With operational challenges in conflict scenarios in Afghanistan ranging from new and unseen terrorist enemies, to extreme environmental conditions and terrains, force protection is now recognized as being of crucial importance to achieving operational success.

New threats include a whole host of scenarios, from chemically laced roadside bombs (Chlorine IED’s) to the remote and hostile environments that need to be accessed in order to rout terrorist enclaves. The nuclear, biological, and chemical threat protection systems which are currently in service, were designed specifically for the Cold War, and are proving now hugely inadequate, which further emphasizes the need for a higher level of protection against these new operational challenges.

Beth-El’s unique and versatile systems can be customised into any armored vehicle and are able to remove sand and dust from crew compartments in peace-time operations, not only protecting crews, but also extending the life-time of sensitive electronic equipment inside the protected environment.

The exhibition, which is taken place alongside the main conference at International Armored Vehicles, is drawing considerable interest from the AFV community, with over 50 exhibitors signed up already. Beth-El will be joined by an array of vehicle manufacturers and major OEMs, vehicle system suppliers and service providers. Companies range from Oskosh, Plasan, and Ruag to Elbit Systems, MDH Bioquell, Hutchison and Tyron.

The event is taking place against the backdrop of a challenging security environment, which is proving increasing complex and unpredictable. As a consequence, there is a growing need to hasten global efforts to upgrade armoured vehicle military capabilities. Whilst experience, education and awareness remain crucial dynamics in combating new threats, the provision of adequate force protection is a necessity.

Visit http://www.armoured-vehicles.co.uk for further details about the event.

Contact:
Amy Jeffray
Head of Marketing
9th Annual International Armoured Vehicles Conference
+44 (0) 207 368 9306
amy.jeffray@iqpc.co.uk

About Defence IQ:
Since 2001 Defence IQ has been helping deliver critical information to senior decision makers in the defence, aerospace and technology sectors, tackling issues relating to the latest defence plans, requirements, programmes and technologies and how they affect you. Defence IQ provides senior military, government and industry representatives with informative conferences in an informal environment, discussing the very latest plans, requirements, programmes and technologies.

BETH-EL to Combat Operational Challenges at International Amoured vehicles is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

Beginning in January, the Disability Evaluation System pilot program will expand to six installations. The new participants are medical facilities at Fort Benning, Ga.; Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Lewis, Wash.; Fort Riley, Kan.; and Portsmouth Naval Medical Center, Va.

Twenty-seven other military facilities already take part in the program.

"The decision to expand the pilot was based upon favorable reviews focusing on the program's ability to meet timeliness, effectiveness, transparency and customer and stakeholder satisfaction," said Nole Koch, deputy undersecretary of defense for wounded warrior care and transition policy, in a statement released by the Defense Department.

The pilot program began in November 2007 within the national capital region and concerns servicemembers who separated from the military under honorable conditions for service-related injuries. It addresses redundancy and inconsistent decisions in medical evaluations in separate disability processes used in the Defense Department and VA.

Outside of the medical facilities using the pilot programs, evaluations for veterans are managed first by Defense Department physicians, then by VA. Through this program, physicians in both departments collaborate on medical findings, speeding the claims and benefit payment processes for disabled veterans.

"The pilot is a test of a new process design eliminating the duplicative, time-consuming, and often confusing elements of the two current disability processes of the departments," the Defense Department statement said. "Key features of the [pilot] include one medical examination and a single-sourced disability rating."

More than 5,400 military members have participated in the pilot program.

"Streamlining our disability claims system and working closely with [the Defense Department] to care for today's generation of heroes are among VA's top priorities," VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki said in the statement. "We will never lose sight of the fact that veterans and military personnel have earned their benefits ... by virtue of their service to the nation."

Pentagon, VA expand disability claims test is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

As calls across the globe for improved equipment to be provided to troops in Afghanistan, Oshkosh have received significant praise from the U.S Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, who claims that Oshkosh’s rapid build up of a new class of military vehicles designed for specifically for Afghanistan, is one of the most remarkable efforts in the defence industry since World War II.

With recorded statistics indicating that eight American troops have died in combat through attacks on armoured military vehicles, and forty more wounded, there is the sense of a growing need to hasten global efforts to upgrade armoured vehicle military capabilities.

Exhibiting their new SandCat, the high-speed, highly-protected, highly-maneuverable vehicle can be specifically configured to fulfil a variety of roles in any type of mission. The SandCat is tailored to meet operational environments, giving the perfect balance of mission performance, protection and payload to meet rigorous demands.

