Show Report – Small Arms Defense Journal

Show Report: ENFORCETAC 2024

Richard D. Jones — Tue, 28 May 2024 13:00:00 +0000

This year’s edition of the Police & Law Enforcement weapons and equipment exhibition was the 11th to be held. The show precedes the world-famous IWA Hunting and Sporting exhibition, which this year celebrated its 50^th anniversary at the Nuremburg Messe exhibition center.

The increasing popularity of EnforceTac has led the organizers to extend its duration from the initial one-day show to three days, followed the day after by the start of the IWA International Hunting & Sporting exhibition which is held at the same venue. The show is not open to the public and attendance is limited to those involved in the defense industry. Highlighting the increasing popularity of the show was the greatly extended exhibition floor space this year covering three large halls.

Officially, more than 12,000 trade visitors, up from 7,235 in 2023, from 86 countries took part in the exhibition. Around 730 exhibitors, up from 540 in 2023, from 46 countries showcased their solutions in a display area measuring 30,000 m², up from 22,000 m² in 2023.

A feature of the show is a number of concurrent activities which, this year, included the Enforce Tac Village, an outdoor 700m² training area where noted police and military experts presented four daily sessions of live demonstrations. The Enforce Tac ‘Blackbox’ facility allowed attendees to test thermal imaging devices, residual light amplifiers, and laser light modules (among others) in a suitable environment. To make a change from walking the floor, the EnforceTac Fitness Test was on offer.

Earlier shows had a focus more on boots, bullets, and badges (to oversimplify), while the past decade has seen a vast upsurge in technical innovations such as drones and counter-drone systems. The former now providing reconnaissance and observation capabilities on par with their manned military counterparts.

The needs of many police forces require quality not quantity and locally based POL-TEC of Furth, is an example of a distributor offering an extensive range of branded products. From law-enforcement dedicated sniper rifles, training ammunition, weapon accessories such as the Blue Can suppressor replacement for use with non-lethal training ammunition.

Imaging technology continues to evolve and what was once represented by large, fixed installations is now offered by Novo Digital Radiography portable X-Ray systems.

Miniaturization of x-ray equipment is shown by the compact suitcase size equipment displayed together with a wall-mounted display of imagery of various IEOD’s at the Novo booth.

This year the EnforceTac Exhibition Guide made reference to Law Enforcement & Defense, reflecting a greater and diversity of larger ordnance systems on display.

The “long arm of the law” has been further enabled by the Euro SPIKE ground-launched missile with the Euro Spike XL variant reaching out to 10 km for terra firma targets and 16.6 km for rotary-winged aircraft targets.

The MBDA multi-national development, single-operator, shoulder-launched missile provides a hard target capability out to more than 2000m with multi-functional warhead with “lock-on before-launch” and then “fire and forget” capability.

The Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH SSW40 (Squad Support Weapon, developmental models were known as the Hydra”) is an automatic grenade launcher with a self-regulating recoil dampening system which permits the use of both 40 x 46 mm LR (Low Velocity) and 40 x 51 mm Medium Velocity (MV) rounds. Lethal effective range in the latter case is claimed to have increased to +/-900 m, double that of the LV round with its nominal +/-350 m range. Image shown is a display mock-up and is fitted with the FCS-TacRay ballistic computer in combination with the IR-Programming Unit (IR-PU) for use with air-burst munitions.

At the other end of the spectrum less-lethal systems were exhibited from handheld to backpack-carried units.

The handheld, high-power pepper soaker offered by Piexon of Switzerland.

Hatsan of Izmir, Turkey offered a range of 40 mm shoulder-fired, single, and multi-shot grenade launchers with both smooth-bore and rifled barrel variants offered. There is also an option for colorized stock components, as required by some law-enforcement agencies to indicate a less-lethal capability when operationally deployed.

Hoernecke Defence Technology of Germany offered their TW1000 RWG-10/1 Portable Irritant-Launcher for use in mass demonstrations of a violent nature.

STOOF International GmbH of Borkheide, Germany exhibited an example of their line of armored vehicle conversions. Shown here is the VR7 Test Trojan which has undergone physical testing.

Dok-Ing of Croatia exhibited their prototype MV-3 Hystrix counter-terrorism robotic system.

