Australian based Metal Storm ltd. has recently won two contracts for non lethal variants of its stacked, electronically fired weapon system. These wins underline the company’s recent shift into the developing market of non-lethal weapon and munitions, expected to rapidly grow in the coming years. The first contract was an order worth $3.36 million received from Papua New Guinea, to equip the island’s corrective service with 500 MAUL weapons and 50,000 non-lethal ammunition rounds. The second was a $1.48 development contract awarded by the U.S. Marine Corps in April 2010. This contract funds the development and demonstration of Mission Payload Module for the Non Lethal Weapon System (MPM-NLWS) based on Metal Storm’s FireStorm weapon system.


According to Dr. Lee J. Finniear, CEO of Metal Storm the two contracts indicate the company’s focus on non lethal weapon systems, realizing that its core technologies – lightweight, high firepower and capability to deliver accurate scalable response are essential capabilities for moderate warfare, peacekeeping and law enforcement applications. The employment of several payloads in succession without reloading is a unique advantage of the electrical firing method employed by Metal Storm. “This requirement is growing rapidly and few, if any technologies can compete with the clear advantage of Metal Storm.” Said Finniear.

FLIR Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:FLIR) has submitted an offer to merge ICx Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq GM:ICXT) into FLIR Systems. ICx Board of Directors has unanimously accepted FLIR’s offer to pay $7.55 in cash for each of ICx shares.

The transaction could be completed in the fourth quarter this year. ICx is a developer of advanced sensor technologies for homeland security, force protection and commercial applications.

ICx revenues have dropped in the first half of 2010 to $77 million, down from $92 million for the same six months last year. However, the company’s funded backlog has increased, 38% to $73 million from the beginning of the year.

Elbit Systems is expanding its family of man portable unmanned ground systems with the introduction of two new models. During a recent exhibition the company displayed the new robots, in addition to a wide range of advanced land and C4I solutions. The new members of the VIPeR family of intelligent and portable robots include the Mini-VIPeR and Maxi-VIPeR, which join the VIPeR robot, already operational in the Israel Defense Forces under the Hebrew name “Pazit.”

All VIPeRs are designed for portability and high mobility; the robots are configurable for multiple types of missions by add-on sensors, modules and payloads, tailored to specific tasks. The Viper is controlled by a single operator, and is designed to negotiate obstacles typical of an urban environment, such as climbing stairs and rubbles, when performing surveillance, reconnaissance and support troops in urban warfare missions.

The VIPeR vehicle uses the “Galileo Wheel”, a patented wheel that can be transformed on the move into a triangular track, developed by Galileo Mobility Instruments ltd. This unique automotive system enables the robot to climb stairs, negotiate difficult terrain, move over barricades, dense vegetation and other obstacles.
The Mini-VIPeR and Maxi VIPeR robots use a more common track system. While the two new robots bear some resemblance to the Beagle, developed by Elbit Systems of America, a closer look at the two new robots reveal more similarities to the locally designed VIPeR. The larger version uses a wide, heavy duty track system, adapted from the VIPeR for outdoor operation over rugged terrain. The smaller robot uses a narrow track, more suitable for indoor operation.

Elbit Systems' Mini VIPeR small, portable unmanned vehicle. Photo: Noam Eshel, Defense Update

Both have body mounted sensors, flat top and bottom surfaces, for the mounting of mission payloads. The Mini-VIPeR is a light-weight, one-person portable system (weighing approximately 3.5 kg), equipped with advanced sensors that allow full operation in adverse terrain. Thrown into a dark tunnel or tossed through a window, into a room, the mini-Viper allows warfighters to survey structures before entering. The larger, yet compact Maxi-VIPeR robot is designed to carry sensors and tele-operated manipulator arms, for the handling of unexploded devices and other hazardous materials including radioactive materials.

With the Phantom Eye's 150 foot wing span and two hydrogen-propelled engines, Phantom Eye will be able to carry a 450 lp payload on missions spanning over several days, at an altitude of 65,000 ft. Photo: Boeing

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today unveiled the hydrogen-powered Phantom Eye unmanned airborne system, a demonstrator that will stay aloft at 65,000 feet for up to four days. Later this summer, Phantom Eye will be shipped to NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to begin a series of ground and taxi tests in preparation for its first flight in early 2011. That debut flight is expected to last between four and eight hours.

With a 150-foot wingspan, Phantom Eye will cruise at approximately 150 knots and can carry up to a 450-pound payload. It is powered by two 2.3-liter, four-cylinder hydrogen fuelled engines that provide 150 horsepower each. “The hydrogen propulsion system will be the key to Phantom Eye’s success” said Darryl Davis, president of Boeing Phantom Works, “It is very efficient and offers great fuel economy, and its only byproduct is water, so it’s also a ‘green’ aircraft.”

“Phantom Eye is the first of its kind and could open up a whole new market in collecting data and communications,” said today at the unveiling ceremony in St. Louis. Key Phantom Eye suppliers and partners include Ford Motor Company (engines), Aurora Flight Sciences (wing), Mahle Powertrain (propulsion controls), Ball Aerospace (fuel tanks), Turbosolutions Engineering (turbochargers), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and NASA.

More on the Phantom Eye on Defense-Update.com