by David Crane defrev at gmail.com It looks like Chicago is soon going to have the most advanced city-wide intelligent video surveillance system (i.e. intelligent security system) in the United States. The Associated Press is reporting that the City of Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) is teaming up with IBM and Genetec on the project, which is …

The following is a Robotic FX press release: Robotic FX, Inc. Awarded Contract for Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) to be Used for Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Detection and Identification ALSIP, IL, September 14, 2007 — Robotic FX, Inc., has been awarded a $279.9 million contract to manufacture its Negotiator Tactical Manipulator Robot, issued by the U.S. Army. The contract is …

A Review by Air-Mech-Strike Study Group (AMS-SG). The following review is exclusive to DefenseReview. 9/27/07 Airborne Armour is a must-have book for understanding Airborne 3D maneuver operations, period. Flint is a superb researcher and writer and this book is a masterpiece. However, Keith Flint is also at times the typical whiny, turret tank dueler where every tracked tank is never …

by Zak Smith DEMIGOD LLC With optics ubiquitous on fighting rifles, the old rule that long barrels – with their longer sight radius – are needed for accuracy and longer-range capability is turned on its head. It’s possible to get one-moa mechanical accuracy from 18, 16, 14.5, 12.5, and even 10.5-inch barrels, perhaps at a higher cost. Thus, with even …

by David Crane defrev at gmail.com The September 2007 (Vol. 6 No. 8 ) issue of C4ISR Journal (The Journal of Net-Centric Warfare) magazine has an interesting article on The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency’s (DARPA) Expendable Local Area Sensors in a Tactically Interconnected Cluster (ELASTIC) initiative. The goal of ELASTIC is to develop and eventually field "a set of …

By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com September 16, 2007 Article updated on 4/07/08. In the world of big business, and big military, money is power. The more money one controls, the more powerful one is. And, in the U.S. military, the bigger the program and sexier the hardware/technology, the more prestige you’ve got, especially if that hardware can …

by David Crane defrev at gmail.com All photographic images contained in this article were taken by DefenseReview.com, and they are the exclusive property of DefenseReview.com. DefenseReview.com owns the copyright on these photos. All photos were shot with a 7.2-megapixel Sony Cyber-shot digital camera (Model #: DSC-P150). September 17, 2007 When DefenseReview attended AUSA Winter Symposium 2007 earlier this year, one …

by David Crane defrev at gmail.com As if mines/IEDs, EFPs and RPGs aren’t enough, now there’s armor-piercing grenades a.k.a. armor-penetrating grenades. According to a recent CBS News article, this is the latest lethal threat (explosives threat) to U.S. troops in Iraq. The grenades, being employed/deployed by Al Qaeda forces (specifically they’re self-named “Thermal Brigade” force), look like the old stick …

by David Crane defrev at gmail.com September 5, 2007 Rafael Armament Development Authority Ltd. (Haifa, Israel) has introduced a very interesting next-generation multi-threat passive/reactive add-on armor system for vehicles called M-TAPS, which stands for "Multi-Threat Armor Protection System". M-TAPS is designed/developed to protect Israeli infantry warfighters (a.k.a. soldiers) against the same lethal trifecta–IEDs, EFPs, and RPGs–as the Urban Fighter’s armor …

by David Crane defrev at gmail.com September 5, 2007 Israel Military Industries, Ltd. (IMI) recently introduced it’s "Urban Fighter", which is an upgraded, up-armored and modified M113 Gavin APC/IFV (Armored Personnel Carrier/Infantry Fighting Vehicle). The goal of the Urban Fighter tracked armored vehicle (or, armored tracked vehicle), is to provide Israeli infantry warfighters with superior anti-IED/EFP and anti-RPG (Rocket-Propelled Grenade) …