The range of firearms and calibers seen at EnforcTac continues to grow as the show now comprises a defense element. Continuing a recent trend, Turkish manufacturers of military style small arms continue to increase, as weapon platforms up to 20 mm in caliber were on display this year.

Canik of Turkey displayed the Venom LR (Low Recoil) 30 x 113 mm cannon mounted on the Trakon 30 Remote Weapon station. The Venom LR is manufactured by AEI Systems of the United Kingdom and is based on the original 30 mm ADEN cannon which features a “Revolver” or multi-chamber feeding system.

Originally a manufacturer of handguns Canik also displayed its current range of the TP series 9 x 19 mm handguns. The company uses colored slides to indicate slides for different uses. Left to right, the TP9 black slide for Airsoft use, blue slide for use with Simunition FX training rounds, yellow slide for blank firing, red slide that indicates a non-functional practice pistol for combatives training, and a ruggedized slide for dry-firing, lastly, a cut-away instructional model.

Major European manufacturers of small arms represented at the show included the locally based Heckler & Koch of Oberndorf am Necker which exhibited at both EnforceTac and IWA (shown here is the IWA booth).

FN Herstal of Belgium exhibited their FN Smart ProtectoR 303T, less lethal launcher alongside their traditional range of handguns, rifles, and machine guns. The former is chambered for the unique FN 18 mm caliber projectile launched by a compressed air charge. Available for use with the launcher is the FN VictoR-SP camera which can record images taken during firing, providing valuable data for after-action reviews, or judicial investigations.

Steyr Arms of Austria exhibited their current product line, with their new pistol caliber submachine gun under glass at the lower right-hand side of the image. The Steyr MA V9 is chambered for the universally used 9 x 19 mm cartridge, the MA V40 is, as the number suggests chambered for the 40 S&W cartridge.

Other Steyr Arms included the bolt-action HS50 M1 Anti-Material Rifle in .50 Browning (12 x 99 mm) caliber. The HS50 M1 has a horizontally mounted, five-round magazine on the left of the receiver and can be disassembled into two equal lengths for transportation and storage.

The Steyr Arms STEYR DMR 762 has been developed to compliment the Steyr range of sniper rifles and their DMR (designated marksman rifle) meets the requirement for a section weapon capable of providing effective fire support out to a range of 800 m and suppressive fire out to 1,000 m. Design is based on the generic AR-15 style rifle platform with a short-stroke, gas-operated system. The barrel length is 330 mm/13-inches and a right-side folding stock allows the rifle to be used in close-quarter environments. The mode of fire is semi-automatic only, as it is not designed or intended for use as an automatic rifle.

Another regular attendee at EnforceTac is the firearms and suppressor manufacturer Brugger & Thomet of Thun, Switzerland. Their APC9 (Advanced Police Carbine) 9 x 19 mm caliber sub-machine gun with its multiple configuration options has proven a popular choice for law-enforcement agencies, and the APC9 K variant has been selected for use by the U.S. Air Force.

Established in 2018 System Defence of Gebze, Turkey exhibited a range of their current product line of handguns, rifles and light machine guns. Shown here is the 5.56 mm MFR56 dual-feed system compact light machine gun version. The MFR uses propriety polymer 30-round magazines used with the SD15 assault rifle series (based on the generic AR-15-style platform) or STANAG M27 link.

Česká zbrojovka a.s. better known as “CZ” had their usual large booth and exhibited a range of products under their holding company Colt CZ Group SE umbrella including Colt USA and Colt Canada.

Zastava of Serbia presented a full range of their product line. The classic M70 line here shown as the upgraded Zastava MO5 E1 model fitted with the muzzle-loading BGP40 40 mm under-barrel grenade-launcher. A variant of the latter firing the 40 x 46 mm LV grenade is also available.

The Zastava MCS (Modular Combat System) is offered in the standard 7.62 x 39 mm caliber or the Serbian developed 6.5 x 39 mm cartridge. Two model types are offered and differ primarily in barrel length (M19 with 415 mm and M20 with 254 mm barrel lengths). Principal features of the MCS are the gas-operated system, quick-change barrel facility (weapon disassemble not required) with interchangeable calibers, and non-reciprocating charging handle. Shown here is the M20 variant with short 254 mm length barrel.

