Still not having enough of Battle Royale video games? With the ongoing E3 in Los Angeles, you won’t be disappointed as another group of developers based in Kiev, Ukraine, announce another Battle Royale that is set in a radioactive environment. Called “Fear The Wolves” it is said to be PUBG/Fortnite meets S.T.A.L.K.E.R. as the team behind this game is also behind the first-person shooter survival horror video game and have set up Vostok Games.

If you are familiar with Ukraine, then you are also familiar with Chernobyl, the radioactive wasteland in that country. The game drops 100 players in a post-apocalyptic Chernobyl and they will need to survive in order to win. There are two ways to win in this game: you will be sole survivor at the end or you will get to the extraction point where a chopper gets to pick up only one player even if there are still other surviving players.

To survive, players will need to scavenge for weapons, Hazmat suits, and gas masks. If unprotected by a Hazmat or a gas mask, a player won’t be able to pick up loot in an radioactive area. There will be air drops as well so that is the chance to get better equipment even without going to a radioactive area. But both air drops and areas with radiation provide the best loot in order to survive. In the same vein as PUBG and Fortnite, the game area will shrink but in the case of Fear The Wolves, more radiation will flood the area and if you do not have protective equipment, then you will be put at a disadvantage such as being slower, suffer from hallucinations, and of course radioactive poisoning.

Radiation and other players are not the only dangers in the game. As the in the game title there are wolves that usually hunt in packs to hunt down players. If you are smart enough, you can use these wolves against your enemies. The wolves are mutants as they are affected by the radiation and there might be more mutants in the game though these have not been revealed by the game developers.

The extraction point that you will need to reach in order to escape via a helicopter will vary and knowledge of the game map will be crucial. But if you prefer doing rock roll shooting at anything that moves, then feel free to eliminate all the players in the game and be the last man or woman standing.

Fear The Wolves will be first released for the PC later this year with game consoles to follow and expected to be available in 2019. Early access to the game begins this summer.

We see Humvees at airsoft games and man they’re cool to use in at events. But those versions are not up to par to the mission needs of the U.S. military when they went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq. While they are good at ferrying troops, they are not immune to mines, IEDs, and even some bullets that a good number of them are being replaced by the Oshkosh L-ATV which won the the JLATV progtam in 2015.

Nevertheless, the Humvee still has a life as it is not being totally replaced by the Oshkosh L-ATV and has its role in the U.S. Military. But to make its Humvee still attractive to military purchasers, AM General, the maker of the Humvee, just unveiled the Next Generation Humvee at the ongoing Eurosatory 2018 in Paris.

Not to be confused with the Nike Kobe AD NXT 360 shoes, the AM General NXT 360  comes with bigger wheels and that there is a significant ride improvement with increased approach and departure angles, higher ground clearance and wheel travel to make its offroading capabilities even better.

Also, in transitioning from onroad to offroad and vice-versa, it has even more powerful air compressors to increase or decrease tire pressures quickly leading to faster transitions.

“What excites me about the NXT 360 is our ability to intently listen to the customer and utilize our engineering expertise to develop and deliver a solution that builds on the core strengths of the successful HMMWV platform. The NXT 360 provides added protection, payload capacity, and superior handling performance to perform in any rugged or urban environment,” said Andy Hove, AM General President and CEO said in a press release from AM General. “Eurosatory is a great venue that will allow our global customers to get a first look at this versatile truck that can enhance their light tactical wheeled fleet in a timely and cost-efficient manner.”

The NXT 360 will come with B7-level protection, which is the highest level of ballistic armoring in vehicles (IFVs, APCs and tanks not included as they have different armors), allowing the vehicle to withstand many armor piercing 7.62 x 51mm rounds. Humvees suffered in RPG attacks, IEDs and anti-tank mines that for the NXT 360 it has been given blast seats and mats and the front wheels are rated STANAG 4569 Level 2a (mine explosion that is activated under pressure by wheeled or track vehicle) though we wish it could do Level 2b which is a blast under the center of the vehicle where the passengers are vulnerable. As for the rear wheels, they can withstand a blast from a hand grenade. The windows are also said to be bulletproof.

All these upgrades mean an increase in weight. To power the NXT 360,  its powerplant is a P400 Electronically controlled 6.5L V8 turbocharged Engine that gives 250 HP (186 kW), 460 ft/lbs (624 N•m) at 1700 rpms and a 6L85e 6-speed automatic transmission.

If you are not satisfied with such specifications for a next generation Humvee, you might be interested in another type of a Humvee that can be equipped with a HMMWV Hawkeye 105mm Weapon System. Now you can ride a Humvee that is armed with. Neat isn’t it?

Amongst airsoft companies in the world, it’s only Tokyo Marui that is able to insert its brand in pop culture. Through collaborations with some of the biggest consumer, gaming, and entertainment brands in the world, Tokyo Marui is able to promote its brand and airsoft products in public.

