Author: Tony Grist

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NIOA Onboards Hydrix in Counter-Drone Partnership NIOA has partnered with Hydrix to deliver critical counter-drone capabilities to the Australian Defence Force.  The agreement teams Australian-owned NIOA with Hydrix for support on the design and development of electronic fuzing and kinetic effector payload sub-components for integration on small Uncrewed Aerial Systems (sUAS).  Under the agreement, Hydrix will provide electronic design and development support to NIOA for its telemetry capable Inert Proximity?Fuze?and Kinetic Effector sUAS payload?package.  This collaboration will include?electronic design integration of the payload and sUAS host platform utilising a standardised interface plus the integration of payload proximity sensors and Electronic,?Safe?Arm?&…

FORT BENNING, Ga. — The Army’s toughest course just got tougher. On April 21, 2026, the first class of U.S. Army Ranger students tackled Fort Benning’s new Bayonet Assault Course, a rugged addition to the Malvesti obstacle course. Integrated into the grueling Ranger Assessment Phase, the high-stress, obstacle-packed site provides a new way to assess a Soldier’s physical and tactical readiness at the very start of the course. “The Bayonet Assault Course allows us to introduce a level of grit, a level of violence of action, very rapidly into Ranger school,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Patrick Hartung, command sergeant major…

Dear Industry – Cut The Slop Dear Industry, For the past several years we have been VERY generous here at SSD in publishing your press releases free of charge, regardless of whether you are an advertiser or not. What’s more, despite being very clear that we don’t accept them in Adobe Acrobat format (PDF) we’ve republished entirely too many, even though they take a great deal of time to correct the multiple issues you introduce by sharing them in such a ridiculous format. But now things have gone too far. Many of you have begun to use AI to create…

The House of Representatives voted down a war powers resolution Thursday put forward by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) that would have required President Donald Trump to seek authorization from Congress to continue the Iran War. Subscribe Today Get daily emails in your inbox Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Rep. Tom Barrett (R-MI) voted for the resolution while Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) was the only Democrat to vote against it. The final vote count was 212–212. The war powers vote in the House follows another unsuccessful attempt in the Senate, which failed Wednesday by a…

Hotspur Launches SOLDIER Line with Coin To mark the launch of the new SOLDIER brand at the recent British Army RSM conference, Hotspur commissioned an exclusive coin and pin badge set for the occasion. Each coin case was wrapped in a black outer card with silver hot foiling for the SOLDIER brand. We are tired of plain white card wraps that offer no branding or presence. The case inside was covered in a camouflage pattern to match the event. We believe this is yet another design first from Hotspur. The SOLDIER brand is hot foiled into the lid for a…

US Air Force Expands X10D EOD Program With Multi-Million Dollar Follow-On Award Skydio, the largest U.S. drone manufacturer and world leader in flying robots, today announced a follow-on multi-million dollar contract expansion with the U.S. Air Force (USAF) to further equip Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) units with Skydio X10D systems. The award was issued through the Defense Logistics Agency’s Tailored Logistics Support Special Operational Equipment program in partnership with ADS, a provider of products, technology, and logistics solutions for the U.S. military. The contract more than doubles the scope of the initial USAF order announced in November 2025. The expanded…

President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping met for a summit in Beijing Thursday. The U.S. delegation said the two leaders discussed the Iran War, now in its 37th day of a ceasefire, and the status of the Strait of Hormuz.  In an interview with NBC News Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “The Chinese side said they are not in favor of militarizing the Straits of Hormuz, and they’re not in favor of a tolling system, and that’s our position,” Rubio said. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Guo Jiakun told reporters Thursday only that the Middle East…

New lightweight .338 Lapua two-piece case delivers increased internal capacity and higher velocities for civilian, military, and law enforcement marksmen. Eubank, Ky. (May 2026) – Shell Shock Technologies, LLC. (SST), a leading innovator in the ammunition industry, today announced the commercial release of its .338 Lapua NAS3™ cartridge cases, now available online in quantities from 250 to 5,000. The launch extends SST’s revolutionary NAS3 two-piece technology – a corrosion-resistant nickel-alloy body locked to an ultra-durable stainless-steel head – into one of the most demanding long-range calibers used by precision rifle competitors, military sniper teams, and law enforcement tactical units. The…

One of the best parts of our jobs at Tactical Retailer is reviewing new guns, and we’re fortunate to get our hands on some pretty cool new introductions to bring you the scoop on what’s sure to sell. The past 12 months have brought us a number of exciting tactical firearms, and these are four of our favorites.The CZ Scorpion EVO 3/3+ is the one of the hottest-selling PCC ecosystems in America. Demand for magazines alone became so strong that Magpul stepped in with 35-round PMAGs, and then the accessory pipeline opened fully with every imaginable “make it yours” upgrade. The platform…