New for the show was the Zastava M20 7.62 mm NATO caliber, general-purpose machine-gun (GPMG), a substantially modified copy of the Zastava produced M84 in 7.62 x 54 mm R caliber, the latter itself a derivative of the Soviet-era Kalashnikov Design Bureau PK GPMG.

In changing the caliber from the rimmed 7.62 x 54 mm cartridge to the rimless 7.62 x 51 mm NATO round, a significant internal design change was required for the feed system which requires the use of the “push-through” M13 disintegrating link, rather than the original 25-round lengths (joined by a male-female connector tab for longer lengths) of non-disintegrating belt of the PK series. The image shows the revised feeding arrangement developed for the M20 for use with the push-through M13 link.

Sarsilmaz of Turkey were another exhibitor whose current product line includes the AKM derivative the SAR 15T.

The Brazilian arms manufacturer Taurus and CBC ammunition manufacturer made the long journey from South America to attend.

Dvorak Instruments Inc of Tulsa, USA offered their Air Recoil System training aid. The company also offers the Tetherless Recoil System which, as the name implies, offers unrestricted maneuver in the training environment. Both training systems feature a drop-in kit using CO2 as a medium to cycle the weapon and replicate recoil for realistic training. Conversions kits are available for a full range of firearms from handgun to machine guns.

Among the several drone system manufacturers at EnforceTac was the Dutch manufacturer Height of Geldermalsen who were offering their Martlet range of sUAS Quadcopter drones. Three platform sizes are offered and the Martlet M1-3 offers a multi-option configuration with extra long-distance range (50 mins @ 10 m/s). Maximum payload is 3 kg, which can include communication jammers and electronic warfare modules.

EPA Manufacturing of the U.K. offer a kinetic energy solution to electronically protected UAS platforms with their small arms caliber munitions for close-in air-defense (anti-drone) rounds for 12 gauge or 40 mm systems.

Nordic Power Saw of Sweden offer a range of hand-operated chain saws for use in those emergency situations when power-driven tools are not available.

For those who have been responsible for policing spent brass, after a heavy day’s shooting, Ammo Up of Florida, USA offer a less tedious and quicker option for policing brass on the range.

The next edition of EnforceTac will be held 24-26 February 2025 at the Nuremburg Messe Exhibition complex. For those who plan on attending the IWA International Hunting & Sporting Exhibition at the same location, the latter will be held after EnforceTac on 27 February to 2 March 2025.

Show Report: DSEi 2023 Announcements from KAC, PGZ, and more

Richard D. Jones — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 14:00:00 +0000

By Richard Jones

The 12^th edition of the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) exposition saw the return of the “new normal” post-pandemic with full exhibition halls and a record number of visitors and exhibitors. As has been the custom for many years the exposition was held at the EXCEL Centre in the London Docklands. According to statistics provided by the event organizers, attendance was up by 23% compared to DSEI 2019 (with DESI 2021 being something of a watershed mid-pandemic), the event hosting over 1,500 exhibitors, including more than 250 first-time exhibitors. As a globally recognized international event, it featured 36 international pavilions, that of the USA doubling in size from the last event. VIP visits topped 3,500 and international delegations exceed 100. The exhibition areas are two very large rectangular halls with adjacent docking facilities for visiting warships from several nations.

Aisle view of the Turkish Pavilion in Hall 3. An essential pocket map of the floor plan is available to attendees, either electronic or hardcopy to enable navigation around the extended exhibition areas.

Many of the new exhibitors at DSEI 2023 were within “Future Tech”, including Sony, IBM, Oracle, Panasonic, and Palantir who were among the companies demonstrating the broad reach of DSEI beyond its traditional defense and industrial base. These companies exhibited alongside the traditional defense industry, including all the major manufacturers.

The exposition is sponsored by the UK Ministry of Defence which has large, single-service exhibition areas. The principal Army event of the show was the formal introduction into service of the Knight’s Armament Company (KAC) KS-1 5.56mm assault rifle (British nomenclature L403A1) as the Alternative Infantry Weapon (AIW) and the weapon of choice of the recently formed “Ranger” brigade. The KS-1 has a modified direct gas-impingement system and bucks the recent trend of piston-operated generic Armalite-type (AR-15) platforms.