Examples are with CAPCOM with the Biohazard/Resident Evil series, Taito for an airsoft game arcade and with Japanese film distributors when locally-made or foreign action films are promoted in Japan. It even has its own airsoft gun that is designed in-house adapted as a weapon in video game.

It’s latest collaboration is with Pizza Japan and the Sword Art Online: Alternative Gun Gale Online (SAO Alternative GGO) a Japanese light novel series for the "Pizza Hut Squad Jam" promo. They are giving away prizes via social media and of course when customers order pizza from them. The prizes are: 3 pieces of a framed print that have been signed by series creator Keiichi Sigsawa and character designer Kouhaku Kuroboshi; 5 pieces of the script signed by the main cast; and 2 of Llenn’s P-Chan.

P-Chan is the pink FN P90 that is the main weapon of Llenn, the avatar of Karen Kohiruimakin, a shy girl from Obihiro, Hokkaido. Her whole online persona is being dressed in pink to go with her pink FN P90. In the anime adaptation of the Sword Art Online: Alternative Gun Gale Online she is voiced by Tomori Kusunoki.

The real world P-Chans that will be given away are P90 Airsoft Guns from Tokyo Marui that have been painted pink. It might be something that Aleeia Marcelo, the P90 Girl, may want to own provided that she likes pink.

The light novel series is about an online VR game called Gun Gale Online that Karen plays with her small avatar. It is a spinoff of the Sword Art Online series and was printed in December 2014. The anime television series adaptation was first aired last 8 April 2018 and will be a total of 12 episodes.

If you have been collecting the Gears of War Funko Pop! vinyl figurines, then you might just look forward to collecting them in a mobile device next year. Microsoft announced at the E3 last week during the Gears 5 presentation that a “Gears Pop” mobile game is in the works and due for 2019.

Watching the trailer, Microsoft will have a cute game in their hands as the Gears of War characters, in Funko Pop! form are adorable to look at. The other game company that can think of such cute games is Nintendo with their Splatoon shooter game for the Wii U and Switch which are both mobile gaming platforms.

Now for the non-cute, serious shoot `em video game, “Gears 5”, as Microsoft officially calls Gears of War 5, it will be mainly cast Kait Diaz who was first seen in Gears of War 4.  Not much details were revealed about the story of Gears 5 except that she had a vision and needs to go “back where it all began”, but the game will feature split screen and online coop play. If you want to play the game in full 4K glory, better have the right graphics card, as this will be at 60 frames per second and is HDR.

Gears 5 will be available next year for the Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs.

Another game under the Gears of War franchise is called “Gears Tactics” and it is a PC- turn-based strategy game. Players can customise their squads and this game combines signature fast-paced action, character driven storytelling with massive boss battles.

So that means there are three “Gears” games that will  be released by Microsoft next year as they company looks to expand Gears of War as another massive gaming franchise like Halo. Watch the E3 Keynote presentation to catch all the information available for “Gears.”

This is going all over social media and our thanks to the Ravishing Rick Dude for giving us the links for information about this custom built AK from Iron Claw Tactical (ICT). Called the tAnK 47 this is really a cool and solid build that we wish someone would do it in airsoft.

But first, let’s see the list of components of this custom rifle as listed by Iron Claw Tactical:

• Iron Claw Tactical Gen II Magwell
• Iron Claw Tactical Crossbolt Safety
• Iron Claw Tactical Gas Block Sight conversion
• Iron Claw Tactical Custom Symmetrical Dual Charging Handles
• Bad Company Tactical R2S retention system
• Welded stock adapter
• ALG Defense trigger
• Mission First Tactical Minimalist Milspec stock
• Lage Manufacturing pig nose
• Sabrewerks 13, LLC KOP
• Custom milled Midwest Industries handguard - Circle 10 AK pistol grip
• Diamondhead T-brake
• Iron Claw Tactical Custom Cerakote design distressed green

According to The Firearm Blog, this is a custom built for an AK instructor and is based on a WASR 10 (Wassenaar Arrangement Semi-automatic Rifle) which are usually imported from Romania to the U.S. by Century Arms and meet the requirements of the U.S. law. The WASR-10 is a post-ban version  of the AKM rifle that  uses the 7.62×39mm ammo which Century Arms modified to accept double-stack, standard-capacity magazines after importing them from Romania.

The ICT 2nd generation AK magwell is compatible with AK-47 with both milled and stamped receivers and AK-74 pattern rifles and magazines. According to the company, the enhanced magazine release has extended latches and also assists with the dropping of magazines. It can be used in the usual AK fashion, or by using the index finger to push the magazine release lever extension that is found under the trigger guard. Thus, loading a fresh magazine can be done either the traditional AK way of rocking it or just straight up if you are coming from AR background.

