After Facebook Fan “Way Point” offered this one up, we just couldn’t resist.
Archive for 2011
How Not To Be Seen
Tuesday, July 12th, 2011Haley Strategic Partners Giveaway – Day 2
Tuesday, July 12th, 2011
Today is day 2 of the 4 day Haley Strategic Partners Giveaway. A winner has been chosen for day 1 and will be announced as soon as he has acknowledged. This is today’s image. To get your win on, visit Facebook.com and “tag” your way to glory. Today’s prize will be BCM GUNFIGHTERâ„¢ MOD4 Charging Handle and a pair of HSGI Taco pouches in Multicam! Rules apply, so follow the rules.
Army Camouflage Improvement Effort Looks To Be On Track
Tuesday, July 12th, 2011Yesterday, the Army released a pre-solicitation called simply, “Camouflage Fabric.”
The contents are simple. Notice, the “pattern will be provided” provision. This and the three different patterns on NY/CO with a fourth on 500D Cordura indicate that the pattern down-select is moving right along and the Army is preparing for the next testing phase.
LI 001, 1000 yds of camouflage pattern A (TBD)printed on 50/50 nylon/cotton fabric that meets visual and Infrared. Pattern will be provided., 1000, YD;
LI 002, 1000 yds of camouflage pattern B (TBD)printed on 50/50 nylon/cotton fabric that meets visual and Infrared. Pattern will be provided., 1000, YD;
LI 003, 1000 yds of camouflage pattern C (TBD)printed on 50/50 nylon/cotton fabric that meets visual and Infrared. Pattern will be provided., 1000, YD;
LI 004, 1000 yds of camouflage pattern D (TBD)printed on 500 Denier Nylon Cordura fabric that meets visual and Infrared. Pattern will be provided., 1000, YD;
Unfortunately, this is a “Reverse Auction.” Great for known commodities, not so great for new developments. Printing new camo patterns is in the realm of new developments. No one has probably printed these patterns before and it will take some time to get them to render properly. It becomes even more difficult when there is more than one substrate. Different fabrics absorb inks differently. I foresee a lot of developmental work to get these patterns right, so that they will get a fair shake during the testing phase. I hope no one loses their shorts on this one.
Grip Force Adapter
Tuesday, July 12th, 2011Grey Group has just announced that they are carrying the Grip Force Adapter from Grip Force Products. Offered in Black or FDE, models are available for Gen 1,2,3 Glocks as well as Gen 4 Glocks. Mating with the backstrap of the Glock, it eliminates the drawbacks associated with permanent modifications to your factory pistol.
As you can see, the FDE does a pretty good job of matching Glock’s “Green” color. It looks promising, and Grey Group doesn’t sell junk, so I think I’ll try one out.
New Dutch Camo and Uniform?
Tuesday, July 12th, 2011According to several internet postings, the accompanying pictures is reportedly of a new camouflage pattern and uniform for the Dutch Army.
Unveiled at a recent Army shooting competition, the garrison and field variants are reportedly to see fielding beginning in 2014 as an extension of the Soldier Modernization Program (in Dutch, VOSS for the English Improved Operational Soldier System). It is anticipated that this variant, intended for woodland and urban environments, will not see any further alteration. The pattern is of the so-called fractal design, which uses patterns within patterns. Additionally, there is an arid pattern under development. As you can see, the Soldiers are in front of a TenCate sign. According to reporting, the uniforms are made from TenCate’s Defender-M fabric, which is the same fabric story as the Army’s FR ACU and USMC’s FROG.
Sewn On Patches – The Rest of the Story
Tuesday, July 12th, 2011It’s been a month since the SMA announced changes to the wear policy of the ACU. By now Soldiers have begun to have their BOS and Name tapes as well as skill badges sewn on their ACUs. For much of the Army, BDUs are either a distant memory or something they have heard about but never worn. Putting the camouflage pattern aside, the ACU is a pretty good uniform overall. Somehow, they forgot how to properly construct a crotch, but other than that it is an improvement on the BDU. The concept of attaching patches with Velcro was inspired by SOF but made sense for two reasons. First, the uniform could be sanitized for combat use and second, it would save the Soldier money. It’s not cheap to purchase all of those patches and have them sewn on to the uniform.
