by David Crane Well, it looks like we’ve officially entered the era of Directed Energy Weapon’s, a.k.a. DEW’s. It’s just been disclosed that two of our Apache attack helicopters got "illuminated" by a group of four North Korean MiG jets back in March. The actual illuminating was accomplished using what is believed to have been a Chinese-made ZM-87 anti-personnel laser. …

by David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com May 6, 2003 Several months ago, DefRev attended the AUSA 2003 Winter Symposium (Feb. 26-28). During the show, we ran into the fine people at IMI (Israel Military Industries), and got a chance to handle their Tavor assault rifle variants, the Tavor TAR-21 Commando Carbine (shortened version of the Tavor assault rifle, …

by David Crane The U.S. Army has a new toy for off-road adventures in third world countries. It’s called the SmarTruck II. It comes complete with the latest global communications equpment, 360 degree video surveillance gear, and a dual SPIKE laser-guided missile launcher utilizing an 18-round magazine. The SmarTruck II is part of the U.S. Army’s overall movement towards a …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com "Screaming .357G" has created a thread and provided a range report and pics on the Springfield Armory XD-9 pistol at Glocktalk.com. It’s worth taking a look at. DefRev hasn’t tested the XD-9 pistol yet. When you view the report, be sure to scroll down through the thread, as "Screaming .357G" has made multiple postings with additional …

by David Crane Taser International is about to introduce their new Taser X26. The new offering will utilize a technology the company calls "shaped pulse technology". Apparently, the new Taser X26 is 60% smaller and lighter than the company’s current top of the line Taser, the Taser M26. The Taser X26 will be formally unveiled on May 30, 2003. The …

by David Crane Eye Safety Systems, Inc. ( ESS) bills their ICE 2.4 ballistic eyeshield as "the most complete system available for high-impact eye defense in any light conditions", and they may just be right about that. "ICE" is an acronym for "Interchangeable Component Eyeshield", and the "2.4" refers to the thickness of the polycarbonate lens material, which is a …

by David Crane DefRev has received some sneak peak pics of prototypes for the new vented Dark Parts rail covers with M203-style vent holes in them(You can view the links to them by clicking on "Read More" below). These new rail covers have the same advanced polymer gripping surface as Dark Parts’ standard non-vented "super-grip" rail covers. All Dark Parts …

The April Tactical Operator Newsletter is now visible on-line from Suarez International Group, which welcomes you to view, download, and pass it on. Best of all…its free. Click on this link to read the April issue of the Tactical Operator Newsletter. Here’s contact info for Gabe Suarez and Suarez International Group, Inc.: Gabe Suarez Suarez International Group, Inc. 303 E. …

Markus Maassen writes: "The German firm Oberland Arms licence- produces a brand-new Model for all AR15/M16 fans. The OA-SPR is a german made quality product, showing the best of german workmanship. The flat-top receivers are CNCprecision- machined from an Alloy normally used in the formula 1. Accuracy of the SPR is consistenly 1" or better. Due to the restrictive export …

by David Crane There’s a new sheriff in town, and it’s called LOSAT. Brought to you by the good and enterprising people at Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control, LOSAT is one of a new group of anti-tank weapon systems that is quickly changing the face of the modern battlefield, specifically in the area of ground-to-ground combat. Here’s my prediction …