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Archive for 2011

Revision to Develop Next Gen Helmet

Wednesday, July 27th, 2011

Recently, Revision was awarded a three-year contract with the U.S. Armyâ€™s Natick Labs Soldier Systems Center worth $1,990,340 to develop a next generation helmet. Although you probably consider Revision just an eye pro company, they have been hard at work developing other protective products. For example, take the Eye Shield and Maxillo Facial Protection they showed at the 2009 AUSA conference.

According to a press release from the office of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), “The new helmet will integrate both ballistic impact protection and blast protection from rotational forces that are believed to contribute to the relatively high number of brain injuries suffered by soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The helmet will have built-in communications systems, include enhanced chemical protection for the wearer, and will integrate a protection for the jaw and lower face.”

www.revisioneyewear.com

Tags: Revision Military
Posted in Armor, Contracts | 15 Comments »

Breaking News – Nett Warrior Purchase Cancelled

Wednesday, July 27th, 2011

Nett Warrior was the Army’s latest, in a long line of digitization efforts designed to increase the situational awareness of the Soldiers. But, earlier today we received reports that Nett Warrior, the culmination of over 20 years of development and testing, has been cancelled in favor of a Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) based handheld device combined with a Soldier radio. Numerous reports have recently mentioned experiments using the Android operating system on board the Joint Battle Command-Platform, developed by MITRE Corp. Apparently, they’ve paid off. Look for an RFQ on this piece soon.

This decision will come as a blow to three major defense contractors who have not traditionally participated in the Soldier Systems industry: Rockwell Collins, Raytheon, and General Dynamics. All three were contenders for the production version of Nett Warrior and all three invested a great deal of capital in preparing for this program. What’s just as bad are the countless small business vendors who had partnered with these companies who will have to make some tough decisions in the coming weeks.

One question comes to mind. Is this the first casualty of the new defense budget environment or a preemptive move by new PEO Soldier BG Camille M. Nichols to cut some chaff and protect the rest of her portfolio of programs from the budget axe?

While it’s not really all that surprising from an operational standpoint that Nett Warrior was cancelled, there has been a great deal of Congressional interest in the concept as it has transitioned from one program to the next over the past 20 years beginning with Land Warrior. You can go back a few more if you include SIPE (Soldier Integrated Protective Ensemble). It will be interesting to see if Congress once again breathes life into this program considering the number of jobs it represents.

Tags: Mitre, Nett Warrior
Posted in Contracts, Digitization, PEO-Soldier | 9 Comments »

BushHawk Shoulder Mount

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

Turn your camera into a weapon. Think of the BushHawk Shoulder Mount as a buttstock for your camera that really steadies your shot. While this is more of a figurative sense, a photograph can be very powerful, so why not get it right. According to the user who recommended the BushHawk to me, it is great for use with large lenses and for focusing on the action. It is also lightweight and can be put into action more quickly than a tripod. The downside? It looks like a rifle so be careful.

www.bushhawk.com

Tags: BushHawk
Posted in Gadgets | 8 Comments »

Spec4ce Series 2 Has Arrived

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

While it’s been a long time coming, Hyperstealth Biotechnology Corp has just announced the arrival of their new Series 2 Spec4ce patterned clothing.

Urban Light on the Left and Woodland on the Right

Pre-orders will begin to ship Wednesday July 27 with all pre-orders expected to be shipped by next Friday, August 5. Once the pre-orders are shipped out and they’ve been able to deal with any size issues, they’ll open the site for sales for a limited time in late August to early September.

There are actually 17 patterns in Series 2 but two cannot be shown here. According to a statement from Guy Cramer of Hyperstealth, “The 17 color schemes are the most ever done for a commercial order or even a country order (that we are aware of), add the three other patterns we didn’t run from S1 (Urban, Tropical and Forest [Forest was licensed to Afghanistan]) and the Sierra pattern for the ANCOP and that puts the total Spec4ce color schemes that have gone into production at 21.”

Here you can see the pocket layout for their uniforms. Every Jacket has one of their Patented Passive Negative Ion Generators embedded in the collar. Additionally, every Ball Cap has the generator embedded into the underside of the brim of the cap. While I remain skeptical about Negative Ion Generators, a few people I trust are convinced. To learn more, check this out: www.hyperstealth.com/beckett/index.html

I do wish Hyperstealth had dispensed with the button on the top of the ballcaps and replaced it with Velcro. At this point, that is the industry standard for a “tactical” cap.