Now, Soldiers have gotten what they asked for. We have heard reports of sewing costs ranging from $20 to $79. Naturally, this depends on the number of ‘scare’ badges a Soldier has. Still, this is a bit expensive and rivals the cost of a completely new uniform. It seems that long gone are the days of $1 per patch.
The real question in all of this is; how long before we begin to hear the complaints from the field about these new costs associated with maintaining the ACU?
USAF Updates OCP Fielding
Monday, July 11th, 2011
Photo: SrA Sandra Welch
Last Friday, the US Air Force released an article on the fielding of Army OCIE in OCP (MultiCam) for deploying Airmen. Referred to as JET (joint expeditionary tasking) Airmen, more than 180 of them assigned to Provincial Reconstruction Teams and other taskings are wearing the OEF Camouflage Pattern (OCP).
Interestingly, the article refers to the OCP FR ACU as the, “Joint Service Solution Uniform.” This is a first for us. While PEO Soldier regularly speaks of looking for Joint Service Solutions, even they haven’t placed that monicker on OCP lest they derail their ongoing search for a new family of camouflage patterns.
We’ve written about this plan before. Unfortunately, the Air Force still hasn’t gotten their facts right on the difference between the Army’s OCP OCIE and their own, internally developed Airman Battle System – Ground (ABS-G). For example, the article claims, “The uniform gives Airmen unique benefits and features that the Airman Battle System-Ground and Airman Battle Uniform cannot deliver.” Sure, the ABU is such a failure, the Air Force has already changed the design of the coat once and is getting ready to field an entirely new fabric story for the uniform, but the ABS-G is very popular with Combat Airmen. It’s really just the Digital Tigerstripe pattern that is the problem. So, we’ll chalk this claim up to visual camouflage.
The article goes on this same vein, “OCPs have a more advanced camouflage pattern that blends in with the Afghan terrain, making our Airmen safer and more effective on the battlefield,” said Lt. Col. Shawna McGowan, the Air Force future programs branch chief. “The material is also flame resistant, lighter weight than the ABS-G or ABU, and contains a pre-applied bug repellant.”
Not completely true. The fabric used in the ABS-G’s field uniform component is the same as used in the Army’s A2CU and is lighter and more breathable than that used in the FR ACU. However, it is not quite as durable, nor does it contain permethrin to keep the bugs at bay. However, the ABS-G is a total system that incorporates FR insulation layers. This is something that the Army’s currently fielded solution does not provide. Fielding the Army’s Gen III ECWCS in lieu of a complete ABS-G developed under the FIRESAFE program puts Airmen at danger of flame threats. The alternative is to issue Fire Resistant Environmental Ensemble (FREE) to each deploying Airmen.
As you can see in the photo above, the Air Force chose to go their own path in regards to insignia and use “spice brown” colored name and service tapes as well as enlisted ranks rather than the Army’s black lettering. Looks good.
Overall, we are pleased with the direction the Air Force is heading. But, a lot of time and money was spent developing a unique Air Force solution for Airmen. Air Force personnel, ask for a MultiCam version of the ABS-G. The Airman Battle Shirt is already available from producer Massif in OCP. There is no reason for the Air Force to abandon the currently issued FR cold and inclement weather clothing developed under ABS-G. Finally, don’t forget to just ask for a new, useful camouflage pattern for both home station and deployed environments. Maybe it should be MultiCam and maybe it should be something else, but regardless, it shouldn’t be the current Digital Tigerstripe.
Haley Strategic Partners Giveaway
Monday, July 11th, 2011
Our friends at Haley Strategic Partners are sponsoring a series of awesome giveaways this week. Each day, for 4 days, they will post a new graphic to their Facebook page like the thumbnail we have placed at the beginning of this article. The full-size versions are yours to download. But it gets better. “Tag” yourself on the photo and you have a chance to win a random drawing for a daily prize of a weapon accessory. Today’s giveaway is a BCM Gunfighter Charging Handle. There will be three more this week; one per day. Here is a direct link to the post: www.facebook.com Be sure to “tag” yourself in the comments. This contest ends tomorrow with 3 more to follow.
In the end, everyone is a winner. No matter what, you get a free, cool graphic and one lucky winner per day wins a weapon accessory. Obviously, due to the prize content, restrictions apply so make sure you read the fine print at their www.facebook.com page. We will announce the winners here to echo HSP’s announcement on Facebook.
