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| Leopard 2A7+ Specifications (From the KMW Website) | ||
| Weight | 67.5 t | |
| Length (gun at 12 o'clock) | 10.97 m | |
| Width | 4.00 m | |
| Height (turret roof) | 2.64 m | |
| Engine power | 1,100 kW (1,500 hp) | |
| Maximum speed | 72 km/h | |
| Cruising range | 450 km | |
| Armament
|
120 mm / L55 smoothbore
cannon and 12.7 mm MG oder 40 mm granade launcher 7.62 mm coaxial MG | |
Kel-Tec Ok folks, since this question is being asked relentlessly I'll address it.
No, we are not at full production on PMR-30s. It has nothing to do with the product but more with the time line we set to release the PMR-30.
Back in January we ann...ounced that Q2 was the release date. It was based on estimated time to move from prototype to full production. What we had in January was a working model, but was not made on production CNC machines.
Our estimation proved to be quite off in terms of development. We noticed it before release but felt if we really pushed ourselves we could meet the Q2 release. The first batch of 80 or so, were done by that deadline, but had not been tested extensively (as we do with any first production run). After testing we found some inconsistencies in the CNC work and did some re-tweaking to fix it.
Since that first batch we've sent several other batches out, each with it's own new little fix. All of the fire arms that have been sent out work, but in the course of production we've found little adjustments here and there that are improvements.
In all honesty this is stuff that should have been going on before release.
What should have happened (because hindsight is 20/20) was that we push back that official release date until October at the earliest.
Basically we underestimated the time it would take us to get these badboys into full production.
So we had a choice: either stop production completely and just wait until a later date (angering those that were told July as a release date) or release smaller batches so the guns can at least see the light of day as production catches up (also angering customers as they see guns coming out but can't seem to get one). Obviously
we chose the latter (the right choice? this remains to be seen). The PMR-30s going out now are in working condition, but we've made that they may want to upgrade to, depending on serial number.
These parts will of course be free.
One thing we've discovered since shipping is that the PMR-30 does NOT like ammunition made in the Philippines (Armscor/Fiocci). The brass is weak and blows out.
So in conclusion: We are still making and shipping PMR-30s while production can get on track. They are still in small batches (30-70) and we are waiting on various redesigned parts to come back from heat treatment so we can start producing them in larger quantities.
Simply put we jumped the gun a bit on release (no pun intended), we acknowledge it, accept it, and are doing everything in our power to get things moving. In the meantime we are still sending out PMR-30s in small batches as we make them.
I hope this clarifies some things. My suggestion is to just pretend as if we set a release date for sometime in October and if you happen to come across a PMR-30 then it will be a pleasant surprise.
I will be happy to answer any additional questions that I can.
Multimission deployment range
The MUNGO family of air-portable vehicles is tailored specifically to the requirements of highly-mobile airborne forces: airportable in a CH53 or CH47, protected, highly-mobile, multi-purpose and logistically easy to supply. Weighing just 5.3 tons overall, the MUNGO can transport ten fully equipped soldiers. The MUNGO is the ideal solution for deploying airportable forces in crisis situations. The vehicle can be disarmed for loading on a CH53 or CH47 transport helicopter or armed for deployment in only five minutes. C130 and A400M transport aircraft can even be used for transporting two or three MUNGOs together with their ten-man crew. The MUNGO can also be transported by helicopter as an external load.
Northrop Grumman LITEF IMU on Typhoon
Northrop Grumman has been awarded a contract by EADS Defence & Security to deliver inertial measurement units (IMU) for Tranche 3A of the Eurofighter Typhoon. The IMUs will be built by the company's German navigation systems subsidiary, Northrop Grumman LITEF.
Developed as part of the flight control system of the Eurofighter Typhoon, the IMU system, with its highly accurate inertial sensors and built-in redundancy, is the sole sensor which measures the motion of the aircraft and continuously provides motion data to the flight control computer to drive the control systems and actuators. This closed control loop stabilization system enables the aircraft to perform with extreme agility as well as a high degree of maneuverability, ensuring it can operate to the maximum of its capability and to the limit of its flight envelope. In a secondary function, the IMU provides backup navigation data.
Navy Working Uniform Type II/III Website Launched
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) launched a Web site for the Navy Working Uniform (NWU) Type II/III Aug. 9.
The website is intended to provide detailed information about the new uniforms, including development history, conformance testing data, frequently asked questions and answers, news and updates, photographs, and contact information.
"We want to provide the best Web site possible to inform our expeditionary Sailors about the new uniforms," said Andy Hu, NAVFAC NWU Type II/III program manager.
NAVFAC also has a Facebook page so the program manager can receive additional feedback, and visitors are encouraged to join or start a dialogue about the NWU Type II/III.
These new tactical uniforms are undergoing conformance testing this summer and are scheduled to be issued to the expeditionary Navy in spring 2011.
Visit the NWU Type II/III website at http://www.navfac.navy.mil/nwu, and the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/NWU-Type-II-II/147583515252522?v=wall.
(Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, a driving force behind both the Afghan war plan and in overhauling the Pentagon's finances, said in an interview published on Monday he aims to retire next year.So what does this mean?
