May 2008 | Soldier Systems Daily Soldier Systems Daily

Archive for May, 2008

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Monday, May 26th, 2008

For those of you who haven’t seen it; do so. It is a fantastic addition to the franchise. Overall the movie was very well done but two accuracy errors stood out for me. The Soldiers were wearing the correct Ridgeway style caps but the Colonel had sewn on rank. Additionally, during the scene with the troops in NBC garments, they were wearing M-17 protective masks and not the M-9 as would have been the standard issue at the time. In fact the M-9 soldiered on for quite some time after the M-17 series was fielded for those involved in decontamination operations.

If anyone noticed any other errors shoot me an email at admin@soldiersystems.net and I will add them.

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Survivability Through Mobility

Monday, May 26th, 2008

Finally the tide seems to be turning and the conventional wisdom of armoring service members like tanks seems to be coming to an end. At the Soldier Systems APBI in May MARCORSYSCOM officials stated the they were “willing to accept risk for the sake of mobility” and the term “Survivability through mobility” has become PM-ICE’s mantra in their quest for a replacement for the Modular Tactical Vest program. The effects of this push can already be seen with the fielding of the new plate carrier to Marines in Afghanistan. PM-ICE representatives also stated that they were looking to reduce the area of coverage on the MTV replacement and reduce cumbersomeness in order to increase lethality.

Marine Plate Carrier

Tags: MARCORSYSCOM
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Mirage Camo

Sunday, May 25th, 2008

Bulldog Equipment unveiled the new Mirage camouflage pattern at AUSA in October of last year. At SOFIC they modified their display of tactical equipment to feature their new uniform system in the Mirage pattern. The uniform consists of a Fire Resistant Undershirt, Garrison Combat Top, Summer Combat Top, and Pants. The garments are well made and include features that were developed through direct feedback from testers. These include super fabric reinforced knees, elbows and, shoulders, reinforced crotch, over-sized pen pockets to accommodate chemlights and sharpie markers as well as reinforcements in other areas of high abrasion. In addition to uniform items they have also produced versions of their assault pack and sniper drag bag in Mirage pattern. Although they are quiet about possible customers, Bulldog remains adamant that they will restrict the innovative pattern to US DoD only.

Access to the new website is available to those with .mil email addresses.

Mirage

Tags: Bulldog Equipment, Mirage
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Don’t Throw in the Towel – Yet

Saturday, May 24th, 2008

Remember that thin brown Army Towel that you were issued in Basic Training and only worked because you didn’t have any hair to dry? The next time you pulled it out of the bottom of your duffel bag was for PLDC. Well one of the most useless issue items is finally undergoing an update. PEO-Soldier is currently conducting a market survey of alternative towels. Many Soldiers have purchased travel towels or other chamois-style towels. Officials want to see if they can source a Berry compliant version that is lightweight, fast drying, and actually does its job.

Tags: PEO-Soldier
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Soldier Systems APBI Slides Published

Saturday, May 24th, 2008

They are available at:

APBI Slides

Tags: APBI
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USMC Scalable Plate Carrier

Saturday, May 24th, 2008

Responding to an Urgent Needs Statement from Marines in Afghanistan, MARCORSYSCOM has begun fielding a plate carrier. The recent backlash over the Modular Tactical Vest can also be credited with this bold move. It seems as though the services are getting the message that a more mobile shooter is a more lethal shooter. No details as to manufacturer have been released. However, an interesting feature on the prototype is offset PALS webbing on the upper chest.

Tags: MARCORSYSCOM, Plate Carrier
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Air Force FIRESAFE Program

Saturday, May 24th, 2008

The Air Force Clothing Office is hard at work developing new clothing for Airmen serving in ground combat.

The overarching program is called FIRESAFE and charged with development of the Airman Combat System – Ground, Fire Resistant Airman Battle Uniform and the thus far, ill-fated Airman Battle Shirt.

The Fire Resistant Airman Battle Uniform should be on track as the Air Force is leveraging an Army contract for the FR ACU and has only to decide how the coat’s pockets will be laid out. Amazingly, this remains a point of contention for all of the FR clothing items even though they have no garrison application. There is still a faction that wants the enlisted to wear their stripes on their sleeves even in the field.

The Airman Combat System – Ground will consist of under garments, a battle uniform, cold weather clothing, ballistic protection, load carrying system, and ancillary items (these were unspecified).

Tags: Air Force, FIRESAFE
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Coming Soon to a Soldier Near You- Army Combat Pants

Saturday, May 24th, 2008

Officials were tight lipped on details but working with input from PM-SSS at Natick, PEO-Soldier is developing an Army Combat Pant to complement the already successful Army Combat Shirt. Nine initiatives are currently under evaluation. We can only speculate that they will resemble Crye’s Assault Pants in some fashion.

Tags: PEO-Soldier
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