Keep your eye on their website for more info on open sales of the Spec4ce patterns.

www.hyperstealth.com

Tags: Hyperstealth Biotechnology Corp
Posted in Camo, Foreign | 25 Comments »

FirstSpear Platform Combinations

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

By now most of you have already checked out FirstSpear’sâ„¢ website or catalog and you will have noticed that they have worked hard to develop a system. Three of their platforms are designed to work alone or in concert with one another: The Sleeperâ„¢, The Beat Upâ„¢, and OAGREâ„¢.

The Sleeperâ„¢
Designed in conjunction with Crye Precisionâ„¢, the Sleeperâ„¢ is designed to wear over or under garments and can be worn alone or in conjunction with the other platforms featured in this article. It gets its name from

The Beat Upâ„¢ PC (Plate Carrier) – SAPI/ESAPI/SPEAR
The Beat Up gets its name from WW II’s Long Range Desert Group (LRDG). They referred to a raid as a â€œBeat Upâ€ and FirstSpearâ„¢ developed it for just this sort of operation. It can be worn alone or in conjunction with the other platforms to beef up their protection level.

Operational Assault Ground Reconnaissance Exploitation (OAGREâ„¢) Tactical Vest
The OAGREâ„¢ was actually first conceived for use by Recce elements but the Assaulters saw it and recommended a few changes. It is great for those who need a more traditional load bearing or assault vest. It can be worn alone or over The Sleeperâ„¢. That you can add The Beat Upâ„¢ allows it to be instantly uparmored for the task at hand.

Here are some shots of various combinations. The Beat Upâ„¢ attaches to the other platforms via ITW G-hooks that attach to a discreet tab system.

Beat Upâ„¢ / Sleeperâ„¢
– shoulder straps and padding removed from Beat Upâ„¢
– Beat Upâ„¢ cummerbund attached to Sleeperâ„¢
– optional Beat Upâ„¢ attachment kit connects Beat Upâ„¢ to discreet tabs on Sleeperâ„¢

OAGREâ„¢ / Sleeperâ„¢
– Plate and soft armor inside sleeper
– Foam shoulder and waist pad removed from OAGREâ„¢
– Assaulters Gun Belt attached to OAGREâ„¢

Beat Upâ„¢ / OAGREâ„¢
– cummerbund, shoulder straps, and padding removed from Beat Upâ„¢
– optional Beat Up attachment kit connects Beat Upâ„¢ to discreet tabs on OAGREâ„¢

FirstSpearâ„¢ has gone to great lengths to incorporate the latest material technologies such as printed Velcroâ„¢ into their designs. Additionally, their products are Berry compliant and offered in Black, Coyote, Khaki, Ranger Green, and MultiCam.

www.first-spear.com

Tags: FirstSpear, ITW
Posted in Armor | 6 Comments »

MMI Updates Web Presence

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

MMI Tactical has updated their website and done a great job of including information on all of their current offerings as well as videos and some in-depth background data. They’ve also introduced a blog and you can sign up for the Snake-eater’s Dispatch, a newsletter designed to keep you up-to-date on all things MMI You might also want to check out MMI Tactical on Facebook.

www.mmitactical.com

Tags: Facebook, MMI
Posted in Camo, Industry, Load Carrying, Packs | 5 Comments »

SureFire Wins 2011 Safety Product of the Year Award

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

The Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence awarded SureFire the 2011 Safety Product of the Year Award for their improved EP3 Sonic Defenders. SureFire enhanced the Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) rating from 16db to 24db. The EP3 is a two-flange plug that allows sounds, at safe levels, to pass through into the ear canal, while potentially harmful noises (above 85dB) are reduced via a proprietary design that incorporates the patented Hocks Noise BrakerÂ® filter. EP3s also include the attached stopper plugs, which can be inserted for further protection, and they also block out lower-level noise like that heard on a plane. I can say from personal experience that these work. However, it is important to note that these do need to be replaced every 3-6 months depending on rate of use and care.

They are available in Black or Clear in sizes Small, Medium, or Large.

www.surefire.com/EarProProducts

Tags: Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence, Surefire
Posted in Industry | 1 Comment »

Field Gourmet – Cool Caffeine Mints

Monday, July 25th, 2011

Reportedly, Cool Caffeine Mints have begun to show up in US military Meals Ready to Eat. Made with triple distilled Idaho peppermint oil and infused with caffeine, Cool Caffeine Mints come in packs of 10.