Defense Minister Ehud Barak approved the purchase of 20 F-35 fighter planes for the Israel Air Force on Sunday.So another win to offset any losses and we still have Singapore, Japan, S. Korea and a possible additional set of purchases from Australia for their LHD to look forward to.
The planes, manufactured by the American company Lockheed Martin, are expected to be delivered to Israel between 2015 and 2017.
Barak's approval of the $2.7 billion deal came after more than two years of tough talks between the Israeli defense establishment, the U.S. Pentagon, and Lockheed Martin.
Mistral-class helicopter carriers, which Russia plans to buy from France, will be armed with Russian Ka-52 Alligator helicopters, Air Force Commander Colonel General Alexander Zelin told the Ekho Moskvy FM station on Saturday.and...
The Russian military has said it plans to use Mistral ships in its Northern and Pacific fleets.Read the whole thing here. One thing is certain, Georgia and the other small European countries near the sea should be concerned.
Many Russian military and industry experts have questioned the financial and military sense of the purchase, and some believe that Russia simply wants to gain access to advanced naval technology that could be used in the future in potential conflicts with NATO and its allies.
In April, the head of the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation, Mikhail Dmitriev, said the Mistral deal would be concluded by the end of the year.
Since then, Marines have fought on the beaches, mountains and trenches of Korea, the highlands and rice paddies of Vietnam, and the deserts of Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. Although many of these operations saw Marines initially projected from the sea, “they soon turned into long, grinding, ground engagements,” Gates said.Sounds like he is endorsing the work already done by the current Commandant to get the Marines feet wet again.
The nation does not need a second land army, Gates said, but rather forces that can deploy quickly and sustain themselves for a short period of time.
“Looking ahead, I do think it is proper to ask whether large-scale amphibious landings along the lines of Inchon (Korea in 1950) are feasible,” the secretary said. Anti-access technologies, such as more accurate cruise and ballistic missiles, will work to drive the starting point for amphibious operations farther and farther out to sea.The funny thing here is that Forcible Entry in general and Amphibious Assault in particular has been reaffirmed once again. This is honestly a shot at only one part of the Marine Corps and that's the EFV. This entire speech was a thinly veiled shot across the bow at a weapon system and not the Marine Corps.
All will gain from a serious and balanced look at military missions, with an emphasis on balance, Gates said. “The United States will continue to face a diverse range of threats that will require a flexible portfolio of military capabilities,” he said. The military must be equally adept in counterinsurgency and full-spectrum operations. Any enemy is going to confront perceived American weaknesses, and how the military responds to asymmetric tactics must be considered, he added.
As the UK public got its first glimpse of the RAF’s stunning Harrier replacement at Farnborough, Squadron Leader Steve Long said:'Nuff said.
“It is like an iPhone on speed. It is a quantum leap in terms of technology and aerodynamics.”
The intense battle over powering the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter could be heading to new levels following test results that show the General Electric/Rolls-Royce F136 alternate engine has more than 15% thrust margin against specification, significantly exceeding the power of the baseline Pratt & Whitney F135.and then this later on...
“Initial results show we have more than 15% margin at sea level combat-rated thrust than the specification. That’s significantly beyond the thrust requirement right out of the chute,” says GE-Rolls. In March this year, following the first maximum afterburner test of a system development and demonstration engine, the team quietly expressed confidence the F136 would exceed the thrust of the baseline F135 by 5%. Actual thrust achieved in the test remains undisclosed, but it is in excess of 40,000 lb.So for an observer and not expert, I'm left with the thought that...ok, the F136 produces 5% more thrust than the F135...but haven't we known that all along?
With the wheeled combat vehicles having shown their limitations in moderate combat (I know the silliness of that designation but currently high intensity combat would mean operations against a technological capable enemy...the Taliban and Insurgents just don't qualify) the after market for this type of track might be large.Band track is a high-performance, low-maintenance alternative for the segmented metal track traditionally used for tracked combat vehicles. Lightweight rubber composite, band track travels smoothly around suspension components with minimal vibration and noise.
The first flight of the UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) equipped with the Security and Support Battalion (S&S Battalion) Mission Equipment Package (MEP) occurred in June at the company’s American Eurocopter facility in Columbus, Miss.Excuse me. But I have seen multi-million dollar command and control vehicles with the FBI, ATF, State and Local Police Agencies, FEMA and practically the whole host of alphabet soup departments in the US government. Now the Army and National Guard need additional recon and Command and Control assets?
The S&S Battalion MEP will greatly expand the Lakota’s use for reconnaissance, command and control and air movement operations in support of U.S. homeland defense and security missions with the U.S. Army National Guard.
The maiden flight with this mission package on a UH-72A version represents another milestone in the Lakota’s highly successful development for the U.S. Army and also demonstrates EADS North America’s ability to evolve complex systems to meet warfighters’ mission needs.
“This is a very significant milestone in the maturation of the UH-72A Lakota for the U.S. Army and National Guard user,” said EADS North America COO David R. Oliver. “The fleet of Lakota aircraft is approaching 40,000 flight hours and as the Army continues to fly Lakotas they’re realizing the versatility and reliability of the aircraft. The S&S Battalion first flight illustrates the continued expansion and validation of the Lakota’s capabilities.”
