HUGE deal, but in combat, you don’t want to BOP your guys out and have them fighting the next day.

Kit Up! contributor Jack Murphy is a former Ranger, Special Forces Soldier and is the author of the military thriller Reflexive Fire.

Read more: http://kitup.military.com/2011/12/carl-gustaf-tactical-employment.html#ixzz1hq97xLB9
Kit Up!

[buglerbilly]

Dynamit Nobel Expands SLW Capabilities

Dec 23, 2011

By Nicholas Fiorenza
Unterluess, Germany



Developed by Germany as an antitank weapon in World War II, the Panzerfaust shoulder-launched weapon (SLW), manufactured by Dynamit Nobel Defense, is becoming increasingly effective against a range of targets, both in its traditional role as a portable weapon and mounted on platforms on land and at sea.

Dedicated antitank versions with fire-control systems such as the Panzerfaust 3 and bunker-busting Bunkerfaust have evolved into disposable multipurpose weapons with add-on devices. Examples include the lightweight RGW 60, the RGW 90 with different warheads, and the Effector 90 mm. (For a report on developments in rocket-propelled grenade launchers, see DTI October, p. 44.)

Herbert Weisshaupt, director of business development at Dynamit Nobel Defense, says the weight of the weapon has been reduced to 10 kg (22 lb.) from 12.8 kg, and length to 1 meter (3.3 ft.) from 1.2 meters, which makes them easier to carry and operate. Accuracy is improved by a sustainer rocket motor in the projectile, which neutralizes crosswind and extends range to 1,200 meters without increasing thrust. Range figures quoted by the German military were 400 meters against a stationary target and 300 meters for a moving target.

Since the weapons are recoilless, they can be fired from enclosures at close range—as little as 10 meters—making the SLWs suitable for urban operations. A variety of targets can be engaged by using multipurpose warheads with selectable modes, and fire-control units (FCU) can be added to increase range and hit probability. Night-vision devices are routinely used to provide targeting capabilities in low light and at night.

The versatility of the SLW is evident in the RGW 90. The weapon can fire high-explosive antitank (HEAT) rounds, high-explosive squash heads (HESH), multipurpose blast rounds, antistructure munitions, wall-breaching rounds and long-range multipurpose rounds. Accuracy, hit probability and daytime range have been improved with the same optical sight as used on the Heckler & Koch G36 assault rifle. Zeiss of Germany, Simrad Optronics of Norway and Opticoelectron Group of Bulgaria supply night sights with identification ranges of more than 500 meters. Opgal Optronics Industries of Israel and Dynamit Nobel have also developed an infrared sight.

The German military’s multirole shoulder-launched support weapon for infantry (Mehrrollenfahige Schultergestutzte Unterstutzungswaffe Infanterie) concept includes the use of an RGW 90 with HEAT rounds, an RGW 60 with HEAT rounds or HESH, and Bunkerfaust and Effector 90-mm SLWs with high-explosive, smoke and illumination rounds. Weisshaupt says that the Bunkerfaust performed well in Afghanistan against 80-mm-thick (3-in.) adobe walls.

Weisshaupt envisions SLWs being mounted on remotely operated weapon stations (ROWS) for operations in urban terrain or border control. In the latter role, multiple launchers would be on tripods and networked by wire or a radio data link to a central control unit. SLWs can also be integrated into a variety of ROWS in parallel with their existing weaponry (i.e., machine guns) and using their FCUs. In such cases, ballistics would be comparable to an automatic grenade launcher, he says.

In naval applications, multiple RGW 90s can be mounted on platforms such as Rafael’s Typhoon stabilized weapon station, with a sensor head with forward-looking infrared, TV, laser range finder and auto tracker, and slaved to a ship’s fire control. One benefit of this would be the ability to target and destroy explosives-laden small craft operated by terrorists. Weisshaupt says that with low signatures and unpredictable courses, such vessels are especially dangerous in harbors. Moreover, it is difficult to engage these targets at long range in the confined and often crowded space of a harbor, and the boats cannot be easily sunk or disabled by machine guns or cannons firing medium-caliber ammunition if they are less than 50 meters away.

