Once again, the Mil Spec Monkey crew has produced a series of informative videos on new products debuted at SHOT Show.
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Archive for January, 2009
Mil Spec Monkey
Saturday, January 31st, 2009Tools Aviation Personal Battery Caddies
Friday, January 30th, 2009
In this instance a picture is worth a thousand words. Different models accommodate AA, AAA, and CR123 batteries. Colors vary depending on model but Green and Black are commonly available. All three are available from Advanced Outfitters.
Picture from Advanced Outfitters.
Military Morons Reviews the Crye Gen 2 Combat Uniform AC
Friday, January 30th, 2009
Amid rumors that Crye will relaunch their commercial website soon, Military Morons has published his review. The new generation of Combat and Field clothing has been produced for commercial sale in Multicam, Sand, Green, and Black. Check it out here.
Army Recalls Armor Plates
Thursday, January 29th, 2009Last night AP published a story on the Army’s recall of “Body Armor”. Reading the article as well as a notice on PEO-Soldier’s website, we believe that it is actually a recall of plates.
WASHINGTON – Army Secretary Pete Geren has ordered the recall of more than 16,000 sets of body armor following an audit that concluded the bullet-blocking plates in the vests failed testing and may not provide soldiers with adequate protection.
The audit by the office of the Defense Department inspector general, not yet made public but obtained by The Associated Press, faults the Army for flawed testing procedures before awarding a contract for the armor.
In a letter dated Jan. 27 to Acting Inspector General Gordon Heddell, Geren said he did not agree that the plates failed the testing or that soldiers were issued deficient gear. He said his opinion was backed by the Pentagon’s top testing director.
Despite his insistence that the armor was not deficient, Geren said he was recalling the sets as a precaution.
Geren also said he’s asked for a senior Pentagon official to resolve the disagreement between the Army and the inspector general’s office.
“To ensure there can be no question regarding the effectiveness of every soldier’s body armor, I have today ordered that the plates at issue be identified and collected until such a time as the matter has been adjudicated by the deputy secretary of defense,” he wrote.
Hundreds of thousands of body armor sets have been manufactured by nearly a dozen different companies over the past seven years. The vests are now standard gear for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The audit by the inspector general’s office was the second requested by Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y. She first asked the watchdog agency to look into the acquisition of the ballistic vests in 2006 after she read newspaper reports saying inadequate body armor was causing U.S. casualties.
The first audit was completed last year, but Slaughter said it wasn’t thorough enough.
Slaughter said Wednesday she’s satisfied with the latest report but remains concerned the Army has not changed its contracting methods to ensure the troops are getting the best gear.
“I’m not through,” she said. “I really want to know which contracts are bad.”
Heddell is scheduled to give Slaughter a briefing Thursday on the audit’s findings.
Auditors focused on a step called first article testing. These tests are to confirm the product meets the Army’s specifications. But the audit says the Army didn’t perform or score the tests consistently.
“Consequently, we believe that three of the eight ballistic insert designs that passed first article testing actually failed,” the audit says.
The contract examined by the inspector general’s office is listed in the audit only as W91CRB-04-D-0040. An Aug, 20, 2004, an announcement on the Defense Department’s Web site states a contract under that designation was awarded to Armor Works of Chandler, Ariz.
The Army bought 51,334 sets of the protective inserts under the contract for just over $57 million, according to the inspector general.
A call to Armor Works was not immediately returned.
Granite Gear Tactical at SHOT Show
Thursday, January 29th, 2009Granite Gear was well represented at SHOT Show. In addition to their current line of packs and pouches they unveiled a few new items. Additionally, Multicam was prominent in their line.
Lightweight stuff sacks in various sizes were displayed.
Granite Gear also unveiled their new IMAG Interlocking Magazine Pouch system. In addition to a PALS compatible backing, the pouches integrate a hinge style system to attach adjacent pouches to one another. A stiffened web “pin” is inserted into the interwoven loops of each pouch. The pouch’s flap closes with a tabbed closure system very similar to the one used on the M-14 magazine pouch of the M-1956 load carrying system except that the materials are modern.
Also on display was the Chief Patrol pack selected as the new Patrol Pack for SOCOM. The issue ruck will have a few changes from the stock item including changes in direction for zippers, improved hydration interfaces as well as other unspecified alterations.
The Granite Gear Tactical line is distributed by SMG Tactical.
Timberland Force Boots
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009
This family of boots has been kicking around for at least a year and a half. Consisting of specialized designs for Urban, Jungle, Desert, and Mountain climes, the entire line is offered in a variety of color schemes to match environments as much as personal preference.
They successfully commercialized the Mountain Force boot with US Cav and BQM that Fall and Timberland recently transitioned the remainder of the line from their skunk works to the Pro Force sales team.
The entire line was on display at SHOT Show and we will be introducing the entire line over the next few weeks but the Desert Force Mid Boot in Coyote Brown Camo caught our eye as the most likely for our readers to put to immediate use.
Timberland Desert Force Mid Boot in Coyote Brown Camo.
Features:
-Cut-resistant, breathable mesh collars
-ÆGIS Microbe Shield® anti microbial footbed
-Quick-drying pull-out linings
-Fire resistant outsole, midsole, waterproof leather, SmartWool® collar lining
-Meets NFPA 1971, sec. 5-4.5 FR requirement
-Puncture-resistant flexible composite lasting board for underfoot protection
-Blister Guard® by Friction Free® to reduce risk of blisters
-Optional water drainage system (punch holes through if needed)
-Timberland® PreciseFit™ system for custom fit
-Convenient quick-speed lacing system
-Over-the-toe rubber bumper and wrap up outsole
-Low-profile tuned outsole with cantilevered lugs for whole body stability
A network of retailers will be released soon.
CP Gear Launches New Website
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009CP Gear by Wheeler has launched an entirely new website. They have also added three new colors to their line of CADPAT-TW and CADPAT-AR; Coyote, Universal Camouflage Pattern, and Multicam are now also available.
Check it out at www.cpgear.com.
Brownells’ AR-15 Builder
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009What could be more fun than to while the day away than creating virtual black rifles? Besides reading Soldier Systems Daily? Well we can’t think of much. Brownells has created this excellent AR-15 builder featuring products they sell.
Check it out: Brownells’ AR-15 Builder
