Picatinny allows first look at America’s newest weapons

Officials at Picatinny Arsenal allowed the media to have a rare look inside the military installation for a demonstration of its latest weaponry. Most of the work done at the arsenal includes developing

News 12 Staff

May 5, 2015, 3:07 AM

Updated 3,501 days ago

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Officials at Picatinny Arsenal allowed the media to have a rare look inside the military installation for a demonstration of its latest weaponry.
Most of the work done at the arsenal includes developing and testing weapons and ammunition for the United States military. One of those weapons is a mortar system currently being used by American soldiers.
"It provides a soldier with increased firepower, increased accuracy, and most importantly, survivability," says Bill Webber, of Precision Guided Munitions Systems.
The accuracy and effectiveness of mortar systems are enhanced greatly by computerized technology. It allows soldiers to hone in on targets as much as 5 miles away.
Not everything developed at Picatinny is designed for actual battle. Pyrotechnics create just as much noise and smoke, but are designed purely for training. They simulate the sights and sounds of gunfire and mortar rounds for soldiers.
Jim Wejsa helps to develop some of the pyrotechnics. He says they are essentially for training effective soldiers.
"[They] can get acclimated to the blasts and acclimated to the sounds, so they don't panic when it comes time in a combat situation," Wejsa says.
Picatinny develops 90 percent of the Army's weapons and ammo. Its products are utilized by all branches of the U.S. military.