The exhibition, which is taken place alongside the main conference at International Armoured Vehicles, is attracting a huge amount of interest from the AFV community, with over 50 exhibitors signed up already. Oshkosh will be joined by an array of vehicle manufacturers and major OEMs, vehicle system suppliers and service providers. Companies include Force Protection, Iveco, MDH Bioquell, Hutchison and Tyron.

At a time when military, political and industrial imperatives come to the fore, International Armoured Vehicles is an event that is pertinent to the AFV community.

To find out more about the conference and exhibition visit www.armoured-vehicles.co.uk for further details.

Contact:
Amy Jeffray
Head of Marketing
9th Annual International Armoured Vehicles Conference
+44 (0) 207 368 9306
amy.jeffray@iqpc.co.uk

About Defence IQ:
Since 2001 Defence IQ has been helping deliver critical information to senior decision makers in the defence, aerospace and technology sectors, tackling issues relating to the latest defence plans, requirements, programmes and technologies and how they affect you. Defence IQ provides senior military, government and industry representatives with informative conferences in an informal environment, discussing the very latest plans, requirements, programmes and technologies.

Oshkosh to Display Sandcat at International Armoured Vehicles is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

Gates announced the new task force today, and said he expects its members to spend the next six months reporting to him about the best way to deal with the improvised explosive device threat in Afghanistan.

The task force will be co-chaired by Ashton Carter, undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics; and Marine Lt. Gen. John M. “Jay” Paxton Jr., the Joint Staff’s operations chief. It will integrate work by the Joint IED Defeat Organization and the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and acquisition communities, Gates said.

The task force also will work directly with Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan, and other ground commanders.

Gates noted broad efforts already under way throughout the department, but said he hopes the task force will cut through organizational stovepipes to make them more effective.

“We have people working all these different pieces,” he said. “My concern is whether all this has been properly integrated and prioritized and aligned, and whether we are adaptable and agile enough.”

Gates said he has tasked the new body “to make sure we have integrated all the capabilities we have to go after this challenge,” he said. “And if they identify a need for something new, then so we can go get it and get it into the hands of the troops and the commanders.”

The goal is to ensure the military has the same level of capabilities in Afghanistan that it has built in Iraq, he said. These include not just counter-IED measures, but also forensics labs and analytical capabilities to help identify and track terrorist networks that build and emplace them.

“The whole purpose of this, really, is to make sure we get the troops what they need to protect themselves, and also the tools to be more effective in taking down these networks,” he said.

Gates already has sent the new task force a job: to analyze lessons the Mujahadeen learned when it used the same kinds of IEDs being used today against U.S. troops as in its struggle against the Soviet Union three decades ago.

“So let’s go back and look at the playbook they used against the Soviets to see if there is something we have learned in terms of adapting our tactics, techniques and procedures,” he said.

Task Force to Focus on Afghan Roadside Bomb Threat is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

The Army plans on purchasing more than 12,500 XM-25 systems starting in 2012, which will be enough to put one in each Infantry squad and Special Forces team, according to officials at Program Executive Office-Soldier.

At first glance, the XM-25 looks like something out of a Sci-Fi movie. It features an array of sights, sensors and lasers housed in a Target Acquisition Fire Control unit on top, an oversized magazine behind the trigger mechanism, and a short, ominous barrel wrapped by a recoil dampening sleeve.

Unlike a Hollywood prop, however, this weapon is very real and designed to accurately deliver an explosive round that neutralizes targets at distances of up to 700 meters - well past the range of the rifles and carbines that most Soldiers carry today.

"What makes this weapon system truly revolutionary is the ability to target the enemy, pass on this information to the sensors and microchips of its 25mm HEAB round, and have that round detonate over the target," explained Maj. Shawn Murray, a Soldier Weapons assistant product manager in PEO Soldier, the organization responsible for developing the XM-25.

"When the HEAB round explodes, the target is peppered with fragmentation," Murray said. "Our studies indicate that the XM-25 with HEAB is 300 percent more effective at incapacitating the enemy than current weapons at the squad level."

Because of the XM-25's unique TAFC and HEAB round, Soldiers will be able to engage enemy forces located in the open and "in defilade" -behind cover, such as walls, rocks, trenches, or inside buildings. The semi-automatic weapon's magazine holds four 25mm rounds and can be employed at night or during inclement weather thanks to the XM25's built-in thermal sight.