To install the Mission First Tactical Minimalist stock, ICT modified the stock attachment point so that it take an AR-15 buffer tube. For the scope mount, they use the  Kalashnikov Optics Platform (KOP) from Sabrewerks 13, LLC.

With the Bad Company Tactical R2S retention system ICT has given it a holster system and it is rather unusual that it uses a Cross-Bolt Safety which is a push button that blocks either the hammer or the trigger usually seen in pump action and semi-automatic guns. The Firearm Blog mentions that Kalashnikov Concern use the safety in their SR1 Balanced Action Competition Rifle.

To finish the rifle, they have given it a Cerakote coating in distressed OD Green with custom graphics, giving it a Soviet look.

Since it is a custom work, interested shooters can request ICT if they can make an identical one or a variant of the tAnk 47. It is just a matter of the customer’s budget and the custom parts and accessories they want to go with it.

We want an airsoft version of the ICT tAnK 47. Any reputable airsoft gunsmith up to it?

Executives of the bankrupt American company, Wellco Enterprises, have been sentenced to prison last June 13 after they pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, smuggling goods in ripping off the US Defense Department to the tune more than US$8.1 million by supplying “Made in USA” military boots which were mainly made in China and partly in Peru and the Dominican Republic, violating the “Berry Amendment” in which domestically produced products, such as food, clothing, fabrics, and specialty metals are given preference in procurement by the DoD.

The company executives who were convicted are: Vincent Lee Ferguson, CEO; Matthew Lee Ferguson,  Senior Vice President for Sales; Kerry Joseph Ferguson, Marketing Director ; Matthew Harrison Martland, Director for Distribution and Logistics; and Stephanie Lynn Ferguson Kaemmerer, Operations Manager.

As to how the fraud was perpetrated by these company officials, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Tennessee put out some of the details last February 16, 2018 when the defendants pleaded guilty:

According to information on file with the U.S. District Court, Wellco was a leading manufacturer and supplier of military footwear to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and to civilian (commercial) customers for over 70 years.  From 2006 through 2012, DoD alone paid in excess of $138 million to Wellco for the supply of combat boots.  Wellco pioneered and patented the first practical method for molding and attaching a rubber sole to a shoe upper in a single operation.  During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Army adopted Wellco technology for the manufacture of its hot-weather boots for the jungles of Vietnam, a boot that became known as the “Vietnam Boot” or the “jungle boot.”   In May, 2007, in a deal involving approximately $22 million, Wellco was acquired by two investment firms, Golden Gate Private Equity, Inc. and Integrity Brands, Inc.  Wellco became a wholly owned subsidiary of Golden Gate’s portfolio company, Tactical Holdings.

In March 2006, Vincent Lee Ferguson was made President and CEO of Wellco.  At that time, he discussed with Wellco’s Board of Directors, his turnaround plan for the company to increase commercial sales and “aggressively pursue” sales to the U.S. government.  From December 2008 through August 2012, he conspired with his executive team to import military-style boots that were made in China into the United States and then deceptively market and sell those boots to DoD (and other federal departments and agencies), government contractors, and the general public as “Made in the USA” and as compliant with the Berry Amendment and the Trade Agreements Act (TAA).   The Berry Amendment prohibits DoD from buying clothing that is not grown, reprocessed, reused or produced in the United States.  The purpose of the Berry Amendment is to protect the viability of America’s textile and clothing production base.  The TAA provides that the government may acquire only “U.S.-made or designated country end products” and requires government contractors to certify that each “end product” meets applicable requirements. 

By December 2008, Wellco was manufacturing certain military boot model uppers and insoles in China.  In order to conceal this fact, the conspirators required the Chinese manufacturing facility to include the American flag and “USA” on labels of certain boot uppers.  After two shipments of these deceptively marked boots were detained and seized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection, the conspirators ordered the Chinese facility to stitch tear-away “Made in China” labels in Wellco boot uppers.  After importation, the conspirators instructed Wellco factory workers in Morristown, Tennessee to tear out the “Made in China” tags prior to shipping the boots to government and commercial purchasers.

The defendants marketed and sold these Chinese-made Wellco boots as “Made in the USA.”  They also submitted false certifications to DoD and other federal agencies, and to government contractors that these boots complied with the Berry Amendment and TAA and met certain safety standards, including electrical hazard and blood-borne pathogen protections for U.S. troops.  For example, on August 15, 2012, the defendants submitted a signed “Certificate of Conformance” to a government contractor, representing that Wellco’s boot model S161 was “100% Berry Compliant” and “fully protective against Electrical Hazard,” even though the model was imported from China and not safety tested.  The boots were then supplied to troops stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas.   In total, Wellco sold at least $8.1 million of fraudulent boots.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, General Services Administration Office of Inspector General, and Defense Contract Audit Agency.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys David L. Gunn and Timothy C. Harker represented the United States.

