[RYAN ROBERTSON]
HELLO AND WELCOME TO WEAPONS AND WARFARE, FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS I’M RYAN ROBERTSON. JUST AHEAD ON THIS WEEK’S EPISODE…
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
WE GET A LITERAL LOOK AT THE HONEYWELL 360° DISPLAY. THE IDEA IS TO HELP USERS NAVIGATE IN LOW VISIBILITY OR DANGEROUS SITUATIONS BY ENHANCING SITUATIONAL AWARENESS THAT ELIMINATES MANY OF THE PROBLEMS OF PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
AND IN OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK, WE’LL INTRODUCE YOU TO THE SIGMA, A MODERN SELF-PROPELLED HOWITZER BUILT BY ELBIT SYSTEMS. IT’S A TEN-WHEELED SHOOT-AND-SCOOT SOLUTION THAT DELIVERS A POWERFUL PUNCH. BUILT FOR THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES, IT PACKS A 155 MM, 52 CALIBER MOBILE HOWITZER WITH ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
BUT FIRST, SOME HEADLINES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED. THE PENTAGON’S REPLICATOR PROGRAM HAS TWO NEW ADDITIONS FROM SOME RECOGNIZABLE NAMES. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE KATHLEEN HICKS ANNOUNCED THE SECOND TRANCHE OF WEAPONS SYSTEMS, NOW CALLED REPLICATOR 1.2, INCLUDES THE GHOST-X, MADE BY ANDURIL INDUSTRIES, AND THE C-100, FROM PERFORMANCE DRONE WORKS. THE NEWEST MEMBERS OF THE REPLICATOR INITIATIVE ARE AERIAL AND MARITIME DRONES THAT ARE NOW PART OF A GROUNDBREAKING EFFORT TO FAST-TRACK THE DELIVERY OF UNMANNED WEAPONS SYSTEMS TO AMERICAN WARFIGHTERS. FOLLOWING THE ANNOUNCEMENT, THE ARMY’S CHIEF OF STAFF, GENERAL RANDY GEORGE, SAID:
“The delivery of commercially available Company Level Small UAS with support from the Replicator initiative will allow American soldiers to rapidly experiment, learn and innovate with these systems. The advancement of battlefield technology requires us to innovate faster than ever before.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
HE’S NOT KIDDING ABOUT THE FAST PART. ACCORDING TO A RELEASE FROM THE PENTAGON, THE GHOST-X AND C-100 WILL BE FIELDED BY AUGUST 2025 TO MEET THE GOALS OF THE REPLICATOR INITIATIVE.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
STICKING WITH THE HOLIDAY SHOPPING THEME, A NORWEGIAN DEFENSE FIRM JUST INKED ITS BIGGEST DEAL EVER FOR A MISSILE CONTRACT.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
KONGSBERG SIGNED A MULTI-YEAR DEAL FOR THE DELIVERY OF NAVAL STRIKE MISSILES TO THE NAVY AND FLEET MARINE FORCE OVER FIVE YEARS. THE CONTRACT, IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF $900 MILLION
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THE NSM IS THE FOCAL POINT OF THE NAVY’S OVER-THE-HORIZON WEAPONS SYSTEM AND IS BEING INSTALLED ON LITTORAL COMBAT SHIPS AND CONSTELLATION-CLASS FRIGATES, AS WELL AS SUPPLYING THE MARINE CORPS FOR THE NAVY-MARINE EXPEDITIONARY SHIP INTERDICTION SYSTEM/\
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
IN SEPTEMBER, KONGSBERG, CITING DEMAND FOR THE N-S-M, ANNOUNCED IT WOULD OPEN A FACILITY IN VIRGINIA TO MEET CONTRACTORS NEEDS.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ACCORDING TO KONGSBERG, THE SUBSONIC NSM BOASTS A RANGE OF MORE THAN 115 MILES AND IS EQUIPPED WITH A HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGING INFRARED SEEKER THAT ENABLES AUTONOMOUS TARGET RECOGNITION. THE MISSILE’S SEA-SKIMMING ABILITY AND LOW RADAR SIGNATURE ALSO ENHANCE ITS CHANCES OF EVADING ENEMY AIR DEFENSES.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
AND FINALLY, HERE’S SOMETHING YOU DON’T SEE EVERY DAY: RUSSIAN-MADE SUKHOI 30S BEING REFUELED BY AN AMERICAN TANKER. BEFORE YOUR MIND LEAPS TOO FAR AHEAD, THE JETS ARE RUSSIAN, THE PILOTS ARE NOT.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