After only five minutes of instruction at the Aberdeen Test Center, Sgt. Logan E. Diveley from the 180th Infantry Regiment was able to put his first HEAB round through a building's window and take out an enemy mannequin at 200 meters.

When asked what he thought of the weapon, Diveley responded, "I've been in over nine contacts with the enemy during my two tours in Iraq. Their ambushes were usually initiated with an IED and followed up with small arms fire from behind walls and buildings, places where it was hard for us to get at them. The XM-25 would have taken care of things and made our jobs much easier."

Once downrange and in the building where the defeated enemy mannequin lay, Maj. Murray noted the limited collateral damage associated with the XM-25.

"Because of its pinpoint accuracy and relatively small warheads, the XM25 can neutralize an enemy without the need to destroy a whole building," Murray said. "For our counter-insurgency operations to be successful, it is important to keep collateral damage to a minimum and to protect the civilian population. I think the XM-25 will prove itself many times over in Afghanistan," Murray said.

The XM-25 is being developed by PEO Soldier, the Army acquisition organization responsible for nearly every piece of equipment worn or carried by Soldiers. This includes items ranging from socks, to weapons, to advanced sensor and communication devices. PEO Soldier bases much of its work on the feedback from individual Soldiers, developing or procuring solutions to meet those needs.

The development of the XM-25 is one such a program, designed to provide Soldiers a solution for dealing with enemies in the open and behind cover that is more precise, quicker to employ, and more cost effective than mortar, artillery, or airstrikes.

A Battlefield Scenario for the XM-25

An American patrol nears a walled, Afghan village when an enemy combatant looks over the wall and fires his AK-47 rifle at the oncoming U.S. Soldiers. The Americans return fire with their rifles and maneuver, but find it difficult to neutralize the enemy rifleman who repeatedly exposes himself for only a second, shoots, then ducks behind the thick wall. At this time, the patrol leader calls for the XM-25 gunner to take action.

Immediately, the XM-25 gunner aims the laser range-finder at the top of the wall where the enemy last ducked down. The gunner presses the laser range finder button on the front of the XM-25's trigger guard and records a distance to the wall of 451 meters. The distance is displayed on the TAFC's optical lens along with an adjusted aim point, or "cross hair," to help the soldier better aim the XM-25.

The adjusted aim point takes into account air pressure, temperature, and the ballistics of the 25mm round for the given range of 451 meters. The soldier then uses the increment button on the trigger guard and adds one more meter to the firing solution since the enemy combatant is about one meter behind the wall.

Upon pulling the trigger, the TAFC programs the HEAB round in the chamber of the weapon, telling the round to explode at 452 meters from launch point. The HEAB round departs the rifled barrel, arms at 30 meters, clears the top of the wall at 451 meters and explodes its two warheads at 452 meters, right above the enemy. The entire firing sequence takes the gunner less than five seconds to aim and fire and another 2.5 seconds for the round to fly and explode over the target, thereby clearing the way for the patrol to resume its mission.

(Lt. Col. Christopher Lehner writes for PEO Soldier - Soldier Weapons)

Army testing XM-25 ’smart’ high-explosive weapon for Soldiers is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

The Army has initiated the process of acquiring these APCs by issuing a Request for Information (RFI) recently.

As per the RFI issued by the Army, at least 100 APCs will be procured from the vendor chosen after the acquisition process and the rest would be licence-produced in India after a Transfer of Technology to an indigenous firm.

According to Defence Ministry officials, over a period of five years, the Indian army is looking to add over 500 new APCs to its existing fleet of around 1,500 Russian-origin BMP-I and BMP-IIs.

The Indian Army at present has 26 mechanized infantry battalions with its APCs having the capability to carry around 10 soldiers each.

Some of the APCs are equipped with missile launchers for firing Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM).

The Indian Army wants its new APCs to be capable of being air-lifted in IAF heavylift aircraft such as the IL-76 and C-130Js to be procured from US in the near future.

The new APCs should also be capable of being carried in Navy's amphibious warships such as the INS Jalashwa and the INS Airavat.

Indian Army to Procure over 100 Armoured Personnel Carriers is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

The two, Wiltshire-based, Army units have formed a "Mastiff Group" for Operation HERRICK 11.

The troops will be operating the Mastiff Protected Mobility Vehicle. It is heavily armoured and is used to transport troops, protect large convoys, as well as to directly engage the Taliban with its advanced weapons systems.