Photo: U.S. Army Soldier  Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy Moore)

According to the Star Telegram, Matthew Ferguson and Kerry Ferguson were sentenced to six months in prison; Neil Streeter and Stephanie Lynn (Ferguson) Kaemmerer were sentenced to five years of probation; Matthew Harrison Martland was sentenced to six months of probation. Former CEO, Vincent Lee Ferguson, will be sentenced later this year.

Wellco Enterprises officially went out of business on  the 28th of November 2014, after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Whether you are an airsoft and real firearms seller using Facebook as one avenue to generate sales, better be aware that Facebook has introduced another policy. Whereas before the ban was limited to sales of guns and mods, now the social media giant wants you to restrict the promotion and sales of weapons accessories and gear to persons at least 18 years of age and over.

Now, some of you might think that the weapons accessories and even gear which also covers military clothing are mainly meant for airsoft so they would not be a problem targeting customers below years old. However, airsoft and the real world weapons and gear overlap as many in the airsoft community use some of the genuine articles that have their own replicas intended for airsoft use only. Even some in the tactical community will be using some products intended for airsoft just for training purposes only such as replica gear.

Here is the full list of items that are banned on Facebook or are to be restricted to users 18 years and above:

This policy takes effect today, the 21st of June 2018. If retailers are having issues or unsure how to adjust in order to still continue using Facebook, the social media giant is willing to work with them in order to adapt to the changes, so we suggest they get in touch with their representatives to avoid being banned from using their platform.

Not satisfied in your ride going to the next Milsim event as it does not look “Milsim” enough? A Humvee might not be enough for you as it does not have the comforts like a limo. As long as you’ve got money like an Arab sheikh or a Russian Oligarch then there is one that might meet your taste: the Karlmann King SUV.

It’s no ordinary SUV, as it will cost you at least US$1.8 million for the cheapest one and almost US$4 million for the bullet-proof version that has its own bar inside.

At first glance, it will immediately remind you of the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, the world’s first stealth attack aircraft with its faceted-angle surfaces to reduce its radar signature. The Karlmann King does not claim to be a stealth ground vehicle but as a luxury sports utility vehicle, then it is surely over the top.

Its base is a Ford F550 4×4 chassis and has the Ford 6.8 liter V10 as the power plant with a six-speed automatic transmission. It is not a fast SUV though as it has a top speed of 87mph. Exterior-wise it uses carbon fibre and sheet steel. It is a heavy SUV as the basic version weighs 5,600lbs. but when it comes to bulletproof version, then it is about 9,900lbs. That will make it a lumbering “stealth” ground vehicle. It is not only heavy, it is also massive as it is 8 feet wide and 8 feet tall with its 40-inch wheels.

It comes with the following as standard: 40-inch 4K TV, Playstation 4, satellite navigation, mood lighting, refrigerator, coffee machine, and a custom remote control to manage everything inside except the driver. Each Karlmann King order will be built one at a time and the more options that you require, then the more expensive it becomes, for example, having a full bar inside. We wonder if you can also have a retracting rooftop doors that reveal a mounted an airsoft minigun so you can also take it inside the game area as a luxury technical.

Most of us would probably just dream of owning one, but it never hurts to dream. But if you do have the moolah for this, feel free to give your list of options that you want included. Just remember to invite us for a ride.

Appreciation of team work and fair play are two of the virtues that we all want in airsoft players. In these days when YouTube is dotted with airsoft “Cheater” videos, whether true or contrived to get those views,  we want more positive stories that reward the airsoft player who becomes a shining example in the community.

In Canada, they are about to embark on recognizing such player. Aventure Airsoft Lanaudiere announce The Jocelyn Proulx Grant (Bourse Jocelyn Proulx) in search of such an outstanding airsoft player. Jocelyn founded Aventure Airsoft Lanaudiere a much respected airsoft retailer near Montreal in Quebec. 

We’ll let Aventure Airsoft Lanaudiere tell more about about Jocelyn and the grant:

Jocelyn was known in the community because of the videos he made in French about the airsoft in addition to the recognition of the people who had the chance to be served by him in his shop Aventure Airsoft Lanaudiere.

Since Jocelyn is an important part of AAL, we found it unfortunate that his memory left with his death. Moreover, during the various tests that he went through, the community always supported him in order to try to give him the necessary energy for his survival. Unfortunately Jocelyn died despite his cancer, but we wanted to give back to the community, while honoring the memory of Jocelyn, the energy that they had transmitted to him.

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In memory of the co-founder of Aventure Airsoft Lanaudière, we, Aventure Airsoft Lanaudière, put in place a grant of a 500$ gift certificate at the Aventure Airsoft Lanaudière.

The Jocelyn Proulx Grant will award the player who has proven himself during the summer by his teamwork and his fair play in the game.

In 2010, after chirurgical intervention removing a 14cm cancerous mass and 4 ribs on his right side, he discovered airsoft and was attracted by its virtues:  fair play and team spirit. These virtues are necessary for a nice airsoft day.