EARLIER THIS MONTH, AIRCREW FROM THE 141ST AIR REFUELING WING OF THE WASHINGTON AIR NATIONAL GUARD PARTNERED WITH THE ROYAL MALAYSIAN AIR FORCE OUT OF SUBANG AIR BASE IN MALAYSIA. ON THIS PARTICULAR MISSION, THE AMERICANS REFUELED THREE MALAYSIAN CREWED FIGHTERS AS PART OF A PARTNERSHIP THAT STARTED IN 2017.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THOSE INVOLVED SAY EVENTS LIKE THIS STRENGTHEN OUR ALLIANCES AND SHOWCASE THE ABILITIES OF THE U.S. AND ITS PARTNERS, HELPING BOTH COUNTRIES WORK TOGETHER MORE EFFECTIVELY IN THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
FOR VIEWERS OF A CERTAIN AGE, THE IMAGE OF BUFFALO BILL STALKING CLARICE STARLING THROUGH HIS DIMLY LIT BASEMENT WHILE USING NIGHT VISION GOGGLES IN THE ‘SILENCE OF THE LAMBS’ WAS LIKELY A FIRST EXPOSURE, OF SORTS, TO THE KIND OF WEARABLE TECH MEANT TO GIVE USERS THE UPPER HAND IN THE DARK.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
IT’S BEEN 33 YEARS SINCE THAT ACADEMY AWARD WINNER GRACED THE SILVER SCREEN, AND THAT KIND OF HARDWARE IS NOW COMMONPLACE IN MILITARY UNITS ALL OVER THE WORLD. AT THIS YEAR’S AUSA GATHERING I GOT A FIRSTHAND LOOK AT WHAT COULD BE THE NEXT GAME CHANGER IN WEARABLE TECH FOR AMERICAN WARFIGHTERS.
[ADAM GAVRICH, HONEYWELL]
“If you move your head back and forth, I want you to see how that feels… ”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
WHILE IT MAY LOOK LIKE SOMETHING STRAIGHT FROM A HIGH TECH ARCADE GAME, THE HONEYWELL 360 DISPLAY COULD VERY WELL BE THE MODERN WARRIORS BEST FRIEND IN LOW LIGHT ENVIRONMENTS. INTENTIONALLY BUILT WITH THE IDEA OF ELIMINATING THE PROBLEMS OF PREVIOUS ITERATIONS.
[ADAM GAVRICH, HONEYWELL]
“The Honeywell 360 is designed to be able to operate a vehicle at a high rate of speed without any outside visual reference, meaning no windows, and do that without making you sick. And so that last part of not creating motion sickness is really where we focused a lot of our technology development. And our system, I would say, is one of the only systems that can do that for an extended period of time without making you ill.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THE SYSTEM’S TECHNOLOGY FOCUSES ON LOW LATENCY AND DEPTH PERCEPTION TO SIMULATE NATURAL VISION. ADAM GAVRICH, A SENIOR TECHNICAL SALES MANAGER FOR HONEYWELL SAYS THE 360 DISPLAY IS VEHICLE, CAMERA, AND SENSOR AGNOSTIC, MEANING IT CAN INTEGRATE WITH EXISTING CAMERAS AND MOUNTINGS FOR STANDARD NIGHT VISION GOGGLES.
[ADAM GAVRICH, HONEYWELL]
“So the idea is to be able to take a vehicle that might already have cameras and integrate with those existing cameras. So if you have a requirement for very high end cameras, very high resolution, we can integrate with that. If you have lower resolution cameras, we can do that as well and still safely operate the vehicle using our headset technology.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THE SYSTEM HAS 26 US PATENTS FOR ITS ANTI-MOTION SICKNESS TECHNOLOGY. CURRENTLY IN PRODUCTION, IT IS BEING FINE-TUNED FOR MILITARY OPERATIONS.
[ADAM GAVRICH, HONEYWELL]
“Simulating, as I said, Your Natural Vision, and making your body feel as if it’s looking with its own two eyes when it actually has no reference. In order to do that, we actually have to very accurately find the position of your head, culminating for both unnatural motion from the vehicle, as well as where you’re intentionally moving your head and then basing putting the image up that matches what you’re feeling, and when those two things agree, you don’t get sick. As soon as you start seeing something that your body is not feeling, you get sick, and that’s sometimes why you might get sick, and other types of vehicles, because you’re getting that those miscues between those senses”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
UNLIKE MOST OF WHAT WE SAW AT AUSA I WAS ACTUALLY ABLE TO CLIMB INTO A VEHICLE AND TRY THE 360 MYSELF.
