LOCKHEED MARTIN AND DRONE RACING LEAGUE LAUNCH GROUNDBREAKING AI INNOVATION CHALLENGE

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  April 17, 2020 | International, Land

  Nammo signs major ammunition contract with Sweden

  April 16, 2020 - Nammo has signed a contract with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration for delivery of small caliber ammunition worth SEK 670 million. Covering deliveries from 2020-22, the contract builds on a framework agreement signed in 2017, and will enable to Swedish Armed Forces to strengthen its levels of training and readiness. ”We are honored that the Swedish Armed Forces have placed their trust in us as their primary supplier of small caliber ammunition. Customers like Sweden accept only the best, and also have some very specific requirements that we have to fulfil, so in our view this is a major achievement by Nammo's product and manufacturing teams,” said Reijo Bragberg, Nammo's Executive Vice President for Small and Medium Caliber Ammunition. This contract is the second issued under the 2017 framework agreement, and covers six different ammunition types, both for training and combat. Going forward, Nammo is looking to expand its cooperation with the Swedish government in line with the strategic partnerships it has developed with both of Sweden's Nordic neighbors. Nammo CEO Morten Brandtzæg sees this kind of collaboration between industry and governments as essential in dealing both current and future security challenges. ”Recent events have again underscored the need to ensure security of supply in all situations, ranging from peace to crisis, conflict and even war. In our view this relies on both industry and governments cooperating more closely, and we stand ready to support from our side,” said Brandtzæg. Related / Contacts Endre Lunde Endre Lunde Press Contact Senior Vice President, Communications endre.lunde@nammo.com +4790853270 View source version on NAMMO: https://www.nammo.com/newsroom/#/pressreleases/nammo-signs-major-ammunition-contract-with-sweden-2991652

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  April 24, 2018 | International, Land

  Army researchers are developing a self-aware squid-like robot you can 3D print in the field

  By: Todd South In case you weren't already terrified of robots that can jump over walls, fly or crawl, Army researchers are developing your next nightmare — a flexible, soft robot inspired by squid and other invertebrates. And they want soldiers to be able to use 3D printers to make them on the battlefield. The U.S. Army Research Laboratory and the University of Minnesota are developing materials that can be 3D printed based on the flexibility and nimbleness of invertebrates such as a squid, according to an ARL release. Traditional materials are too rigid and limit certain types of movement that robots might require to get into “confined or restricted spaces,” said Ed Habtour, an ARL researcher. The prototypes that Habtour and fellow ARL researchers developed gave 3D-printed actuators three times the movement as what's been tested before. The material that they've used in their testing will bend in any direction when hit with electricity. “In the initial phase of the project, our team began by investigating new methods for emulating the locomotion of invertebrates,” said Michael McAlpine, a professor at the University of Minnesota. That helped researchers learn how to apply the natural movement of invertebrates like squids to produce “high bending motions without skeletal support,” McAlpine said. Because the material doesn't have to be dried, heated or assembled, it would require little training and could be used for printable robots that soldiers could make and use whenever and wherever they're needed. “If we can understand these interactions, then we can use those insights to fabricate dynamic structures and flexible robots which are designed to be self-aware, self-sensing and capable of adjusting their morphologies and properties in real time to adapt to a myriad of external and internal conditions,” Habtour said. The material is still in early development stages, so don't expect to see a robot squid in the foxhole next to you tomorrow. https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/04/18/army-researchers-are-developing-a-self-aware-robot-squid-you-can-3d-print-in-the-field/

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  May 14, 2019 | International, Aerospace

  US, Poland to Discuss Potential F-35 Sale, Air Force Secretary Says

  BY MARCUS WEISGERBER A U.S. delegation is scheduled to brief Polish defense officials eager to buy the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter later this month, U.S. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said Monday. The American team is expected to discuss the costs of buying the Lockheed Martin-made jet as well as the warfighting capabilities it would bring to the Polish military. “They want to deepen their relationship with the United States of America in part by interoperability of advanced equipment,” Wilson said after a Meridian International Center event in Washington. “Those discussions are continuing. We're providing the information that might be needed for them to make a decision.” Poland has been looking to replace its Soviet-era MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-22 Fitter fighters for several years. Its air force has 31 MiG-29s and and 18 Su-22s, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies' 2019 Military Balance. In recent weeks, Polish officials said they would buy 32 F-35s. “The Polish government has decided that they want the F-35 and they're in discussions with the United States,” Wilson said Monday. U.S. officials heading to Poland is a sign that the potential deal is going through the standard foreign military sale process. The F-35's design and electronic equipment make it difficult to track for advanced surface-to-air missiles — like the long-range S-300 SAMs that Russia deploys in its Kaliningrad exclave north of Poland. When the U.S. Air Force deployed F-15 fighters from the 104th Fighter Wing to Estonia in 2016, the jets flew close to those Russian surface-to-air missiles. “When you take off [in Estonia] you were either in or very close to being in a Russian [surface-to-air-missile] system out of Kaliningrad,” Col. Tom Bladen, operations officer with the 104th Fighter Wing, told Defense One in October 2016. Earlier this year, the U.S. Marine Corps flew its F-35B jump jets in Syria, where Russia has also deployed the S-300. Last month, the F-35 program director listed Poland as a potential purchaser along with Greece, Singapore, Spain, and Romania. Vice Adm. Mat Winer submitted his written testimony to the House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee. Later in April, Poland Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak told local media that a F-35 deal was “not far away.” While the sale has not been approved by the U.S. State Department, Wilson said it came up when she visited Poland in April. “[T]hey want to be allied with the United States,” the secretary said. “If there's one thing that's really clear, is they fear and detest the Russians.” Wilson touted Warsaw's defense spending, which has been increasing for nearly three decades. Poland is one of seven NATO members who spends above 2 percent of its annual gross domestic product on defense. Buying a fifth-generation fighter is expensive and includes an abundance of training, infrastructure, and maintenance costs beyond the aircraft themselves. Right now, an F-35A, the Air Force version of the Joint Strike Fighter, costs just under $90 million each. For comparison purposes, in January 2018, the Pentagon estimated the sale of 34 F-35s to Belgium at $6.53 billion when all associated costs are factored in. Poland already flies 48 Lockheed-made F-16 fighters. https://www.defenseone.com/business/2019/05/mw-poland-f-35/156971/