Latest news with #JohnGibbs
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
How the US Army is experimenting with giving its shoulder-launched Stinger missiles a much longer reach
The US Army highlighted an ongoing program to upgrade the range of its Stinger missiles. The program, Red Wasp, has been applying solid fuel ramjet technology to increase reach. Stingers have seen widespread use in a number of conflicts, including the Ukraine war. The US Army is developing new technology aimed at giving legacy Stinger missiles, shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles, a much longer reach. An air defense interceptor program, Red Wasp, has been working on new technology to increase the Stinger's range, allowing it to hit targets at greater distances. The Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation and Missile Center shared an update on the Red Wasp program Wednesday, highlighting a successful test flight last year and plans for future flights. The Army said the focus of the program has been on solid-fueled ramjet technology, a dual propulsion cycle that starts with a conventional solid rocket motor to boost the missile to supersonic speed. Once the booster ultimately burns out, outside air enters the combustion chamber through a port at the front of Stinger's solid fuel rocket motor, rather than being stored on board, and ignites the ramjet fuel. "The ramjet cycle thus greatly increases the engine's delivered performance and ultimately the missile's range," the Army center explained. That'll help soldiers use Stinger to engage with threats like uncrewed aerial systems with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities at longer distances, said Capability Area Lead for Air and Missile Defense John Gibbs. "With Red Wasp, we can reach out and touch them at greater distances," he said. Stingers, man-portable air defense systems that fire surface-to-air missiles, have been in service since 1981, with few changes to their range over the past almost 45 years. They're fired over-the-shoulder and hone in on their target via infrared, making soldiers and insurgents more effective against helicopter gunships. Red Wasp was a high-risk, high-reward, completely government-owned program to make the system much more lethal, Chappell Ray, deputy capability area lead for air and missile defense, noted. The Stinger was chosen as a candidate for testing this type of technology a few years ago. At the time, "several industry propulsion experts expressed concerns about the feasibility of applying solid fuel ramjet technology to the Stinger form factor," Gibbs said. "The team took that as a challenge and within 18 months, successfully demonstrated the concept in a flight test." Additional flight testing is expected this summer. Stingers have been used in combat for decades. For instance, the US made the uneasy decision to share the missile with US-backed Afghan rebels to help erode the Soviet Union's control of the air. Over the course of the war, an estimated 2,000 and 2,500 were sent. Stingers have also seen combat in other wars, most recently Ukraine. Weeks after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, then-US President Joe Biden sent them to Ukraine to shoot down Russian helicopters. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
21-05-2025
- Science
- Business Insider
How the US Army is experimenting with giving its shoulder-launched Stinger missiles a much longer reach
The US Army is developing new technology aimed at giving legacy Stinger missiles, shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles, a much longer reach. An air defense interceptor program, Red Wasp, has been working on new technology to increase the Stinger 's range, allowing it to hit targets at greater distances. The Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation and Missile Center shared an update on the Red Wasp program Wednesday, highlighting a successful test flight last year and plans for future flights. The Army said the focus of the program has been on solid-fueled ramjet technology, a dual propulsion cycle that starts with a conventional solid rocket motor to boost the missile to supersonic speed. Once the booster ultimately burns out, outside air enters the combustion chamber through a port at the front of Stinger's solid fuel rocket motor, rather than being stored on board, and ignites the ramjet fuel. "The ramjet cycle thus greatly increases the engine's delivered performance and ultimately the missile's range," the Army center explained. That'll help soldiers use Stinger to engage with threats like uncrewed aerial systems with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities at longer distances, said Capability Area Lead for Air and Missile Defense John Gibbs. "With Red Wasp, we can reach out and touch them at greater distances," he said. Stingers, man-portable air defense systems that fire surface-to-air missiles, have been in service since 1981, with few changes to their range over the past almost 45 years. They're fired over-the-shoulder and hone in on their target via infrared, making soldiers and insurgents more effective against helicopter gunships. Red Wasp was a high-risk, high-reward, completely government-owned program to make the system much more lethal, Chappell Ray, deputy capability area lead for air and missile defense, noted. The Stinger was chosen as a candidate for testing this type of technology a few years ago. At the time, "several industry propulsion experts expressed concerns about the feasibility of applying solid fuel ramjet technology to the Stinger form factor," Gibbs said. "The team took that as a challenge and within 18 months, successfully demonstrated the concept in a flight test." Additional flight testing is expected this summer. Stingers have been used in combat for decades. For instance, the US made the uneasy decision to share the missile with US-backed Afghan rebels to help erode the Soviet Union's control of the air. Over the course of the war, an estimated 2,000 and 2,500 were sent. Stingers have also seen combat in other wars, most recently Ukraine. Weeks after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, then-US President Joe Biden sent them to Ukraine to shoot down Russian helicopters.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Grand Rapids' historic Sligh building, home to antique shops, listed for sale
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A historic building that houses several antique shops in Grand Rapids has been listed for sale. The Sligh Furniture Building at 226 Logan St., which houses businesses like Century Antiques and Lost & Found Treasures of Old and New, has been listed by the Jonna Group Exclusive Real Estate Collection. the building was listed for sale as a lender tries to put the property in receivership, a request that a judge has rejected. The lender, Red Oak Income Opportunity Fund LLC, has filed a lawsuit against property owner JV SBAM SB LLC, claiming it has defaulted on its loans, Crain's reports. Inside Building West Michigan 'While the project has experienced delays due to macroeconomic headwinds and property specific challenges, it remains one of the most interesting downtown development sites in the city for which we continue to evaluate a best path forward,' developer John Gibbs said in a statement to Crain's. The developer previously wanted to turn the building into an apartment complex with 753 units, a move that upset its antique store tenants. The Sligh Building, which has been around since the 1880s, is on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the property listing. The property's sale price is listed as 'subject to offer.' 'The property presents an exceptional canvas for creating a dynamic residential community within a desirable location in the heart of Grand Rapids, that is ready to fulfill the needs of modern urban living, making it an enticing prospect for investors looking for an opportunity to invest in multifamily asset at a growing urban location,' the listing says of the 584,854-square-foot building. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