[ADAM GAVRICH, HONEYWELL]
“It almost reminds me of the F-35 glass cockpit. Like I’m looking behind the vehicle right now, if I didn’t have this on I would just be seeing you and whatever’s in the back of the vehicle. But I’m looking at crowds of people, which if this was a combat scenario those could be militants, they could be innocents that I’m trying not to run over as I backup. And those are the situational awareness of the system that are very critical. And not just driving, but keeping the soldier safe, keeping the mission effective, without any windows and fully within armor.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ANOTHER IMPORTANT PIECE OF THE EQUATION, A CONCERTED EFFORT TO NOT ADD ANY NECK STRAIN TO THE WEARER.
[ADAM GAVRICH, HONEYWELL]
“We’re taking weight out of our prototype, and it’s going to be very light. When you put on the headset today, it’s going to feel heavy, but it’s all helmet, because it’s a military helmet. This the End target system is going to be very light and also rugged to support military operations. Because, to your point, we can’t have a heavy headset that’s going to add a lot of neck strain, and that’s a design consideration that we’ve accommodated for.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
WHILE NOT YET READY TO TELL US WHO WILL BE THE FIRST AMERICAN TROOPS TO PUT THE 360 DISPLAY TO WORK, GAVRICH DID TELL US HONEYWELL RECENTLY WON SEVERAL AS YET UNANNOUNCED CONTRACTS, BUT WHEN THOSE DEALS ARE ANNOUNCED WE WILL LET YOU KNOW.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
WHEN YOU THINK OF MODERN WARFARE, IT MIGHT BE NATURAL TO THINK OF THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY. NEW WEAPONS SYSTEMS, THINGS MEANT TO MAKE FOR AN UNFAIR FIGHT. BUT ON CLOSER INSPECTION, A LOT OF WHAT’S BUILT FOR TODAY’S WARFIGHTERS ARE OFTEN EVOLUTIONARY LEAPS ON CENTURIES-OLD IDEAS.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
TAKE FOR INSTANCE THE HOWITZER. A PIECE OF ARTILLERY THAT FALLS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN A CANNON AND A MORTAR. WOULD IT SURPRISE YOU TO LEARN THE VERY FIRST HOWITZERS WERE DEVELOPED IN THE 16th CENTURY. WELL, 400 YEARS LATER, ELBIT SYSTEMS OF AMERICA HAS WHAT IT THINKS IS THE NEXT EVOLUTIONARY LEAP IN HOWITZERS. THAT’S WHY THE SIGMA, BUILT BY ELBIT AMERICA, IS OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
TRADITIONALLY HOWITZERS WERE BUILT TO BE TOWED INTO PLACE. AND FOR AS LONG AS THEY’VE BEEN A PART OF ANY COMBAT FORCE’S ARSENAL, THEY’VE BEEN AN EFFECTIVE, IF NOT CUMBERSOME, PIECE OF THE PUZZLE. BUT THINGS ARE STARTING TO CHANGE.
[TAYLOR MERCER, ELBIT AMERICA]
“You look what’s happening in Ukraine using towed howitzers, more manned howitzers, right? You can’t be survivable because of counter battery fire. Mobile howitzers now are the future, and Sigma is our answer to the upcoming Army competition for that.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
AND THE SIGMA–AIN’T NO BETA. IT’S A 10-WHEELED PIECE OF ROLLING THUNDER, ALLOWING ITS THREE-MAN CREW TO STAY INSIDE WHILE ENGAGING THE ENEMY. MEANING THIS 155MM, 52 CALIBER HOWITZER CAN MOVE AS THE BATTLE LINE MOVES; NO TOWING REQUIRED.