In preparation for their deployment the 3 YORKS and KRH soldiers recently carried out their last pre-deployment training exercise on Salisbury Plain where they were put through their paces during a demanding week.

They then joined up with The 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards Battle Group before flying out to Afghanistan.

Officer Commanding Nick Mackenzie, said: "The Mastiff Group will perform a vital role in Afghanistan.

"They have undergone an intensive training package prior to deployment and are fully prepared for the challenges that lie ahead in Helmand province."

It has been a busy but successful year for 3 YORKS, which is based in Warminster.

A Company's worth of soldiers are now returning from Afghanistan, another Company returned from Iraq at the beginning of August, where they were amongst the last British combat troops to leave the country.

For many of the KRH soldiers, who are based in Tidworth, it will be their second winter tour in Afghanistan having previously deployed on Operation HERRICK 7.

Mastiff Group Deploys to Afghanistan is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

The aircraft, part of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (Reinforced), will be transferred to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261 and serve as part of 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade's Aviation Combat Element.

The 22nd MEU was the first Marine Expeditionary Unit to conduct a ship-based deployment with the tiltrotor aircraft. VMM-263 (Rein) attached to the MEU in September, 2008, and was also the first squadron to deploy with the aircraft to Iraq in 2007.

"It is a great honor for us to support 2nd MEB, and we are proud to be the first unit to bring this aircraft into Afghanistan," said Col. Gareth F. Brandl, 22nd MEU commanding officer. "We have spent more than a year working with the MV-22B and know that the added capabilities this aircraft brings will benefit the Marines currently engaged against the enemy."

"This historic mission has been one of the highlights of our deployment," said Capt. Sam Howard, Bataan's commanding officer. "We did all we could to make sure they had all the material and logistic support necessary to have a safe and successful fly-off."

The Ospreys launched in three waves making the 510 nautical mile flight in just over two hours. During the aircraft's first amphibious deployment, it flew in support of theater security cooperation events in three countries, including U.S. Central Command's largest exercise, Bright Star 2009 in Egypt.

The Osprey was also used to conduct multiple medical evacuations from ship to shore and was employed to conduct logistics flights to Rota, Spain; Naval Air Station, Sigonella (Sicily); Djibouti, Africa and Bahrain. For more than a month, the squadron supported desert training when the MEU trained ashore in Camp Buehring, Kuwait.

"The men and women of the squadron performed admirably in support of this mission," said Lt. Col. Paul P. Ryan, commanding officer of VMM-263. "I am convinced that this weapon system will serve the operating forces well for decades to come."

Ryan added that the MEU has learned a great deal about operating with the Osprey and has captured lessons learned throughout the deployment to support future tiltrotor squadrons as they begin to deploy with other MEUs.

The 22nd MEU, led by Brandl, is a scalable, multipurpose force of more than 2,200 Marines and Sailors. The unit is composed of its Ground Combat Element, Battalion Landing Team, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment; Aviation Combat Element, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (Reinforced); Logistics Combat Element, Combat Logistics Battalion 22 and its Command Element.

The Bataan ARG is composed of the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5), the amphibious transport dock USS Ponce (LPD 15), the amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 22, Fleet Surgical Team (FST) 6, Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 2, ACU 4 and Beachmaster Unit (BMU) 2.

The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, with the 22nd MEU embarked, deployed May 13, 2009 to conduct maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operations.

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Firing crews for the launch were from the 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery from Fort Lewis, WA. This test firing of a unitary GMLRS met all mission objectives, which included:

• Verify production of GMLRS and HIMARS production lines;
• Validating rocket and launcher reliability;
• Proving performance of system software; and
• Obtaining performance, technical and reliability data.

“Lockheed Martin is constantly improving its products to give our customers more value and enhanced capabilities,” said Scott Arnold, vice president for Precision Fires and Combat Maneuver Systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “Operational feedback from deployed forces is providing us valuable insight so we can enhance our systems’ capabilities to better support the service members we rely on to defend our nations’ frontiers.”

GMLRS is a combat-proven evolutionary family of rockets that also scored numerous successes again in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, where more than 1,200 have been fired by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, and British Army artillery in Afghanistan and Iraq. The GMLRS system, in combat, has maintained a reliability rating of over 98 percent.

GMLRS is the world’s premier long-range rocket artillery round designed specifically for destroying high-priority targets at ranges of 70 km and beyond. Successfully employed in both urban and non-urban environments, it is able to operate in all climate and light conditions while remaining beyond the range of most conventional weapons. Each GMLRS is packaged in a MLRS launch pod and is fired from the MLRS Family of Launchers.

