LAAD 2011

CBC Ammunition, the local ammunition manufacturer in Brazil, has a worldwide presence. Examples of CBC’s small arms ammunition were scattered in the cases; from their 9x19mm up through 12.7x99mm (.50 BMG), and the medium calibers; 20x102mm for the M61 Vulcan series and M39 revolver cannons, to the 20x110RB for the Oerlikons, and other 20mm and 30mm rounds. One other item of note was that they are in production of the 12.7x76mm (.50 spotter) round that is used as the spotter round on the M8C rifle attached to 106mm recoilless rifles. (www.cbc.com.br)

LAAD Brazil has grown in leaps and bounds over the last decade and today it is a formidable contender as a top Latin American military trade show.  We find it second only in size to the FIDAE show in Chile but that’s not a fair comparison, as FIDAE has a massive airshow attached.  Attendees and the 600+ exhibitors alike were pleased with the large turnout (24,000 people and delegations from 53 countries) that showed up for this biannual event.  The 18 national pavilions covered a very respectable 42,000+ square meters in several large halls.  This was the 8th edition of LAAD, and it was our third attendance at the show.  SADJ is very pleased to see the growth here, and we of course plan to attend the 2013 event.

A Brazilian soldier checks out Arsenal’s offerings of their Bulgarian made rifles that are based on the Kalashnikov action. He is holding the M9F in 5.56x45mm with the UBGL-M6 40x46mm grenade launcher and MK22 Colimating sight. (www.arsenal2000.com)

Russian company Bazalt had a small display showing several of their shoulder fired launchers. Top: Reloadable RPG-32 with rocket underneath it; Bottom: RPG-28 single fire launcher. (www.bazalt.ru)

ATN showcased their NVM14 Universal multi-purpose system, which functions as a monocular, on headgear as a camera adapter, handheld, or on a weapon inline. It uses one 123A lithium battery or has an AA adapter, and uses an IR illuminator with flood lens. (www.atncorp.com)

Sebastian Babula from Fabryka Broni ‘Lucznik’ in Radom, Poland was at the Bumar Group booth and here he holds the newest bullpup design rifle. Bumar Group is the pre-eminent Polish company representing over 23 Polish defense companies.

CZ had the new Evo 3A submachine gun in 9x19mm. This polymer lightweight design features a built-in ambidextrous three shot burst four position selector and modular design, as well as plenty of Picatinny rails to Mil-Spec. (cz-usa.com)

Perhaps the biggest news from the FN Herstal group was the introduction of their new FCU (Fire Control Unit) for their FN40GL 40x46mm low velocity shoulder fired grenade launcher. The FN FCU adds speed and accuracy to the FN40GL system. (fnherstal.com)

Daniel Defense announced they had just signed a co-manufacturing agreement with Ecuador that starts with 10,000 of Daniel Defense’s M4 type rifles to be made in Ecuador, and may lead up to 45,000 or more. (www.danieldefense.com)