Weisshaupt says the RGW 90 is the ideal “weapon of choice” for this scenario. It is sealed and thus protected against water and other environmental conditions, has high muzzle velocity, is insensitive to cross wind or turbulence, is easy to adapt to external safety, arming and triggering devices, and has a large enough warhead to destroy a small boat with one shot.

Photo: Slovenian Defense Ministry

[buglerbilly]

Saab receives new Carl-Gustaf orders

03 January 2012 - 13:52 by the Shephard News Team



Saab has announced that it has signed a contract for the delivery of additional M3 Carl-Gustaf man-portable weapon system components to an unnamed customer. According to the company the order is worth MSEK 105 (AUD$ <14.9 Million) and deliveries will take place during 2012.

Currently in export to more than 40 customers worldwide, the Carl-Gustaf system is a highly modern and capable ground support weapon. The system has been modernised and adapted to meet new requirements, with the Carl-Gustaf M3 version the most advanced configuration to date.

[buglerbilly]

Army acquires recoilless, shoulder-fired weapon

January 6, 2012

By Kris Osborn, ASA(ALT)


The U.S. Army Soldiers in Afghanistan are now firing an 84mm, reusable, recoilless shoulder-fired conventional munition called the Carl-Gustaf, which is able to destroy enemy targets hidden behind rocks, trees and buildings

WASHINGTON (Jan. 6, 2012) -- The U.S. Army Soldiers in Afghanistan are now firing an 84mm, reusable, recoilless shoulder-fired conventional munition able to destroy enemy targets hidden behind rocks, trees and buildings , service officials said.

The weapon, called the Multi-Role Anti-Armor, Anti-Personnel Weapons System, known as the Carl-Gustaf, was ordered by the Army in response to an Operational Needs Statement from Afghanistan seeking to procure a direct fire, man-portable, anti-personnel and light structure weapon able, among other things, to respond to insurgent rocket-propelled grenade, or RPG, fire, said Bhuvanesh Thoguluva, chief of Vehicle Protection, Rockets & Shoulder Fired Weapons Branch, Munition Systems & Technical Directorate, Armament Research Development and Engineering Center, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J.

The Carl-Gustaf, which is manufactured by Saab, includes an airburst capability with its High Explosive, or HE, round, Thoguluva said.

"The HE round does have an airburst capability. It is the one that is utilized most often because of its effective range. It uses a mechanical time fuse which is set prior to loading the weapon system," he said.

Airburst rounds can be pre-programmed to explode in the air at a precise location, thereby maximizing the weapon's effect against enemy targets hiding, for example, behind a rock, tree or building.

Several Carl Gustaf's are already in Afghanistan as part of a limited operational assessment, which may indeed result in more deliveries. The Army purchased the weapon by joining with U.S. Special Operations Command in a combined purchase from Saab.

"Thus far, the weapon has been very effective," said Thoguluva.

The weapon, now being evaluated by the Army, has been used by U.S. Army Rangers, Navy SEALs and Special Forces since the late-80s, Thoguluva said.

The anti-armor, anti-personnel, shoulder-fired multi-role weapon is 42-inches long weighs 21 pounds and can fire up to four rounds per minute, said Wes Walters, executive vice pesident for marketing, Saab North America.

"It is not a guided munition," Walters explained, adding that the weapon can utilize thermal sight to provide Soldiers with the ability to shoot at night and reach the proper range.

The Carl Gustaf is also able to fire anti-tank, flechette, illumination, enhanced armor, smoke and High Explosive Dual Purpose rounds, Thoguluva explained.

"The High Explosive Dual Purpose round gives you two different capabilities. In impact mode, the round goes off immediately as soon as it hits the target. In delay mode, the round penetrates the target and then goes off," he said.