During the last 7 years, Jocelyn put his heart and soul in the expansion of Aventure Airsoft Lanaudière. Sadly, in October 2017, he passed away due to the cancer he was fighting while leaving a mark of his work in the Quebec airsoft world.

Here’s how you can win the grant:

1. To participate, you need to identify another player, in the comments, who has the best team spirit and is fair play in your eyes. You also need to explain why you chose him.
2. Next, you need to obtain the maximum of likes on your comment.
3. The 10 players with the most likes will go through the next round on July 31st.
4. Starting August 1st, the 10 players will need to obtain the maximum of likes, in a month, to go to the next round. This round ends August 31st.
5. To determine the winner of the grant, the 4 finalists will need to come in store to shoot a video, with us, presenting themselves and explaining why they think they are in the final. The videos will be online September 17th.
6. To win, the finalist will need to get the maximum of votes on his video. He will have until October19th to promote it.
7. The grant will be awared on October 20th at Aventure Airsoft Lanaudière.

Photo: Jocelyn Proulx during a fundraiser for the Societe Canadienne du Cancer organised by Aventure Airsoft Lanaudière. All the proceeds from the event, which was CAD$5,553, went to the organisation.

If you are based in Canada, you can nominate your team mate or anyone who thinks deserves the award. Please make sure that he/she is aware of this and willing to be nominated as there are steps for him/her to go through in order to win the award.

It is encouraging to see these efforts in recognizing the contributions to airsoft, as what Jocelyn did as he devoted himself to promoting such virtues in airsoft. We hope to see more airsoft players recognised for their contributions worldwide.

The event that many airsofters in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, including players from many parts of the world look forward to every year, the National Airsoft Festival, is now taking bookings and slots being filled fast. So if you intend to attend this event, then better do so as soon as you can.

Started in 2007 as the Ground Zero Weekender, the National Airsoft Festival has become the largest airsoft event in the United Kingdom, and also one of the largest and longest running airsoft events in the world.  Over 2,000 players attend the event each year, which happens in the last long weekend in the United Kingdom before the Christmas holidays. Interested players get to choose which group they want to play in:

• Bravo - A collection of mercenaries and renegades...
• Delta - The elite, organised troops...
• The Others - Whos idea of fun is causing as much death and disruption as possible!

Last year, Bravo won. The question is, will they be able to defend their crown this year? Delta is always ready to wrest it away from them. As for The Others, as long as they cause mayhem in the field, they will always be happy, win or lose.

Videos of last year are shown below for your viewing pleasure and help you decide which team you will go for this year:

Something for you to keep in mind especially if it’s going to be your first time to be at the event, it is not a Milsim event, but there is something for everyone, from the serious gamer, and for those who want a lot of trigger time. But for us, it’s always party time.

The National Airsoft Festival is set on the 24 to the 26th of August 2018. Booking closes at 2400H on the 14th of August 2018.

See you in August!

In 2011, I wrote about an extraordinary town that was built through the sheer will and imagination of of a former US Navy Serviceman as part of his therapy. Comprised mainly of 1/6 figures the town is a fictional town called “Marwencol” set in World War II Belgium, the story about the man and this town will soon become a full blown movie later this year starring Academy Award Nominee Steve Carell and directed by “Forrest Gump” director, Robert Zemeckis.

Mark Hogancamp was attacked by five men in 2000 that for 9 days he was in a coma in which he lost a great portion of his memory.  It was a hate crime as he remembers that he said he was a cross dresser before he was attacked. He was initially supported by the State Government of New York for his rehabilitation until the support ended. He was an amateur artist and he decided to take his own rehabilitation by creating a miniature town with his own story as "Hogie".

Marwencol was a town besieged by the Nazis but at certain areas, the Nazis and the Allies have to mingle and they have to be friends while inside the town. There are a lot of angles and rules in Marwencol with Hogecamp being the main character. The initial civility between the protaganists soon started to become violent as there we gunfights and kidnappings, Hogie himself was assassinated but then brought to life by a witch. The Nazis are always looking for opportunities to capture Marwencol. They have tortured Hogie but he was rescued by three women from the town.

Marwencol was turned into a documentary by Jeff Malmberg in 2010 and has won in prestigious film festivals.  As to the “Welcome to Marwen” movie, there was no mention on how the Dreamworks Pictures decided to turn this into a full blown movie as based on the documentary. The cast is comprised of Steve Carell, Leslie Mann, Diane Kruger, Merritt Wever, Janelle Monáe, Eiza González, Gwendoline Christie, Leslie Zemeckis, and Neil Jackson. Steve Carell will play the role of Hogancamp who is the main character in the Movie.

The movie brings to life the 1/6 characters of Marwencol as imagined by Hogencamp with him being protected by the women of the town who in the movie are based on people he knows in real life.

