Put a brake on it

Put a brake on it

BY SAM J BASCH

With no fewer than eight different vehicles on show this week sporting brake products from UK-based Alcon Components, the company is increasing its global defence vehicle footprint in the market. The vehicles on display include those from global OEMs based in the UAE, Finland, North America, the UK and Turkey.

Speaking at the UK Pavilion – Stand 05-C21, Jonathan Edwards, Alcon’s sales director, said: “In addition to the eight vehicles on display at this year’s event, we’re currently working with 15 other military and armoured vehicle manufacturers, who have all turned to Alcon to develop and deliver a bespoke product. This is to meet the demanding, specialist requirements of this sector.”

Alcon has more than 25 years of experience in engineering brakes and clutches for specialist vehicles, from Formula 1 racing cars, World Rally and prestige performance cars to 30-plus tonne military armoured vehicles.

The company’s off-the-shelf brake upgrade kits allow OEMs and vehicle modification companies to overcome the challenges posed by up-armouring vehicles for defence, security and specialist purposes. The kits are compatible with OEM stock actuation, and therefore easy to fit, but have been fully ruggedised for extreme robustness and performance balanced with the requirement to keep weight down.

Mobile masts for Africa

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) of a Southern African country has just ordered a number of mobile masts from SMAG Mobile Antenna Masts of Germany (Stand 08-C05, German Pavilion), the company has announced.

Already in use in more than 50 countries, the system is renowned for ease of use and reliability – both factors that ensured the selection by the MoD. The 40m high tailor-made antenna masts do not require any type of guy wires.

Manufactured in Germany since 1974, the system is operated by military forces and civil customers for communication, data transmission, border control, disaster operations and broadcasting.

New range of grenade fuzes

Having provided specialist products in the military and professional electronic fields for almost 20 years, South Africabased DoppTech, now part of the Reunert Group (Stand 12-C40), is showing its latest offering, the Draco range of 40mm grenade fuzes.

The Draco ABF (air-burst function) is a cost-efficient and effective nose fuze for 40mm HV timed air-burst application. According to the company, Draco is suitable for all ammunition types, HE or HEDP, complying with STANAG-4403, and a normal HE or spit-back HEDP booster is incorporated. A Draco ABF version for low and medium velocity is also available.

Key benefits offered include precision programmable air-burst by means of extended range magnetic induction technology (XMI), which communicates the selected air-burst time to the fuze in the first two metres after barrel exit. The Draco ABF requires an XMI setter to enable fuze programming. The setter is Picatinny rail mounted to the weapon and interfaces to the sight and fire control system by means of an interface cable. It is adaptable to Mk-19, Mk-47 and H&K weapon types.

DoppTech has also developed the Draco 40mm HV ESD (electronic self-destruct) fuze for point detonation application.