Drone wars: countries are looking for answers but do companies have the solutions?
Manufacturers are speeding up their counter-drone development efforts as countries increasingly focus on procurements to provide battlefield and national protection.
Family of Weapons Sights – Individual (FWS-I). (Photo: US Army)
US Army Contracting Command has awarded two five-year deals for the Family of Weapons Sights – Individual (FWS-I).
The DoD announced contracts for DRS Network & Imaging Systems ($579.29 million) and Teledyne FLIR ($500.22 million) on 28 April.
‘Work locations and funding will be determined with each order,’ the DoD added.
Along with the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle - Binocular (ENVG-B), FWS-I is intended to provide US Army troops with the most advanced night vision equipment available.
FWS-I, which would be mounted on a soldier's weapon, wirelessly transmits its sight picture to the helmet-worn ENVG-B. It allows soldiers to see through fog, dust, and smoke, in both day and night environments.
The family of sights is compatible with a range of infantry weapons such as the M16 rifle, M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, the M141 Bunker Defeat Munition, and the M136 AT4 Light Anti-Tank Weapon.
It can be mounted in front of day sights that have already been bore-sighted. Soldiers carrying rifles can add or remove the FWS-I without having to remove their day sights first.
FWS-I was designed with end-user input in a collaborative effort with Program Executive Office - Soldier and the Soldier Lethality Cross Functional Team, using soldier feedback early in the development process to inform design.
Manufacturers are speeding up their counter-drone development efforts as countries increasingly focus on procurements to provide battlefield and national protection.
Finnish company SCATA will use the Texelis Celeris chassis for a new vehicle similar to the Serval 4x4 which Texelis is building with KNDS France for the French Army.
The proposed $920 million deal would provide Sweden with a step up from its existing tube artillery and align the country with other northern European nations that have selected the HIMARS platform.
The attack drone threat from first-person view uncrewed aerial systems has been highlighted by recent conflicts and Thales has adapted its Storm 2 counter-improvised explosive device jammer to provide protection.
The move signals significant progress for the delayed Franco-German Main Ground Combat System programme with first powerpack prototypes set to be tested before the end of the decade.
Reported to provide a high percentage of precision in its engagements, the South Korean air defence system has been receiving growing international interest since it was deployed by the UAE to defeat Iranian missiles.