[TAYLOR MERCER, ELBIT AMERICA]
“It’s all one connected unit. It’s based on an Oshkosh truck, right? So what’s what the Army is already using, basically based off of our PLS type truck from the Army. We call it a map mobile artillery platform. The really great thing about it is it’s completely the crew stays completely inside, right? So three man crew, they get to stay inside that cabin, and everything else is automated”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THE ARMY’S CURRENT SELF-PROPELLED ARTILLERY SYSTEM, THE M-109 PALADIN, FIRST ENTERED SERVICE IN THE 1960S. IT WAS UPGRADED NUMEROUS TIMES OVER THE DECADES. AND EVEN THOUGH IT’S PROVEN ITS PLACE IN AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY, THE ARMY KNOWS IT’S TIME FOR CHANGE. BOASTING A 40-ROUND MAGAZINE, THE LARGEST IN THE INDUSTRY, THE SIGMA, WITH ITS HIGH VOLUME OF FIRE AND EXTENDED COMBAT RANGE, OFFERS THE KIND OF CHANGE THE ARMY IS LOOKING FOR.
[TAYLOR MERCER, ELBIT AMERICA]
“So basically, you can fight longer, you can fight further away, and you don’t have to resupply nearly as often. So it’s a very unique capability. Obviously, it’s a big system, but because of that big the size, right? It allows you massive volume of fire, which is unmatched.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
DESIGNED WITH THE ARMY’S NEXT GENERATION COMMAND AND CONTROL INITIATIVE IN MIND, ELBIT SEES THE SIGMA AS PART OF A SYSTEM THAT WILL GIVE COMMANDERS THE ABILITY TO ACT ON MORE AND BETTER INFORMATION FASTER.
[TAYLOR MERCER, ELBIT AMERICA]
“So it’ll be able to network with basically anything and everything else on the battlefield, right? I would expect to see systems like this. Expect to start moving towards more of an optionally manned configuration.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
TO BE CLEAR, THIS IS FAR FROM THE ONLY ENTRY IN THE MOBILE HOWITZER MARKETPLACE. AS AN EXAMPLE, IN AUGUST, WE PROFILED THE HAWKEYE MOBILE HOWITZER MADE BY AM GENERAL. NATURALLY EACH SYSTEM HAS ITS PLUSES AND MINUSES, BUT TAYLOR MERCER, ELBIT AMERICA’S SENIOR DIRECTOR OF HOWITZER PROGRAMS, SAYS THEIR ENTRY OFFERS MORE OF WHAT THE ARMY IS LOOKING FOR.
[TAYLOR MERCER, ELBIT AMERICA]
“Sigma is is very different, not, not just volume of fire, survivability, right? Mobility, being on a 10 by 10, it’s absolutely it can go anywhere on the battlefield. But most importantly, it’s built on the Oshkosh truck, right? So it brings commonality. Commonality is absolutely key to keeping costs down and logistics trail down, right? So being able to have a system, an integrated system, already into the US now that’s already common to platform. It just makes absolutely perfect sense, right? And it makes the Army’s job much easier on how to integrate a brand new artillery system.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
WILL THE SIGMA BE PART OF THE ARMY’S MODERNIZATION EFFORTS? THAT REMAINS TO BE SEEN, BUT IT IS IN THE MIX.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
IN OCTOBER, THE ARMY ANNOUNCED THE AWARDING OF FIVE CONTRACTS FOR THEIR SELF-PROPELLED HOWITZER PERFORMANCE DEMONSTRATION. ELBIT IS ONE OF THAT GROUP, ALONG WITH ENTRIES FROM AMERICAN RHEINMETALL VEHICLES, BAE BOFORS, HANWHA DEFENSE USA, AND GENERAL DYNAMICS LAND SYSTEMS. THE HOPE IS ONCE THE DECISION IS MADE, AND THE CONTRACT AWARDED, THE ARMY CAN BEGIN FIELDING THE WINNING SYSTEM BY 2026.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
IN SEPTEMBER, WE INTRODUCED YOU TO THE TWO CANDIDATES VYING TO BECOME THE AIR FORCE’S FIRST COLLABORATIVE COMBAT AIRCRAFT. BOTH PLATFORMS RECENTLY PASSED A MAJOR MILESTONE AND THAT’S THE SUBJECT OF THIS WEEK’S COMMS CHECK.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THE FINALISTS, ONE FROM ANDURIL INDUSTRIES AND THE OTHER FROM GENERAL ATOMICS AERONAUTICAL SYSTEMS PASSED THEIR CRITICAL DESIGN REVIEWS IN EARLY NOVEMBER.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THAT NEWS, COMING OUT OF THE AIRPOWER FUTURES FORUM AT THE AFA’S MITCHELL INSTITUTE FOR AEROSPACE STUDIES, OPENS THE DOOR FOR BOTH COMPANIES TO START DETAILED PRODUCTION EFFORTS.
