Archive for January, 2010
Jan 30, 2010, post by Artur Ślesik
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A prototype track-mounted combat platform tailored to use Russian weapons has been unveiled at an arms show in Moscow. Producers say it beats the similar American bot widely used in Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns.
Propeller The bot, called MRK-27-BT, was produced by the robotics lab of the Moscow Bauman Technical University. It was shown to the public at the Interpolitex-2009 arms exhibition.
MRK-27-BT’s standard armament includes two Shmel rocket launchers, two grenade launchers, a Pecheneg machine gun with a 100 round ammunition belt, and six smoke grenades. It is operated with a couple of joysticks and has a maximum range of 500 meters. All the weapons are standard issue used by human soldiers and can be detached in the field.
The project is similar to SWORDS, a weaponized version of Foster-Miller’s TALON platform. While the platform is extensively used by US military for disposing of explosives and other tasks, the real weapon-wielding bot was never used in actual combat.
Russian developers say their project beats the American counterpart in mobility and speed thanks to a superior track design. Its weapon mount is more flexible and can extend over a foxhole edge. It also has a built-in recoil suppressor. At the same time the Russian robot is larger, standing 1.5 meters tall with its mount raised, while SWORDS is barely knee high.
Designers hope that Russian Defense Ministry will order a trial series of the platform. However, according to RIA Novosti’s sources, top brass want a developed doctrine about the use of combat robots before committing.
Jan 30, 2010, post by Artur Ślesik
In a push to leverage the most advanced ground vehicle systems research being pursued in the United States today, the National Defense Industrial Association’s (NDIA’s) Michigan chapter will host a three-day symposium in August that will serve as a gateway for public-private technology discussion and project development.
The 2010 Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), taking place Aug. 17-19, will offer industry, government and academic organizations an opportunity to present technical papers and attend panel discussions likely to set the research and development (R&D) agenda for ground vehicle systems programs moving forward. This year’s conference theme is GVSETS- Collaborating to Rapidly Provide Superior, Integrated Capabilities to Our Warfighters.
Building on the success of last year’s inaugural symposium, the NDIA has expanded the 2010 conference venue to the Dearborn Hyatt Regency and enlisted eight major defense contractors to help sponsor the event including AM General LLC, BAE Systems, DRS Technologies, General Dynamics Corp., Lockheed Martin Corp., OshKosh Defense Corp., Raytheon Co. and Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC). The Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD) and U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) will also be major participants at the conference.
NDIA in collaboration with ESD will be issuing a call for technical papers in five technology arenas: Power and Energy; Robotic Systems; Modeling and Simulation, Testing and Validation; Systems Engineering; and Vehicle Electronics and Architecture.
Jan 30, 2010, post by Artur Ślesik
Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has strengthened its position in Italy by acquiring the remaining 49% share in Europea Microfusioni Aerospaziali SpA (EMA) from Finmeccanica, taking its holding in the Italian company to 100%.
EMA, originally established in 1990, manufactures precision advanced micro-castings for aero engines, including those that power the Airbus A380 and will power the new
Boeing 787.
Giuseppe Ciongoli, Rolls-Royce Regional Director – Italy, said: “Over recent years, EMA has developed into an important technology company and this transaction underscores Rolls-Royce’s commitment to high value added manufacturing and to advanced manufacturing in Italy.”
Through EMA, Rolls-Royce has brought skilled industrial job opportunities to an area of Southern Italy that previously offered limited specialised opportunities. The growth of EMA over the past decade has contributed to revitalising the local economy.