[buglerbilly]

RGW 90-AS Anti-Structure Munition: Effective Shoulder-Launched Weapon for Operations Abroad

(Source: German procurement agency, BWB; issued January 9, 2012)



On operations abroad, an enemy behind cover poses a real threat. Until now infantry had hardly any effective weapons against this threat. Therefore, a new weapon, which already yielded promising results, is now being procured within the scope of urgent operational requirements.

A firing campaign at Daaden military training area has been conducted as part of the integrated compliance demonstration activities from 12 to 14 December 2011. The activities mainly focused on a weapon/munition newly fielded in the Bundeswehr referred to as “Recoilless Grenade Weapon 90 mm - Anti Structure” (RGW 90-AS).

The weapons currently held by forces employed in an infantry role in Afghanistan are insufficient in various scenarios to meet present operational demands. Dismounted combat - particularly against enemies beneath camouflage and behind cover - is affected by a capability gap regarding effectiveness and range.

In order to quickly close this capability gap the procurement of the RGW 90-AS was initiated within the scope of urgent operational requirements. It took less than three months for BWB to implement the procurement order received and to conduct the operational test. In order to save further time, the integrated compliance demonstration activities were taken as an opportunity to provide instruction and training to the 28th and 29th ISAF contingent. The first cartridges are expected to be available to the operational forces by April 2012.

The RGW 90-AS is a low-recoil, shoulder-launched weapon to be used for the engagement of structural targets. It has a tandem warhead and it can be fired in two different modes of operation: the mousehole mode and the blast mode.

In the mousehole mode the preload capacity breaks a hole into the structure. The load following the round (with a short firing control delay) detonates within the hole in the wall, thus creating a larger hole. Soldiers are hence enabled to enter the building under fire.

In the blast mode the follow-up firing load (with a long firing control delay) penetrates into the building so that the building structure is being destroyed from inside the building. Other munitions introduced so far were insufficient to achieve the necessary extent of the above target effects.

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

France Launches Development of Milan Replacement

(Source: French Direction Générale pour l’Armement; issued Jan. 19, 2012)

(Issued in French only; unofficial translation by defense-aerospace.com)

Let us hope it is more successful than TRIGAT....................

The French defence ministry’s defence procurement agency, Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA), on Dec. 30, 2011 awarded a contract to MBDA for the risk reduction phase of the Missile Moyenne Portée (Medium-Range Missile, or MMP) with which it intends to replace the Milan wire-guided anti-tank missile that has been in service since 1974. Launch of the NNP programme is tentatively scheduled for late 2012.

The Milan missile is a major export success and the MMP program will allow French and European industry to continue offering its customers a complete family of high-performance missile systems.

The MMP is designed to equip front-line combat units and special forces, and to provide them with an accurate and versatile weapon. Faced with a widely diversified range of threats, these units can act alone, on foot and without immediate support, in complex tactical environments (day-night combat, proximity of civilian populations or friendly forces, asymmetric engagements, multiple actors) and a variety of geographical features (urban, desert, mountains ...).

The MMP is intended to engage and destroy stationary or mobile ground targets at distances up to 2500 meters, including the latest generation of tanks, light vehicles. It also will engage disembarked personnel as well as protected or fortified positions.

It will ensure the protection of the operator during the engagement phase thanks to its inherent simplicity of use, and to its fire-and-forget capability and its ability to be fired from enclosed spaces.

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

Via the Firearm blog.......

Crimson Trace M72 LAW Laser Attachment

Crimson Trace has developed a laser aiming attachment for the M72 Light Anti-Tank Weapon (LAW). Because the LAW launcher tube is disposable the laser module uses quick detach mount so that the operator can easily attach is before firing and remove it before disposing of the tube.







Ian Harrison mentioned that the laser module was in service, somewhere, but would not say which country or service has adopted it.