“Both Anduril and General Atomics, both industry teammates, are on the path to first flight, on a timeline that allows us to get operational capability by the end of the decade,” Helfrich said in the panel discussion. “We are on track, if not ahead, in some areas.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
A C-C-A IS A DRONE WITH AN ONBOARD A-I CONTROL SYSTEM THAT CAN CARRY AND DELIVER MUNITIONS. THE GOAL IS TO PRODUCE AN AIRCRAFT THAT IS SIGNIFICANTLY LIGHTER, AND AT A LOWER COST THAN A HUMAN PILOTED CRAFT WHILE OFFERING COMPARABLE CAPABILITY IN MISSION EXECUTION.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ANDURIL’S FURY, AND GENERAL ATOMICS’ CCA-BASED ON THE GAMBIT, WERE CHOSEN FROM A FIELD OF FIVE PROPOSALS. THE AIR FORCE PLANS TO MAKE A FINAL DECISION BETWEEN THE TWO COMPANIES IN 2026 AFTER BOTH COMPLETE FLIGHT TESTING OF THEIR DESIGNS.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
WELL, FOLKS, THAT JUST ABOUT DOES IT FOR US ON THIS EPISODE OF WEAPONS AND WARFARE. AS ALWAYS, WE HOPE YOU LIKED WHAT YOU SAW AND LEARNED SOMETHING ALONG THE WAY. IF YOU DID, WE WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR HELP TELLING OTHERS ABOUT THE SHOW. SO PLEASE LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE TO OUR SOCIAL MEDIA FEEDS–AND SHARE THEM WITH YOUR FRIENDS.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THIS EPISODE WILL PUBLISH THE DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING–SO FOR MY WRAP, I’M GOING TO LEAN INTO THE HOLIDAY THEME.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
LOOKING AROUND THE WORLD RIGHT NOW–IT CAN BE EASY TO FEEL A BIT UNEASY ABOUT THE WAY THINGS ARE GOING.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
WARS ON MULTIPLE CONTINENTS…
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
POLITICAL INFIGHTING BORDERING ON THE POINT OF TRIBALISM…
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
A LOOMING FEAR THAT OUR NEXT GREAT TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT–MAY BE OUR UNDOING.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
IT’S A LOT. AND IF THAT’S ALL I WAS FOCUSED ON–I’D BE HARD PRESSED TO STAY POSITIVE.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
BUT THERE’S A LOT OF OTHER STUFF HAPPENING IN THE WORLD TOO. FOR INSTANCE, I WAS SCROLLING SOCIAL MEDIA THE OTHER DAY AND CAME ACROSS THIS BIT FROM A COMEDIAN NAMED DREW DUNN–
[DREW DUNN]
We used to lose kids to the winter.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
HE’S RIGHT. I MEAN–IN THE 1600S THE COLONY OF JAMESTOWN WAS ALMOST WIPED OUT COMPLETELY IN THE SPAN OF ONE WINTER.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
SO I’M THANKFUL TO COMEDIANS LIKE DREW DUNN–WHO HELP PUT THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE. BECAUSE I REALLY AM THANKFUL I WASN’T BORN BACK WHEN WE LOST KIDS TO WINTER.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
I’M ALSO THANKFUL FOR MY WIFE AND KIDS, SURE…BUT I’M THANKFUL TO ALL THE FOLKS WHO MADE LIFE’S LITTLE MARVELS POSSIBLE–
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
LIKE HOW I CAN HIT A FEW BUTTONS ON MY PHONE AND START MY CAR, OR CHANGE THE SETTINGS ON MY HOME THERMOSTAT–OR GET FOOD DELIVERED RIGHT TO MY DOOR.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
CERTAINLY BEATS LIVING IN A CAVE OR DYING FROM EXPOSURE.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THE POINT IS–IF YOU ONLY FOCUS ON WHAT’S BAD IN LIFE–THAT’S ALL YOU’LL SEE BEING THANKFUL IS AN ACTIVE EXERCISE–AND COULDN’T WE ALL USE A BIT MORE EXERCISE IN OUR LIFE?
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
FOR SENIOR PRODUCER BRETT BAKER, VIDEO EDITOR BRIAN SPENCER AND GRAPHICS ARTIST DAKOTA PITEO–I’M RYAN ROBERTSON WITH STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS SIGNING OFF.