“Welcome to Marwen” will be released on 21 November 2018 in the United States and will be distributed by Universal Pictures. Below is the official trailer.

I have seen the future of off-road vehicles and they will be using the technology from DARPA. DARPA, the U.S. government agency that invents a lot of military tech stuff that turn into global game changers in civilian applications is at again. They just demonstrated their new tires that reconfigure into triangular tank tacks in two seconds without having to slow down, allowing it to adapt to the terrain easily rather than just remaining on roads.

DARPA calls it the Reconfigurable Wheel-Track (RWT):

Wheels permit fast travel on hard surfaces while tracks perform better on soft surfaces. A team from Carnegie Mellon University National Robotics Engineering Center (CMU NREC) demonstrated shape-shifting wheel-track mechanisms that transition from a round wheel to a triangular track and back again while the vehicle is on the move, for instant improvements to tactical mobility and maneuverability on diverse terrains.

The RWT is part of DARPA’s Ground X-Vehicle Technologies (GXV-T) program which the agency says “aims to improve mobility, survivability, safety, and effectiveness of future combat vehicles without piling on armor.” This allows military vehicles to move quickly in open roads when the RWT is in the wheel mode and be able to get off the road quickly to outflank the enemy even in rough terrain but morphing the wheels into track mode.

It is not yet a mature technology yet as it is being tested and improved at DARPA. But we are excited about this development as there are a lot of uses besides its military applications. Farms can use the RWT for tractors and bring produce to market without getting another vehicle. First responders are able to cope with rough terrain to reach areas that wheeled vehicles will find it difficult.  For those who love off-roading then the RWT is something that they wish the vehicle manufacturers will look into when developing future off-road vehicles.

Now, we just hope that DARPA takes this tech to next level or have it improved upon by the private sector so it will reach the market even faster.

Epic Games, the developers of the Fortnite online Battle Royale game, can now heave a sigh of relief now that the creators of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds PUBG have withdrawn their copyright infringement suit filed against them in a South Korean court.

Earlier, PUBG filed the lawsuit against Epic Games at the Seoul Central District Court alleging that Epic Games copied “Battlegrounds" items and user interface (UI). Fortnite intitally was not a Battle Royale video game, unlike PUBG which is a Battle Royale game since its inception as a Steam early access beta program in March 2017. Only in September 2017 did Fornite introduce its own Battle Royale mode.

According to Bloomberg, PUBG Corp. sent a letter to the lawyers of Epic Games last Monday in South Korea and the case is now closed. There is no mention why they withdrew the lawsuit or if there was a settlement agreed upon by the two companies. PUBG Corp. is a subsidiary of Bluehole, which like Epic Games, are partly owned by Tencent, China’s social media giant.

Online Battle Royale games are the thing these days that even the biggest names are pivoting their games such as Call of Duty with Black Ops 4 ditching away the single player mode and will be an online Battle Royale video game. PUBG was initially the king of the hill, but with the introduction of Battle Royale in Fortnite, it has now more users playing , having around 3.4 million concurrent users as compared to PUBG’s 3.3 million users last February 2018. PUBG licenses Epic Games Unreal gaming engine.

Will PUBG still be hunting some targets to sue for adopting the Battle Royale format? Maybe yes or maybe not. But with more Battle Royale games coming online, it will be interesting to see how PUBG will navigate the turbulent waters in order to survive.

News reports from Belgium cover an incident in which a man is alleged to have committed arson to an abandoned castle that is located on the grounds of an airsoft site. The castle, called Chateau de la Motte en Gée, is located in Huy, Belgium. It is southwest of Liège, the third biggest urban area in the country.

According to Lavenir.net, at around 12:59pm yesterday, firefighters were called to a fire that had broken out at the Chateau de la Motte en Gée in Tihange. They discovered that several gallons of gasoline was dumped into the abandoned castle. The firefighters were able to contain the fire quickly and the damage was minimal.

Two police officers were in the area at the time of the incident and they noticed suspicious activity. One tried to give chase to the suspect who fled on an electric bike but failed to catch him. A wider police search immediately followed which eventually found the suspect in Tihange, a Dutchman who is 39 years old.

The castle traces its origins to 1100 and was the home to a religious community. The property changed hands over the years and was demolished in 1885 and the present one was built on it. Known as the “Red Castle,” it was then as home or as a holiday place. Before it was abandoned, it was a hotel and convention centre.

Local authorities have approved use of the area for airsoft as long as players they do not encroach on the public forests. Airsofters from the Netherlands play airsoft at the site every weekend.

As to the motives of the suspect, it is not clear. Sudinfo reports that sources say that it may have been caused by a rivalry amongst airsoft groups from the Netherlands. Also, it mentions that the property usually has a guard but was absent on the day the fire happened.

