FirstSpear TV

Archive for January, 2011

SD Padres’ New Uniforms a Little Too Good

Friday, January 28th, 2011

The Padres have long worn camouflage uniforms in honor of the large military presence in the San Diego area. Previous versions have included Woodland and 3-color Desert. Recently, they unveiled jerseys in a new pixelated camo pattern which resembles MARPAT Desert. Padres officials are concerned that the desert coloring won’t be discernible as a camo pattern and may wash out the player’s number and name.

From the San Diego Union-Tribune:

The digital pattern creates no solid lines or edges and blurs the outline of the human profile. Even the seams have soft edges.

As a Marine wearing a MARPAT uniform moves around, the colors mesh with the background.

“Up close, they look great,” said Jack Ensch, the Padres’ retiring director of military affairs. “But they are going to blend in more on television and from the stands. Many fans aren’t going to be able to tell that these are camouflage uniforms paying tribute to the military.”

Sounds to me like it does exactly what it is supposed to.

Bates Footwear Partners with Wounded Warrior Project

Friday, January 28th, 2011

Bates Footwear has announced they will be partnering with Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), a nonprofit organization that supports thousands of wounded warriors each year during their transition back to civilian life.

WWP began when several veterans and friends, moved by stories of the first wounded service members returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq, took action to help others in need. What started as a program to provide comfort items to wounded servicemen and women has grown into a complete rehabilitative effort to assist warriors as they recover. Over 40,000 of our nation’s armed forces have been physically wounded during the current military conflicts. Hundreds of thousands more are estimated to be recovering from invisible wounds of war, including post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, and traumatic brain injury.

WWP assists wounded warriors and their families through a holistic approach to their recovery. Whether through caregiver retreats, combat stress programs, career and education services, or adaptive sporting opportunities, WWP empowers warriors with the tools essential to not just survive their injuries but to thrive and achieve personal and professional success.

Manufacturing quality boots and shoes to protect the men and women that wear them is part of the value that drives Bates to give back. “We are grateful to show our support and gratitude to warfighters who have honored our country with incredible sacrifice by supporting a worthy cause such as Wounded Warrior Project” said Ron Woznick, Bates VP & General Manager.

Civilian Class I Lasers Now Available from TNVC

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Some very exciting news from Tactical Night Vision Company. They are now selling Class1 Infrared Lasers for Civilians. Laser Devices, Inc (LDI) has begun manufacturing Class1 (eye safe) IR lasers for commercial sale and TNVC, a distributor for LDI, is now stocking these units. Class1 lasers are 0.07mW, providing a precise weapon-mounted aiming solution out to 75-100 yards. These are the first true, IR lasers available for commercial sale and this is the first time civilians can purchase them. Standard power IR lasers (class IIIb) are restricted to government purchase by the FDA. These units are built using LDI’s legacy Milspec body housings which are precision machined aerospace grade aluminum with a Mil-Spec surface anodizing. They have been proven on the battlefield and will stand up to harsh recoil and field abuse. Class1 lasers are available in four variants:

DBLA-I² – Class1 IR laser/ Class IIIa Visible Laser (red or green)
OTAL – Class1 IR Laser
ITAL – Class1 IR Laser
EOLAD 1L – Class1 IR Laser/ Eotech 552 Holo Sight

Now available at www.TNVC.com

A Little Bit of Crye Pr0n for Ya

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Here’s a little Crye Precision gear Pr0n from our friends at UK-based Level Peaks Associates.

Which brings us to an interesting point. As they are a full Crye stockist and located in the UK, they are a great place to source Crye and other genuine MultiCam goods for our overseas readers. And, US-based readers will be interested in Level Peaks’ own line of products such as their technical windproof smock.

www.levelpeaks.com

Beyond Clothing Update

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Beyond Clothing launched their new, updated website today. I like the look and feel and it seems a bit more streamlined than the previous incarnation. Additionally, they have released a new catalog featuring products that they debuted at OR. In particular, look for a woman’s line as well as their new hardshell bibs.

Beyond Clothing 2011

www.beyondclothing.com

Kidnap & Rescue

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

For some K&R (Kidnap and Ransom) is just another insurance you purchase before you head overseas. For others, the K&R business is their way of life, working for companies that negotiate for, and secure the release of the those unfortunate enough to become victims.

Discovery Channel is launching a new 10 episode series on 29 January entitled, “Kidnap & Rescue” that serves as case studies of several incidents and their aftermath. They have enlisted the technical advice of Dan O’Shea. His credentials are impressive; CDR US Navy, former Team Three SEAL, and service as Coordinator, Hostage Working Group – US Embassy, Iraq). Due to his extensive experience in this world, the shows should be very good. The first episode of Kidnap & Rescue features HALO Corporation, a San Diego-based security firm founded by Brad Barker and his team of former SOF and Intelligence personnel. Together they work to provide security and humanitarian aid along the U.S./Mexico border. This episode tells the story of two kidnappings to which HALO responds.

Thanks to our industry friend who sent us the heads up. We’ll be watching.

To learn more visit www.discovery.com.

Canadian Air Force Adopts Revision Eyewear

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Revision, has been awarded a $2.7 million contract with the Canadian DND to supply Air Force members with Ballistic Eyewear (BEW), also known as the Sawfly Spectacle System. The initial contract is to supply 33,000 kits and 40,000 additional lenses in 2011 with a 5 year option period. Revision first won the BEW contract for Canadian land forces in 2003.

“Revision is proud to provide the Canadian Air Force with their protective eyewear needs,” said Jonathan Blanshay, CEO of Revision. “Today’s battlefield requires protection from a growing list of threats, from IED shrapnel and flying debris to harmful laser wavelengths. Revision’s Sawfly Ballistic Eyewear is a single system that provides powerful ballistic protection and, at the customer’s request, the ability to protect against laser threats with high-performance, specialty lenses.”

The Clothe The Soldier (CTS) did some great stuff, ten years ago it seems. Lately, Canadians have been referring to the program as Clown The Soldier which has concentrated on such epic improvements as camouflage boots. We have heard through the proverbial grapevine that almost all funding for Army upgrades via CTS have been pulled and that the Air Force and Navy are getting their turn. Since the Army fielded Sawflys several years ago, we think that this is a minor indicator that this may actually be the case.

At any rate, Sawflys rock. They are well made, meeting or exceeding ANSI Z87.1-2010 and U.S. military ballistic impact requirements (MIL-PRF-31013, clause 3.5.1.1 and MIL-DTL-43511D, clause 3.5.10). Additionally, Revision just released their small sizes. Not to be confused with Asian sizing,

Stay tuned, we have been chasing a new product from Revision for some time and finally have a sample to unveil.

www.revisionmilitary.com

GunsForSale.com Purchases The Firearm Blog

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

One of our favorite blogs is The Firearm Blog. We received news that they have been purchased by GunsForSale.com. Former owner Steve has been retained by the new owners and been given the role of Editor-in-Chief while he attends college so we expect to see the same level of quality maintained that we are used to. Congrats to all involved!