Shown here at the Edgar Brothers booth are (left) Reed Knight, Jr. and (right) Reed Knight, III on the occasion of the formal signing of the AIW rifle contract. The former are the official MoD sponsored UK supplier and life-cycle maintainer of the KS-1 in its various configurations.

An example of the KS-1/L403A1 Alternative Infantry Weapon was available to view at the Edgar Brothers booth.

Continuing a recent trend of Turkish manufacturers of sporting firearms moving into the production of military small arms, there was a large presence of the former at DSEI 2023. Among those exhibiting was Sarsilmaz with their 9x19mm SAR 109T sub-machine gun based on the classic M4 carbine type-chassis and yet another copy of the venerable soviet/Russian AKM, the SAR 15T which is reportedly in service with the Turkish armed forces.

Sarsilmaz SAR 109T 9x19mm with steel magazine.

Sarsilmaz copy of the “AKM” with modern fittings such as adjustable stock-length, Picatinny sight rails, and polymer magazine.

Another Turkish manufacturer offering a number of small and large caliber small arms was Canik, previously best known for its handgun production.

The Canik, classic Browning .50 caliber offering.

Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWE), formerly Ordnance Factory Kanpur who were previously part of the former Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) of India before the 2021 reorganization of the latter into seven private sector entities, provided a display of their current small arms and infantry weapon products.

Shown is the AWE “Joint Venture Protective Carbine” (JPVC) which is chambered for the unique Indian 5.6x30mm cartridge.

Another AWE product is their belt-fed 7.62x51mm “LMG” with monobloc receiver the design of which is reminiscent of the Barratt LW240 design of some years ago.

The AWE 7.62mm light machine gun (LMG), although it’s unloaded weight as quoted (21.38 lb.) in factory literature would place it more in the general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) category?

Given the prominence of the show, market leaders in the manufacture of small arms and infantry weapons were in attendance.

Shown is the large FN Herstal pavilion exhibiting a full range of their small arms, ammunition, and associated equipment.

Front: 7.62mm NATO, rear 5.56mm NATO Evolys variants. The FN Evolys 7.62mm NATO caliber light machine gun (LMG) is thought to be one of the contenders as a replacement for the British Army’s L7A2 7.62mm NATO general purpose machine gun (GPMG), the latter itself based on the FN MAG 58).

The Germany-based manufacturer of small arms Heckler & Koch also previewed an example of their HK421, a compact lightweight version of their MG5 general purpose machine gun (GPMG), the latter is also thought to be contender in the forthcoming UK MoD competition to replace the in-service L7A2 GPMG.

The HK421 lightened GPMG – note telescoping stock.

SIG Sauer were present and showed examples of the XM7 automatic rifle, XM250 light machine gun, and 338 Norma Magnum (NM) caliber medium machine gun (MMG), with interest in the latter being expressed by several armies who wish to fill the gap between the effective range of 7.62mm NATO caliber weapons and the larger heavier .50 Browning (12.7x99mm) caliber heavy machine gun (HMG) with a man-portable weapon in the intermediate caliber approximating the size and weight of the classic rifle caliber GPMG.

The SIG Sauer 338 NM caliber MMG.

The SIG Sauer XM250 light machine gun developed for the U.S. Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) program. Primary caliber is 6.8x51mm, but the author was advised that a 7.62mm NATO caliber option had been requested by an unidentified customer.

Beretta Defence Technologies (BDT) booth. BDT showed their latest assault rifle, the NARP – “New Assault Rifle Platform.” The NARP design shares common features with the generic Armalite AR-15 system.

The UK-based Steel Core Designs is an independent company traditionally offering a range of precision arms. At this show, the company unveiled a new rifle in a departure from its regular line, the “Black Widow” selective-fire assault rifle in 5.56x45mm NATO caliber. A new design that does not owe its origins to the generic Armalite AR-15 platform.

Steel Core Designs booth.

The Steel Core Designs ‘Black Widow’ 5.56mm assault rifle.