I hope you’re not fed up with news from the video gaming word about a Battle Royale game here, a Battle Royale game there, but that is the biggest thing right now. Every game publish does not want to get with his/her pants down, not having a Battle Royale game to offer. With PUBG and Fortnite battling it out for supremacy in this genre, more game developers are coming forward with the same formula, it is just a matter which publisher will snap it.

While they use the same formula, about game characters parachuting/flying/landing on the game area and try killing each other until there is one character left standing, the battle now is who can provide the most massive Battle Royale game.

“Mavericks: Proving Grounds", wants to be the biggest of them all by promising that upon official release, it will be 1,000 player game.

Too ambitious you might say? Looking at PUBG and Fortnite capping their maximum player numbers at 100, yes indeed it is. The company behind the game, Automaton Games Ltd., is a 40-person company based in Cambridge, England and they will launch the Beta that will accommodate 400 players in a game in August. For the closed Beta, they are recruiting 100,000 players who will be included to their exclusive Expanded Beta Access upon successful registration.

When the 1,000 player mark is ready, players can form 5-man squads that will compete in this massive setup. The map is equivalent a 10 x 10 kilometer map, so just imagine how big it is in real terms. Players can track the enemy by looking at their footprints or blood trails when wounded. Wildlife can create distraction and being sensitive to sound is very important.

I wonder how long a game will last in a 1,000 player game. It will take longer so it’s also being alert for longer periods to survive will be important. I wonder even further how the developers will be able to scale up a game this big.

“Mavericks: Proving Grounds” is expected to be released in December 2018.

While the track record is not excellent for video games being adapted for big screen or the boob tube, still many companies want to take a crack of making the most successful live-action film or TV series adapted from a video game. HALO, with a not so good digital series called HALO Nightfall and a planned movie that did not materialize, will be having another shot. This time it will be by SHOWTIME and it will be a pay cable series.

SHOWTIME president and CEO David Nevins announced the network has ordered a 10-episode season on Xbox.com that, “Halo is our most ambitious series ever, and we expect audiences who have been anticipating it for years to be thoroughly rewarded."

Devins further adds, “In the history of television, there simply has never been enough great science fiction. Kyle Killen’s scripts are thrilling, expansive and provocative, Rupert Wyatt is a wonderful, world-building director, and their vision of Halo will enthrall fans of the game while also drawing the uninitiated into a world of complex characters that populate this unique universe.”

Halo Nightfall digital series tralier in 2015. This was produced by Ridley-Scott.

The Halo cable TV series adaptation will take place in the universe that first came to be in 2001 and it will be dramatizing an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant. "Awake" creator Kyle Killen will serve as executive producer, writer and showrunner. Rupert Wyatt who was the director of the "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" will be directing multiple episodes and also act as executive producer.

Kiki Wolfkill, head of Halo Transmedia at 343 Industries said, “This is a truly exciting moment for the Halo franchise. Together with our creative and production partners at SHOWTIME and Amblin Television, the Halo television series will represent new and exciting way for fans to enter and engage with the Halo universe. We can’t wait to share more on what’s ahead.”

The hour-long series will start production in the early par of  2019.

At the Electronics Entertainent Expo 2018 in Los Angeles, Microsoft revealed the latest iteration in the HALO video game series, called "HALO Infinite".

Whilst everyone’s making jokes on Trump’s announcement of a Space Force, the Chinese appear to have a jumpstart in what appears to be the latest Space race ever since Ronald Reagan announced his “Star Wars” initiative in the 1980s. The Chinese claim that that they have a laser rifle that can cause trouble to those that it targets

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports that the rifle, the ZKZM-500, is a non- lethal laser, but can cause “instant carboniszation” of human skin and tissue. It weights the same as AK-47 rifle, though it does not look like those sleek laser blasters that we see in sci-fi movies. The laser is invisible and can go through glass windows.

With a range of 800 metres, the ZKZM-500 can burn through clothing and if the target is unfortunate to wear flammable clothing, can be set on fire. It’s powered by rechargeable lithium batteries and can fire 1,000 shots, with each shot not lasting no more than 2 seconds.  A prototype of the laser rifle was developed by the Xian Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shaanxi province.

Image:External view of the ZKZM-500 Laser Gun

According to the SCMP, the rifle is now ready for production at a cost of 100,000 yuan each and units that will first receive them are the anti-terror squads of the Chinese Armed Police.

China tinkering with laser weapons is not exactly new. Before the ZKM-500 there have been prototypes of laser rifles being designed for the Chinese PLA. Also, reports of U.S. pilots being shined with laser lights from suspected Chinese sources in Africa and East Asia. On two occasions, minor injuries were caused to two C-130 pilots in Djibouti where which China also has a military base.

The only thing that that is missing when the ZKZM-500 gets released to the units, is e a new set of uniforms that will make Emperor Palpatine proud.

