Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 21, 2021) - KWESST Micro Systems Inc. (TSXV: KWE) (OTCQB: KWEMF) ("KWESST" or "the Company"), a publicly-traded company listed on the OTCQB© Markets (symbol: KWEMF) and the TSX Venture Exchange (symbol: KWE) today announced that Brandon Tatum, who runs the highly successful YouTube channel called "The Officer Tatum" with over 1.6 million subscribers, has agreed to act as advisor and be an advocate for KWESST's non-lethal Low Energy System ("LEC") system for law enforcement and personal defense in the U.S. Brandon Tatum also currently has a regular following of more than three million people across various social media platforms and is a frequent guest on TV shows such as The Ingraham Angle and Justice with Judge Jeanine on Fox News Channel.
Under the terms of the engagement, Brandon will advise KWESST on optimization of the LEC system for law enforcement and personal defense applications. He will also provide educational segments on The Officer Tatum show for law enforcement and the public regarding the features and benefits of the LEC system. He will as well produce interviews with KWESST's Executive Chairman David Luxton and participate as a representative of KWESST in various third-party interviews on the LEC products.
Brandon Tatum commented that, "It is an absolute honor to partner with KWESST. The Low Energy Cartridge system is a game changer for law enforcement and it adds to a family's ability to diversify home and personal defense. As a former police officer, I understand the value of having reliable non-lethal cartridge-based firing platform as an option on patrol, which also gives great flexibility during tactical deployments. I also recognize that there is a significant population in America that is looking for a tool that can keep them safe without having to resort to deadly force. The Low Energy Cartridge system is the perfect solution for America, and I am 100 percent behind this incredibly innovative strategy to make our world a safer and more responsible place."
David Luxton, Executive Chairman of KWESST said, "We're very pleased at this collaboration with Brandon, who is a widely followed commentator on use of force and is a sincere believer in better tools for law enforcement and personal defense. His views and advice will help KWESST bring to market variants of the LEC product tailored to specific operational purposes, with advance feedback from his audiences."
As announced on July 12th, KWESST is accelerating its go-to-market LEC program to an aggressive timetable, culminating in a feature exhibit at the 2022 SHOT Show in Las Vegas on January 18 to 21. Brandon will be present at the KWESST booth and is expected to be available for the signing of his upcoming book Beaten Black and Blue, Being a Black Cop in an America Under Siege which will be released on November 30, 2021.
As part of the eighteen-month agreement entered into between KWESST and The Officer Tatum LLC ("Tatum LLC") on July 19, 2021, for the services to be provided by Brandon Tatum of behalf of Tatum LLC, Tatum LLC was granted 150,000 Performance Stock Units, 350,000 Restricted Stock Units and 150,000 Share Appreciation Rights ("SARs") in accordance with the Company's Long-Term Incentive Plan. The SARs will be exercisable at a price of CD $1.65 per SAR.
About Brandon Tatum
Brandon Tatum, a former Tucson Police Officer, Founder of TatumReport.com, CEO of three companies, and co-founder of BLEXIT, has become one of the most prolific speakers and exciting personalities on social media after making a Facebook Video that got over 70 million views. Brandon has a tremendous following of over 3 million people spread across various social media platforms. He has been featured on The Ingraham Angle, Fox Business, Fox & Friends, Headline News, Newsmax, One America News, the Candance Show on The Daily Wire as well podcasts for Diamond and Silk, Ben Shapiro, Salem radio, and many large local radio markets, just to name a few. Brandon has been invited by President Donald J. Trump, to the White House on several occasions.
Brandon consistently speaks to crowds of over a thousand people. He has shared the stage with many world-renowned leaders including the President of the United States. Brandon has spoken at over 26 Colleges and Universities in over 20 different states last year alone. Brandon is well recognized for his, Godly perspective, dynamic personality, authentic message, and his natural ability to relate to the everyday American.
Brandon was also an All-American high school football player out of Fort Worth, Texas. Brandon was featured in the US-Army All-American Game, which showcases the top 78 high school football players in the nation. Brandon accepted a full athletic scholarship from the University of Arizona in 2005. Brandon played at Arizona for 5 years and entered the NFL Draft in 2010. God had other plans for Brandon, and he joined the Tucson Police Department a year later.
Brandon served six years with the Tucson Police Department. During his tenure, Brandon became a SWAT operator, field training officer, general instructor, and a Public Information Officer.
Brandon holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona in Sociology and is actively working on his master's in business leadership from Grand Canyon University.
About the non-lethal market and the Low Energy Cartridge system
The market for non-lethal products is a recurring multi-billion-dollar opportunity. Customers continue to seek better solutions as many legacy systems can be lethal, and frequently are unreliable. Thousands of fatalities have been recorded from existing cartridge-bases systems, including conducted energy devices such as Taser. Other legacy products that are "less" lethal typically fire from air guns, which are inherently unreliable as they are affected by ambient temperature and involve high-maintenance including as a result of air seals and "O" rings drying out and bursting, causing catastrophic failures. Air-based systems also entail a long logistics tail of compressors, air tanks and spare parts.
The LEC systems solves these problems with the proven reliability of a cartridge-based system in a low-cost firing platform that fires only LEC cartridges. The firing platforms are offered in various patterns that replicate the look of a real firearm, or avoid the appearance of a firearm altogether, at the user's choice. The proprietary LEC cartridge automatically stabilizes the projectile for accuracy and distance, with an energetic actuator that controls velocity and muzzle energy well below lethal levels, and with no need for gunpowder or conventional propellant. The system's soft frangible projectiles come with various payloads, including coloured marking agent, inert powder or a safe but powerful irritant powder that temporarily incapacitates subjects.
About KWESST
KWESST develops and commercializes breakthrough next-generation tactical systems that meet the requirements of security forces and personal defense for overmatch capability against adversaries. The company's current portfolio of unique proprietary offerings include: its signature TASCSTM (Tactical Awareness and Situational Control System) for real-time awareness and targeting information from any source (including drones) streamed directly to users' smart devices and weapons; the autonomous GreyGhostTM soldier-portable micro drone missile system that defends against small hostile drones including swarms using high-speed kinetic impact; a Ground Laser Defence system to counter the emerging threat of weaponized lasers against personnel; and, the PhantomTM electronic battlefield decoy system to mask the electromagnetic signature of friendly forces with decoy signatures at false locations to deceive and confuse adversaries. All systems can operate stand-alone or integrate seamlessly with OEM products and battlefield management systems including Frontline, Edge, Killswitch and all versions of the ATAK Tactical Awareness. KWESST also has developmental "smart ordnance" projects including its "Shot Counter" system, which records the number and type of rounds fired, for optimized firearms maintenance and performance, and a unique non-lethal Low Energy Cartridge (LEC) system with application across all segments of the non-lethal market. The Company is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, with representative offices in Washington, DC, London, UK and Abu Dhabi, UAE. KWESST trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol KWE and on the U.S. OTCQB under the symbol KWEMF.
Contact: Jason Frame, Investor Relations: frame@kwesst.com
For more information, please visit https://kwesst.com/.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the timing for the commencement of trading and the plans and operations of KWESST after giving effect to the Qualifying Transaction. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. KWESST disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
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