‘Please don’t call it the Iron Man suit,’ pleaded a public affairs official from US Special Operation Command. Unfortunately, that was what everyone is calling it at SOFIC 2016 in Tampa Bay, even in briefings by some of their leadership.
The Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS) programme is moving slowly toward an August 2018 milestone to deliver the first suit prototype.
TALOS was initiated in early FY14 by then USSOCOM Commander Adm William McRaven with a focus on protecting the operator.
Now the programme has three primary tenets: comprehensive ballistic protection; increased situational awareness; and both surgical precision and
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The new artillery and howitzer factory pre-dates the emphasis on this capability from this month’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR). The first joint industry-government meeting outlined in the review took place this week.
Romania received its first Cobra MkII 4×4 light tactical armoured vehicles, ordered Abrams main battle tanks (MBTs) and VAMTAC light vehicles, and is set to invest billions-of-dollars in infantry fighting vehicles.
The Italian Army operates Pumas in 6×6 and 4×4 configurations but the platforms are ageing and numbers have fallen with obsolescence also being an issue. Any replacement is likely to have a focus on the involvement of local industry.
The VAMTAC (Vehículo de Alta Movilidad Táctico or High Mobility Tactical Vehicle) 4×4 by Urovesa is in service with or has been ordered by eight countries, the most recent being Spain this month and Romania last month.
Lockheed Martin’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) is a next-generation surface-to-surface missile with the solid rocket motor (SRM) provided by Northrop Grumman. The company is working to boost its SRM production capability.
The CV90 is in service with or ordered by ten countries. The agreement between six of these countries is designed to create commonality to provide economies of scale and a reduced training burden.
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