Top photo:Chinese soldier with WJG-2002 laser weapon  (Source: China Military Online)

Drones will be playing a big role in warfare, from reconnaissance to actual combat.  They will be the workhorses, especially doing missions that are too dangerous for soldiers. They will come in different shapes and sizes, different roles and capabilities, and as such soldiers should be able to know how to operate them as well as be able to counter enemy ones.

According to Military.com a drone training school has been opened in Fort Benning. Managed by the 3rd Squadron, 16th Cavalry Regiment, 316th Cavalry Brigade, the Small Unmanned Aerial System (SUAS) will be giving classes to trainees so they will be familiar with drones. They should be able to know how they fly and describe a drone if one flies over them.

Soldiers should be able to fill up a seven-line report when they spot a drone, and send the information to HQ via radio.

Photo:U.S. Army soldier operating RQ-11 Raven UAV (U.S. Army photo by Visual Information Specialist Paolo Bovo)

It is crucial that soldiers be able to know how drones work and be able to note if one is hostile or not. What is important for them is be able to stay alert and determine what payload a certain drone will carry, especially a hostile one. Still, even a drone that is harmless loitering around is transmitting information to the enemy and soldiers should be able to counter it either by jamming its transmission or shooting it down. Some can even counter it by capturing it to find out what an enemy drone can do.

Also, soldiers should be able to operate different types of drones. Squads should learn how to fly the small Black Hornet III which flies like a hummingbird and can go fly through tight spaces, especially in urban warfare. They also should be proficient in flying drones through various obstacles. Drone racers should easily qualify for being drone specialists in the military.

While militaries operate their own drones that can be easily identified by soldiers, they should also be aware that civilian drones can be used as weapons. Terrorists are known to put together civilian drones or even build their own drones that can drop bombs or even act as kamikaze drones. If a civilian drone is hovering in an area where it should not be, chances are, it is up to no good.

Top photo:U.S. Army Soldier with Black Hornet III (U.S. Army photo by Kyle J. O. Olson, PEO Soldier)

Yesterday, I wrote about the U.S. Army setting up a drone school to help trainees familiarize themselves with drones, including identification and reporting of these. While those are important skills for today’s warfighters, they also need tools to counter hostile drones, apart from attempting to shoot them down with their weapons.

An option is to jam the drones so they lose contact from their operators and safely bring them down, or for others, try the old way of casting a net to catch these. For soldiers, jamming is a quick option so they can focus on the mission ahead. With that, MyDefence, a company based in Denmark, offer a solution, a wearable Counter UAS Jammer called the PITBULL.

According to MyDefence, the PITBULL can protect dismounted soldiers from reconnaissance and weapons delivery drones. Since it is wearable as it has small form factor, the PITBULL can be worn using MOLLE webbing that soldiers use. Weighing less than 1kg (775g) it can work with MyDefence product, the Wingman series for special operations units for a complete drone detection and threat mitigation.

On its own, PITBULL can work up to a distance of 1,000 meters with its directional antennas. It can be operated manually or on automatic mode, covering the 2.4GHz, 5.8GHz and GNSS frequency bands. MyDefence plans on releasing an external active antenna to cover additional frequencies. The PITBULL has a standby time of 20 hours and with continuous jamming it can last for two hours.

Using PITBULL does require little to no training to operate as well as it can be easily updated to improve performance as it a software-based jammer. That means software updates can further refine its capabilities and make it more versatile in countering drones.

The most feared military organisation in the Middle East and one of the most respected in the world is about to replace its uniform. The IDF is known for its Olive Drab uniform, the colour used since it shifted from Khaki in to Olive Green in the early 1950s, and is now looking into camouflage patterns for its new uniform.

According to the Jersualem Post, the IDF Ground Forces are testing in a month-long trial camouflage uniforms with the IDF's technological and logistics Directorate. This is further confirmed by Agilite, the Israeli tactical gear maker, in their blog post, “that the new IDF camo uniforms feature rank, flag, unit and combat soldier patches and will be made of ‘advanced’ breathable wicking fabrics.”

The uniforms are already being tested by hundreds of soldiers from Paratroopers, Bardelas Battalion, Home Front Command, Lions of the Jordan Valley, Paratroopers, and the Unit 8200 Intelligence Directorate. The trial involves two shirt cuts, three camouflage pattern variants, and a uniform trouser frame including a built-in elastic waist. It will examine the comfort of the cut, functionality especially in different activities, as well location of pockets and sizes.

During the trials, each participating soldier will be given two uniforms to wear when doing operations with their units. These are lightweight and durable and will not be used for training or the routine operations.

One might assume that IDF will be going for a colour pattern that will match the desert conditions of the Middle East, especially, something like the MulticamPattern or the OCP used by the U.S. Military and some allies. But according to Agilite, it might not be case since the immediate operating environment of the IDF, that even if the southern part of Israel is arid because of the Negev desert, the northern part near Lebanon and Syria, in which most of the action for the IDF is now happening, are green and wooded.