The SAAB AB Carl Gustaf 84mm recoilless gun system was available to view in the latest M4 configuration. First entering service with the Swedish armed forces in 1948, the M2 version saw widespread adoption during the Cold War period. It was a contemporary of the later Soviet RPG-7 grenade-launcher, both systems initially entered service in the anti-tank role. With the subsequent introduction of disposable, shoulder-fired anti-armor weapons the days of the “Charlie G” appeared to be numbered. However, the continuing need for a gun and selectable ammunition combination led to the introduction of the M3 variant and subsequent adoption as the Multi-Role Anti-Armor Anti-Personnel Weapon System (MAAWS) by the U.S. armed forces. Much lightened from the M2 configuration’s 14.2kg (31 lb.) all-steel construction, the M4 bi-material barrel construction gun now weighs in at ~ 7kg (~15 lb). Another feature has been the development of multiple types of warheads. The latest HE 448 round when used with the fire control device (FCD) 558 can be programmed to burst on impact or air-burst, selection being made while the round is chambered ready for firing.

SAAB AB M4 Carl Gustav weapon system. Note multiple sight/fire control units.

The Polish Armaments Group PGZ (Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa S.A.), a holding company established by the Polish government to unite Polish state-owned defense industry companies, were in attendance with a range of their product line, including the GX Warhead series for unmanned vehicles and UAVs developed by the Military Institute of Armament Technology. Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów (ZMT) of Tarnow have developed a new range of small arms based on the generic Armalite AR-15 platform.

The Polish PGZ booth in Hall 4.

GX Warheads HEAT (High-Explosive Anti-Tank) round for UAVs.

The ZMT Modular Weapon System (MWS-25) variant in 308/7.62 NATO sniper rifle configuration.

On show floor was the AJAX tracked armored fighting vehicle (AFV), a replacement for the British long serving Warrior AFV that has been at the center of technical issues and program delays. The AJAX fleet will consist of a number of sub-variants, and should no further technical issues arise, the prime manufacturer General Dynamics is expected to begin deliveries sometime in 2025.

The AJAX armored fighting vehicle (AFV) attracted considerable attention in the British Army display area. AJAX will be armed with the CTA International 40mm Case Telescoped Ammunition (CTA) cannon, a significant improvement over the L21A1 30mm Rarden gun fitted to Warrior AFV.

Much in evidence in media coverage of the Ukraine/Russia conflict is the BAE Systems M777 155mm Lightweight Towed Howitzer which has been sold in large numbers.

M777 155/39 caliber Lightweight Towed Howitzer.

The South Korean armored vehicle manufacturer Hanwha has been successful with several major export sales of their K9 Thunder 155mm self-propelled howitzer (SPH). The British Army is looking to fill the gap in self-propelled artillery after a significant number of the fleet of ageing AS90 SPHs were transferred to Ukraine.

The K9 Thunder was on display at DSEi in the British Army pavilion area and the K9A2 variant is a contender in the UK MoD – Mobile Fires Platform (MFP) program. In the meantime, UK MoD have purchased a number of Swedish “Archer” wheeled 155mm howitzers to cover the shortfall in 155mm platforms.

The present conflict in the Crimea between the Ukraine and Russia has, to the uninitiated eye, raised issues as to the viability of main battle tanks (MBT’s) in any future conflict and this edition of DSEI did not feature large, armored displays, reflecting perhaps a wait-and-see mood in regards to what equipment will be fielded over the next decade?

Seen here is the Rheinmetall Mission Master XT – Counter-UAS Fire Support Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV).

The Mission Master XT is a modular design and for its counter-UAS mission is armed with twin Dillon M134 7.62mm NATO caliber miniguns.

A recurring feature of DSEI are visiting warships. The south side of the DSEI venue abuts the former Royal Victoria Dock in the London docklands area. Conducted naval tours are provided for interested visitors and demonstrations of small navel craft are also carried out. At image center is the Royal Navy Type 23 frigate, HMS Iron Duke, at lower left, visitors wait to board the Belgian patrol craft BNS Castor.

SHOW REGISTRATION: Registration for DSEI 2023 was online-only. No facility for registration on-site was provided. Prior registration (online-only) is expected to become an established practice going forward.

NEXT SHOW: DSEi 2025, 9-12 September

LOCATION: EXCEL Centre, London Docklands