by David Crane defrev@gmail.com October 22, 2007 Piasecki Aircraft Corp. (PAC) has designed and developed a compound helicopter called the X-49A Speedhawk, which utilizes a Sikorsky YSH-60F Seahawk helicopter as the base airframe. The Seahawk is a marine version of the UH-60 Black Hawk heliocopter series. The Speedhawk’s “compound” aspect is comprised of wings for additional lift and a vectored-thrust …

By Roger Charles DefenseWatch 10-17-2007 UPDATE to following article: Two congressional sources report that the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (on the staff of the Secretary of Defense) caught the Army’s attempted exemption of current Interceptor vendors from independent testing, as allowed in the original solicitation. Under pressure from DOT&E, in August the Army issued a modification not listing …

By David Crane defrev@gmail.com October 18, 2007 While we’re on the subject of MOUT / urban warfare tactics a.k.a. urban combat tactics, DefenseReview was recently sent information on a new combat optic (optical sight) being introduced by FERFRANS Specialties for tactical / urban warfare applications. DefRev readers might remember the piece we published on the SOPMOD M4/M4A1 CQBR-type FERFRANS SOAR …

By GySgt Will Falcon, USMC (res.) Tampa, Florida October 16, 2007 One of the primary challenges of MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain) / Urban Warfare Operations (a.k.a. Urban Combat Ops) is how to use the urban surroundings so that the physical environment becomes an advantage rather than a handicap to our soldiers. Accomplishing this goal will provide both defensive …

by Roger Charles DefenseWatch October 15, 2007 When NBC News had a German lab conduct side-by-side, comparative tests of Pinnacle Armor’s Dragon Skin and the Army’s Interceptor Body Armor System on May 3 earlier this year, the real surprise was how well the Interceptor ESAPI (Level IV) plates performed. Yes, that’s right. The Army acquisition mafia "got lucky" in Germany, …

by David Crane defrev at gmail.com October, 15, 2007 On August 29, 2007, DefenseReview published an article on U.S.T.L. (United States Test Laboratory), an NIJ-certified lab, validating Pinnacle Armor’s 6-year warranty for Dragon Skin SOV-2000 Level III, per NIJ’s requirements. Pinnacle’s SOV-2000 Dragon Skin passed the U.S.T.L. test, and proved that it will hold up and maintain it’s ability to …

by David Crane defrev at gmail.com DefenseReview first reported on the KAC 6x35mm PDW (Personal Defense Weapon) back in May 2006, after we had viewed and handled it at SHOT Show 2006 in Las Vegas. It was the coolest and most interesting weapon we’d seen at the show, so we were quite pleased to get the opportunity to test fire …

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). The individual pictured in photos is David Crane, owner/editor-in-chief of DefenseReview.com. October 4, 2007 …