The GMLRS rocket used in this test was fired from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher, the newest member of the MLRS launcher family. HIMARS can accommodate the entire family of MLRS munitions, including all variants of the Guided MLRS rocket and Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles. Designed to enable troops to engage and defeat artillery, air defense concentrations, trucks, light armor and personnel carriers, as well as support troop and supply concentrations, HIMARS can launch its missiles and move away from the launch area before enemy forces locate the launch site.

HIMARS can be transported by C-130 “Hercules” aircraft, which allows HIMARS to be deployed into areas inaccessible to heavier launchers, and is a force multiplier to the units it supports. GMLRS is an international cooperative program among the United States, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. Other international customers include the United Arab Emirates and Singapore.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

Guided MLRS Reaches New Distance Record In Successful Test is a post from: DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons

With the operational tempo in Afghanistan quicker than ever, the need for fully-functional vehicles to support troops on the ground has never been greater.

Such a crucial role falls on the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency's Army vehicle depot in Ashchurch, a 272,000-square metre facility capable of holding everything from the mighty Challenger 2 battle tank to the comparatively lightweight quad bike trailer.

The vast site boasts row after row of hardware, with brand new Panthers, Jackals and Mastiffs among the huge inventory of wagons, trucks and support vehicles waiting to be deployed.

Such an array of resources could lead to the inevitable question as to why this fleet is stationed at a storage site in deepest Gloucestershire and not on the front line in Helmand province.

The answer is simple. In the commercial world a new car will roll off the production line, head to the showroom and find its way into the hands of a grateful owner, but for the Army the swift flow from factory to driver is not an option.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Gascoigne, Royal Logistic Corps (RLC), who is responsible for Whole Fleet Management, explained:

"A lot of these vehicles are coming straight to us from industry and people often regard this place as a storage facility. It is a lot more than that.

"First of all we have to inspect the vehicles and conduct quality assessments - if anything is not right it goes back. If this equipment is going on operations it has to be fully working.

"We realise the soldiers want more than a vehicle. It has to be armoured, it has to be fitted with electronic countermeasures and Bowman radio, which needs to be tested and working.

"These things have to be brought together, it is all done here, and when these vehicles are delivered to Camp Bastion they are ready for the soldiers to jump in and go."

Personnel at Ashchurch have to juggle the demands of supporting operations with routine vehicle tasks but it is clear where their focus lies:

"Urgent Operational Requirements [UORs] are very much our main priority, it is work we take a great deal of pride in delivering," said Major Mark Wilson, RLC, the head of the DSDA establishment.

"We have never failed to meet a UOR deadline. All our projects are different but we look to turn a vehicle round in five days. However, it can be done overnight if needed."

Around 4,200 vehicles have been issued from the facility since October 2008, with more than 800 being sent out in support of operations.

Ashchurch has 25 military personnel working alongside a civilian staff of up to 180 people, all of whom are determined to deliver the best kit possible for soldiers on the ground.

Civilian mechanics inspect all new arrivals in assessments that exceed MOT standards. The companies who supply the Army's fleet also have a presence on site so any problems can be immediately addressed, rather than returning a vehicle to a factory hundreds of miles away:

"We do not hold things against them, that is why they have these facilities," explained Warrant Officer Class 2 Simon Gray, RLC, a vehicle specialist on the UOR programme.

"We ask them to develop a vehicle in 12 months and they are under pressure to deliver, but we understand there will be problems."

As well as priming new tanks, trucks and transport for theatre the site is also responsible for supplying vehicles for training purposes.

This relates to both future users and maintenance personnel who have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the equipment on training areas such as Salisbury Plain.

Another question frequently thrown at the Army is why the hardware from operations in Iraq is not transferred directly to Afghanistan.

Ashchurch is responsible for housing returning kit and has recently received 900 vehicles that were used on Op TELIC.

Some may be in need of upgrades and improved armouring, given the differing nature of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, while others may have reached the end of their shelf life:

"It is a tired fleet," said Major Wilson.

"There were high demands on the vehicles in Iraq and they come back for a new lease of life before being passed on for operations or being disposed of.

"The IED [improvised explosive device] threat in Afghanistan is extremely high. While there was a threat on Op TELIC it was of a different nature and that contributes to the fact these vehicles cannot be shipped straight to Afghanistan."

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