Archangel Defense Systems is testing its Full Spectrum Active Protection Close-in Shield (FCLAS) with the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) in trials at Utah’s Camp W.G. Williams. The system, designed for Humvees and bigger vehicles, uses an array of projectiles that employ a paired set of radars that firstly detects an inbound threat, which triggers a black powder projectile launch, and then uses the second radar to trigger the kill vehicle (basically, a smart grenade) to explode near the incoming missile. All of this happens at about 15 feet from the vehicle. The charges are shaped so as to create a donut-shaped explosion that shouldn’t harm the threatened vehicle.
Handicappers are pegging Adelaide and the government-owned ACS outfit as the probable winners of the upcoming bid – due just prior to Christmas – for Australia’s largest and most complicated engineering and manufacturing assignment in decades. The $6 billion dollar ten-year contract will determine what region of the country inherits the ship building trade expertise and the new infrastructure it will require. The decision will likely shift that center west from Melbourne. The Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) contract will be conducted in a novel way for Australia, combining the forces of competing companies into an alliance contract, replacing the fixed price arrangements that seemed to go sour on previous Australian projects, including the most recent submarine and frigate projects. A division of French defense giant Thales has reportedly been boxed out of bid consideration due to Australian government annoyance with France’s foreign policy. More…
Four E.U. nations will go ahead with a new set of orders for the Eurofighter, which has been a bit revamped to increase its ground attack ability. Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K. will spend about $17 billion to buy 236 planes, signing the deal as early as this week. This order was put on ice for two years, largely due to British concerns that the plane – which is now more than three times as expensive as originally planned – had anemic ground engagement capabilities. The program is six years behind schedule. The 20 year old Eurofighter program is Europe’s largest defense program, including about 400 suppliers. Boosters hope that the new order will help the plane’s credibility and salability in the broader defense market. The new order includes some development costs as well as the aircraft production, but leaves out weaponry, support and maintenance. More…
